DRUMMING UP VISIONS - Modern Shamanic Initiation.

Part 1

"The drums incessant beat became lost amidst a seemingly resonant symphony of voices... an enchantingly mysterious tone lead me through into another reality, a dreamtime landscape of the shamanic underworld. Perched on a cliff, my `being' perceived the luminous valley expanding out before me. Suddenly aware of a presence to my right, I turned and confronted the eyes and beak of an eagle... so close its warmth was tangible in comparison to the windy updraft. As we both alighted with graceful swiftness from the cliff I realised a magical transformation had occurred... my eagle wings were strong... my sight so keen... my thoughts so strange. We soared towards an unknown destination, surveying all below us with a god-like perspective... feeling my journey had begun aeons before this present reality."

Thus read my journal entry, written after a shamanic initiation led by Leslie Conton - co-worker/associate of Michael Harner (world renowned authority on shamanism). Leslie presented this event at the Transpersonal Psychology Conference in Brisbane 1986. She enticed our `allies' to dance, our visions to gather strength and power and also gave essential background knowledge to this fascinating tradition, forming a sound basis for further study.

Later I discovered that "birds always denote rising, activation, change and vitality. In some traditions birds are symbolic of the soul; in others the bird is recognized as an intelligent colloborator with man, being the bearer of celestial messages. For the Buryats of Siberia, the eagle is the prototype of the shaman. Some Siberian peoples directly associate the eagle with the Supreme Being and the Creator of Light. Odin was also called Eagle..... Whether for sport or spirit, the shaman's ability to fly or the enactment of flight bespeaks a sublime metaphysical reality that appears to be a common feature of mystical experiences everywhere. All the cosmos is accessible when the art of transformation is mastered." - Shaman, The Wounded Healer by Joan Halifax.

So, that journey, cited above, was my first `conscious' exploration of a realm and philosophy which had, in hindsight, affected my unconscious reality from an early age. I remember crying as a small boy whilst watching a "Deer Dance" performed by a visiting Mexican Folklore dance troupe. This perplexed my parents but somehow I felt it not at all unusual... a linking to past life memory perhaps. Thereafter I was always fascinated by movies with Indians, and TV shows like Daniel Boone etc. Also, after recently visiting America and participating in sacred ceremonies, I realised a large part of my consciousness was deeply rooted in that ancient tradition... with a feeling akin to coming "home".

Shamanism is currently undergoing an immense revival, involving people from many countries and various walks of life. The popularization of American Indian teachings and cultural heritage is only a small chapter in this overall saga. In fact, the so-called "New Age" may largely be a returning to the old and wise, respectful reverence for our sacred Mother Earth... sadly now being raped of resources in the onslaught of "modern" civilisation.

This "new" awakening stems directly from an earlier tribal reality, where the shaman was priest, social worker, political advisor and healer to a closely interconnected community. In many different cultures worldwide the land and all its beings were viewed as part of themselves, each with important roles in the unfolding drama of the universe. The shaman was honoured for his/her powers to intercede and understand the essential nature of this all-connected mystery and importantly bring wholeness and healing to the dis-spirited or sick.

Michael Harner (author of The Way of the Shaman) has coined the term "urban shamanism" for the practise and initiation of western peoples into an experiential exploration of shamanic realms. Years of academic study and fieldwork among shamanic cultures, including his own initiation, eventually led him to the realisation that several cross-culturally shared motifs and techniques could perhaps be reduced to a core of elements. These could be understood by almost anyone, regardless of culture and which could be employed for their own and others' benefit.(1)

Shamans throughout the world, from Tibet and Mongolia to the Americas, have been involved in healing for thousands of years, dating back to paleolithic times. Perhaps as old as consciousness itself, shamanism is an ancient healing tradition that has reflected the changing cultures of the surrounding world throughout the ages. This tradition involves healing through personal transformation as well as healing our family, community and environment. Central to this is the belief that we must heal and honour our mother the Earth, who is viewed as a living, conscious organism. Shamans say this sacred female Goddess, the earth who nourishes our very existence, must also be nourished with our prayers and ceremonies.(2) Recently some medical practitioners in America have been researching and using shamanistic practises to assist wholistic healing. This is an area that will undoubtedly reach out further into society as its effectiveness becomes apparent. In particular instances shamanic healing has even proven to be "miraculous" ie, Rolling Thunder, (Cherokee Indian medicine man) in one reported case, irrefutably reversed Multiple Sclerosis. And surely that is not the only case where medical science is at a loss to explain the healing phenomena. Rolling Thunder says of his work "This is the Great Spirit's way. I only act as an agent for the Great Spirit here; the healing comes from the spirit world."(3)

An integral part of any shaman's power is a fortifying relationship with an ally. Power exists everywhere, all around us, in undifferentiated form. Since we need to use the power around us just to charge our life force, each of us has some sort of ally in order to be alive. The ally or helper acts as an intermediary between that formless power and the physical world. Guardian angels, elementals, stars, people, plants, birds, animals are mediators between the spiritual and the material. In healing the ally acts as a step-down transformer, converting raw power to more manageable energetic levels. An ally can provide protection from illness or accidents as well. A shaman gives back to an ally by inviting it to dance, sing and work through his/her physical body. The shaman moves consciously through all the layers of manifestation that exist - all times, all places, all possibilities. The path is lifelong, what is written here is only the beginning, the initiation. The gates beyond are layers of consciousness, expanding gradually to include objective eternity. The work moves from self, to community, and finally to the planet.(4)