Shamanism

Awakening of the Medicine People

By Roel Crabbé

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes. Marcel Proust

If you go back in time long enough you can only conclude that every tradition or culture was originally shamanic. Everyday life was lived in the awareness that everything in the world is animated and that we can be a harmonious part of the circle of life. For shamanic cultures, this connection with the circle was the essence of their lives and existence as a nation.

There was no separation between spiritual experience, art, culture, and daily life. Everything was experienced as it is: a holy life, filled with creative power. The clothing was covered with symbols, colors, and motifs that told the story of the tribe. The food bowls were decorated with ornaments that honored life on Mother Earth. Everything was imbued with the creative power that came from the visions and insights that were passed on from parent to child. Life was lived from a deep respect for the Holy, Life itself. And nothing happened for no reason.”

The shaman often had different tasks: healer, artist, fortune teller, psychotherapist, storyteller, a messenger of the gods, etc. His or her function could vary greatly from culture to culture and from tribe to tribe. Every shaman had his/her specialties, which grew from the personal experiences and inspiration that came to him/her through spiritual practices. The shaman has always been the one who has answered the call of the spiritual world and taught himself to listen to the silent voices that live in all that is.

Today, many people in our society are called out of a deep desire to give meaning to their lives. Many experience a void, a sense of ‘is this it’. And often they are confronted with this at moments of personal crisis: “the dark night of the soul”. Traditionally this appears to be the invitation to inner awakening, to grow above themselves by releasing resistance and judgment and opening up to the call of the soul that is present within all of us. A classic element within the initiation of the shaman.

This crisis, this turning point, is often the most rewarding school of life there is. When we allow ourselves to enter the silence within and open our hearts, the soul begins to unfold. We can enter our inner space step by step. Not to achieve a goal, but to flourish who we are. To allow us to experience how complete we are. To allow us to awaken despite everything that has taken place in our lives, in this holy moment, where all roads are open and everything is possible. This is the beginning of the awakening of the medicine people.

The true healer knows that he doesn’t need to know anything, that everything is provided, and that the only real requirement is his surrender. He knows from experience that every step is valuable, that every step is necessary and that wholeness walks by his side. Amid the chaos of stories, emotions, and delusions, the healer sees wholeness at work. He sees the wholeness behind all personal stories. He sees with eyes that see the bigger story, the story of wholeness, the timeless story that shines through the illusion and sings: “everything is good”. This is the gateway to healing.

It is through this gate that one can look at the rich dimension of the soul. That the soul can be remembered and embodied again, as with Soul Retrieval in shamanic healing.

I believe that each of us is a medicine person. I believe that we came here together on earth to learn to look again with the eyes of wholeness. To remember that we can act with the hands of true power: the hands of love and service.

The power of our being is present in every moment. It is not a power that we can only gain after years of study, initiation, or discipline. The studies and inner quests should make visible what is already present. They help us to wake up so that we can remember the infinite power and beauty of our being. The true power has always shown itself in all the endless forms of existence and invites us to remember what has always been.

The true path of spiritual growth is one of simplicity. No matter what form, practice, or tradition we choose to follow, we are invited to find our way home again. Only to discover that we have always been home. A journey that is essentially the same for all of us.

I want to invite you to allow yourself to enter the sacred silence within you again and again. To let your thoughts float with the clouds, to feel the grass under your feet. I want to invite you to visit the sacred space of your heart. A place of tremendous power and beauty, a place of enormous simplicity. We are here to love.

To look at the world in the silence of our being and ask who we can help today. To discover how we can put our talents and inspirations at the service of each other and the world. To look at the people we meet and wish them a nice day. To enjoy the beauty that constantly surrounds us and to let it speak to us. To smile like children again, to be quiet by the fire, to walk through the streets in the evening and enjoy the stars.

We are here to welcome ourselves home. And we are here to look at the world with eyes that know, with the eyes of Spirit, with which we look from our deepest being. Everything is as it should be. And in every moment we can choose which thought, feeling, or action we want to focus on. When we look with the eyes of Spirit we can allow ourselves to see, if only for a moment, that everything is right.

Go into the silence of your heart and ask what you can do today to be your most beautiful self. To share the beauty that lives in you, in the way that gives you the most joy. To share the Medicine that lives in your heart with the world. Follow that inspiration. You are here to shine, in all your awesome simplicity. It’s that simple. Everything will show itself when the time is right.

Let us look at each other’s beauty. Simply because we can. So that we can remember again that everything is sacred and always will be.

With Love,