This is a revised and slightly re-edited version of the original post.
As many people know the word psychedelic or psychedelia came into popular use during the 60’s and in particular in association with the fashion for taking LSD that grew initially on the west coast of the USA in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
One of the first and most vociferous exponents of the use of this chemical compound, first synthesised by Swiss scientist Albert Hoffman, was the writer Ken Kesey (author of “One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest”) who inaugurated the famous “acid test parties” attended by the fashionable people of his generation and even members of the infamous Hells Angels.
It has also been documented, however, that behind the introduction of LSD to the North American youth were none other than the CIA and other shadowy organisations interested in experimenting with the youth.
LSD was later given secretly to soldiers in Vietnam in a further development of a series of experiments is social engineering that were carried out by various human behaviour research projects.
Various researchers have now revealed that the development of the psychedelic culture was influenced, at the very least, as part of a social experiment carried out through projects such as MKULTRA and people such as Timothy Leary and even Terrence McKenna were all CIA agents. This has been documented and covered extensively so we will not go into all the details here but rather concentrate on the workings of psychedelia and shamanism.
What is psychedelia ?
The word psychedelia comes from Greek. “Psyche” means soul and “delia” means to reveal or to make visible. To quote a South American Shaman that we have studied with…
“In reality this means to reveal the subconscious states that lie in the interior of the soul. Reveal the soul by means of psychedelia means to bring to the surface the things of the subconscious mind.”
If we analyse this point we can see that in these terms there is a clear relationship to shamanism. Obviously the shaman is an expert in entering the subconscious and bringing its contents to the surface.. In order to help him in his work to heal, cure and order the subconscious elements, ultimately helping the patients connect again with their essence the shaman is able to call upon spiritual forces that orientate, protect and guide.
As The Shaman that we spoke with continues to say, “Bringing the contents of the subconscious to the surface would not be dangerous to the soul if there was will, self control and the capacity for observation..”
In the modern world, however, the word psychedelic has taken on other connotations and is used more to refer to a recreational drug use, acid parties and the pseudo-mystical experiments as was the case with another champion of LSD use, the even more famous psychedelic guru Timothy Leary.
Leary went further perhaps than Kesey, who remained surfing the wave of the hedonistic fashion in true Californian style, Leary, meanwhile, tried to be more serious and academic, professor, as he was, of Harvard University on the less wild east coast of the USA.
Whilst Kesey and his Merry Pranksters developed the loud colours, discordant music and distorted art that emerged as a result of LSD use, Leary attempted to find analogies to the LSD experience in the mystical teachings of the “Tibetan Book of the Dead” and others. He tried to map the experience with the intellect and this led to the emergence of a more serious sounding aspect of Western psychedelia and projects such as MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies).
The influence that people like Kesey and Leary and others have had was immense but clearly they were not alone in their use of LSD. Many who would become cultural icons for the and future generations, sampled the ‘delights’ of LSD use.
In popular modern culture there were many that recognised that the artist is very similar to a shaman. Indeed, the line that separates art from magic is very fine and in many respects the appearance of shamanism and an interest in its techniques was inevitable.
Shamanism became fashionable among the hip artists, poets, singers etc and this later led to the search in Mexico and South America for shamans, the success of anthropologists such as Castenada and Wasson and a documentation of the various psychoactive plants that exist and have been used around the world.
Unfortunately most people failed to perceive the difference between the plants and an extracted or synthesised chemical, replacing the mushrooms and the peyote that Wasson and Castaneda talked about, with synthetic chemical drugs. The direction that Castenada’s stories took meant that many began to perceive shamanism as some kind of fantastic exotic world of disembodied experiences, sorcerers, bizarre dreams and so on.
The idea that to really work with shamanism requires discipline, self observation and will was not emphasised much and little by little all sorts of people started to emerge calling themselves Naguals, Shamans, Psychonauts and so on, some looking for fame others for power and others for a quick buck. The Sacred Science of the Indigenous was not understood by the vast majority of people looking for a new thrill and many things were damaged.
