"Shamanism in the 21st Century"

Copyright © 2022 by Jade Grigori

Shamanism is humanity's oldest and most enduring spiritual practice. From the very origins of the human race there is evidence of our relationship with the Divine expressed through ceremony as a means of maintaining harmonious union with Creation. Whether in the placement of flowers upon the graves of our Neanderthal ancestors or the markings upon cave walls to magically establish empowered embodiments of a totem animal's knowledge, the antecedents of our own desire for personal and conscious union with the All-That-Is connects us with the continuum of the spiritual quest as being an innate human drive.

Inherent within the Shamanic perspective is the understanding that each person has their own unique and autonomous path of reunification with Creator. Shamanism provides a compendium of ceremonies, dances, songs, approaches to Spirit, meditations and understandings of the underlying principles of reality and human nature based upon generations-upon-generations of experiential interaction with Creator through the Creation of which we are a part. Being free of dogma and doctrine, Shamanism enables each individual in their personal quest of each their own Spirit's path, purpose and truth.

This recognition of the individual's right and responsibility of his or her own spiritual awakening and fulfillment is but one of the very specific elements of Shamanism which establishes it as a viable means of meeting today's Spiritual Questor's desire for an honest and authentic approach to self realization. That Shamanism as a whole is humanity's spiritual inheritance of our ancestors' contribution to the collective unconscious of our species provides a firm and proven system of knowledge, and direct access to that wisdom through ceremonial forms, which can serve any individual's understanding of the realms of Spirit expressed as Nature and Cosmos, and our part within it. Because Shamanism is the birthright of every woman and man of this planet, rather than the provenance of the few select or elite, it is a spiritual form which is available to any and all.

Shamanism is the Spirit's direct expression of it's yearning to bring body/mind consciousness into the full realization that we are Spirit. Through Shamanic practices we have the direct experience with our senses that we are, indeed, One with the All-That-Is. It is this cellular perception of our Truth that brings us to the humble realization that we are accountable for all our deeds, actions and behaviors- and the consequences thereof. From this awakened state of being compassion is born. When compassion, born of the empathetic relationship with all life, is brought to conscious embodied awareness, we, individually and ultimately collectively, will emerge in chrysalis to become the fully realized beings that is our potential.

This passionate and compassionate embrace and respect for all life, inherent within the Shamanic perspective, makes of Shamanism a survival skill of the human race. It is as important, and here in the 21st century, perhaps even more important, if we are to be able to continue life on this planet, as the ability to make fire or shelter and feed and clothe ourselves. For if we do not once again, as our ancestors who have left us this endowment of Shamanic ways, honor as sacred all manifest Creation as the singular expression of Spirit, we may surely perish, taking all life with us.

Shamanism provides us with an opportunity to fulfill our own Spirit's quest for awakening and also bond us as a Community of Creation in the service of Life. This is the bequest of this ancient spiritual practice of our ancestors to us here, today, in the 21st century.

Jade Grigori mentored me in shamanic drumming and helped me to find my own path of rhythm. Jade is a Curator of the Sacred on behalf of his community, the community of All Peoples. He underwent his first Shamanic Initiation, that of Death-by-Intent, in 1956 at 5 years of age. Jade Grigori received direct initiations and training from his Ancestral Spirits who guided and instructed him in the rigorous endeavors of journeying into the spirit-realms, ways of healing and accessing Knowledge. Rigorous apprenticeship and oversight by his Elders prepared him for the eventual responsibilities of being a Curator of the Sacred. To learn more, log onto Jade's web site at: https://jadegrigori.com/

Shamanic Visioning

One of the most crucial aspects of power practice in all shamanic cultures is the development of inner vision. In altered states, shamans develop such vivid internal imagery that external sensory input and bodily sensations are blocked out. Once vivid life like imagery is experienced, the next phase of practice is to develop control over the internal imagery. By orchestrating the inner imagery, the shaman is able to contact spirit guides and power animals. Over a period of time, the shaman develops the ability to see past, present, and future events. In these altered states, the shaman accumulates knowledge and inner power and is capable of influencing events for social benefit.

