Modern Shamanic Living: New Explorations of an Ancient Path

by Evelyn C. Rysdyk

Overview

Using shamanic journeying, meditation, movement, sound, and storytelling, Rysdyk shows you how to get in touch with these parts of yourself so that you can develop the creative energy that lives inside you. Using the Siberian shamanistic approach to life, she explains how to evoke the inner hunter/gatherer from deep within. Easy exercises and some basic changes will bring you a renewed way of living, full of richness, peace, physical health, and harmony for yourself and for the future of our planet.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781609254674
Publisher:	Red Wheel/Weiser
Publication date:	01/15/1999
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	128
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Evelyn C. Rysdyk is a shamanic practitioner and teacher. She has studied with Michael Harner and Sandra Ingerman and is a graduate of the Foundation for Shamanic Studies Three-Year Program in Advanced Shamanism and Shamanic Healing. Since that time, she has worked with indigenous shamans from Siberia, Peru, Central Asia and Nepal. Evelyn helped found True North, an integrated medical center in Falmouth, Maine, where she works alongside medical practitioners to bring physical, spiritual, emotional, and spiritual healing to patients. She lives in Maine. Visit her at www.evelynrysdyk.com

Read an Excerpt

MODERN SHAMANIC LIVING

New Explorations of an Ancient Path

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By Evelyn C. Rysdyk

Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC

Copyright © 1999 Evelyn C. Rysdyk
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-57863-125-4

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CHAPTER 1

Claiming Our Inheritance

Somehow, as a society, we have misplaced our vibrancy and forgotten our true nature. Many people in our world suffer from doubt, depression, insecurity, anxiety, and deep sadness. It is clear that, if the widespread use of antidepressants is any indication, we are witnessing a massive cultural epidemic of joyless living. We feel isolated and alone, having lost contact with our wondrous and magical selves. Yet, even within this devastating emotional maelstrom there is a glimmer of hope. There are still beings who retain the title to joy.

Stored inside the spiral stairway of our genetic material is all our human history. Every evolutionary pirouette we have ever danced as a species is encoded in the twists of our DNA ladder. In the language of amino acids, we remember the upright leap of Australopithecus onto the African plain, Homo erectus's graceful wandering across the continents, Homo sapien's arrival, the great Ice Ages, and all the reaching and reasoning that has brought us here to the close of the 20th century. And, it is in this amazing genetic library that we begin the search for who we are to become in the next millennium.

Anthropologist Jeremy Narby theorizes that DNA, the foundation of our genetic code, functions as the axis mundi—the central core of creation—which is the Universal Intelligence and source of all knowledge. He further proposes that while in a shamanic trance/journey state it is possible to access this source.

Narby believes that shamanic visions may actually be generated by the DNA that is inside and all around us—in plants, animals, birds, and insects—and that through shamanic journey imagery we are able to communicate with the interlinked biosphere. He supports this proposal by comparing the visions of a shamanic trance/journey, which are often brilliant, glowing, and involve holographic depth, with the images mechanically produced by a coherent light source or laser. Studies in the 1980s determined that all DNA emits photons in the relatively narrow wavelength band of visible light (900-200 nanometers) and while weak, also exhibits laserlike coherency. Therefore, when we choose to enter into this "library of life" through the shamanic journey, we have access to the wisdom of all creation and time periods that would, under ordinary circumstances, be invisible. This invisible world is what tribal shamans refer to as the world of the spirit.

Amid all the shadows of who we once were, there are those wishing to share their insights with us. Both restless and patient, they wait at the edge of our conscious minds. We have not subjugated them with our civilization. They are still sniffing the breeze and watching the horizon. They are still listening to thunder and searching the hillsides. They are alive. They are inside. They are the hunters and gatherers.