Maria Sabina, the Mexican Shaman who had used mushrooms with deep devotion all her life as a source of healing, inspiration and guidance said that after Gordon Wasson, part time anthropologist and publicist who worked for Chase Manhattan Bank, had come to her, many young “gringos” arrived looking for mushrooms in the hills and as a result the mushrooms spirits left and never came back.
For Maria Sabina the mushroom was something tremendously sacred that connected her to paradise realms where she could travel and speak with the Gods.
For many young Americans and Europeans the mushrooms, peyote, ayahuasca etc. are plants that contain a chemical substance that makes you trip out. The difference between a Shamanic Journey and a Trip is more than just a case of semantics.
For the modern people with their materialist inclinations, the mushroom is something to dissect in order to extract an active ingredient that is useful for the high they want. The Indigenous peoples understand that each plant has active and passive elements and that the passive elements are also necessary for a balanced experience and so for them it is not only a case of extracting the active ingredient.
Really it is very difficult for materialist and atheist people to have the same kind of experience as Maria Sabina because, as she said, the spirits went very far where the people cannot damage them and so, logically, the spiritual and healing experience is replaced by another kind of experience.
The Shaman that we spoke with also comments that “In 99% of cases, to enter into psychedelia means to be controlled by the ego… and power is given to the dark sub conscious elements turning the person into a Black Magician or Sorcerer. ”
This was the part that the unsuspecting youth did not know. LSD was introduced gradually into the youth culture. The first users were invited to take part in some scientific experiments being carried out in California and were paid to be human guinea pigs. Indeed, Ken Kesey, first took LSD in such a situation. Later he was given LSD to distribute outside of the laboratory…
Clearly, the uncontrolled use of such a potent chemical substance was going to have many unpredictable effects but that was what the secretive elements behind its introduction wanted.
Effectively, the subconscious elements of the collective psychology of an entire generation and also the ones following were called to the surface but sadly there was little will, control or capacity for observation. We can say that in effect the youth of the sixties and after have been put through a psychedelic initiation and this has unleashed the collective sub-conscious. The difference between this and a genuine shamanic initiation is that the modern western youth has had little preparation for entering into such realms.
Anyone slightly familiar with these themes will be able to recognise that locked up within the human subconscious are tremendous amounts of psychic energy.
To reach a state of psychological and spiritual health it is necessary to bring into consciousness that which is hidden in the subconscious. This is one of the purposes of a shamanic apprenticeship. In order to help others first one needs to organise ones own psychology and transform it.
So what happens when people take LSD ? …Apart from the visuals and the sensations and so on we can clearly say that they unleash the hidden forces of the psyche.
But how is a person with no observation going to adapt to this? In most cases the person simply does what they are trained to do by their ‘education’… They become fascinated and identified.
Some may enjoy a sudden feeling of power or the idea that they have been given the keys to the universe. Perhaps, some will be gratified by a new feeling of themselves, of their sexuality of their artistic potential or perhaps many will merely enjoy the display of colours, strange sounds and take it all as entertainment, much in the way that one would enjoy a good film.
There are many possibilities but, in general, we can say that the experience is very subjective.
Perhaps we could call it an expanded subjectivity; in short, the sub conscious elements or egos arrive in full force and given that in most cases the subject will have little capacity for self observation, it is difficult to know what is truly happening beyond what is being projected onto the screen of the mind. The source of what is being projected, however, is difficult to see unless discernment and observation are developed.
Obviously, the reactions and sensations experienced by people that take LSD are very varied and there is no doubt that the use of LSD has given a lot of material for psychologists and psychoanalysts to study. Literally anything can come to the surface from euphoria to extreme terror and all the range of human emotions and ideas that come between these two extremes and one cannot deny that these psychological elements are real. The difference, however, between chemical psychedelic drug use and shamanism is that the synthesised chemicals don’t have a spirit whilst the sacred plants do and it is this living spirit and the connection made with the spirit by the shaman and the participants in the ritual that helps the people to see more deeply what is happening and what is emerging.
