By Katina O’Neil
What can shamanism offer the person who is curious about the subject, but has no calling to become a ‘shaman’ or perhaps even a ‘healer’?
At the core of shamanism lies the path of direct experience and
revelation. This is a path on which each person may directly engage with the Great Mystery of existence - however they may
think of it. Here we pierce the veil between consensual reality,
what our senses tell us is real, and the web of energy and spirit
that lies within and behind our everyday reality.
There are well travelled ways that give you immediate and authentic access to this mystery – to the vortex of personal awakening that is referred in the East as ‘enlightenment’. Once one
has a direct, personal experience of this world within our world,
there is no denying its existence or your ability to communicate
with it. This is not about worship. This is about building relationships, and we do this within a shamanic state of consciousness that can be achieved through Shamanic Journeying.
In my own experience, when I am teaching, there are always
spiritual helpers guiding my words, adding insights, and often
teaching the whole class. By being able to tap into this world, I
am able to access information I don’t have or perhaps information my logical mind is unable to understand. The same happens
when working with healing; as the process unfolds through spe-
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cific guidance given by my helping spirits or those of my client.
In my everyday life, I am in a field of information that I can tune
into in any instant. This something you can do – it is your
birthright.
At one time the way of the shaman was practiced by hunters and
gatherers in order to find food and achieve balance in the natural
world. The shaman was the one whose access to the unseen
world guaranteed the health and prosperity of the people.
Today we see a wide range of people integrating shamanic practices into their lives. More and more people are beginning to
realize that the path of direct revelation brings us into relationship with the world of things hidden through which we may
learn that everything that exists is alive and has a spirit and that
there is a field of energy that connects us to all of life. In this
field of energy there are helping spirits that provide us with
power, protection, support and guidance for our life, our relationships, our health and our work. This field is accessible to
everyone and you can directly experience it. This is the core
practice of shamanism today.
Katina O’Neil is a Shamanic Teacher, Healer and Reiki Master