~ Shamanism 101~
September's Newsletter
Welcome to September's Newsletter!
"Turn to the West: Call forth the spirit of the West; bring to mind Sundown, Adult Maturation, Autumn, Water, Fish, Wisdom, Perspective. Represented by water in a container, seashells".
 
Dr. Steve Serr, Ph.D., Founder of Shamanism 101

I have the world's largest collection of seashells.
I keep it on all the beaches of the world...
perhaps you've seen it.
The Elements remind us of the many cycles that accompany our lives, the true nature of the universe, and perhaps, as many say, they are spirits on their own. 

They bring new and ancient wisdom, powerful states of being and ultimately they also represent the completion and renewal of our spiritual journeys.

In this new issue of the newsletter, Catherine and Lisa will accompany us through a journey of discovery, where we will experience the element of Water from a different perspective, and realize how important moments in our lives should be honored and celebrated.

Dr. Serr will outline the importance of the bringer of rituals within the community. This is being a shaman; at least one of their contribution as nature, as well as ourselves, move through many transitions. Over the year ahead, we hope to bring to you, the reader, a number of rituals to inspire you, to share them with you and ultimately to keep an ancient tradition alive and sacred together, as we move through these changing times.

Water, a mysterious element that brings life; the ancient waters that have witnessed our journey since the dawn of time, and ultimately a symbol of our own maturity as human beings.

Rituals are part of our lives, and the Elements are infused in their mysterious and symbolic language.

We are exploring a more gentle and feminine aspect of our nature, and this is equally important to the masculine side. 

Without water, there would be no life. Without Celebration, we would not experience the joy of being alive, and the many changes that occur during our precious journey. 

R. Theseus Spano
 Shamanism 101 Instructor & Editor
We forget that the water cycle and the life cycle are one.
Sentient Water
Catherine Center, Shamanism 101 Instructor

Water is said to convey the molecules of life.  It is central to every fundamental action of each and every cell in the body. From blood to ligaments to bone, 99% of the molecules in the body contain water.
 
If and when we think about water, we might consider the phases most of us have been taught it comes in; liquid, solid and vapor. 

When speaking of his experiments with water, Dr. Gerald Pollack cites a scientist who, about 100 years ago, suggested that a gel-like fourth phase of water existed between solid and liquid. In more recent years, researchers decided to test the theory.  They put bulk or potable water beside a gel and added particles to the water to see what would happen. 
The particles moved away from the line of connection between the gel and liquid.  No matter what they put into the water, it was repelled at the interface, leaving a cleared zone in the water that extended for some distance beyond the point of connection.  They called the area the 'exclusion zone' because everything was excluded from the immediate area. The water carried a negative charge while the particulate-filled water carried a positive charge, creating a natural battery.  Through this innate process, energy can be created from the battery-like effect in the water of our bodies. 
 
It turns out that every molecule of water in our body is surrounded by this negatively charged, alkaline field, which is quite stiff and needs to be penetrated to merge with other water molecules.
 
The negatively charged water has extra hydrogen; it is H3O2 while the water outside of the zone is H2O.  H3O2 is very structured and ordered, with a pattern that is crystalline in nature, similar to quartz crystal.
 
The crystalline water around each molecule has all of the properties of quartz crystal, including amplification, transmutation, and the ability to transmit and store information. The liquid crystalline form of water has more life force than regular tap water and does not store debris.  It has been associated with detoxification and improvements in mental clarity, athletic ability, immune function, and ability to absorb nutrients. These are only a few of its effects. Mae Won Ho, who linked these associations and others, went on to say that all living matter is a liquid crystal.
 
There are two things needed for water to maintain its molecular structure as a crystalline pattern: spiral movement and electromagnetic fields.  The spiral movement gathers energy and it has been shown that blood spirals through the heart, arteries and veins. Water spirals through the cell membrane and DNA.  MJ Pangman refers to the egg shape of clay storage vessels, which have been used since ancient times.  The egg shape moves energy in a continual spiral, maintaining the liquid crystalline shape of the contents inside.
 
Even a very weak electromagnetic field will help water maintain its molecular structure in a crystalline format.  Human beings have electromagnetic fields, with tiny pulses of electrical currents going through the body.
 
Given the spiraling nature of blood through the vessels and the electromagnetic field of our bodies, it would seem we are naturally composed to create crystalline water in our bodies!
 
As with any battery, the battery of the water must stay charged in order to function. The power for the battery comes from light, especially sunlight and infra-red light.
 
Pollack says that light "is a gift" from the sun, stars and cosmos, and it is necessary to build up and increase the crystalline water. Everything is affected by this light. For instance, when it hits a building, it is re-radiated on the walls, furniture, flooring etc. This is the energy that goes into the water of our bodies and builds the negative charge.
 
