I'm usually asked if shamanism is a religion, which makes me smile. It's a spiritual connection. It awakens within you a walk with the life force of everything-but is that religion? Well, not the way most of us were taught religion.
No, it's not a religion. Keep your religion. And explore your spiritual connection.
It's a deep communion with nature. It's learning a new language. It's waking to the dream. Shamanism is creating peace within and peace around you. It's becoming conscious, and it's becoming responsible. It's connecting to all living thing, and honoring the rhythm of the earth. And it's personal.
My teacher said "The shaman no longer looks for meaning in life, but brings meaning to every situation. The shaman stops looking for truth and instead brings truth to every encounter." I think this is a brilliant summation.
Shamanism is an active practice, focused on healing. It's a living path. It's the pollen path. It's been called so many things, and still it reverberates around the world with a call to come back to center, come back to home, and come into service.
He once told me, "we all have a future, but not all of us have a destiny." But now he says "You are here to fulfill a destiny. When you have trauma that occurs in your life, your destiny is derailed. It becomes fate. Fate is a story that's been written for you by somebody else. Destiny is a story you write."
What is the story of your destiny? If you are the author, what is your hero/heroine about to do?
We are all on the verge of our greatest adventure! What do you choose to dream the world into being?
It's time to step away from the fateful story that was written for you. Put it in the fire. And dream on!