These ancient human selves understand the delicate balance of all life, the nuances of nature, and the experience of being completely embodied—in the moment. They understand that they hold no dominion over Earth and her creatures. Instead, they see themselves as lovingly interwoven into the fabric of life, holding no illusions of separateness. They must stay in touch with weather and wind—knowing the signs, trusting the signals. They follow the subtle traces the game animals leave as markers in their passing. They sustain themselves, tied to the seasons of each plant's ripening. They see their lives, not as a series of steps to a goal, but as a process that is endless and flowing. There are no guarantees of prizes at the end of the trail; there is only the magic of the path itself.

This way of thinking seems remarkably contrary to the manner in which our society perceives the world. In fact, in a 1987 article in Discover Magazine, physiologist Jarad Diamond argues that "Agriculture is the worst mistake in the history of the human race." Studies by paleopathologists have shown clear evidence that ancient hunter/gatherer skeletons indicate that they tended to be stronger and more robust, showing fewer signs of degenerative disease processes than later agricultural societies.

When we stepped out of the hunter/gatherer model of societal organization we began to use our abilities to change the face of the land and control the fate of other species. No other species on the planet has attempted this control. And this choice has created immense difficulty. In exercising our controls, we have fallen victim to the resulting destruction of our environment. As a society, we have come to believe the illusion that, because we have the ability to shape our environment, we have some sort of superiority over other forms of life. We have forgotten our place in the larger scheme.

Following the same line of hierarchical thinking, our inner environment is dominated by the beliefs and controls of our mind, at the increasing expense of the wisdom of our bodies and our spirits.

We have created a stratified model for our entire existence. Our days, weeks, and years are relentlessly scheduled to include everything we must do. Our inattention to the growing compartmentalization of our inner and outer worlds has led us to stumble into a snare that is tightening around us. Like an industry that is single-mindedly in search of more efficient production, we are losing much of what we once held precious. This model is smothering our creativity and our humanity, and extinguishing our joy. We struggle fruitlessly against the bonds, even tricking ourselves into believing that, by scheduling leisure activities and dedicating time to spiritual pursuits, we will be released. Yet, it is becoming clear that, as long as this compartmentalized paradigm is allowed to persist, especially inside ourselves, we will not experience the true breadth of our capacity for joyful living.

This painful revelation may lead some of us to feelings of anger, despair, and even terror—making the noose seem tighter still. We wonder how this tragic situation can be changed and how we can find our way back to joy.

Fellow traveler, take heart. I profoundly believe that the sacred ways of health and balance may be restored to us and to Earth. It isn't too late. Since we have done all we can do, as civilized humans, to change the world, the time has come to surrender and to allow the inner hunter to lead us. The hunter/gatherer has never forgotten the way. This compassionate teacher can show us the path to freedom and a richer existence.

The concept of the inner hunter/gatherer may seem irrelevant to us as we witness all that is going on in our personal lives and our culture in this computerized, on-line world. Many of us are already feeling overwhelmed, or even trapped—how could we take in one more piece of information? It is my belief that the very tools we need to make the leap to more vital and healthy living—for ourselves and for the planet—are available through this inner character.

It was once thought that hunting and gathering tasks were carried out by different members of the society. It was believed that the gathering of plants, roots, and berries was usually done by the women in a group or tribe, while hunting was a job for men. More recent studies have shown that Ice Age women in traditional hunter/gatherer bands most likely snared small game and fished with nets in addition to gathering eggs, plants, fruits, and cereal grains. On the other hand, while men most probably gathered some foodstuffs during a hunt for game, it was not really practical to combine this gathering activity with the rigors of hunting large game, especially while on foot. As we see in contemporary examples, these hunts weren't always successful. So the responsibility to provide what has been estimated as 70 percent of the consumable food fell largely to the women. In fact, without the large quantities of edible plant material gathered by women, along with the small game and fish they hunted, early human beings would have perished. Unlike carnivores, omnivorous humans suffer protein poisoning if fed a diet consisting exclusively of meat.

Whatever the actual breakdown of tasks, the basic skills necessary for both hunting and gathering were clearly very much the same. Searching for game as part of a hunt, or wandering in search of edible and medicinal plants require similar instinctual and behavioral attributes that will become clearer as we examine them.

