
How Many Times Are You Willing To Die In This Life?
There’s a saying that’s been following me around for the past decade, ever since I began to embrace the spirit path. “You’ve gotta pay to play.” This notion is ...
April 29, 2015The world of shamanism is an ancient and powerful system of healing that is based in what many refer to as earth medicine. The word “shaman” itself is Tungusic in origin, harking from the ancient religious practices of the Mongols and the Turks in Northern Asia.
There are many who argue that because true shamanism originated in the forests of Siberia and Mongolia, only the native healers from these regions can be referred to as actual “shamans”. But many native healers from the Americas, Africa, and beyond who practice similar methods utilizing altered states of consciousness also refer to themselves as shamans, and we at The Sacred Science don’t mind that one bit.
Fussing over proper terminology when trying to describe something so universally relevant seems to miss the point and complicate what would otherwise be fairly straightforward communication. Words are very tricky things that have the power to either free or enslave the speaker, depending on how much weight is put into their value.
Our definition of “shaman” is as follows (and does not discriminate based on geographic location or tribal origin): A shaman is a benevolent individual who uses altered states of consciousness, whether induced by drum, sacred plant medicine, or any other environmental variable, to connect with the spirit world in order to heal the sick.
Many striking similarities can be found in the magico-religious practices of various native cultures across the 6 habitable continents of this earth. It boggles the mind that medicine men and women from tribes in different corners of the world could know the same healing rites and methods of tapping into the essence of who we truly are as human beings. How could this be?
It is often referred to as “a lineage of direct transmission”, because this school of knowledge is passed down word-of-mouth from generation to generation, without any written account. In their teaching, a shaman shows his or her apprentice not only the ceremonial practices and medicinal herbs, but also demonstrates through their actions how to be in this world.
Throughout the course of creating The Sacred Science film and also this blog community, we have grown to know and deeply respect these men and women. But they do not share their knowledge lightly. Centuries of oppression as well as the exploitation of their native traditions have all but wiped out many of these lineages. Most of the true wisdom keepers who remain have learned to keep their ancestral knowledge safe, sharing it only with a select few that they trust.
There’s a saying that’s been following me around for the past decade, ever since I began to embrace the spirit path. “You’ve gotta pay to play.” This notion is ...
April 29, 2015Many people today appreciate the beauty of folklore in a multitude of ancestral traditions. Dance, music, songs, and many forms of exquisite art are viewed as the very ...
April 12, 2015The great Lao Tzu of the Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BCE) once said, “If you realize that all things change, there is nothing you will try to hold on to. If you are not ...
April 1, 2015There was a time in my life when I was overcome by a genetic, incurable and terminal health condition. The most difficult part wasn’t the actual condition, even though it ...
March 6, 2015Everyone loses their spiritual way from time to time. We strive to be kind and conscious beings in each moment, regardless of the challenging scenarios at play, but old ...
February 24, 2015When searching for sustainable happiness in modern society, we can encounter so many obstacles that for most people, it appears impossible to accomplish. Interestingly ...
February 20, 2015Since the filming of The Sacred Science in 2010 at our healing center, Paititi Institute, we have globally witnessed sacred plant medicines becoming increasingly popular as ...
February 12, 2015A common question that I am asked after screenings of The Sacred Science film is, “Do I have to take a trip to the Amazon to get this type of healing?”. My ...
January 26, 2015Along our paths toward greater consciousness, there are subtle pitfalls that can stop us in our tracks. One of these is what I call “romanticizing our roots.” ...
January 23, 2015As the new year begins, many of us are reflecting on our lives and taking note of what is working and what is not. If you’re like me, you know that you can do better ...
January 8, 2015Have you ever wondered what a shaman’s responsibilities are? We often think of them as healers of the sick, but it turns out this is only half of the picture. The word ...
October 3, 2014One of my shaman teachers from the Amazon, Roman Hanis, has a saying that goes like this,“The goal is to become more child-like, and less child-ish.” As often ...
September 11, 2014