Are You A Shaman But Don't Know It?

Heidi, my partner and I, were talking this morning about religion.  Most of us in the West grew up either in a Judaeo/Christian religion or in a community where that was the common cultural undercurrent.  Think back just 100 generations.  That takes you about 2,000 years into the not-so-distant past.  Where did your ancestors live 100 generations ago?  Northern Europe, the Middle East, Ancient America,  Asia?  Most likely they practiced a religion that most people today would call pagan.   That means that I have come full circle, I'm a shamanic pagan on a spiritual path that probably has more in common with my deep ancestral roots than do any of the modern religions.  You might be on the same path.

That also means that I have the echoes of the pagan past in my genetic memory, in my DNA.  If any of the following statements are true about you then you may have that same genetic memory.  You may be a shaman and haven't recognized it.  So, how many of these statements apply to you?

1. ​​You have experienced pain and loss in your life.  Shamans are able to help others deal with pain, loss and grief because they have walked through that darkness.
2. You have had brushes with death.  The veil between worlds tends to be thinner for shamans because they have been so close to it, some have even seen through the veil.
3. You feel a deep connection with nature.  Shamans realize that we are part of nature and that nature is part of us, that we are all connected to the ALL.  
4. You are able to feel people's energy.  You can feel the energy of a room before you enter, you can read people by feeling their energy.  Shamans are sensitive to energy, they are the original energy works.
5. If you had to choose an archetype to describe you it would be the healer.  You feel a calling to reduce pain and suffering in a world that is brimming with pain, suffering and sadness.
6. You feel guided by your intuition.  You just seem to "know" what to do and when to do it without logical thought.  Shamans are guided by their "intuition" which often comes as prompting by their helping spirits.
7. You don't need to be connected 24/7 to other people.  You enjoy alone time, time without your cell phone connected to your ear, or surrounded by other people.  Being a shaman is a solitary endeavor.  In many societies the shamans lived outside and apart from the community.  Connecting with helping spirits is something that is best done in solitude.
8. You have animal friends.  You seem to connect well with animals, often better than you do with other humans.  And animals seem attracted to you.  Totem animals are some of a shaman's most powerful helping spirits.  If you feel close to animals then your totem animals are probably walking with you already.
9. You have experiences that you can't explain like lucid dreams, out-of-body experiences, or premonitions.  These are the kinds of experiences that shamans use to gain insight and instruction from helping spirits.  
10. You find yourself asking, "Is this all there is to life?"  If the mundane, day-to-day rat race leaves you feeling empty and longing for more then you are probably a shaman and just don't know it.  Shamans don't just live their lives on Middle Earth, but also in non-ordinary reality.

If any of these statements are true about you then you may be a shaman and don't even know it. Please contact me if you would like to participate in our upcoming, online shamanic practitioner training program.   

I asked you to look back 100 generations.  Now look forward the same length of time.  What kind of spiritual legacy, what kind of genetic memory would you like to leave for your descendants?  I suggest one that makes them feel free, divine, and connect to the ALL.

Peace my friends,

​Dr. Dave