AN AGONIZING REAPPRAISAL
A Letter to the New Spirituality
This article was published at The Elephant Journal on 4/28/14.
Remember in the year 2012 when everyone thought the world was either ending or ascending to some type of higher human consciousness? The world turned, wars still rage, and my rent still needs paid.
That same year,
author Jonathan Talat Philips wrote a blog for The Huffington Post called
"The Rise of the New Spiritual
Counterculture." In it, Philips describes a
societal crowd of hipsters made up of "the Whole Foods sustainability
crew, Yoga Journal aficionados or New Age healers" as a
"rising planetary awareness with radically practical solutions to address
global challenges." Philips is associated with the Evolver Social
Movement, a movement that I have been involved with myself over the years. They
have published many of my articles as well as my e-book about Terence McKenna,
himself a "prophet" of the psychedelic/neo-shamanic/spiritual
counterculture that seems to be growing exponentially on the fringes of
ordinary society.
Whereas Philips
dubs this movement as a collective of pioneers engaged in spiritual activism, I
have, over the years, come to disagree. Although many good things have sprung
out of this cultural meme—like environmental activism and promotion of
sustainable practices—there is a danger in the spiritual component attached to
it . . . particularly, the hype and popular promotion of shamanic trance states
and shamanic plant medicines, otherwise
known as psychedelics, as a modern panacea.
Interestingly
enough I am a strong proponent of these particular spiritual traditions.
However, I browse this “new spiritual counterculture” which claims to promote
the concepts of shamanic practice and I see a great distortion of information.
We have turned the
shamanic way of life into a fad. It’s fine that it is popular. There is,
truthfully, a need for a reconnection with the natural powers of the world. But,
what is being offered far differs from the philosophy and practice of an
authentic shamanic life-walk. Take a look around at what the “new spiritual
counterculture” has to offer: music festivals, ayahuasca retreats, and workshops promising to heal your wounds,
expand your consciousness, and raise your kundalini. We have assumed that we are spurring a
revival of archaic theosophy through our tribal tattoos and drum circles; we
believe we are the next evolution of neo-shaman, using our technology and hip
psychology to move humanity towards spiritual progress—one seminar at a time.
So, where is the
futility in all this?
THE ISSUE
Shamanism comprises
two intrinsic elements that make it, for lack of a better anthropological term,
shamanic. What makes shamanism
different than other spiritual paths? One of my favorite definitions of
shamanism comes from Dr. Roger Walsh from the University of California:
“Shamanism can be defined as a family of traditions whose practitioners focus
on voluntarily entering altered states of consciousness in which they
experience themselves or their spirit(s) interacting with other entities, often
by traveling to other realms, in order to serve their community.”1
I have pared down
this definition into two parts in order to pinpoint the integrity of what
shamanism really is:
Communion – “interacting with other entities”
Healing – “in order to serve their community”
Communion consists of
having a communication between Self and Other, the Other being the powers and
entities that exist in Nature. Healing consists of using this communion on
behalf of others, bettering the community’s way of life. Communion and healing
must exist simultaneously in order for a person’s action to be termed shamanic.
The problem is
healing has become separated from communion. Healing has become synonymous with
alternative psychology; alternative psychology has been narrowed down the use
of psychedelic/trance states. Workshops and healers are offering to send people
into these states of mind for healing. And this is the problem.
A
psychedelic/trance state without communion is an unproductive and incomplete
experience.
THE EXPLANATION
When Michael Harner published The Way of the Shaman and established
the Foundation of Shamanic Studies, it spawned a resurgence of shamanic
practice within the New Age communities, who were thirsty for knowledge of
indigenous healing and religion. The benefit of Harner’s work was providing a
common terminology for shamanic methodologies, particularly the differentiation
between ordinary and non-ordinary reality states.