 

Shamanic visioning is a technique that uses imagination to create mental pictures in a multidimensional way by using all of the senses. Shamans form mental images using sound, smell, taste, and touch, as well as sight. For example, if you were to envision an apple, you would see it, hold and feel it, smell it, and hear the crunch as you took a bite and tasted it. The ability to create multidimensional images is vital to successful journeying. Like developing any skill, visioning takes practice. Exercising your imagination through visioning develops your ability to journey. The following exercise is designed to acquaint you with the basics of shamanic visioning. The steps are as follows:
 
1. First, select an object in your home.
2. Sit comfortably with the object in your line of sight.
3. Take several deep breaths and exhale any tension you might feel.
4. Gaze at the object for a few moments.
5. Close your eyes and visualize the object as clearly as possible, including every detail that you can remember. If you need to refresh your memory, open your eyes and look at the object again.
6. When you have created the most vivid image that you can, begin to focus on each part of it, using all of the senses. Observe every quality: size, shape, color, texture, feel, sound, smell, taste.
7. Now vividly imagine with every sense making changes to the object. Change the feel, sound, scent, flavor, and appearance of the object. Spend as much time with this imagery as you would like. 

Experiencing Rhythms in the Body

Rhythm is a universal vibrational language. We respond to rhythm whenever we sense it and seek it out when it is not present, for we are innately rhythmic. Every rhythm has its own quality and touches you in a unique way. To experience this for yourself, try playing some different rhythms. Whether you drum or merely tap your fingers, learn to "feel the beat" by allowing it to sink into your body and consciousness. Notice how your body responds to each pattern. Keep in mind that the manner in which you play or shape a rhythm will affect your response. One of the paradoxes of rhythm is that it has both the capacity to move your awareness out of your body into realms beyond time and space and to ground you firmly in the present moment.
 

Begin by playing a steady, metronome-like rhythm with uniform time intervals. A clockwork drum beat generates a dynamic energy that is yang, creative, and expansive in nature. Dynamic energies are ascending forces that carry consciousness into higher realms. At a rapid tempo of three to four beats per second, a steady, rhythmic pattern, or "eagle-beat," will arouse and vitalize you. It creates the sensation of inner movement, which, if you allow it, will carry you along. As you continue to drum, you will become more ecstatic. You and your drum will seem to merge. You may speed up or slow down. That is perfectly normal. Shamanic trance is characterized by its range and flexibility, so don't get hung up on trying to maintain a certain speed. It can be distracting and your hands may get tired. Follow your inner sense of timing as to both tempo and duration.
 

After drumming the eagle-beat, simply relax and bathe in the sonic afterglow of physical and spiritual well-being. When the final drumbeat fades into silence, an inaudible, yet perceptible pulsation persists for a brief period. This silent pulse is ever-present within each of us, but our awareness is rarely in sync with it. Sense this silent pulse resonating within your body. You may experience the sensation of every particle in your body pulsing in sync with the rhythm you just played. This inner pulse entrains to the rhythmic pattern as soon as you begin to drum.
 

Next, try playing the steady pulse of a heartbeat rhythm. A two-beat rhythm produces a different sonic experience. The soft, steady lub-dub, lub-dub of a heartbeat rhythm has a calming and centering affect. It reconnects us to the warmth and safety of the first sound we ever heard -- the nurturing pulse of our mother's heartbeat melding with our own. According to Ted Andrews, author of Animal Speak, "a rhythm of two is a rhythm that helps connect you to the feminine energies of creative imagination, birth, and intuition." At a more rapid tempo, the heartbeat rhythm stimulates a downward flow of energy within the body. It generates a magnetic energy that is yin, intuitive, and receptive in nature. Magnetic energies are descending forces conducive to great healing, mind, and regenerative powers.
 

