Later, after getting to know the family (and receiving personal blowgun lessons) we began to appreciate the honesty, the beauty, the simplicity that is their lifestyle and environment. The word stress is not in their vocabulary. We began to comprehend firsthand the oneness of the people and their surroundings.
No clocks or schedules to make pressured demands on their lives, no unfulfilled egos to drive them to some unobtainable goal, no fear that death is the end of all existence to haunt them. They live the concept that we are truly one with all things. They illustrate an important lesson: we can gain a greater understanding of our true nature and the reality of all things by simplifying life, respecting the planet, and living in the present.
Understanding the Concept of One
The point that individual shamans from diverse cultures all over the world seem to be making is let go and be one.
•Let go of the pursuit of materialism. This unquenchable desire provides us merely with possessions we don't really need, and it ruins the rain forest, the environment, and the worldwide quality of life in the process.
•Let go of the ego. Once we reach "success,” it is inevitably never enough; there will always be a requirement for the unobtainable more.
•Let go of time restraints. By creating our self-imposed schedules, pressures, and the need to do more, we are missing the primal experience of being.
How often do we get caught up in the drama of attempting to be someone we're not? It is almost as if we're on stage, playing a character rather than being our authentic self. Shamans are only themselves, often not even knowing or caring about the day of the week or the time of day. They just are.
This is not to suggest that we need to alter our lifestyle dramatically. We are conditioned to the ways of the Western world. Its many wonderful comforts and benefits are built into our way of being. It is to say that we should slow down. We need to stop driving ourselves in pursuit of things and goals that can never provide us with a deeper understanding of who we are.
We must begin to redirect our energy to the unseen inner experience that our ignorance and fear prevent us from discovering. We must, if we are to find our true selves. We must, if the planet is to survive. After all, this incarnation is about resolving personal as well as planetary karma—learning our spiritual lessons and returning to One. The dwellers of the rain forest live within the harmony of oneness and have let go of all restrictive fear—not an undesirable goal if you think about it.
chapter 4
A Bizarre Healing
THE REMAINDER OF our trip to Ecuador was equally fascinating and took us to the higher reaches of the Andes. We visited three shamans, each authentic and each employing slightly differing ancient energy-healing techniques in their work.
The first we were to meet was a kind, gentle, middleaged Quechuan shaman whose appearance was not unlike the classic drawings of Jesus. He had long, flowing dark hair and deep beautiful eyes that attested to the gentleness of his soul. He walked with the ease and grace that can only come from inner spiritual calm.
He insisted that our group of sixteen stay overnight with him, sharing food prepared by his large extended family who lived scattered about the rural community. He had constructed a large circular building to house overnight visitors willing to make the long trip to his remote mountain village. He generally took no money from outsiders, but reluctantly accepted a meager sum from those whom he healed in our group.
Following a very palatable vegetarian evening meal, the shaman situated himself on one of two logs placed alongside the open fire pit in our guest lodge. With little ceremony, he began to quietly chant as one of the women from our group cautiously approached him. He motioned for her to be seated and began by gently brushing her with wild sage gathered by the children of his family. He did not inquire about her medical needs but seemed to know where to direct his attention. Although his technique consisted mainly of chanting, touching, brushing, and talking, all who experienced his healing were certain that he had accurately diagnosed their ailments.
Interestingly, his healing work took place amid seemingly distracting conversation, laughter, and activity on the part of his large family. The activity took our group by surprise, as I think we each expected the kind of reverent ceremony we knew was common to Brazilian healings. Several times during the evening, when one of his small children would approach him, he would cease what he was doing and gather the youngster lovingly in his arms. After being comforted, the child would leave and the shaman would resume his curative actions as though nothing disruptive had occurred.
The Transformation Method
There are a variety of basic healing techniques embraced by shamans worldwide, some of which I will define and discuss thoroughly in chapter 5. Many of these healing methods focus on the transformation of energy in the patient's astral body. The astral (or subtle) body is defined by A. E. Powell in his book, The Astral Body (Theosophical Publishing House, 1972) as:
. . . a vehicle, to clairvoyant sight not unlike the physical body, surrounded by an aura of flashing colours, composed of matter of an order of fineness higher than that of physical matter, in which feelings, passions, desires and emotions are expressed and which acts as a bridge or medium of transmission between the physical brain and the mind . . . .
The Quechuan shaman who we were visiting works by tapping into the natural forces of nature to transform the negative or disruptive energy of his client's astral body into a more positive state. He trances or channels the natural forces of fire, earth, water, and air through the ritual and rhythm of his chanting and movement. Although he offers suggestions of diet, herbs, or specific verbal affirmations, it is his channeling of the natural power of nature that measurably revitalizes the body. When the ceremony is complete and the state of mind has turned positive, the rehabilitation to good health begins.
Occasionally, the Quechuan shaman would physically remove the offending negative activity, discarding it to Pachamama, the earth. The earth then acts as the means of transformation, recycling the negative waste into positive and useful energy just as a plant, after being provided animal waste, restores the necessary balance that nature prefers.
Do these methods work?
One woman from our group, who had previously stated that she could not remember the last time she was without pain from her rheumatoid arthritis, began to quietly sob soon after her healing. She was pain-free. A second woman, who had partially lost her sense of smell from a bicycle accident several years prior, began to smell fragrances that she thought were lost forever.
When it was my turn, I sat before the Quechuan healer and became immersed in the peace and tranquility that he radiated. Since shamans seem to live in the continuous moment of now, to be in their presence is to take on a portion of their essence.
The healer began to focus his attention on my abdomen and groin—areas that have traditionally been the source of my greatest maladies. He chanted while passing his hands over my body and I could feel myself relax as if I had just ingested a drug to relieve tension and tightness. When he informed me that my karma was to work as a spiritual healer and that I was not to take my gift lightly, I knew we were connected.
He then smiled and turned to our Ecuadorian interpreter. He said something in his native tongue. I noticed that they were both regarding me with much more intensity than just a few moments before.
"What's wrong?" I questioned, not sure that I wanted to hear the answer. Juan Gabriel smiled and said that the shaman had a special cure for me, but would be unable to administer it until the following morning.
"Special cure?" I inquired cautiously, exchanging looks with Shirl who had moved in closer, and was equally concerned about the sudden change in the shaman's manner.
Juan Gabriel began to fidget and mumbled that I shouldn't worry because this is something he had seen the shaman do several times in the past. Sensing