Jose Stevens - Awaken the Inner Shaman: A Guide to the Power Path of the Heart

Knowing others is wisdom; Knowing the self is enlightenment.

LAO TZU, Tao Te Ching, Sutra 33

To the one and only Inner Shaman, shared by everyone

T his book has not fallen into your hands or appeared on your screen at this particular time accidentally. Nothing is truly accidental. And yet, this book may not be for everyone. It is for those of you who place the greatest value on personal freedom, who have limitless curiosity for learning about the universe, who yearn to explore the great mystery of life. It is for those of you who are interested in deconstructing your habitual sense of reality to become free from the retaining walls of the mind. If you are content with the status quo of your life, if you dont want to question what you have been taught, if you dont want to rock the boat and want to remain simply comfortable in your life, then please ignore this book. This book is about transformation. It is about changing your life, breaking out of simple comforts and into something far greater. Reading it will upset your apple cart.

But, if you are interested in the greatest journey ever taken, then by all means read this book, rock your boat, deconstruct your reality, allow yourself to be presented with information that can drive you to tremendous expansion, unlimited freedom, infinite power, and joyful awareness.

T his is a book about awakening the most powerful, creative source within you, a core self that has been with you, inside you, since your ageless beginning. This creative, energized core self has always been operating within you, but acts subtly in the background, like an engine idling. It has been waiting for your acknowledgment so that it has permission to engage and release its immense power and influence in your life.

This creative source within you is what I call the Inner Shaman. The deep self has been referred to by many names over the ages. You may know it as Essence, Spirit, Soul, Source, Core Self, I Am, the Way, the Tao, the Christ force, or, perhaps more accurately, by no name at all. I prefer to call it the Inner Shaman because shamanism is the worlds most ancient understanding of the power within. This power within is that which is most true about youand yet it draws no attention to itself, which is impressive. You are unaware of it. Think of yourself as sitting on a nuclear reactor and not knowing it is there. It is that powerful; it holds that much potential for radical change. This is a testament to its willingness to grant you absolute freedom to acknowledge it or not, to choose it or not, to harness its awesome power or not. The Inner Shaman never coerces, demands, or fights you. It offers no resistance to your thoughts or feelings; rather, it accepts them fully as you wend your way through life.

That said, not all of your thoughts and feelings are in harmony with it, resonate with it, or support its authenticity. The Inner Shaman tolerates these distractions because it is not threatened by them and is in no way harmed by them. In fact, your Inner Shaman ignores most of your experience, just as you might ignore the distant drone of a small plane that has nothing to do with your current focus. By ignoring your experience, it does not intend to be cruel or abandon you; in fact, you benefit from it ignoring your worries, conflicts, judgments, fears, disappointments, and angers. The Inner Shaman simply waits for your sanity, that glimmer of light or recognition on your part. In short, it is waiting for your readiness to be aware of it. Until that moment of your maturity, when the seed within germinates and casts off its outer husk, the Inner Shaman abides. In the meantime, it does not interfere, nor does it encourage anything that lacks power, heart, and true meaning.

Because your Inner Shaman is connected with the truth, it is not fearful; therefore, it is that part of you that is courageous, that part of you that cannot be discouraged, does not become anxious, does not become depressed. In short, your Inner Shaman is that aspect of you that is completely healthy. It is filled with an infinite supply of vitality, creativity, curiosity, inspiration, and deep inner knowing about the appropriate course of action for your life. The Inner Shaman helps you to let go of your need to control yourself and others, and helps you to relax and trust that you are held safely in the arms of life itself. There is a meaningful plan for you; the Inner Shaman knows exactly what that is and will inexorably lead you to it. The only thing that can deter you is fear.

Discovering your Inner Shaman will help you to override any tendency to feel like a victim, to feel disempowered, to fall into laziness and lack of motivation. Embracing the Inner Shaman will make you more efficient and more productive as you systematically erase the energy leaks in your life. Worry is an energy leak, as is being concerned with what others think or how they see you. The Inner Shaman does not care. And yet, at the same time, the Inner Shaman is the energy of love.

I have chosen to refer to this powerful core of being as the Inner Shaman because I believe this is the best, most accurate description. Shamans are unique and powerful individuals who operate in indigenous cultures in every continent. They have existed since the beginning of history. Through an inner calling and their own hard work and initiative, shamans perform critical service for their communities. They are known by many other names: maracame among the Huichol of Mexico, man or woman of knowledge in the Toltec tradition in southern Mexico, paqo in the Andes of Peru and Bolivia, medicine man or woman in North American tribes, and many more. In modern times, shaman has become the generic name for these powerful teachers, philosophers, and healers. They are the worlds oldest spiritual leaders, individuals who, among their many duties, heal the sick, perform ceremonies to harmonize the community with the environment, battle negativity, communicate with the ancestors, work with allies for the good of others, gather knowledge, teach through storytelling, act as seers and prophets, and lead their people. They spend a great deal of time gathering power and energy to perform complex supernatural feats and travel to other dimensions and distant locations, such as the star cluster the Pleiades, located in the constellation of Taurus, also known as the Seven Sisters, to gather knowledge and experience.

This path, the shamanic path, is first and foremost a path of heart, service, and generosity, and the love of Spirit and all creation. It is also the path of balance. Shamans the world over strive to live in complete harmony with nature, the environment, the cycles of the seasons, the weather, and the varying patterns of the stars, moon, and sun. To accomplish this, they cultivate the intelligence of the heart. Within the heart lies the clarity of mind to see with expert knowledge of this world and worlds beyond.

While some shamans fall prey to greed, power, and the dark artswhich is true in any professionas a group, shamans are the people who take the greatest responsibility for the well-being of the planet and all its inhabitants, including animals, plants, and all the elements. Equally, shamans hold great care and responsibility for the spiritual realms. Although most of these practitioners do not admit they are shamans, to refer to them as such is offering them the greatest compliment, the highest of honors.