The fact is that shamans have been studying these states for millennia within the context of a sacred and ritual dynamic that allows people to enter such states with a protection and guide in the form of the shaman, the spirits and the accumulated experience of the tribe and its tradition.
THE SHAMAN THAT TRIED LSD.
Some years ago a couple of English LSD users went to stay with a shaman in the Colombian jungle. The shaman had been practicing and learning with the jungle vine Yaje (Banisteriopsis Caapi) for more than twenty years. His use and knowledge of indigenous sacred medicinal plants was extensive but he had never taken a chemical substance like LSD.
One of the English visitors was in the habit of using LSD regularly and had become so accustomed to it that his body was relatively insensitive and in order to feel an affect he had to take 2 or 3 doses. The jungle people who he was visiting did not understand why this man shut himself up in his room all day with headphones on listening to trance and techno music rather than being outside, working and exploring the jungle. Later they discovered that he was taking LSD but they still did not understand as they had never taken this drug.
During his stay the Englishman offered LSD to the shaman, convinced that the shaman would like it. He gave him enough LSD for a double dose for three people and said that it would be best to take 2 doses per person to have a good effect. The shaman received the LSD and guarded it away. He did not have any intention of eating these strange cardboard tabs with the visitors present.
One night, after the visitors had left he decided that he would try it in order to know what the western people found so fascinating. He took it together with two women of the same jungle community but they tried a lower dose than the visitor had recommended. The experience that followed was very strange for them. The shaman explained that when he tried to see in the superior realms using his usual meditation practice he could see nothing, only darkness. He was unable to connect with the spiritual forces that he used in his shamanic practice. When he looked down however into the infra-dimensions, the show began. He said later that as he lay in meditation he began to hear the sound of a lorry or something similar. He thought it was a lorry crossing the bridge near to his home but as he listened and concentrated the sound grew louder and had a kind of hypnotising effect so he began to follow in his concentration until he found himself sitting on top of the lorry and the lorry began to wind its way gradually downwards and downwards in spirals. The shaman quickly realised that he was traveling into the inferior astral dimensions and alongside the road on which the lorry was traveling he saw unfolding different scenes that evoked the sensations and the states of people when they are immersed in the inferior worlds. We could say that there was something akin to a Dante type experience to see the hell realms. The shaman, with his experience and his capacity of self control and observation, knew very clearly what was happening and as the experience continued he became aware that at the bottom of the spiralling road were a group of black magicians and demons waiting for him. He said later that the atmosphere became dense and heavy and it was difficult for him to move. As the lorry descended he realised that if he continued he would soon reach a point of no return so he decided that he would continue no further, this was enough for him to know the secrets of LSD and with an effort of concentration and will he awoke himself from the experience.
Using an interesting analogy, the shaman said that the LSD was like getting into a car as a passenger and finding that the car went but had no driver and there was no way of knowing where it was headed. To use Yaje, however, was like getting into a car but in this case there was a driver, the driver is the spirit of Yaje that guides the person in the interior worlds. With Yaje, one can learn how to control the experience. Yaje teaches the person to have will and objectivity and thus it is possible to shine light on the subconscious realms with the help of a spiritual guide, the elemental spirit of Yaje. This conscious and intelligent spirit is a mediator between man and God (the superior intelligence) and therein lies the difference between LSD and the Sacred Plants.
It is interesting to note that the shamans’ training gave him the capacity to be aware of where the LSD was taking him. In most cases however, the young people that experiment with this substance have no idea where it is taking them. They do not have the preparation of a shaman or the help of an elemental spirit like Yaje. It is also important to note that although the shaman was able to observe and control, up to a point, his experience with the LSD, enough to avoid his coming to any great harm, he was not able to use this substance to call upon spiritual forces and make his work as a shaman.
