How to Develop Shamanic Skills- Urban Shamanism

In this episode I talk about what it takes to be a shaman in today's world.  I also share tips and skills for anyone interested in developing a shamanic perspective and getting in touch with creative sensitivity.  Life is rapidly changing for so many.  Relationships with friends, family, ourselves, everything is expanding and transforming.  For more information about my online shamanic or sound healing classes please visit https://www.mauisoundhealing.com

For more information about my services and private retreats please visit https://www.mauisoundhealing.com

Transcript

Welcome to the Spiritual Warrior Shamanic Sound Healing Podcast

Im Rasa Priya. In todays show I take a look into the world of shamanism and how modern day shamanism shows up in our daily lives.  I also ask the question, is it possible that you too might share the vision and perspective of the shamanic realm?  You might be surprised.  

What does it mean to be shaman? 

I want to start by saying I’m not an expert, in fact I use the term shaman as a reference point, as a way to help describe phenomena that I experience and that I’m trying to share.  For me, shamanism is a perspective, a way to observe and experience this reality beyond the limitations of a conditioned mind.  It goes beyond the information gathered by the senses.  It’s a dynamic relationship that is always moving, expanding.  It knows no boundaries and is not limited by the modes of material nature.  It can be experienced but not defined in absolute terms.  It does not discriminate between friend or foe.  

No matter what we call it, each one of us experiences layers of these perspectives depending on where we are situated, depending on our mental filters, our conditioning, on what we decide to hold onto in order to give us the idea of being safe.  When we truly open up to the infinite, making ourselves the receiver, the observer, our relationship with everything changes.  We become a channel for creative expression and as Gregg Braden puts it “divinity expresses itself through our creativity”

So what keeps us from this expanded awareness?  Well, its fear.  Part of this human experience is the will to survive.  And for most, survival is directly linked to our relationships.  Our relationships with family, our relationships with our jobs, our community, ourselves.  When these relationships are compromised we feel anxious.  It’s one of the reasons why so many seek to be loved, to be liked, to be accepted.  Ensuring a place within the pack increases chances for survival.  Fear of not being loved or liked, of not being accepted, pushes towards all kinds of ineffective behaviors we might not normally engage in.  We conform without thought.  We blindly believe our leaders, our educators, our science.  We put faith into so many things external things, but what about ourselves?  

I’d like to propose a possible solution.  Its safe and simple.  It’s as easy as trying on a new perspective.  Now sometimes when we are presented with a new perspective other than our own, we have resistance.  We think that if we submit to another’s view, our own version is compromised.  We have to give up our own authenticity.  This is the key.  Trying on a new perspective does not require belief.  Let me say that again.  Trying on a new perspective does not require belief. Extracting value from an alternative perspective does not require you to have to believe in it.  And what that means is, that we can gain the lessons and insight of each perspective, without compromising our own views.  It simply requires willingness.  Willingness to be open, the willingness to receive.  

So how does modern day shamanism show up in todays world?  Shamans of the past were like you and me.  Part of the community, part of the social structure.  They were often sought after in times of need, in times where a deeper understanding was wanted.  Sometimes they would provide visions of probability, sometimes physical, emotional and mental support, sometimes they would intervene in the subtle planes, the places where most of us don’t put our focus or attention.  The bottom line is they were active members within the group and in many cases looked just like you and me.  In todays world, we are experiencing an evolutionary change.  A change in perception, in the way we relate to nature, a change in the way we choose to relate with one another.  The old ways are simply not working.  And as a collective, we are being asked to look beyond our own conditioning, our ideas of being separate.  We have been shown we can no longer rely the superficial ways of the past.  Even in our own microcosms, in our family, our relationships with friends, everything is going through change.  Science is now discovering the links between science and spirituality.  Quantum physics is leading the way in changing our views of energy, matter, connectedness to all things.  With this change, many people have been uprooted from their previous versions of themselves and are being forced to enter new way of being.  Friendships are changing, how we spin our time is changing.  Everything is moving, expanding, taking us on a journey.  We have the choice now to be a part of this great dance, or we can resist and suffer.  The question is how far down the rabbit hole do you want to go?

The good news is the qualities of modern day shamanism are accessible to all. What’s required is the willingness to get out of the way, the willingness to be open and actually experience something different. We have to set aside our attachments to ego, to what is safe.  We have to try to perceive beyond our present conditioning, and surrender to what truly is.  Most important, we need to open and expand the relationship between our own hearts and minds.  Become the vessel of our observations and a channel for creative expressions.  

Breaking free from our conditioning is taught in many of the world religions and spiritual practices.  Its a fundamental principal for those who seek a deeper life.  

So what are some of the tools we can use to develop a shamanic perspective?  

One thing I teach in my shamanic skills development class is how to tap into your own creativity.  Creativity is one of the most substantial tools available.  If we get out of our heads, get away from our judgments, and really allow ourselves to express freely there are so many benefits.  Creativity can provide right and left brain functioning, it can increase our awareness, sensitivity and intuition.  It can teach us to tap into the the creative energy all around us.  Creativity teaches us how to think outside the box, and how to search for beauty in the unknown.  Sometimes students come to me and they say “I’m not creative” or “I’m not musical.”  100% of the time, they are wrong.  By the end of the lesson they find their own creativity or musical ability, and their lives change.  The only thing that stopped them before, was their own judgement.  When we can stop comparing ourselves to others, and focus on doing what really nourishes our own best interests, the possibilities are endless.

