I was reading a post somewhere on
Facebook the other day…and, I honestly don’t remember what the whole thing was
about anymore…but what stuck
around was a comment on the post asking: “what is an urban-shaman anyway?”
Good question.J
I am under the impression that people think shamans are native/indigenous medicine men/women that heal spaces/people
through weird rituals involving strange plants, songs, an invocation of odd deities/the
elements/the magic of the unseen etc...
My sound-healer/mentor/Sacred Business coach once said that the word “powwaw” –
which is the Narragansett (Native American tribe from Rhode Island) word for medicine
man – means someone who has visions, or
The One Who Dreams It Into Being.
I like that.J
I like that.J
(Note: "shaman" originally referred to a medicine man from Siberia, but now it applies to medicine people of all cultures.)
I guess when we talk about an "Urban Shaman" what
we’re referring to is removing the limit of the shamanism to just the
“natives”…because unless you were born in a tribe somewhere in the jungle/mountain
that has limited/no contact with modern humanity, nobody is really a "native" anymore. (Although those kind of people still exist as well…and please, God
bless them!)
I say...we are all Natives to the Earth. Doesn't matter if you were born in the most modern hospital of the urban jungle, or in a small thatch hut in a rural village high up in the mountains.
I say...we are all Natives to the Earth. Doesn't matter if you were born in the most modern hospital of the urban jungle, or in a small thatch hut in a rural village high up in the mountains.
In my case...I would call myself an Urban Shaman-Mom…because, I
am – a mom, living in a (relatively small) city.
And…what does an Urban Shaman-Mom think/believe/do, you might ask?
Mmm...a bunch of different made-up stuff, that’s
what!
\ I have an altar where I pray to Great Spirit to - out loud, whenever
possible. (No pics of Jesus there...just a bunch of rocks, shells, and images that mean something to me. Jesus & I are pals though!J)
\ At home, we do not watch TV. (We have one, but it is only for educational videos/pre-approved cartoons)
\ I light incense whenever I want to give thanks, ask for
help/purification/healing.
\ I sing mantra/sweat lodge songs/Soulful modern music (Incubus/Paula Cole/White
Swan freebies etc) to inspire/uplift/calm down me + my daughter whenever needed.
\ I practice Yoga/move my body whenever possible, however I feel
called to.
\ I follow the 13-moon calendar. (click on the Nature's Calendar tab)
\ I give thanks - daily, infinitely - for the gift of Mothering a
Heaven-sent God-ling named Ananta Malaya.
\ I believe in Evolution (the scientific kind), and that as a human
Being in This Day and Age, Now we can (WE MUST!) do it Spiritually and
Consciously.
\ I bow down to the God/dess in me, and the God/dess in you. (Namaste, yo!)
\ I know that I am connected to the entire Cosmos, and my existence here
on Earth is NOT random at all.
\ I try to make everything I do sacred…from showering, working at the
office (aka the 6-hour meditation challenge), to cooking meals and reading
bedtime stories, etc.
\ I know the Earth is a living being, and every human is just another
cell in her glorious Pachamama body.
\ I trust in the Spirit inside my body (3-dimensional spacesuit)… and
that this life is The Mother of All Journeys in all my lifetimes combined. (Sometimes part of it is a bad trip, sometimes its psychedelic/mind-blowing/heaven.)
\ I am grateful that medicine exists all over – in plants, the
Sunlight, the mist of the Sea, the food you've prayed over, water you've
blessed, a long, full breath, a good night’s sleep, a hug…
\ I teach my daughter to be one with Nature by greeting the Sun when she wakes, talking to the plants as we walk by the garden, being kind to animals + bugs, thanking the Water for the Life it brings, etc.
\ I celebrate rites of passage to mark our Time + Evolution - to honor who were were yesterday, and look forward to our Dreams and who we can be tomorrow.
\ I pray with my daughter at night by saying what we're grateful for that day (she always thanks Spirit for the butterflies and cats, sometimes the worms too).
\ I express mySelf fully as much as I can...Now, hoping that when I pour my Heart & Soul out to you, you’ll one day be inspired to make up your own stuff too.
\ I express mySelf fully as much as I can...Now, hoping that when I pour my Heart & Soul out to you, you’ll one day be inspired to make up your own stuff too.
\ Namaste \