As he himself said, the experience was useful so that he could understand the interior state of many young people from the west that were beginning to come to him looking for help. He also explained that physically, for him and his friends, the experience was very uncomfortable and they felt the draining effect of the chemical on their bodies and their energies.
It took them several days to recover from the experience with the help of plant medicines. We should understand that for people like them, who study and practice shamanism, the body is very sensitive and feels more effect from the chemical substance. They all said that the most unpleasant aspect of the experience on a physical level was the taste of the chemical in their mouths and its smell in their sweat.
Yaje, on the other hand, is medicinal and leaves one feeling replenished and healthy.
The hypnotic force that was present in their experience, the shaman explained, is an opposite force to that of the Kundalini. This shaman explained that just as there is an energetic current that Hindus call Kundalini (which shamans also know about) which goes up the spine, there is also an inverted version that extends from the base of the spine downwards into the infernal dimensions.
Prolonged use of LSD and also substances such as Ecstacy or Ketamin lead to the development of this serpent like energy that reaches down and draws its power from the inferior dimensions. This is the source of the ego. There are many egos inside each person. They are like entities or parasites that live in the subconscious and trap the human essence, bottling it up and feeding upon its energy in order to survive.
The ego or egos are like knots in the psychology and in reality the use of LSD and other such substances strengthens the ego and develops its complexity. To strengthen the ego is to travel upon the path towards black magic because black magic is the use of magic for selfish ends and conduces us towards the state of being a demon, and so this gives us a clue as to to the secret reasons why LSD was introduced to an unsuspecting youth during the 60’s.
Through the practice of shamanism there are people that have discovered the internal reality in both the positive and negative aspects. The psychedelia now present and influencing all of western culture is a way of disorientating, confusing and distracting young people and as such is a tool of the black magic power that controls the governments, the people and society in general.
In the beginning, LSD use tried to disguise itself as something alternative and revolutionary and many people with good hearts that wanted change and an alternative to the boring materialistic life fell into its labyrinth and never found their way out. Countless talented people have been tricked by the psychedelic illusion into using their gifts for the art, music and literature of the drug using generations but in the end the promise of a new tomorrow has been a mirage on the horizon as we walk through the empty desert of a modern society, devoid of real purpose or spiritual direction.
In truth, the word psychedelia has come to mean more than the meaning defined at the beginning of this article. Its meaning is the sum of the culture that was spawned by the introduction of LSD and all that it helped to develop on the downward path of degeneration. Clearly it is not only LSD that has played a role here, we can also list Heroin, Cocaine, Ketamin, Ecstacy, Amphetamines etc etc.
The direction of the youth drug culture was given nightmare proportions in the dark prophecies of William Burroughs with his surreal prose that called upon the subconscious realms for ‘inspiration’.
His famous ‘cut-up’ style became one of the blue prints of art for the psychedelic generation and this fragmented vision is a mirror to the fragmentation of the psyche that results when the sub-conscious forces are released without any comprehension of the interior and esoteric purpose.
Ken Kesey surfaced again in the late 90’s doing a re-run of his bus tour as he tried to relive the acid drenched days when he toured the US in a brightly painted day-glo bus, performing circus stunts.
When he revived the bus, it was quite clear that he had ended up like some kind of cartoon style Uncle Sam with no real message for the youth other than “have a good time man”.
Leary took psychedelic drugs until the end and finished up believing that the internet was going to save our souls.
Other psychedelic gurus and icons like Jack Kerouac and Jim Morrison ended up as alcoholics and drug addicts and died for their vices. The list goes on.
In reality the early promise of a cultural and spiritual revolution in the 60’s ended up as a collection of youth sub-cultures all designed to suit the different personalities and psychological make-ups; punks, goths, metal, hippies, ravers etc.
In the late 80’s a 60’s revival was staged with the introduction of Ecstacy, an alternative to LSD that was called the ‘love drug’ because of its supposed capacity to put people in a euphoric state but time showed that this was yet another false dawn for the youth and yet another doorway to the infernal realms.