Vocal empowerment is another tool that I use.  I use it to help others find their own voice.  And that can mean the ability to stand in your truth, and authentically share what is real for you.  Its the power to speak honestly without attachment to the results.  It’s ability to command attention with the substance of your words.  Things like gossip, and speaking ill of another, they actually take away from that experience.  When I do shadow voice activation work, I have my clients look for things they don’t see in themselves.  If they are a generally kind, gentle, mild mannered person by nature, I might have them give a voice to their inner anger, have them vocalize raw authentic emotion.  No notes, no words, just unfiltered sound.  When I add the medicine drum, it becomes a very powerful and transformative experience.   

Another exercise is observation without judgement. Observations without judgement is a great exercise for developing a shamanic perspective is a little more difficult than you might think.  Describing our experiences, in the moment, without judgements, beliefs, or impressions might sound simple but its a little trickier than you might think.  Lets look at an example.  In this exercise we’re gonna look at the phrase “I see an angry man”.  No big deal right?  Now lets take a close look.  If I say “I see an angry man” what am I really seeing?  If I did not actually hear those words from him,  then its a judgement.  Sure, I might be right but there’s a chance I might be wrong.  It could be something completely different.  Now lets think, what are you really seeing?  You’re seeing a figure with a clinched jaw, a face that’s maybe red, a brow that’s furrowed, nostrils flared…do you see the difference?  When I’m expressing what I’m observing, I only speaking the facts that my senses are picking up.  And this is done on purpose. In this exercise we’re trying to differentiate what is observation for real, and what is judgement. One of the interesting thing about this exercise, it reveals how much judgement that we have subconsciously.  It shows how much conditioning takes place in the way that we see the present moment.  Now imagine, imagine all of the information you gather with your senses.  Combine that information, that data with any perspective that you choose.  The perspective of the depressed woman who just lost her cat, the perspective of an insecure man who saw a friend checking out his partner.  The perspective of oneness, of holding space for others.  The perspective of the narcissist, the victim, the hero, the villain .  Plugging into any of these perspective provides previews of possibility.  When these previews are experienced, automatically we gain empathetic wisdom.  We become sensitive to the experiences of others and how it forms their decisions, their expressions of wounding.  And when begin to understand how a person can do what they do, we can have sympathy for their suffering.  

Another tool I use is introspection.  Unraveling the inner world is an infinite journey of depth and beauty.  The internal world is the realm of the subtle energies, endless possibility, creative expression, and direct access to divinity.  When we are deeply connected with whats inside, we gain a deep sense of knowing, we develop faith in our own internal process.  This connection becomes stronger than any external force.  When we truly know ourselves, beyond all conditioning, we fall hopelessly in love with who we are.  Our divine connection to all things, we open up to all things without resistance or attachment.  We become fearless, willing, capable of holding great space for others.  There are many processes for developing this relationship with the self.  Meditation, or just finding a nice quiet spot to reflect in, taking a walk in nature, anything that allows you to take pause, breathe, and feel into the world around you, inside of you, without judgement, resistance or attachment.  Looking inward and trusting that relationship develops a strong sense of self.  

The last tool i’d like to mention is breath work.  There are many techniques for breathing, for manipulating breath in such a way where different states of being can be experienced.  Some teachings altar the length or speed of either the inhalation or the exhalation.  Something I came across during a plant medicine journey was manipulating the exhalation, by creating different sounds and pressures.  I was visiting a sacred site in Hana.  In my journey I was directed to the sounds shhhhhhh and sssssss.  I remember a very distinct and prolonged exhalation, maybe an I:E ration of 1 to 8, maybe more.  After about an hour I actually went into some kind of altered state and began to channel.  Many unusual things.  Interesting enough that this phenomena happened to me twice, on two separate occasions.  Later I discovered the exhalation sounds I had spontaneously engaged in were the same sounds taught in Taoist healing breath work.  Since that time I began exploring all kinds of sounds, different ways to exhale, almost daily.  I have come to the conclusion that each one of us naturally has access to breath manipulation.  When we let go of the mind and the need to disect and analyze, and instead tap into the creative space, exploring different ways of create sound and breath, many opportunities in the subtle planes of energy awaken.  Try it for yourself and see what you find.  

The bottom line is as human beings, we have all been given tools and opportunities to access things beyond our senses.  Simple practices like sitting in a quiet space and breathing are readily available.  It doesn’t matter if you are rich, poor, evolved or simple, it doesn’t matter if you’re a saint or sinner, each one of us has this opportunity, it’s our divine right.

In this next clip Sarah and I explore tantric gongs.  Enjoy

You have been listening to the Spiritual Warrior Shamanic Gong podcast, Im Rasa Priya and if you would like information about my online shamanic classes or sound healing please visit mauisoundhealing.com.  

Aloha