an initiate of Toltec shamanism

has written to me from France, wanting to start an e-mail correspondence on my views on shamanism. Unfortunately the e-mail address is omitted, but maybe this will be a sort of message in a bottle. Someone has also questioned my views on shamanism below.

In conventional history the history of religion is one of pretty steady progress from primitive totemism and animism to the enlightened near-humanism of the modern Church.

From the point of view of idealism, though, the journey has been a bit different. In very early times, before matter and materialism became so dense, humankind had much easier, fuller access to the spirit worlds, to the many different spheres and levels of the spirit worlds. These are the visions remembered, for example, in the paintings and carvings of the temples of Egypt. They have become fainter and fainter though the ages, until they have become, for many people, abstract dogma rather than lived, spiritual experience.

What is perhaps distorting is to take, for example, the Voodoo of Haiti, and use it as a lens to understand this religion of ancient Egypt. This modern practice represents a decline of the once magnificently complex system of the ancients, rather than a true picture of it.

My correspondent  writes that the animal spirits she encounters are most certainly divine and that so-called demons are sometimes sent to test. I have never had a shamanistic experience - though I may be on the promise of one next year - so I shouldn't comment, except to say that this is by no means inconsistent with what I believe. I certainly believe in 'good' animal spirits. As to whether the spirits encountered in shamanism are divine or 'gods', again, I shouldn't try to pronounce. All I'd say is that there MAY be a difference in use of terms here.  In my book a god is the level of archangel or above. 

Comments

[String]

I am on chapter 19 of your book and am experiencing a heightened level of synchronicity...just now I opened the book to see what chapter I was on...of course at the exact moment 'Fool in Me' by Robin Trower came on...( and you know the quote at the top of the page) this is happening fairly frequently.

I like your treatment of shamanism - can shamanism not be bigger? In fact your book has done something Grahams book, Supernatural, did - unlocked a very hard to access door in my consciousness. It's rare and I can't thank you enough for publishing it. Only the best shamans can do that btw - but perhaps my definition is a bit different. ;-)

[jonathanblack]

String, thanks very much for that.As I've said on earlier posts, a lot of the stories an images in my book were devised by minds far superior to mine to work at a below the conscious level, and several people have reported experiencing supernatural phenomena having read it.

I'm beginning to think to my coverage of shamanism was inadequate. There's a very good reason for that....

ignorance!

[George Mills]

Voodoo is perhaps not a good representation of Shamanism. I once spent a summer studying the religion of the Pueblo Indians and I found it to be an amazingly sophisticated, highly intricate, and beautifully spiritual "soul science". The same may be said of the systems of many Amazon Indian tribes. Finally, the religion and spirituality of Australian Aborigines is as profound and complex as the classical religions. "Dream Time" is something one could spend a lifetim studying.

[String]

I agree with George - very nice way of putting it. I have been fortunate to have known a few different 'types' - I find in general - an ability to shift energy, suspend disbelief, move matter into a mutable form, enter the awake dream state, the use of doubles, plants, and animals, music and word, and the creation of reality branches and ability to 'see' and 'hear' with one foot on the other-side. Shamans in many ways are organic alchemists.

[jonathan black]

I agree with String = that's a beautiful way of describing shamanism, and it sounds like i need to revise my ideas on it. Perhaps the profoundity and complexity is a great as what we see depicted on Egyptian temple walls - but not insribed anywhere, just present to the mind of the initiate? Thank you.

[String]

Working with shamans is a gift - as they bridge worlds that have been separated. I do like the term 'organic alchemist' lol..! ;-)

[Gerry Rixen]

Dear Jonathan
Thanks ever so much for writing The Secret History, it's really great and courageous.
You mention shamanism and spiritualism but there's not much on the whole phenomenon of mediumship. And no mention at all of Allan Kardec, the so called founder of spiritism (not to be confused with spiritualism). His best book I think is The Gospel according to Spiritism.
I have been to Brazil 5 times over the last 6 years and there's a whole new world out there waiting to be discovered. The 2 Brazilian religions Condonblé and Umbanda both use mediumship in their ceremonies or meetings and the spiritist movement has 20 million followers and thousands of temples.
The people I know are not members of any federation but are independent working with mediumship in a centre for healing, mostly on a soul or consciousness level rather than the physical. I can definitely say that the spirits that came to help were not some low level ghosts, but high up there because the results and the ambience of love speak for themseves.
This direct experience and communication with the spirit world is much more accepted by mainstream society. One reason for this is also the fact that the greatest medium of the 20 century was Brazilian. Francisco or Chico Xavier lived to the age of 92, lived a saintly life, wrote an astounding number of books and helped thousands of people in his life including politicians and celebrities. There are interviews with him on Youtube (in portuguese)and you get an idea of the man.
In Brazil you can easily find books by Kardec or Chico Xavier in any bookstore and it seems to me that what is happening in Brazil will be of huge importance in the future.
I have a feeling that we should not only look back to India, Egypt and Greece but should fast forward and really take places like Brazil much more seriously as we could move on much faster...
Well I'll write some more if there's any interest out there.
Gerry