The impulse to want a change and transformation in society is not unusual and many people feel it but the step between feeling it and doing it is a big one. It is strange that every time such an impulse emerges in society different drugs appear to give the answer, but in reality in no way does the use of chemicals such as LSD or Ecstacy conduce people towards any real transformation.
In the end we can see that the psychedelic style has been employed mainly to sell things; fashion, TV, cinema, music, etc all use the psychedelic style. The influence of psychedelic artists has become part of the style and design of modern life where what was the drab and unimaginative style of the post war 50’s has been converted into a glamorised materialism full of the colours, sound effects, visuals and special effects that are employed in the modern forms of entertainment evoking the sensual affects of the drug experience. Advertising in particular is an industry that has profited from using a surreal style full of triggers for the subconscious with the aim of impulsing the desires that everybody carries inside. Some people have even likened the use of many artistic elements taken from the drug experience in cinema etc to a kind of modern shamanism.
Certainly, it is true that there is an element of magic in all of this because the use of drugs opens the Pandora’s Box of the subconscious but what we find in the subconscious is not necessarily useful when it comes to living in a spiritual connection with our fellow humans, with nature and the development of a deep understanding of existence because the sub-conscious is full of a lot of rubbish that needs to be cleaned. This is why the use of Sacred Plants and the practice or shamanism requires discernment and care.
It is not a case of taking psychoactive substances without using the faculty of consciousness.
The subconscious and unconscious exist below the threshold of the conscious. That in us which is conscious is only a small percentage but we must learn to use this small portion of consciousness in order to liberate the soul essence that is trapped in the subconscious. We need to shine the light of the consciousness into the subconscious so that we can rescue the essence that is trapped within the unconscious patterns that we play out in our lives.
The psychedelic people, however, say that you should go with whatever comes up, surrender to the subconscious forces without question.
The people that study shamanism of light say that we should observe what comes up and learn about ourselves. In this case we need to develop the capacity for meditation and a connection with the spirit and with our Internal Being.
Use of the sacred plants such as Yaje, Peyote, San Pedro, Mushrooms, Coca etc are are a help for this because through the shamanic ritual we cultivate a connection to the plant spirit and through this to God in both the Male and Female aspects.
In truth, we can say that in order to meditate, to observe oneself and to be close to God we do not have to use these plants but they exist and were put here on this planet by God as a help for those that need their help.
On the contrary, LSD, Ecstacy, Ketamin, etc are not a help for connecting to the spirit because they make the subconscious more active but without the spiritual element that helps to make us more objective. When using these substances meditation is more difficult than normal because the nerves, the mind and the body become more agitated.
The sacred plants also affect the central nervous system but as the plant is something living, with a spirit, it is possible to use prayers, chants and concentration in order to control the substance in the body and harmonise with the elemental spirit of the plant so that you are calm and the energy is directed towards the spiritual realms, towards introspection, contemplation etc. This is why the shamans use their shamanic chants because through the chant and the plant elemental in your body responds and you can journey with it.
With LSD, the substance does not respond as a living spirit would so in this respect you are on your own, at the mercy of the subconscious elements that emerge.
We know that some people will say and do say that they have the ability to control the LSD and in reality everybody is free to believe what they want but we have known more than one person that was very sure of his guru status with LSD until he received an electrical nervous shock that he could not control and through this ended up losing all of the capacities he thought he had gained by using LSD.
Before embarking on the long path of shamanic study it is necessary to have at least a little bit of humility.
SHAMANISM AS AN ANTIDOTE TO THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF DRUG ABUSE.
Drug abuse causes damage to mind, body and soul, this is clear. The many side effects of drug abuse are well documented and many people have tasted for themselves the results in terms of damage to their health, their relationships, their minds and ultimately their hearts. When people become lost in cynicism about life it is because their hearts have become damaged and the person has lost his or her faith in life.
