When I first
started to write this site, my thoughts were to write
what was essentially a description of shamanic practice
for the modern citizen of an industrialised world.
The site has grown in size and scope since then as the
need for foundations and structures became more and more
evident.
The concepts of
shamanism are beautifully simple, whilst revealing levels
of elegance and complexity only being glimpsed at on the
very leading edges of science. I write these words
(and this site) in
the hope that you will get a feel for what shamanism’s
principles and practices are about in today’s
industrialised society.
It is to you, the
industrialised citizen, that I speak in these pages. We,
the children of the industrialised world, lack the oral histories,
traditions, lore and law of our root,
non-industrialised societies. We are [mostly] a
mixed lot of heritages and traditions; bloodlines and
cultures mixed and blended throughout all industrialised
societies by the natural effect of globalisation.
As a
generalisation, the industrialised citizen lacks a
singular, significant cultural root in all but the most isolated
communities. In the most isolated north of
Australia, you will find not only Australia's aboriginal
custodians, but also Chinese, Asian, European and even
[in one case I know of] an Inuit from Canada's north!
Conveying an effective and workable
understanding of the principles and practice of
shamanism in our industrialised world requires a
different vehicle of data transfer than those used by
traditional, non-industrialised societies. We
(industrialised people)
have incredibly strong traditions, but they are an
industrialised tradition; we've learnt to develop intense and deep understandings through
reductionism; the practice of reducing things down into their smaller
components, learning the anatomy - the structures within
- of what is being examined.
-more-
Whilst scientific exploration is
beginning to find some aspects of the metaphysical
uncomfortably verifiable in controlled tests, I will
purposely avoid full blown
discussions of a scientific natuire; these are for the reader to research
themselves if motivated to do so' [links
will be included where relevant].
A
'sister site',
Quantum Temporal Dynamics discusses the 'other side'
of the equations, examining in detail the foundational
hypothetical concepts of the physics behind the universe.
Parallel concepts include
conceptualisation of the mind, persistent observation, temporal
distillation and a number of other principles upon
which effective shamanic practice relies. Links to
appropriate sections will be included at strategic
points throughout this text for follow up reading.
My writing is
consciously styled in the conversational and/or narrative;
the result of a decision to avoid producing either an approval
seeking, hyper-explanatory or over-referenced and hard
to read text. To this end, I will
refer to myself in the first person, rather than an
academic third person and footnote only references not
already well know within context. This is hopefully going to
produce a much more honest and readable text.
My ultimate goal is
that you remain interested and informed throughout our
conversation, yet develop your own conclusions in the
end. My role is not to convince you, but to lay out my
understanding and offer my thoughts for your
consideration, maybe even provoking some further personal
exploration.
This is ultimately
a text only describing shamanic principles as I
understand them. I believe that people living in the
industrialised world can become effective shamanic
practitioners, but the training requires honouring the
traditions of learning
[reductionism/constructionism/innovation] which so
distinguish our industrialised society.
If this site serves
as a launch point for your own discoveries in
understanding, my goal is achieved.
Introduction
It is to the
industrialised, “modern” shamanic seeker that I speak
from my heart and mind. This is an account
of the shamanic principles and practice which are those
of my reality. I can not and do not claim
representation of every shamanic thought, feelings or
perceptions other than my own.
An accomplished Amazonian shaman
and a similarly capable Siberian Shaman might have very different
perceptions of their roles, functions and techniques,
even if the actual intent and function within specific
functions and practices are nearly
identical.
There is a
propensity in our societies to value apparently ancient
traditions above scientific understanding, lore above
logic, tradition above science; almost a reverse
discrimination like the, “noble savage”[1]
concept that has infected thinking and writings for far
too long.
Logic and physics
have powerful and essential roles within industrialised shamanic
learning and practice. No discussion of shamanism
(or any other topic) would
be complete without taking into account what we now
understand within our modern world's body of knowledge and
complexity. I shall do my best to describe in detail
the processes, as I understand them to be.
Whilst time
honoured and tested rituals and wisdoms deserve to be
heard and explored, they can not be the last word on the
subject. The world was known to be flat and the
centre of the universe not that long ago; both concepts
were facts beyond contestation (on pain of death) in
their day,... oops! In late 2010, we
'discovered' that the size of a proton, known and
clearly defined for years, was in fact,.. wrong!
It is a little smaller, but that throws QED (Quantum
Electro Dynamics) into a spin to say the least.
People of all
motivations have found and espoused ‘new traditions’ of
shamanism, creating certificates and qualifications in
shamanism and monetising what is an energetic
[spiritual] practice for the benefit of all. There is no
international certification for a shaman, no
qualification process etc. With the apparent increase
in shamanism’s popularity comes the increased potential for abuse
and scamming,
even if originally well intentioned.
The first thing you
would probably find about one who is a shaman (and not a
new-age, “Plastic Shaman”[2]
It is of the ideals
of shamanism and shamanic practice that I will describe
from here-on, NOT the "foul", the power-seeking, perverted practice
of converting spiritual authority to political
domination
and societal governance.
[Ed.- We
see examples from around the world just how ineffective
and contractionist all theocracies inevitably become
when power supplants principle. Real democracy can
only thrive when church and state are distinct and
apart.]
To introduce you to
the principles and practice of shamanism as it I know
it, I must first take you on a tour of a number of
somewhat independent concepts and philosophical
journeys. My feeling is that only with these points
established within your mind, can I fairly ask you to
understand the totality of what shamanism means in our
modern world.
Science issues a
dramatic and omnipresent challenge to its devotees; that of continual
exploration and learning; a requirement to re-examine and
challenge every piece of data known as fact.
To this ideal, I
honour a personal hero, the late Professor Julius Sumner Miller
who challenged all of my generation to ask, “Why is it
so?”. His enthusiasm for re-interpreting and
challenging data, of not accepting anything as fact 'in
absolute' made him, in many ways, a modern shaman; as
well as the embodiment of a scientist.
I challenge all
with an academic background to read and understand the
sections differentiating
knowledge and
understanding;
this differentiation is central to understanding, not just modern
shamanic practice, but science and life too.
Many concepts and
principles require detailed examination before
launching into a discussion of the practice of shamanic
arts.
You will come
across a number of indented paragraphs in the following
pages. These are examples, illustrations and asides
which will help contextualise, integrate their subject,
or lead you to a resource for further exploration. I
will do my best to keep these clear and well labelled so
as not to distract you from the main discussion.
Last of all, please
enjoy our exploration, yours’ and mine. This text is
written to provoke thought (including my own), to challenge one to cease
taking for granted that which is thought of as fact; to
ask the
explorer's question, "Why it is so?".