For the purpose of this book, and in light of recent research, the hunter and gatherer will be merged into a single inner character, the hunter/gatherer. This character is neither exclusively male nor female. Let us discover and examine this inner hunter/gatherer's attributes from the standpoint of how they can help us in our daily lives.

Our ancestors shared their world with many extraordinary creatures. From the available fossil record and the art that our Ice Age relatives left behind in places like the Chauvet Caves, we know their world was populated by huge and quite fearsome creatures. Our genetic forebearer had to reckon with more than the easily recognized and famous woolly mammoths. They also lived beside animals as varied as giant bison, rhinolike beasts, cave lions and the cave bear. The cave bears offered a unique danger, as they often lay hidden, hibernating within the exact sort of caves humans often sought out as shelter. To give a clearer perspective, an average North American black bear (Ursus americanus) weighs between 200 to 450 pounds. The now-extinct cave bear (Ursus spelaeus) weighed about 880 pounds, which is about twice the size of a large black bear. Imagine coming upon one of these with nothing stronger than a stone-tipped wooden spear!

In stark contrast to their fearsome neighbors, humans—relatively small creatures with no claws, poor hearing, limited eyesight, and blunt teeth—had to use tools and skills beyond their simple stone weapons in order to survive. The Paleolithic hunter/gatherer had the very necessary ability to take in the entire landscape. Like a bird at the feeder, who's feeding rhythm is to take only a few pecks and then glance around for the neighbor's cat, we, too, had to remain aware of all of the local creatures' activities. To avoid the very real hazard of being eaten, we had to maintain an expanded perception or awareness.

In fact, referring to the landscape in their terms, we have to include many seemingly divergent elements, including the reactions and movements of game animals, the movements of predators (who could frighten game or jeopardize the hunter himself), the weather conditions (wind can throw an arrow or spear off its mark), the interactions of other beings in the band, and, quite certainly, many more variables. I believe that this ability to hold the larger picture in the present moment's consciousness, while remaining intensely focused on a task (hunting), gave the hunter a unique perspective.

This capacity to perceive, in any moment, the actions and potential reactions inherent in any activity gave the hunter/gatherer the ability to consciously understand interconnectedness. This skill is beneficial because our current cultural inability to act from a deep understanding of these connections can put our lives at risk—not simply our physical existence, but also our ability to have truly joyful emotional lives.

In effect, by compartmentalizing our worldview—that is, by not seeing the whole landscape—we allow ourselves to be ambushed, maybe not by a hungry lion or cave bear, but by other distressing scenarios. In failing to observe the complete picture, we fall prey to situations ranging from abusive interactions with other people or systems, to being overwhelmed by our own personal emotional issues, to feeling threatened by Earth's dwindling resources, or even to being victimized by our sociopolitical status (as women, disabled people, single mothers, undocumented aliens, gay people, people of color, etc.). Additionally, this compartmentalized viewpoint can trap us in another illusion—the illusion that whatever we are experiencing in the moment is all that is real.

This myopic illusionary focus is what helps to pull us into denial. It is also how we allow our power to be given over to others, and to our systems. We inadvertently hurt ourselves, other people, and the planet in our fear of stepping out of the illusion of our safe compartment.

I've had personal experience of how these habitual cultural compartments can constrain us, even in relatively unthreatening situations. One particular anecdote comes to mind. My partner and I spent time studying with an indigenous shaman. A group had been gathered together to share the wisdom of this highly respected, elderly man, who was a shaman of his people.

The weather was unbearably hot, with the thermometer bubbling over 100°F the entire week. One afternoon, I found myself sitting under a tree with this teacher. The people who functioned as his translators had, for some reason, left him alone. He was sitting, softly singing and talking to the plants. My heart filled so much upon seeing him. I wanted to sit with him. Through gestures, I was able to communicate my wish. He smiled and nodded, and so I kept him company. I could not understand his language; nevertheless, he spoke to me, gesturing to trees and birds. Some other people gathered at the periphery. Through his gestures, we could feel at least some of what he wanted to share with us.