If we seek the help of shamanism and natural medicine in order to heal our bodies, our minds and our souls of drug abuse and in general of the pain suffered by our souls in this world so lost in materialism, greed and avarice, then first of all it is necessary to have at least a little bit of faith in God, in the plants and in Mother Nature, or Pachamama as she is known by the indigenous people of South America.
Another thing that we need to develop in order to be healed is the will to change because true healing implies a change in us. In this respect the plants can initially help us by showing us the change we need to make but it is up to us whether we make it or not.
If the modern generations that have interest in these themes were to develop a little more humility they would discover that they are like small children beginning in school whereas the indigenous Masters of ancient times that now live in the superior dimensions are the real teachers.
It is only a little more than 40 years since the interest in shamanism and the use of plants became more widely known in western culture. It is extremely arrogant to think that in that short space of time we can claim some kind of expertise in these matters when in reality 40 years is about enough for one person in continuous work to become a shaman and to do that he needs to draw upon the wisdom of previous generations, stretching back into ancient times.
Many anthropologists that claim to be experts in these matters after a few years study have not even got this back up of tribal experience as a source of wisdom.
We should take great heed of the work, effort and discipline required to become a shaman, for a shaman is a person with an immense knowledge, or better put, Gnosis of the interior realms, not to mention the fact that being a shaman does not only imply a use of shamanic techniques but also a complete way of life, a practical knowledge of plant medicine, cultivation of the earth, community and integration with Mother Nature.
The psychedelic world view has, in general, tried to add a pseudo-shamanic vision onto the modern lifestyle rather than seeking a transformation of lifestyle, hence the tendency towards the use of drugs and the idea of ‘urban shamanism’, a contradiction of terms if ever there was one.
If psychedelic drug-use is a kind of mutation of art and culture that leads to a greater immersion in the material and sensual illusion then Shamanism of Light is the antidote that leads us towards an authentic, archaic revival, a recuperation of the timeless values we find enshrined in the shamanic myths of many cultures.
It cannot be denied that the impulse itself that leads many young people to experiment with drugs is something that relates to an innate human impulse to want to change his everyday state of consciousness.
The fact that this impulse, in the present day, gets focused on chemical, psychedelic drugs is a reflection of the fact that a more positive alternative is not generally available and it is also a reflection of the materialist attitude of our society.
Many people are looking for something to fill the spiritual void that exists in modern day society and as such drug use is an outlet for this that unfortunately becomes an escape rather than a means of truly filling that void. Ultimately that impulse becomes diverted into a fascination with sense gratification which is why psychedelic art tends to be very sense orientated with forms and colours that reflect the tainted light of the infernal dimensions.
That ‘dark and seductive light’ gives the appearance of filling void but the accumulative affects of psychedelia produce a reduction in the body’s natural ability to produce hormonal substances important for our natural well being and the harmonious development of the chakras and the subtle bodies.
It has been documented that in ecstacy users the capacity of the brain to secrete the hormone serotonin, a substance related to the dream state and to feelings of joy and euphoria is destroyed, leaving the person dependent on ecstacy as an artificial replacement. In this sense it is like to try and force that euphoric state.
In the philosophy of shamanic peoples, however, it is not merely that a particular hormone produces, in a mechanical way, such a state but rather that the more subtle spiritual connection impulses the production of that hormone.
In the human body and brain there are many receptors that have the capacity to receive the hormones that stimulate the different states of consciousness but as humans have become more materialistic, the capacity to produce the corresponding hormone becomes atrophied. If we wish to reactivate the states of natural sensitivity, enjoyed by our ancestors, we would be better off recuperating the timeless values and ways of living in harmony with the living intelligence of life that are the solid basis for such states of being.
The planet is alive and conscious and has brought forth plants that can give us food for the soul and reveal it in a positive and intelligent way, leading us towards a conscious transformation of all that is hidden in the subconscious.