These two simple drum patterns are the healing rhythms I use most often in my shamanic work. Moreover, they are rhythm archetypes representing yin -- the form giving principle of energy, and yang -- the principle of life and consciousness immanent in all phenomena. Yin and yang are the binary elements that generate between them the totality of existence. A binary progression underlies the structure of reality. At a fundamental level, the laws of the universe are written in a binary code. The binary mathematical system forms the basis of computer languages and applies to nearly everything from crystalline structures to the genetic code. The binary basis of the genetic code is formed by the plus and minus strands of DNA.
 

The human experience is a microcosm and reflection of binary progression. The archetypes of rhythm are the fundamental patterns that underlie our resonant field of reality. Entraining to these archetypal rhythms, we experience them directly and discover our rhythmic interconnections. Each pattern pulsates specific qualities of energy that give inherent structure and meaning to the possibilities of being. They exist in every human being from the moment of conception to the final breath. Each human being is an integral composite of the archetypes of rhythm. Each of us is a series of rhythmic patterns summed up as a single inner pulse, the essential aspect of our being.

Words Are Monuments

A national reckoning with American history and racial injustice has been playing out on the terrain of monuments, museums, school curricula, and increasingly -- maps. While the Department of the Interior plans to rename 660 place-names with the derogatory term "sq**w," a new study published in the journal People and Nature shows that misogynist and racist slurs are the tip of the iceberg. Violence in place-names can take many forms, including the erasure of Indigenous knowledge and languages.
 

Titled "Words Are Monuments," the study reveals a system-scale pattern of place-names that perpetuate settler colonial mythologies, including white supremacy. Through a quantitative analysis of 2,200 place-names in 16 National Parks, researchers identified:

• 10 racial slurs

• 52 places named for settlers who committed acts of violence against Indigenous peoples. For example, Mt. Doane, in Yellowstone, and Harney River, in the Everglades, commemorate individuals who led massacres of Indigenous peoples, including women and children.

• 107 natural features that retained traditional Indigenous names, compared with 205 names given by settlers that replaced traditional names found on record.

While the Department of the Interior has established a task force to address derogatory place-names, the agency has faced some criticism for what Washington State officials and area tribes are calling a rushed process, with proposed replacement names that are largely colonial.

Calls to re-Indigenize place-names in national parks and monuments have been gathering steam, from the Blackfeet Nation's recent petition to return traditional names to mountains in Glacier National Park, to the Puyallup Tribe's campaign to rename Mount Rainier to Təqʷuʔməʔ, or Mount Tahoma.
 

A new website and national campaign inspired by these efforts and the place-names study launches today at WordsAreMonuments.org. Created by the pop-up social justice museum The Natural History Museum, the site features an interactive map with stories from problematic place-names cited in the study; a step-by-step guide from the National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers on how to officially change place-names; video interviews with cultural geographers and Tribal leaders; and ways to take action to support renaming campaigns.
 

The Natural History Museum will also host a free series of online events featuring Indigenous leaders, artists, activists and scholars that explores:

• Why place names matter and how the movement to 'undo the colonial map' relates to other movements that reckon with American history -- to topple Confederate and colonial monuments, decolonize museums, and overhaul school curricula;

• The relationship between language and ideology, and the power of place names in encoding a way of seeing, understanding, and relating to the land;

• How campaigns to re-Indigenize place names on federal lands are not just about making public lands more inclusive, but are stepping stones on the path to Indigenous co-governance and land rematriation;

• The global reckoning with colonial and imperialist history, including successful and ongoing efforts to replace colonial place-names in New Zealand, India, Palestine, South Africa, and beyond.