This is important, as per Walsh’s definition, because in order to serve
others with healing, a shaman must “travel to other realms” from ordinary
reality to a non-ordinary reality. Harner designates these as an Ordinary State
of Consciousness (OSC) and a Shamanic State of Consciousness (SSC). The OSC is
the here and now, this world of the air we breathe, the floor we are standing
on, the members of our family, etc. The SSC is the place a shaman goes to do
their work, to implement healing: “The SSC not only involves a ‘trance’ or a
transcendent state of awareness, but also a learned awareness of shamanic
methods and assumptions while in such an altered state.” 2
Having ‘learned awareness’ is a vital key: to venture into these states
of consciousness carelessly can lead to an unsuccessful healing endeavor. “We have to become our own shamans,” proclaims
Daniel Pinchbeck, co-founder of Evolver, “We need the courage to confront what
lies behind the open doors of our own minds.”3 Pinchbeck encourages
a society of free exploration into the psychedelic/SSC realms. What is alarming
in his (and others’) neo-shamanic philosophy is the lack of information or
promotion of the prime currency of the SSC: ritual.
Ritual, as explained by one of the foremost mystics of the 20th
Century Dion Fortune, is “a technical method in the psychology of
super-consciousness.”4 It is a coordinated way, through the use of
specialized symbols and gesture, in which one is able to commune and interact
with the natural powers of the world. Ritual establishes a rhythm of
participation between Self and Other, so that relationship can ensue.
Peruvian curandero don Oscar
Miro-Quesada explains this natural system of the Universe clearly. “Ritual
action begets relationship, and this right action heals even the deepest
wounds.”5 In this world where one can attend a class on how to heal
your trauma through expanding your consciousness, it is easily forgotten that
healing does not work in a silo. Healing is a part of, and in fact, dependent
upon, ritualized communion with the natural world. The Peruvian shamanic
peoples call this ayni, sacred
relationship. In every undertaking it is “the seminal operative principle of
behavior and of being [which operates] within a moral and personal code of
conduct.”6
To engage in a healing enterprise and not honor this sacred communion
with the natural order is hubris. “Disintegration of the mind,” according to esoteric
scholar W.E. Butler, “results from the habitual uncontrolled evocation of the
subconscious.”7 The problem is there are many self-described
shamanic healers out there offering service, but have little to no knowledge of
the sacred reciprocity required in communion. Ritual, being the prime currency
of the Shamanic State of Consciousness, controls the experience one encounters
when engaging in healing work in non-ordinary reality. It allows context for a
situation the waking consciousness of the mind is normally unable to process
and account for. Ritual as communion ensures purpose and outcome, thus
facilitates success.
THE WORK
Chippewa medicine man Sun Bear says: “Often, people who come to workshops
looking for power are actually souvenir collectors. They say, ‘Well, this week
I’m going to see Sun Bear, next week I’m going to see Guru Chi Chi.’ They get
nothing from any workshop because they don’t know how to discriminate and find
their own path.”8
We live in a culture fascinated with the prospect of instant
enlightenment. The “new spiritual counterculture” is a marketplace of so-called
healers and mediums promising to help you release pain, overcome obstacles, and
manifest the life of your dreams. All you have to do is think positive, and you
will get yourself out of life’s sham. In fact, some of the latest developments
coming out onto the spiritually alternative scene is that you don’t have to do anything to better yourself at all (other
than attend this seminar) . . . you are perfectly fine just as you are.
“Westerners,” Dion Fortune says, “often come seeking initiation at a
stage of spiritual development which an Eastern guru would consider exceedingly
immature. “9 Even though we may be able to watch any movie we want
on our phones which can fit in our pockets, we are getting ahead of ourselves
when it comes to knowing the Great Mystery of the Universe. Agreeing with a
philosophy that you’ve read on a series of internet memes doesn’t make you
spiritual.
Healing, according to the shamanic definition, happens through communion.
This is a spiritual effort, not a fad or cultural meme. Spirituality is not a
workshop series. It is not a class or a
retreat to a far-off land. It is definitely not pill.
