back




Magically transmitted shamanism

© John Russell-Mψller 2007


There is work transferred shamanism; there is linguistically transmitted shamanism; there is spiritually transferred shamanism; and there is magically moved shamanism. You can't actually transmit shamanism magically – it's a bit more accurate to say, that the shamanism is being moved.

Work transferred shamanism is, when a shaman apprentice works alongside a fully qualified shaman craftsman, and learns the shaman craft by doing what the shaman does. The process is eye+hand centred. "Watch what I am doing – and practise doing the same"!

Linguistically transmitted shamanism is, when a person learns about shamanism through listening and reading. The shamanism is transmitted orally or in writing. The process is mouth+ear centred or eye+inner-ear (text+verbal thoughts) centred. "Listen to me – and do as I say"! "Read this – and do what it says"!

Spiritually transferred shamanism is, when a person learns shamanism by receiving inspiration from one or more spirits. Intuitive transference also falls into this category. The person may or may not know witch spirit is transferring or channelling the shamanic teaching. The process is soul+soul (spirit+spirit) centred.

Magically moved shamanism is, when a person learns to do shamanic work by using another shaman's skills and experience, without having learned the skills or acquired the experience himself. The skills are moved from one shaman's experience world to another shaman's experience world, rather like a file is dragged and dropped from one folder to another on a computer. The process is nothing+nothing centred.

Shamanism is very much about using your mind in different ways, for different purposes. Basically there are four cardinal ways, and four diagonal ways, of applying you mind; each having its place on the wheel. The four cardinal ways of using your mind are of this world and the other world; and the four diagonal ways of using, and not-using your mind; are of the non-world.

The four cardinal ways of applying your mind are explainable, and the four diagonal ways are non-explainable. The shamanism witch cannot be spoken about, constitutes the occult part of shamanism.

The magical moving of shamanic healing craft from one shaman to another, is done by using your mind in one of the shamanically diagonal ways, and can therefore not be explained rationally. It is based on magical truths, and not on logical truths.

To ask a shaman to explain a magical truth is like asking a composer to translate a score of music into English. It is true that the notes on the paper are the written language of music, but that does not mean that they can be translated into English, like French can.

Two men are looking at Michael Angelo's statue of David. One man sees a magnificent work of art. The other man just sees a piece of marble.
How is the first man supposed to explain the difference to the second man?
It can't be done.

*

When we communicate a message to another person orally, we mentalize the message so it can be expressed in a number of words, we send to the receiver one at a time; intellect to intellect - brain to brain. The receiver assembles the words in his mind to a message that is supposed to be identical to the one sent. There is a transference of information - data.
It may be information about a feeling but the receiver does not feel the feeling I am feeling. He understands the feeling – at best.
With linguistical transmission there is always the risk that the receiver may distort the message through lack of attention, filtering, ignorance, inner translation into personal concepts etc.

When I speak of the magical moving of a shaman skill, as contrary to the orally, written and spiritual transmission of a shaman skill, I am referring to a non-process where messages are not mentalized to a number of words that are transmitted to the reciever, nor inspiration that is channelled intuitively or in a trance – but complete experiences being moved from the sender to the reciever in one whole piece, so to speak.

One possible way of moving undivided shamanic wisdom, is to move the wisdom in the form of a shamanic work experience.
I mail my work skill to the reciever who in his turn experiences the skill. If I have or have had a feeling, I can move the feeling to the reciever, after witch the reciever will be able to feel what I am feeling or have felt. If I move a shamanic capability, the reciever will acquire that capability.

Much of the shamanic education I have received from nature, and from those who live in her, has been given to me in this way. I call this kind of shamanism for nature shamanism. Magical moving of shamanism is one kind of unmentalized comunication – or rather non-comunication.

I might ad, that I consider a verbal or visual comunication between a power animal, and a human during a drumming journey, as a sound symbol and picture symbol transmission of mentalized information - intellect to intellect. This is even more the case with "shamanic counselling", as it is particularly important that there is a constant flow of words all the time. This is no criticism of "shamanic counselling", just a description of the difference.
On a shamanic trance journey there is a transmission of spiritual knowledge, wisdom, healing etc. from the spirits and the spirit world to the soul traveller – but there is no transference of shamanic craftsmanship. You do not return to this world experienced at performing some particular shamanic skill, you have never learned or tried.
I will not dispute, that some small amount of magical transference may occur in connection with the drumming journey process.

