Four Steps for Shamanism in Daily Life

Rhonda McCrimmon is a prominent shamanic practitioner and founder of the Centre for Shamanism in Kirriemuir, Scotland. In a recent interview for the British daily newspaper, The Guardian, McCrimmon shared four practical ways to use shamanism in your everyday life:
 

1) Connect with the elements
 

Spend a few moments each day connecting with one of the four elements -- earth, air, fire, water. Notice details, like, is the wind gentle and what direction is it blowing in? Feel the water pass your lips when drinking, flow down your throat and enter your stomach while giving thanks for the nourishment it provides. Breathing crisp winter air with your eyes closed and feeling what emotions that brings up for you that can then be released on the out breath. Walking barefoot on grass and thinking of your ancestors walking the same way giving thanks for their life.
 

2) Listen to the beat
 

Try listening to steady drumbeats, breathing deeply and slowly for five to 10 minutes. Take time to notice how you felt during and afterwards -- this can be developed into shamanic journeying for yourself when you feel ready. This is good for regulating and de-stressing after a hard day.
 

3) Practice gratitude
 

Daily gratitude practice for the earth, the land and the ancestors. Gratitude is good for our body, mind, soul and community, and is great for lowering anxiety.
 

4) Get to know your guides
 

Invite your shamanic guides to make themselves known to you. A guide supports you in your life. Although your guides are always with you, whether you know them or not -- they might be an animal you see all the time or that you have an affinity with -- it can take time to build a relationship with them. You'll know you have met a guide when they appear in your mind unbidden and you feel them around you in difficult moments.

The Pueblo Moccasin Makers

Aaron Cajero began making traditional, Pueblo style moccasins while growing up at Jemez Pueblo, which lies in the foothills of the Jemez Mountains northwest of Albuquerque. He was in the seventh grade at the time. Today, his moccasins are worn by hundreds of ceremonial dancers on Pueblo plazas throughout New Mexico, and he usually has a backlog of orders which can take up to six months to fill.
 

Part of the delay in filling moccasin orders is due to his multifaceted life: Cajero is also a hunting guide, a potter, a traditional bow maker, and a teacher at the Jemez elementary school, where he teaches physical education along with history, language, and traditional Pueblo culture. His cultural studies range from the Pueblos' historical forms of government to moccasin-making and spiritual practices. Cajero knows much of this curriculum personally, having served as his tribe's lieutenant governor three times, and as its overseer of traditional religious practices.
 

Before starting a new pair of moccasins, Cajero first traces the dancer's feet on heavy paper, measures foot height, and notes any unusual physical features. He then cuts into a thick piece of cowhide, creating a shape that's slightly larger than his paper outline. After soaking the new sole in water to soften it, he turns up the outer edge -- a extremely difficult task that has left Cajero with very strong hands.
 

For the moccasins' upper wraps, which must be soft and pliable, Cajero prefers to use fine-grade deer or elk hide. Getting quality supplies can be tough, so Cajero sometimes makes his own leather from the hides of deer or elk he hunts himself, or buys from other Pueblo hunters. He prefers a thick hide so that the moccasins hold up over time. Even for the moccasin tops, if the leather is too thin it sags, creating bulges where the wraps overlap. It needs to look nice and smooth.
 

To stitch the uppers to the sole, Cajero typically uses clear fishing line, because it's lightweight, transparent, and relatively easy to work with. For a moccasin that is entirely authentic, however, he uses elk sinew, which must be kept wet during the stitching. Sinew is more difficult than a nylon line to thread through the leather's holes, which he punches with a tool he made himself by embedding a heavy needle into a wooden handle. Cajero has found that sinew makes a tighter stitch, because it tightens itself as it dries, but it takes more time.
 

This means that a pair of moccasins -- when made with sinew, and leather that Cajero has tanned himself -- runs about $1,000, more than twice the price of a standard pair. It costs more to do it all the old way, but it is well worth it for many traditional dancers.

Expanded States of Consciousness World Summit

The Expanded States of Consciousness World Summit is a free 9-day online event featuring 65+ world-class experts, including Deepak Chopra, Luisah Teish, Wim Hof, Rosalind Watts, Andrew Weil, Grandmother Flordemayo, Paul Stamets, Gita Vaid, Ken Wilber, Sandra Ingerman, Dan Siegel, Krishna Das, and many more. This summit is designed to create a profound journey and transformative learning experience for anyone interested in expanded states of consciousness and their potential for our individual and collective healing, spiritual evolution and awakening. This includes practitioners, clinicians, researchers, guides, coaches and other helping professionals, researchers, and the general public.
 

Over nine days, you will have the opportunity to learn learn about the potential of expanded states of consciousness for healing trauma, healing attachment wounds, and deepening resilience. Discover how these practices can help us unlock our full potential, leading to a more fulfilling life with greater meaning and purpose. The summit will cover a wide range of methods, including:

•     Meditation
•     Breathwork
•     Psychedelics
•     Plant medicines
•     Shamanism
•     Music, chanting, and sound healing
•     Tools and practices for integration

 

During the Summit, you'll hear about the cutting-edge research on consciousness and expanded states and be able to explore different practices and techniques for accessing and integrating these states…While connecting with a global community of like-minded individuals exploring the further reaches of consciousness and human potential. Whether you're an experienced practitioner or just curious about the nature of consciousness, this Summit is sure to be an illuminating and transformative experience. Free streaming of the summit starts Tuesday, April 18th at 7:00 am EDT USA, click here to claim your free ticket.