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Sunday, March 04, 2007

Shamanic practices for living your life

These are some of the practices we are to follow in the Four Winds training program I am taking:

  • Non-judgment
    • Do not judge others. Those negative thoughts will start defining you and they hurt others. 
    • This is much like a quote from Jesus: "Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again."
  • Non-suffering
    • Physical pain is physical pain, but mental anguish about things should be let go. The classic example is sitting in a shower knowing that cold water is about to hit you. So be it. The water hitting you is usually less painful than your fear of the water hitting you. Let that fear go. Easier said than done, but by just setting that goal you make big strides forward.
    • Similar to the Four Noble Truths from the teachings of Buddha.
  • Follow the way of beauty
    • Have gratitude for all that you have.
    • Focus on the positive.
  • No colluding with the consensual
    • Find your own place of integrity. If everyone in the room is talking negatively about black or Irish people, you become black or Irish in that moment and understand that just because "everyone" thinks that way it doesn't make it right and you don't have to agree with it.
    • Don't collude with a medical diagnosis. If you are diagnosed with cancer, don't become a cancer patient. Be yourself with an issue that you are dealing with like you would many others. See yourself as a healthy person with a transitory health situation.  If you identify yourself with that of a sick person, then you are the sick person and more likely to remain one.
  • No back doors
    • Don't give yourself any fall back options, they become escape hatches that let you quit.
    • Burn your bridges behind you. Don't hurt others, but let them know that there are only paths forward for you.
  • Right thought, right action, right heart.
    • Pretty much the same as The Noble Eightfold Path found in the teachings of Buddha.
    • Right view is about seeing things as they really are. Try to keep your perspective neutral.
  • Non-engagement
    • Don't engage with negative energies such as gossip, criticism, hatred...
    • Pick your battles. You don't have to engage in every fight that comes your way. Be yourself and maintain your presence, but don't engage in the battle unless you have to.
    • Don't take things personally. If someone says something about you that you don't agree with, let it go. There is no positive side to taking on someone else's negative thoughts about you. Listen, and if you think it applies to you, use that feedback, but don't identify with the negative energy and don't judge yourself.
  • Beginners Mind
    • Look at everything like you have never seen it before so you can view it as it truly is. Throw out all preconceptions, expectations, judgments and prejudices that you have around what/who you are working with.
  • Living with consequences
    • You are responsible for everything you do in your life and you must accept the responsibility for the outcomes of your actions.
  • Invisibility
    • Allow yourself to be completely seen. Do not hide anything. Your inside and outside must be congruent.
    • Never explain your actions. Your motives should be seen and not have to be questioned.
    • You can accomplish anything if you don't have to take credit for it.
  • Integrity
    • Be true to your word. It carries power.

If you see me not following these practices, please smack me in the head and point it out.

Tags: shamanism Posted by Bill D. at 11:13:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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