How To Be a Shaman (Part 1)

From time to time I get questions about shamanism: how can I be a shaman, what do I need to learn to practice shamanism, etc.

Shamanic healing has played a huge part in my life. Fifteen years ago I spent time in the Sedona desert with a shaman. I read his book, and got myself on a flight to go meet him. He taught me about animal totems, and working with trees, rocks and water to clear negative energy. I learned about working with Vortex energy to heal. This time in the sacred desert of Sedona is one of my most precious memories.

Sedona Shaman taught me that the essence of shamanic healing is this: respect and right relationship with Earth.

We walked to the vortexes under the hot sun. Every couple of feet a bush, plant, or shrub would literally sway towards Sedona Shaman. It was a mind-bending experience, watching various members of the plant kingdom move because they wanted to be next to a human. Sedona Shaman would stop, and delicately greet the plant life. “Hello, dear cactus.” “Hi, tree friend.” What I felt was a burst of love between man and Earth. It was my first lesson from Sedona Shaman – cultivate a loving relationship with the Earth.

I got back home to the East Coast. Then I set the intention of developing a relationship with the Earth in my area. I lived in an apartment, but frequently went for walks in a forest nearby. One day, I found the spot. It was a semi-circle of trees on a hill that overlooked water. Over the years I developed a relationship with the trees, and received boundless love and healing from them.

It was a sad day for me when it was time to move and I had to leave the area. I made sure to say goodbye and thank you to the Earth and tree friends which had held me so tenderly during my time there.

I started a new life about two hours away. About once a year I visited my old town. Always, I made time to stop and say hi to the circle of trees. One day, while brushing my teeth in my new home, two hours away, I got a telepathic message. It was from one of the trees. In the usual, lighthearted manner I have found trees communicate with, she gently said, “I am leaving. I love you, good bye.”

My ego kicked in. Just a delusion, it said. But deep inside I felt it was the energy of the precious birch in the semi-circle of trees.

It was a few months before I visited the old spot again. And sure enough, the birch was gone. When I stood in the semi-circle the energy of the grid was still there. It flowed through me, down into the Earth and out to the cosmos in a toroidal field.

So when people ask me about learning shamanic healing, this is where I recommend they start. Find an area close to home that calls to you. Ask permission from the plant life to communicate heart to heart. And practice. Learn what the frequency of the Earth, her trees and rocks, feels like. Over time you can set up an energy grid that cultivates high frequency healing energy.