Spirituality is a way of life.
Like marriage, parenting, or any other relationship. These relationships are
a communion that we do not get away with ignoring or slacking off. These relationships are a consistent, daily,
hourly, meditation on self-improvement and humility. And that is what
communion, in the shamanic sense, is. Whether we consider the Other to be God,
the Divine, Nature, whatever . . . a spiritual life is a continual relationship
between Self and Other which needs to be nurtured, developed, improved, and
tended to always.
This relationship is what Western mystics have called The Great Work. It is a” twenty-four
hours a day, seven days a week business, as it is for the Eastern guru.”10
They don’t call it The Great Retreat, or The Great Relief . . . it is called
The Work, and it indeed takes great work to have an authentic communion with
integrity. Again, Dion Fortune explains “the person who tries to dispense of
the ceremonial [ritual/communion] is working at a great disadvantage.
Development by meditation alone is a slow process in the West, because the
mind-stuff upon which it has to work, and the mental atmosphere in which the
work has to be done, are very resistant.”11
It is a wonderful thing to be called to the service of healing. There are
many great hearts out there striving to support others in this Earth-walk. But,
let’s not forget that healing is a process that cannot be isolated from the
rituals which facilitate communion with the natural world. In this world where
anti-religious sentiment is high with popular minds such as Bill Nye and Neil deGrasse
Tyson, let’s not be too afraid of being so eager to rid ourselves of the
religious aspect of spirituality. Religion has been corrupted by many over the
centuries. However, true religion is nothing more than aligning the principles
of the heart with right action on the material plane. Don’t be afraid to pray. Don’t be afraid to
give offerings. A daily practice is just a practice, not a dogma.
While perusing the spiritual marketplace of methods and ideas, we need to
be sure to acknowledge the integration of healing and communion to provide an
effective context for the authentic experience of our own individual spiritual
walk. As don Oscar reaffirms: “In all shamanic cultures, graceful rituals help
us to remember our place in the sacred hoop of life.”12
FOOTNOTES
1.
Walsh, Roger. The World of
Shamanism: New Views of an Ancient Tradition (Woodbury, Minnesota:
Llewellyn Publications, 2007), 15-16.
2.
Harner,
Michael. The Way of the Shaman (New
York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1990), 21.
3.
Pinchbeck,
Daniel. Breaking Open the Head: A
Psychedelic Journey into the Heart of Contemporary Shamanism (New York:
Broadway Books, 2002), 297.
4.
Fortune,
Dion & Gareth Knight. An Introduction
to Ritual Magic (Loughborough, Leicestershire: Thoth Publications, 2006),
48.
5.
Glass-Coffin,
Ph.D., Bonnie & don Oscar Miro-Quesada. Lessons
in Courage: Peruvian Shamanic Wisdom for Everyday Life (Faber, Virginia:
Rainbow Ridge Books, 2013), 62.
6.
Wilcox,
Joan Parisi. Masters of the Living
Energy: The Mystical World of the Q’ero of Peru (Rochester, Vermont: Inner
Traditions, 2004), 26-27.
7.
Butler,
W.E. Magic: Its Ritual, Power and Purpose (Loughborough, Leicestershire: Thoth
Publications, 2001), 46.
8.
Sun
Bear, Crysalis Mulligan, Peter Nufer, & Wabun. Walk in Balance: The Path to Healthy, Happy, Harmonious Living (New
York: Prentice Hall Press, 1989), 37.
9.
Fortune,
Dion. The Mystical Qabalah (York
Beach, Minnesota: Weiser Books, 2000), 9.
10. Knight, Gareth. A Practical Guide to Qabalistic Symbolism (Boston, Massachusetts:
Weiser Books, 2001), 17.
11. Fortune, Mystical Qabalah, 11.
12. Glass-Coffin, Lessons in Courage, 15.
