Shamanic Journey - Spiritual Interconnectedness

Sandra Ingerman is a well respected American shamanic practitioner. She has written many books and has been involved in training a legion of people in shamanic practices. Here is a quote from her book, "Shamanic Journeying."


Shifting our attention to the energetic connection she talks about here as "the direct experience of the web of life," is a simple way to get in the flow. When in 'the flow,' we are more resourceful and intuitive. And that, is a more authentic expression of our 'Natural State' of being.

A Great Change is Coming

We see it everywhere... the newspapers, TV and the faces of our neighbors "a great change is coming... the time of greed and fear draws to a close"

Yes, change is coming. But what changes? And when?

I agree that raising our consciousness, and focusing on and communicating from "Love" are key to the shift. But fear is the antithesis of love, and there is a great deal of fear.

I was just discussing a healing model with a friend, who pointed-out that when people are at their most fearful or the point of highest stress and anxiety, you can't expect them to change (or rather you can, but probably won't get the desired result).

Change is itself stressful. So you have to either calm people and support them in their change, or wait until THEY feel ready. Or leave the others behind, which I question whether that would be the most "loving" thing to do.

There are always thought leaders who are usually the strongest and most visible advocates for the change. And then, there are those who quietly go about the work of supporting people when and where possible.

This is where I see myself. I am not a thought leader or trail blazer, but I am able to support people lovingly.

Inner Reality -Exploring Transformation

There's the everyday reality in which we have lives, careers, families, friends and lovers, where we eat and sleep and make love but there are also these inner worlds. The inner worlds are the worlds of things hidden, of the indigenous mystic where the laws of cause and effect don't work in the same way. The transformational community consists of people who understand that it's possible for individuals like us to learn how to access these inner worlds for power, for protection and for support.

These are folks who know that within these inner worlds, there are personalities, there are beings, the indigenous people call them spirits, and these are compassionate forces which are willing to come into relationship with human beings in order to help us in various ways. But first we have to turn in their direction and ask them to do so.

These are people who know that everything is connected to everything else. And that underlying the fabric of reality that we all take so much for granted, there is a net or a grid or a matrix of power. This is one of the signatures of our consciousness age, the awareness of these interconnections between everyone and everything everywhere. It's creating an emerging sub-culture which is increasingly finding its voice in the time in which we live.

Hank Wesselman PhD.

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The Red Stone

First Published Friday, November 12th, 2006

Someone from another site has asked me why I use the Red Stone for my logo? The short answer is that it symbolizes a value that is fundamental to my worldview.

I had taken a workshop at Elk Island National Park (near Edmonton, Alberta). A local Shamanic practitioner, (I don't think she calls herself a Shaman) holds an annual retreat to teach people how to get in touch with the natural world and the non-ordinary reality, (some people refer to this as the Spirit Realm).

The weekend was full of rituals and celebrations and we did half a dozen exercises that were geared to increasing awareness, trusting intuition, and opening-up to a broader definition of spirituality.

For me, the most significant activity was this:

We were asked to wander away from the camp and dowsing with a pendulum, find 7 stones - 4 to represent the directions and 3 for any intentions that came to mind while we were undertaking this task. We spent the next hour or two gathering stones, thinking about the presence of Spirit in all things and anticipating what would happen next, (the Red Stone was not one of the stones I found that day).

When we returned, we were asked to prepare the stones by washing them and decorating them with paint and then blessing them with rattles and incense, (I chose not to paint mine).

Next we were given a demonstration on how to do "Intuitive Readings" by listening for the symbolic messages that the stones would reveal to us. Then finally, after the demonstration we were asked to pair-off and start doing readings for one another. This step, of course, made many people uncomfortable or at least brought-up doubt, but I was moved to embrace it.

The Red Stone was the first stone I added to my original set of seven. I found this lovely red stone when out walking with my children, but had some strange feelings about arbitrarily adding it to my "Spirit Stones." So, I carried it around with me as I tried to discern what to do. I also had questions about how I would discover the meaning of the stone, because I had had an intention in mind when I found each of the others.

Within a week or so, I realized that I should include it with the others and I decided that because of the redness, it would stand for "passion." But when I started doing readings with it I discovered that it really represents something more like "motivation" and that it actually has 3 subtly different meanings, the most powerful of which is "the best outcome for all concerned."

I feel completely at ease doing these readings and I now understand that I have a gift. In the intervening two years have done more than a hundred readings and people are continually impressed with the information that is revealed to me by the stones and through intuition. The original set now consists of 12 stones, two bones, and a little metal wedge, (and I use another set of six stones for energy work).

Interesting to note is that one of my closest friends and a man who is quite clairvoyant recently said to me that "I sense there is a Shaman archetype emerging through you" (me). It's a weird thing for me to comprehend, but I'm trusting that by following this path, I am indeed moving towards that intention - "the best outcome for all concerned."

Source Of the Power of Ritual

What many neophytes don't realize is that the right attitude amplifies the power of your ritual practice. Ritual is a sort-of language that transmits information through gestures and metaphors.

Whether you are a serious amateur or a dabbler, your practice will be more intense and more profound, when you adopt a reverent attitude, take all the time you need, and have extremely clear intentions. This will increase the "amplitude and frequency" of the signal you're sending out into the Universe. The power of ritual is in being present; clear; intentional.