If one is not reasonably good at communicating with the use of mentalized and fragmented elements i.e. words - and the moving of authentic unfragmented experiences, one cannot achieve and sustain a both natural and magical harmony and balance in ones shamanism in the long run.

*

A shaman has a world of work skills within, and these skills can be moved magically. If the shaman has learned how to do it, he can open the gate to his shamanic experience world, and send a shamanic skill to another shaman. If the other shaman has learned to do it, he can receive the skill and use it in his work. A qualified shaman craftsman can move his skills to his apprentice in this way.

After the magical moving Peter will have John's shamanic work experience form the time John treated Marianne on Tuesday the 28th of May; for a particular problem; in collaboration with a particular spirit healer; using some specific plant medicine.
In principal Peter's track of mind might be something like this.
"I'm about to treat Susan for a similar problem I remember treating Marianne for. The spirit healer I worked with on that occasion was very useful, but the plant medicine I used wasn't a good choice. I think I'll use something different this time".
But Peter never treated Marianne. John did. But suddenly John's experience has become a part of Peter's experience.

One of the most important things in my shamanism is to learn to be able to move and receive shamanic experience using magically moving of shamanism.

In principle, experience concerning work skills; experience concerning intellectual knowledge; experience concerning spiritual wisdom; and all kinds of experience, can be moved in this way.

Once you have received a skill (experience) from another person, through magical shamanic moving, it is, of course, quite possible to mentalize it and use words to explain it intellect to intellect – brain to brain.

When shamanic wisdom is moved magically, nothing is lost. When shamanic wisdom is channelled spiritually, some of it is lost in the process. When shamanic wisdom is transmitted orally, much of it is lost in the process. When shamanic wisdom is transmitted in writing, most of it is lost.

*

Moving a shamanic skill magically is a complicated process and a lot of hard work. It is not done by snapping your fingers – and lo, the transfer is completed in less that a minute. There is no Harry Potter magic about it.

If you want to learn shamanic magical moving, a good way to start is to begin communicating spiritually with plants. It is a good idea to start with plants because they have a lot of good healing experience, we can apply in our shamanic work. It is also reasonably easy to find plants who can, and are willing to, move their skills to us. With a bit of luck, you might meet a plant who is willing to teach you to move shamanic plant skills by way of magical moving. If you can make a covenant with such a plant, that will be a great advantage.
Things like this are mandatory disciplines in nature shamanism.

One requirement is to learn to empty your mind completely of word-thoughts and picture-thoughts and everything. Close the inner eye and turn of the inner mouth etc. Remember! There is nothing to se or hear. There is only experience. Pure experience.
You are awake, but your consciousness is inactive. First you empty your consciousness then you turn it off. Your consciousness is there, but it is not operative. You don't want your consciousness getting in the way.

The process is very different from intuition; one of the reasons being, that no kind of consciousness is registering any inspiration or information.

The process is also different from "walk in", where the shaman lets a spirit enter his body, and the spirit in its turn performs a shamanic skill through the shaman.

I have chosen to use the words skill, experience and moving for lack of better words. They were the closest things I found were useable for the purpose of this article. I find it difficult to find suitable words when describing occult shamanism.

Thus, a shaman can learn to open the gate to his experience world and move a skill to another person magically, and it is possible for a person to learn to acquire the skill magically.
It is also possible for the shaman to give the key to his gate to another, so that person can enter the shaman's experience world and retrieve a skill or experience. The shaman may keep some of his wisdom in a separate room, where the key does not fit.
A few shamans make a point of learning how to pick the locks of other people's gates. I am one such shaman. Ethically this is controversial, of cause.

People sometimes ask me: "What the h…. do you do, when you are alone out there in the mountains for weeks on end".
I usually reply: "Well – I wander around and talk to the plants and stuff like that"!
I don't try to explain to them, that I'm working at inter-moving shamanic healing experiences with nature.



"If you want to meet the spirit of magic, you must seek her where she is to be found.
Then you must wait, until it pleases her to come to you".



up