Shamanic Living Today: Shrinking Lake

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This is an ongoing US and global project to help enthusiasts, scholars, practitioners, and curious parties learn more about shamanic living in a contemporary culture. The space here is devoted to sharing info, experiences and opinions about all forms of shamanic expression covering shamanism's multiple permutations. Among subjects explored are traditions, techniques, insights, definitions, events, artists, authors, and creativity. You are invited to draw from your own experiences and contribute.

What is a SHAMAN?

MAYAN: "a technichian of the Holy, a lover of the Sacred." CELTIC: "Empower the people...by changing the way we think." MEXICAN APACHE: "Someone who has simply learned to give freely of themselves..." AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL: "...a teacher or healer, a wisdom keeper of knowledge... (who) takes people to a door and encourages them to enter." W. AFRICAN DIAGRA: "views every event in life within a spiritual context." HAWAIIAN: "...human bridges to the spiritual world and its laws and the material world and its trials..." QUECHUA INDIAN: "embodies all experience." AMAZON: "...willing to engage the forces of the Universe...in a beneficial end for self, people, and for life in general."

-- from Travelers, Magicians and Shamans (Danny Paradise)

Monday, August 4, 2008

Shrinking Lake

Much was not shared about our last reading assignment, so I'm going to add a reflection or two about the shrinking lake metaphor in "Entering the Circle". The shrinking lake to me is the beleaguered self. Defeat comes when our inner sea becomes completely overwhelmed or occupied. Sometimes we give up ownership and actively invite outsiders to garrison the lake. May be invaders infiltrate parts of it and we are locked in a struggle for recovery. When it flourishes with life, we too flourish. Sometimes it freezes over as if in a state of perpetual winter.

My lake has appeared in my visions as far back as the first month of our apprenticeship. It appeared as a still and serene body of water. Everything about it is perfect. I was introduced to the lake by a personal guide: a ferryman. I was shown three cities lying on its shores, forming a perfect triangle. They were abandoned at the time-- I had planned to draw a map of these locations and journey there further. Has anyone else journeyed to their lake/sea?