Yaje or Ayahuasca actually stimulates the brains capacity to produce hormones such as serotonin. It helps in the regeneration of our atrophied faculties, if that is, we are ready to follow the promptings and teachings offered to us by this marvellous plant, with all the respect that it is due.
Many Indigenous shamans today are aware of the esoteric terms that have become widely used and I have heard them say that Yaje is Kundalini in plant form. Kundalini is the Divine Mother inside us, a subtle energy that lies coiled at the base of the spine. When this force is awakened in us it hails a complete transformation of the human being. This process is a long one and if we wish to follow such a path the shamanic wisdom is necessary.
Yaje is a medicine that balances the central nervous system, repairs the nerves damaged by the abuse of chemical drugs and the radiation so present through the many electronic devices that have become an everyday part of modern life.
Yaje helps cellular regeneration and in this respect it is also useful in the treatment of illnesses such as cancer and AIDS. It is not for nothing that some people have noted a connection between Yaje in form and vision with the DNA itself, because it is precisely on this level that it works and can give healing at a genetic level, if we have the heart and intelligence to be open and accepting of all that the elemental spirit of Yaje asks of us for in nature all is an exchange and if you work for the mission of Yaje, Yaje will work for you.
This civilization says that it represents progress, evolution, achievement in science and technology and the ability to use and adapt natural resources in order to give us humans a better life.
That is the propaganda of our modern civilization that has traditionally ignored and repressed its other side. This was true through the 18th and early 19th centuries and since then there has been a gradual release of inhibitions and taboos about sex, liberty, consciousness and so on, leading to the opposite extreme, i.e. philosophies, that counsel complete freedom of exploration without discernment. In reality there are two columns in life, that of severity and that of mercy. To be too severe and rigid is one mistake and to be too libertine is another.
In the 60’s, this reaction to the rigid religious values exploded.
The reaction had been growing for a while. People, such as Byron, Shelley, Crowley, Oscar Wilde etc had begun to breech the walls of repression, making visible the other side of the coin. When ecstatic states are prohibited they take a form that is reactionary. The natural impulses become distorted and exaggerated even turning into anger, hatred, abuse etc. but in all this one can detect the yearning for freedom, confused as it may be.
This is the unfolding and release of all those repressed sub-conscious forces, magically one could say, into the society at large. It is an endless conflict that goes round and round in circles. Our consciousness has become conditioned, trapped in between two extremes and without self knowledge, thus we lurch from repression to uncontrolled debauchery.
First with religious dogma and fanaticism we repressed and imprisoned ourselves and began to invent all manner of technology and ways of distancing ourselves from the natural. We became ashamed of our natural state….And then those natural forces locked inside and repressed began to explode and we burst out with all that pent up energy ready to try anything without knowledge of ourselves and so we try what is ‘forbidden’ and we try it without control or balance, desperate, and thus we came to the culture ‘Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll’ in a world where mans abuse of religion has turned him first into a fanatic and then into an atheist.
If we have the capacity, however, to learn from all this we can return to the natural way with the experience of the cycle under our belts and recover the wisdom of the ancients before it disappears completely.
Shamanism in its true sense gives us the opportunity to break this conditioning because it returns us to the original, unconditioned consciousness. It takes us to the archaic revival of the indigenous state. At the root of it all there is an indigenous person inside all of us, for the indigenous state is natural innocence, freedom from concepts, observation of things as they are, simplicity.
At this point in the human process we have the opportunity to return to the beginning but our returning requires that we learn the lesson of having lost the original innocence of our soul. We need to make a retrieval of our souls from the trap of being imprisoned inside a set of conditions, locked inside the subconscious. In the ultimate sense, shamanic healing is retrieval of the original seed, it is to take possession of your soul and this is a work of great patience.
Above all to return to Our Mother and Our Father is an adventure that gives life meaning again.
The natural impulse in itself is not good or bad, it is what we do with it that defines us.
If we want to seek sensual enjoyment we can and if we want to discover the wonders of the spirit we can. The choice is ours.
Intiananda, Shamanism of Light
