Retrieving the Sacred: Ensouling the Vessel
In shamanic cultures, which are cultures that are in harmony with the medicine of Earth, disease and suffering are seen as imbalances of our bodies of the forces that govern nature, and lack of understanding as to the spiritual journey of one’s own soul.
Just as we observe physical laws to keep our society within safe boundaries and as a means to thwart chaos, there are also spiritual and cosmic laws that must be observed to maintain humankind operating in harmonious completeness to Self and all our incarnate relatives. Observing spiritual laws, through consistent spiritual practices cultivates a direct knowing of the powerful creative faculties of mind and gives birth to an intimacy of our mind and the Divine mind. This integration of spirit brings us to a fuller experience of life; an expanse of awareness which promises peace, ecstasy, and love for all of life.
As the process of our awareness becomes more intertwined with the greater awareness, we are left knowing that we are at the cause of all effect. We live in an orderly universe governed by definite laws. Even when we think that something is haphazard, or out of place, a twig laying across a stone, a leaf wedged in between vines, there is energy living at home in this ‘spirit of place’ and whether or not we see it, and understand it’s role in the balance and consciousness of the universe, the workings are there. Until we grasp this, there is very little hope of reaching spiritual fulfillment.
The concept of oneness, or monism, refers to a reality which is ultimately non-dualistic and is comprised of one whole. And thus, our imagined separation from anything is a mistaken belief. Without this understanding we encounter a disharmonious existence, throwing us out of balance with life, and leading, invariably, to what shamans refer to as soul loss. The notion of soul loss also suggests the loss of the soul of Earth, of the cosmos, and the breath of the Great Spirit.
As we continue to come to terms with the nature of our true self, we embark upon an exquisite journey. A journey so captivating that it illuminates an intimate and intelligent understanding of our own soul. This is essential to our continuing experience as co-creators and what we manifest in our lives. However, be that as it may, the fact is many people are walking around in a body that is an empty shell; there is no one at home. This disconnection to the source of what we are, the quintessence that directs our purpose in life, is known as soul loss by indigenous medicine people the world over. This disconnection brings about great imbalance and suffering. The cause of the suffering is due in part to the fact that we are disengaged from our most intimate and sublime self: our soul. As a result of soul loss we find ourselves spiritually disenfranchised. (Top)
As co-creators we are responsible for what shows up in our lives, for creating and manifesting what emanates from our divine consciousness. Ultimately, we hold the key that unlocks the door and that key must resonate with our soul’s purpose. But how can this happen if we have lost the most primary aspect of what we are?
“For what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?” ~ Joshua ben David
If there is suffering in our lives it may be due to our lack of knowledge in harnessing certain mystical, magical principles that open the way to a more enjoyable, healthy and balanced relationship with life. We live in a material age that has severed itself from nature and magic. This dissociation has left a soul wound in relation to Earth consciousness—Mother Archetype. This soul wounding is primal. We have been conditioned to believe we are dissimilar from the effulgence which has created us, we tend to believe that we do not have the capacity to manifest unlimited abundance to its fullest and to experience that this is exactly what we are, abundance. What would it require for us to act with certainty, to exemplify the prolific, flourishing motifs that we witness throughout nature, and bring them without hesitation into our own lives? It requires that we are total, imagining ourselves whole and in union with the Source of what creates.
If we are whole we have the power to experience Divine imagination, to create, manifest, and realize the power of what the soul’s creation may bring forth. (It is Interesting to note that the word imagination has its root meaning in the word magic.) This lack of knowledge has severed many from their own wellspring, emptying their spiritual union with all existence. Western linear concepts have given us a skewed picture of what we really are and have kidnapped our souls, holding them hostage. As a result, there has to be soul retrieval, mending at the root of our wounding experiences.
Shamanic cultures are lifestyles which are in harmony with the energy frequency of Earth, disease and suffering are seen as imbalances with the forces that govern nature, and lack of understanding of the soul’s spiritual journey. When we are connected to our souls’ quest, we live a bountiful spiritual life. We are vivacious, confident; we experience a sense of belonging, and purpose. What we see and all that we experience in life are one and the same; the observer becomes what is being observed. This occurrence is essential to our continuing experience in sustaining the great goodness in our lives.
Our primal elders knew that when a person becomes ill the illness was a sign that a spiritual episode has taken place. The episode is a malady arising out of a disharmony between the physical and spiritual, a tug of war within the human being. The most successful way of treating the sickness was to attend to its spiritual cause through invoking allies held within the power of nature. Everything physical, all “dis-ease” is a consequence or outward expression of a spiritual agency.
The soul housed in the body is an intelligent force, and it feels that intelligence being equally distributed throughout the whole body. It knows exactly what is required for our health and longevity. In metaphysical thought, psychic attributes are said to be sited in various parts of the body. The Qualities of the different souls all seem to have been endowed with cognitive attributes. The soul’s presence in the limbs, organs, blood, teeth and bones, were regarded as an entity in their own right existing virtually as an independent spiritual archetype. This ancient perspective gives us understanding when we think of Spirit and matter being intertwined from the same substance. (Top)