This is the continuation of the article published last weekend.
In the initiatory shamanism of temple-building Nations, and also in the hard-core shamanism of nomadic nations, there is always what is known as the lineage of power, or the lineage of wisdom transmission. Those whom tradition, observation or events have designated as heirs to the community’s ancestral shamanism receive from their elders, after a period of training, the power to serve their community with those skills unique to shamanism. It’s the same in Buddhism and among the yogis of India and Tibet, the Taoists of China, the Shintoists of Japan, etc. The knowledge, power and wisdom handed down uninterruptedly for millennia by successive generations of great masters, pour into the aspirant and apprentice like an old vase of pure water pouring into a new one. I’ve seen the same phenomenon, in a more unconscious way, in certain families who carry gifts such as clairvoyance, healing or others. When the eldest member of the family with this gift dies, suddenly the same gift manifests itself in one of the descendants. In the ancient lineages of shamanic wisdom and true Asian spirituality, this same phenomenon is much stronger and more powerful.
In fact, it’s almost indescribable. Suddenly we have a vast reservoir of knowledge and wisdom, of power to help others, right there at our fingertips. We can feel completely other, as if we were the ancient one, the master, and the successive generations that preceded him are there within us. This feeling of unity and continuity is ineffable, and is the pinnacle of our evolution on earth. It leads us inevitably to realization, enlightenment and immortality. Old age, illness and death are not inevitable. These realities have been deliberately hidden for centuries, but the truth is preserved in the world’s ancient spiritualities.
That’s why there’s such respect for their spiritual elders among the natives who still live in the wild. That’s why there’s such reverence for the masters in the spiritualities of Asia. That’s why devotion to those who carry wisdom is still the basis of all training and teaching in the ancient spiritual traditions of the world. For it takes this pure devotion to receive the gifts of the lineage.
Mongolian shamanism is interesting in this respect. After lengthy training and the making of what they call their armor, a very imposing costume and a headdress that completely hides the face, during a ceremony where several shamans come to support, the aspirant receives within himself an ancestor. Without losing awareness of who he is, he allows the ancestor to speak with his voice, to drink, to eat, sometimes to smoke and to teach. Over time, these shamans may receive more ancestors, always from their own family. They can call on any one of them at will in their shamanic rituals. Despite centuries of persecution by various nations and religions, in recent decades Mongolian shamans have been able to recover all the traditional medicine of the Mongolian people that had been lost. And a great deal of other knowledge as well.
Having worked with them in Mongolia, I can confirm that their shamanism is alive and powerful. I loved working with them. Very refreshing to work with real shamanic power.
So, it’s important to understand that respect, devotion, dedication and service to elders, even those who don’t necessarily carry spiritual knowledge, is very important. It’s an attitude that must be at the heart of the attitudes and traditions we teach to the next generation. We must also protect ancient traditions and their bearers. The persecution of shamanic traditions and the peoples who carry them, by the civilized elites for thousands of years, has been brutal and systematic, on every continent. We can speak of the genocide of shamanism on the whole planet. This persecution has been so severe that even today’s descendants on First Nations reserves in Canada are wary of shamanism. We’re seeing a resurgence of shamanism just about everywhere, but without the living tradition, without the transmission of generations, it’s weak and shaky. But it can grow and strengthen.
Whether it’s ancient spiritual traditions such as true Christianity, Sufism, Asian religions or traditions that come from the land and those who live in unity with nature, which is what we call shamanism, it’s very important to honor, preserve and support all those who practise it. It’s also important to understand that nobody in this world is perfect. But who are we to judge? The wisdom of my ancestors says that you have to walk 1,000 kilometres in someone else’s moccasins before you can judge them. The words of the great teacher Jesus also say: Rather than looking at the speck of sawdust in your neighbor’s eye, look at the plank in your own.
Have a good weekend.