| On Shamans and Shamanism ... Shaman, a Tungus | | | | The process ofDivining has also helped me to |
| (Siberian) word, meaning "to heat", refers | | | | point human clients in the right direction when |
| collectively to those indigenous tribal members | | | | trying to diagnose disorders that are not |
| who responsibility for their tribe centered on | | | | apparent.And, while shamanic techniques are not |
| healing through spiritual means. These individuals | | | | always an exact science, neither, apparently, is |
| were our first philosophers, prophets, priests, | | | | allopathic medicine.Soul retrievals can be very |
| mystics, counselors, psychologists and doctors. | | | | helpful in situations of abuse, abandonment, |
| Through ceremony and prayer ritual, the shaman | | | | surgical trauma, accidents and separation traumas, |
| explored exalted states of consciousness and | | | | and a shamanic practitioner can often find herself |
| their ecstatic spiritual experiences were | | | | involved in a sort-of spiritual midwifery. Of interest |
| responsible for bringing forth the information and | | | | was a very special rescue cat who was |
| methods, which ultimately evolved, into our | | | | traumatized by terror, but surprised us with an |
| current religions and medical practices.The | | | | immediate and complete turn-around when we |
| shamanic perspective is that everything on earth | | | | honored his request to rename his new |
| - from the trees, grasses & waters, to her | | | | "fully-spirited" self, Jupiter. He is only one of |
| creatures and human beings - is alive and has a | | | | several who have benefited from the vibrational |
| spirit. No human being is viewed as loftier on any | | | | shift that occurs with a name chosen to honor |
| hierarchical scale; rather every spirit manifesting in | | | | their true spirit.A combination depossession/soul |
| physical form is viewed as being an aspect of | | | | retrieval resulted in the joyful reunion of two |
| God, or the one Great Spirit. All beings are seen | | | | sibling cats, whose bonded relationship with one |
| as relatives and each spirit is accorded honor and | | | | another was nearly destroyed when both were |
| respect for it's special gifts, or "medicine". It is this | | | | attacked by a feral feline while enjoying a |
| humble, devotional perspective which sets up | | | | peaceful slumber together in the sun. The siblings |
| harmonious relationships and reciprocity between | | | | became violent to one another after the attack, |
| the species, and develops a compassionate heart | | | | were physically separated and, at the advice of |
| for the "people". And it is the compassionate | | | | their vet, were being prepared to go to different |
| heart that compels a shaman to explore the | | | | homes, when I received a call from their |
| spiritual realms in order to bring help to their | | | | caretaker who was "willing to try anything".The |
| brothers and sisters, whether human, animal or | | | | Shamanic Approach to Death & The Process of |
| elemental, and provides the shaman with their | | | | Dying To me, there is no more sacred or worthy |
| access to power. All powers of the shaman | | | | service that we can offer any being than to be |
| belong to the Creator alone and are drawn | | | | fully present with our assistance as they are |
| through the compassionate heart by the beings(s) | | | | making their final transition from this life to the |
| in need, for whom that grace is intended.A | | | | next. Engaging with an animal and their human |
| shaman understands that the heart is the | | | | companions to help with choices in the deathing |
| gateway to the spiritual realms and the purpose | | | | process has proved to be an awesome privilege |
| and function of their spiritual disciplines is to | | | | filled with enormous grace.I recently came in at |
| develop an open heart. True shamans can be | | | | the tail-end of a one-year old Blue & Gold |
| recognized by their refusal to lay claim to any | | | | macaw's fight with a fatal disease known as |
| personal power to heal, and will dedicate their lives | | | | Macaw's Wasting Disease.This fighting spirit kept |
| to doing whatever is necessary to become a | | | | surprising everyone by making continual |
| clear vehicle through which miracles can be made | | | | comebacks from his illness which earned him the |
| manifest. They have been referred to as "the | | | | name Otis, though I renamed him Magic at his |
| tender-hearted ones", "those who walk between | | | | request. During one of his more serious bouts of |
