The Power of Silence

Meditation is when you listen to God

Let's incorporate the power of silence into our shamanic circles. Make room for silence to enter between "rounds" of the circle so that deeper thoughts and feelings can surface as the group proceeds. Shamanic circles revolve around rounds. These rounds usually evolve from participant concerns, issues or healing requests. Rounds of dialogue involve passing a symbolic talking piece (e.g., a stick, feather or stone) from person to person in a circle. If one does not feel moved to speak, they may pass the talking piece on or hold it in silence. Other rounds may involve sessions of group chanting, drumming or journeying.

Between each round of the circle, allow time for reflection or meditation, so that inner truth can emerge. When there is silence, there is time for deep introspection and to allow the true self to speak. Silence is the source of everything; the gateway to inner knowing. Silence creates the resonance of contemplation, insight, and direct communication with the source. When we create sacred space and sit in silence together, we can better feel our soul connections. Sacred space and silence go hand in hand. They both expand our capacity for listening and speaking from the heart.

There is likely to be some uneasiness the first time your shamanic circle sits in silence for more than thirty seconds. It takes practice to get acquainted with the power of silence. While some people in the group might choose to go into a meditative state, others may struggle with the sense that "nothing is happening."

To experience the power of silence requires the ability to surrender to the silent pulse within. Every living thing has a unique song, a pulsing rhythm that belongs only to it. Within the heart of each of us, there exists a silent pulse of perfect rhythm, which connects us to the totality of a dynamic, interrelated universe. This silent pulse is ever-present within each of us, but our awareness is rarely in sync with it. Eventually, sitting together in silence will produce a sense of connectedness and attunement. Needless to say, it will take time before harmony is attained and everyone feels in sync.

The Call of the 13 Shamans

Tuvan shaman Nikolay Oorzhak

At the end of July, the festival "The Call of 13 Shamans" took place in Tuva (southern Siberia). The creator and main organizer of the forum festival is Tuvan shaman Nikolay Oorzhak. By means of his songs, he called shamans from all over the world to the sacred land of Tuva. On the sacred mountain tops of Tannu Tuva, thirteen shamans of thirteen countries from all over the world conducted rituals, prayed and meditated with the intention of creating universal harmony on the Earth, and to reveal to the world the predictions about the future of the Earth.

Despite the social upheavals of different periods, the shamanic tradition in Tuva has never been interrupted, and is currently undergoing a revival. In a bewildering urban landscape where long traditions of nomadic lifestyles are things of the past, the ancient beliefs of Tengrism (modern term for a Central Asian religion characterized by features of shamanism, animism, totemism, polytheism and ancestor worship) serve to fill a spiritual void. Read more. 

Was the Buddha a Shaman?

In this post, Alexander Duncan, a Buddhist blogger and writer, discusses the question, "Was the Buddha a shaman?" To address this question, he begins by explaining that shamanism is the primordial experiential spiritual tradition of humanity that therefore underlies all human spirituality, including Buddhism. The Buddha himself refers to a forgotten, ancient tradition that he himself rediscovered. This is the dharma, the truth of things as they are or the cosmic order. Duncan then discusses why we might ask this question of the Buddha. That is to say, how is this question relevant to Buddhism? He then proceeds to a discussion of soma. Soma was the forgotten ecstatic plant medicine that was the central object of the Aryan Vedic cult that became the determining cultural influence of India after 1500 BCE. Thus, by definition it influenced Buddhism too. Next, Duncan compares the elements of the Buddha's life and teachings to those of the classic archetype of the shaman. Finally, he concludes the Buddha was, indeed, a shaman! Read more.