Pilgrimage in the Modern World

Every year, thousands of pilgrims gather at the Neolithic Stonehenge monument in Wiltshire, England to celebrate the summer solstice. Thousands more trek to Nevada's Burning Man Festival to burn a towering effigy and the hopeful ill journey to Lourdes, France seeking a cure as they have for centuries. Although pilgrimage may seem an antiquated religious ritual, it remains a vibrant activity in a modern world of gadgets and instant gratification. As increasing numbers of us seek refuge from the demands of modern life and its electronic distractions, venturing to a sacred place in search of spirituality has never seemed more appealing. That pilgrimage continues to exercise such a strong attraction is testimony to the power it continues to hold for those who undertake these sacred journeys.
 

Pilgrimage is broadly defined as an outward journey of a religious or spiritual nature, typically to a shrine, temple, site or rite of significance to those of a particular faith or belief system. There are pilgrimages associated with all the world's spiritual traditions. Perhaps best known is the Hajj, an annual journey to Mecca considered one of the five pillars of Islam. Another famous pilgrimage is the Camino de Santiago, a journey made by Christians to the shrine that houses the remains of the apostle Saint James in Galicia in northwestern Spain. Jews make pilgrimage to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, while Tibetan Buddhist, Hindus and Jains circumambulate Mount Kailash, the holiest mountain in the Himalayas. Every 12 years, Hindus in India gather at one of four sites along the Ganges river in what is known as the Kumbh Mela, considered the single largest gathering of human beings in one place on the planet.
 

The purposes for undertaking a shamanic or religious pilgrimage traditionally range from fulfilling a spiritual vow, finding or deepening one's faith, seeking a remedy for physical or spiritual problems, requesting guidance from spirits or deities of Nature, undergoing initiation rituals, paying homage, to realigning with one's innermost purpose and passion. For many, pilgrimage is a way to mitigate and resolve karma, the sum of a person's actions in this and previous states of existence, viewed as deciding their fate in future existences. Undoubtedly pilgrimage benefits those best equipped to receive its effects, pilgrims with a developed meditation ability, an unfolded responsiveness to the inner world and a receptive vision.
 

Since ancient times, sacred sites have had a mysterious allure for billions of people around the world. Legends and contemporary reports tell of extraordinary experiences people have had while visiting these places. Different sacred sites have the power to heal the body, enlighten the mind and inspire the heart. A growing body of evidence indicates that there is indeed a concentration of holiness at pilgrimage places, and that this holiness or field of energy contributes to a wide variety of beneficial human experiences. The value and benefit of pilgrimage is often only revealed long after the physical journey is over. The pilgrimage never ends. To learn more, look inside The Art of Pilgrimage: The Seeker's Guide to Making Travel Sacred.

"The Shamanic Drum" July eBook Sale

Mark your calendar! I am taking part in the 14th annual Smashwords July Summer/Winter Sale, taking place Friday, July 1 through Sunday, July 31 2022. For the entire month of July, all of my ebooks are 50% off list price: The Shamanic Drum: A Guide to Sacred Drumming, I Ching: The Tao of Drumming, Shamanic Drumming: Calling the Spirits, Shamanic Drumming Circles Guide, The Great Shift, Riding Spirit Horse: A Journey into Shamanism and Shamanic Journeys: An Anthology. Choose from multiple file formats including .epub, .mobi for Kindles, and PDF. Click on the following link to my Smashwords author page and you will receive the 50% discount automatically by adding my books to your cart: Smashwords July Summer/Winter Sale.
 

Why does Smashwords call it "Summer/Winter"? Here in the Northern hemisphere, it's mid-summer. Readers are loading their e-reading devices for summer beach reading and long-awaited vacations. South of the equator, readers are now in the middle of winter. They're ready to curl up in front of the fireplace and enjoy a great read too! Smashwords is the world's largest distributor of indie ebooks. They make it fast, free and easy for any author or publisher, anywhere in the world, to publish and distribute ebooks to the major retailers and thousands of libraries. The Smashwords Store provides an opportunity to discover new voices in all categories and genres of the written word.