| the worlds", bodhisattvas, yogis and saints and | | | | attack, I offered to help his person out by |
| can be recognized within virtually every organized | | | | delivering him to the vet for his appointment. One |
| religion of the world.A shaman's primary | | | | the drive, I explained to Magic that we humans |
| relationship in life is with Spirit; their primary focus | | | | were limited in our knowledge of how to help him |
| when considering suffering of any type is the | | | | at the physical level, and that his visit to the vet |
| spiritual nature of the disorder and how that | | | | would involve some pretty invasive explorations |
| correlates to whole health and well-being. Spiritual | | | | of his body to that end, I wanted to give him an |
| diagnosis results in recommending "treatments" | | | | opportunity to make his own choices and let him |
| that may address any one or combination of the | | | | know that he could "leave the body" whenever |
| four levels of the body, i.e., physical, emotional, | | | | he decided it was appropriate for him. He died |
| mental or spiritual, and can range from the very | | | | with great dignity one-half hour after I dropped |
| practical to extremely "out-of -the-ordinary". All | | | | him off, before the scheduled procedure. Before I |
| are aimed at returning a being to balance and | | | | received word of it, Magic visited me in spirit at |
| harmony by providing opportunities for a | | | | the time of his passing. Just before falling off to |
| fully-spirited life.As It Applies to Animals Animal | | | | sleep, I saw him hovering above me, wings fully |
| beings tend to respond more quickly and | | | | outstretched. The following morning I journeyed |
| completely to shamanic healing techniques than | | | | to Magic to ensure that he had made a clean |
| humans because they have not been subject to | | | | transition. To my complete and unexpected |
| our mental educational focus and the associative | | | | surprise, when Magic appeared to me, he brought |
| mental contortions and manipulations of our | | | | along Sam, a Scarlet Macaw, to greet me. I had |
| society.Four classic shamanic techniques are | | | | worked with Sam several years before, when he |
| employed to diagnose the spiritual body and | | | | had lead poisoning, but to my knowledge he had |
| return it to harmony, often resulting in healing at | | | | recovered and was still alive. It was later |
| the physical level. These are the arts of divination, | | | | confirmed that Sam had indeed passed over, and |
| extraction healing, soul retrieval and | | | | even more astonishing, that both Sam and Magic's |
| psychopomp.Divination is "seeing, feeling, hearing | | | | human companions were one-time business |
| and speaking: to the spirits and includes, among | | | | partners and friends.Nothing I've yet experienced |
| other divination practices, direct communication | | | | compares to the generosity of Mimi, a yellow lab |
| with animals. Extraction healing involves the | | | | shepherd cross. Together with her human |
| removal of inappropriate, intrusive energies from | | | | companions, I sat vigil with her for nearly two |
| the spiritual body which are seen to be the root | | | | days while she communicated the details of each |
| cause of physical illness, while soul retrieval is the | | | | stage of her dying process, expressing her needs, |
| returning of beneficial energies to the spiritual | | | | asking questions and offering her wisdom and |
| body which have fragmented and broken away | | | | parting sentiments. Before she passed, Mimi `s |
| due to life's various traumas. Psychopomp, | | | | most urgent need was to engage me as an |
| meaning "conductor of the soul", applies to those | | | | intercessor so that she and her loved ones might |
| practices in which a shaman engages in order to | | | | learn and practice spirit-to-spirit communication |
| help guide the souls of those passing over or who | | | | together in order to remain connected and to |
| have already passes and are still in need of | | | | continue their relationship after she had moved |
| resolution on the earth plane.Over 50% of the | | | | on.Imagine my overwhelm at witnessing the |
| clients I see in my shamanic healing practice are | | | | parting dance of Echo, a magnificent white |
| animals. Cases span the gamut from mundane to | | | | Arabian, who performed an "honoring dance" on |
| "bizarre"; they range from issues of behavior, | | | | the astral plane to thank me just before crossing |
| physical ailments and lost animals to animal spirit | | | | the rainbow bridge. Or the final blessing of a Great |
