Shamanic Living Today: Michael Meade and Veterans

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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)

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Michael Meade and Veterans

This Youtube video shows the author of "Men and the Water of Life" drumming and inviting veterans of war to share their stories and poems. There is a very powerful segment in the 21st minute when he begins to sing an African hymn with the participants--while poetry is layered on top.

Brings to mind the healing power of sound and the effects of using creativity and ritual to manage grief. I value the huge importance of this service, but I think it would have been even more powerful to have united Iraqis, Afghanis, and Vietnamese vets together with their so called American "enemies" to really get to the heart of the collective hurt wars create, and to address and dress even deeper wounds.