After an hour or so, as I sat at his side, I could see that the teacher was beginning to suffer from the high temperature. His heritage had given him a lessened ability to tolerate heat. I felt myself getting worried and agitated. I perceived that he was in trouble; but I also felt some fear about offending him or perhaps being wrong about what I had perceived. All these conflicting thoughts rapidly flashed through my mind. The others who had gathered were nervous as well, but they also weren't taking any action.

If I stepped out of my "box" and was wrong, there could be consequences. I could offend this elder, look foolish in front of others, and possibly ruin my entire week. In the very instant I had that thought, something occurred that suddenly enabled me to see the entire landscape.

This man had been presented to us as a wise and ancient teacher, existing on a different spiritual level than the rest of us. Yet, clearly, in that moment, he was also a gentle, old man getting overheated! Something inside of me—that which perceived the situation from a new vantage point—impelled me to take the risk. I rose, fetched a tiny bit of ice and a wet cloth and came back to his side. Through gestures I asked to place the cloth on his neck. He sighed with relief. I wet his face and his exposed skin with the ice-filled cloth and blew across it to cool him. His quick recovery let me know that I'd made the right call.

I wondered about that incident for months. What had made it possible for me to transcend my perceived limitations in that situation? Somehow, I had unconsciously tapped into a different perspective. If it was there, inside of me, it was probably inherent in every human being. The challenge was to find out what mechanism within me produced this outcome.

Using a combination of shamanic journey work and my dreams, I began to get a sense of where inside of me this altered perspective on the world was kept. Through my explorations I became aware of this inner character—the hunter/gatherer.

We have, over time, evolved our understanding of the world so that we believe that, by staying within the boundaries of our little world, if we tow the line, we will be kept safe. However, increasingly we see that this is simply not true. The larger landscape always intrudes. We find ourselves struggling to have relationships that are rewarding. We find our job security suddenly slipping through our fingers. We fall into despair and seek to salve our wounds with alcohol, or food, or other distractions. Yet we stubbornly, and perhaps fearfully, cling to the illusion. A part of us knows that this complacency is not contentment, for we need the hunter/gatherer's wise guidance to shift toward a more meaningful, joyful, and fulfilling life.

It is important to remember that the entire landscape of creation is connected. As each one of us claims our inner hunter/gatherer's gifts, we change the whole playing field.

CHAPTER 2

Weaving the Path

Another of the hunter's skills that we could certainly use is the process model of knowing the world. Reclaiming a belief in process is, in fact, the single most important tool we have for getting ourselves unstuck.

It is paramount to remember that we already know something of the hunter/gatherer. While the hunter remains an unconscious participant in our lives, this part of ourselves can only exert within us a longing and restlessness. Many of us channel our restless energy into career ambition. Some of us use this energy to create trauma in our lives—that horrendous "making a mountain out of a mole hill" syndrome! In our goal-centered paradigm, the gifts of the gatherer are interpreted by us as the feeling that, no matter how much we do, we still need to do more. This energy is channeled into searching out and then gathering things. Whether they are antiques, baseball cards, CDs, books, or cash, we reach for them in the relentless pursuit of contentment—to little avail.

The hunter may provide the answer to why these actions are not fulfilling. As I suggested earlier, the hunter's skills do not mesh well with the artificially compartmentalized world we have created. They aren't suited for the goal-driven conceptual model we find ourselves living in today.
(Continues...)

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Excerpted from MODERN SHAMANIC LIVING by Evelyn C. Rysdyk. Copyright © 1999 Evelyn C. Rysdyk. Excerpted by permission of Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Contents

Preface          

Acknowledgments          

Chapter 1: Claiming Our Inheritance          

Chapter 2: Weaving the Path          

Chapter 3: Seeking the Hunter          

Chapter 4: Preparing to Journey          

Chapter 5: Guide to the Realms          

Chapter 6: A Journey to the Lowerworld          

Chapter 7: Journeying to the Upperworld          

Chapter 8: The Body as a Partner          

Chapter 9: Traveling the Path Together          

Chapter 10: Spiritual Ecology          

Bibliography          

Index          

About the Author