| hauntings and even possession.I have performed | | | | Blue Heron as he directly transmitted his |
| many extractions and soul retrievals for cats | | | | "birdness", passing on to me the kinesthetic sense |
| around the issue of declawing; there isn't a cat | | | | of the greatest freedom (not to mention lung |
| I've met yet who has been declawed and who | | | | capacity!) I have ever known. The experience |
| has not named that procedure as an issue of | | | | took my breath away. They all do. But at the |
| concern and pain for them. Many have shown me | | | | same time, it leaves you fuller with the grace and |
| that when humans undertake this procedure, we | | | | wisdom that is necessary to heal through the |
| inadvertently wound their spirits by taking away | | | | grieving.Conclusion ... All healing modalities (and |
| an ability essential to their sense of power and | | | | religions) emerged through the practice of |
| self-esteem. In these cases, the extraction | | | | shamanism. When approaching healing from the |
| involves the removal of their emotional pain and | | | | shamanic perspective, we are accessing the tree |
| perhaps, the memory of the physical pain | | | | of the knowledge, rather than a branch from the |
| involved, while a soul retrieval may be necessary | | | | tree of knowledge. It is important to understand |
| in order to return that part of the spiritual | | | | that each and every being is an individual spirit |
| essence, which is necessary to a cat's "catness". | | | | with a unique set of mental, emotional and spiritual |
| (Same-same for a dog's ears and tails!)Simba, the | | | | circumstances, and resolutions to each vary |
| Dobie pictured with me above, was a willful, | | | | dramatically from animal to animal or from person |
| out-of-control puppy. A vet and the breeder were | | | | to person.As "spiritual specialists" shamans |
| in agreement that he would develop severe | | | | understand that the spiritual/physical body |
| aggression and advised euthanasia as the solution. | | | | relationship is essential to optimum health. |
| However, pairing spiritual diagnosis with an animal | | | | Shamanism does not take the place of traditional |
| communication session clearly revealed something | | | | veterinary or medical care. We must certainly |
| akin to the Attention Deficit Disorder we often | | | | address body-oriented disorders through the use |
| diagnose in humans. I decided to try an herbal | | | | of allopathic specialists. However, many conditions |
| formula, which is equivalent to the pharmaceutical, | | | | are not physiological in origin, and it is my belief |
| Ritalin, and within two weeks saw a remarkable | | | | that animals and humans alike would be best |
| improvement. Simba is nearly 8 years old now, | | | | served with an alternative compliment. Shamanic |
| and he is still willful, but he is very connected to | | | | practices enhance traditional care, support |
| humans, well-socialized and is affectionately | | | | recovery and do not negatively affect any |
| referred to as "Licky Boy" by my young niece. | | | | treatment or procedure.Healing is not always |
| When another issue of aggressive behavior with a | | | | curing, but the practice of shamanism helps us all |
| vicious Chihuahua presented, the spirits | | | | to rest peacefully in our processes and to access |
| recommended a neurolinguistic re-programming | | | | the knowing that no matter what, all is well.Nancie |
| method, doggy style - to entice the pup to rotate | | | | LaPier maintains a private practice at The Center |
| his eyes in a particular direction through the use | | | | Pole in East Haddam Dedicated to serving the |
| of a "roving" treat.I have been fortunate enough | | | | spiritual needs of both individuals and animals, she |
| to pick up a number of misdiagnoses with animals, | | | | facilitates workshops in the Shamanic Arts. She |
| and in at least two instances was able to prevent | | | | was a participating editor and featured in the |
| inappropriate surgical procedures. Once was a | | | | newly released publication, Animal Voices, by |
| misdiagnosis of hip displasia, which was really a | | | | Dawn Brunke, and is the Proprietor of The Bird |
| torn crusciate ligament. Laughably, the other was | | | | Drop Inn, providing boarding services for exotic |
| a misdiagnosis of torn crusciate ligament, which in | | | | parrots and education on their care. She can be |
| fact was a genetic arthritic condition of the spine. | | | | reached at (860) 873- 3825. |