Light puts the water into the necessary order for life and charges the battery in all life forms, from a plant to a glass of water that sits out in the sun.  Water left out in the sun moves from regular water to crystalline or "living water".
 
The way in which molecules of water are organized is a measure of its life force.  MRI's are based on this and look at the structure of water in our bodies, aiding diagnosis when we are ill. When the organization of the water deteriorates, we begin to become sick and show signs of aging.  In cancer cells, the organization pattern has been lost. To return to health, foods that manufacture healthy new protein need to be eaten and H3O2 needs to be re-created and built back up. Sunlight is critical to health as it drives the build up of negative charge. Ambient radiant energy and heat energy are also very effective.
Common sources that help to build up the liquid crystalline pattern and help to maintain an inner negative charge include:

1.  Sunlight
2.  Saunas (infra-red light)
3.  'Earthing' or grounding, which means laying, bare-foot         walking or standing on the earth; the surface of the             earth is negatively charged
4.   Drinking spring or glacial water - under pressure, such       as deep in the earth or turning to or from ice, H2O             becomes H3O2
5.   Juicing - H3O2 water comes from plant cells
6.   Antioxidants, which maintain a negative charge
7.   UV lighting
8.   Cooling water to about 10 degrees C or 39 degrees F,         which increases the structure of the water
9.   Stirring water to create a vortex
10. Exposing water to sunlight
 
As we see, nature offers many ways to keep us negatively charged, which could be one of the reasons we feel so much better when we have been connecting with it is some way!
 
Interestingly, the things the body gets rid of - urine, faeces, perspiration, exhalation (CO2) - are all positively charged, leaving an overall negative charge to the body.
 
There are other helpful ways to work with the water in our bodies. Masaru Emoto and other researchers have done a number of experiments on water. They found that water has memory, and by showing water a picture of something, a crystalline pattern that represented the picture formed in the water.
For instance, if water was shown the word 'love,' the water molecule formed a beautiful crystal shape. A different shape would occur with the word, 'gratitude' and so on.  In the same way each snowflake has a particular shape, each word promoted the development of a unique crystal pattern to the water molecules.  Equally, the water would be affected by words that were harmful, such as 'I hate you.'  In this instance, the water molecules looked very ill and did not form a crystal.
 
Pictures, singing, speaking and music also affected the patterns of the crystals and influenced their ability to form.  Beautiful pictures, music and words created beautiful crystal molecules, while heavy metal music and harmful words created unhealthy forms in the water. In an experiment with a stagnant, polluted pond, prayer had the effect of clarifying the water over time.
 
Because of water treatment methods in most large cities, the water has difficulty forming crystals, but in communities that have taken more care with their water, crystals will form. Emoto says that our thoughts and emotions as we drink water influence how the water affects our bodies. If we drink the purest glacial water with cloudy thoughts, it will not be of much benefit. If we drink regular tap water with gratitude, the water becomes physically different our bodies and can be of benefit.
 
Researchers continue to discover properties of water, and also admit there is much that remains unknown. Further discoveries may help us honor this precious substance that we cannot live without.  
The bringer of ritual
Dr. Steve Serr, Ph.D

"Hi, I'm Steve Serr and just wanted to pass on how my little article that follows came into being.

It was when I saw Lisa's article (that is waiting below my own), that it occurred to me how difficult and challenging it is for many contemporary shamanic practitioners to actually create rituals. We often rely instead on rituals passed down from other practitioners as if these must be 'more' valid than our own. And yet, being a part of the creation of such rituals has been part of a shaman's job. Lisa has accepted this role, and with her experience in non-ordinary reality and with spirit helpers, she produced the beautiful ritual for women moving into sagehood that she will be describing.

I encourage Lisa's example. We must not fear stepping into our own role and ability as practitioners. The world has drawn on the insights and understandings of shamans since the beginning of time, and it should be no less the case today. My feelings are that each practitioner has not just the right, but the responsibility to build the shamanism that is his or her own, maintaining strict allegiance only on matters of safety for themselves and for others, to a high ethical standard, and to be doing what works. Realizing how being the creator of ritual might seem odd - even 'sacrilegious' - to many who have grown up in a world that trumpets the orthodoxy of the past over the insights and experience of the present, I just wanted to pass on the following... "

We human beings are simply one among all things that cycle through stages. As humans, we have the opportunity to recognize transition points within our cycles and tend to these as they arise. Shamans undertook the task of working with transitions, bringing to their communities a voice and vehicle to travel the sometimes difficult transitional distances between the starting and next resting places of all things.

  
Take psychopomp, for instance, where the shaman helps the soul make the journey between this world and the next, or soul retrieval, where one transitions between incompleteness to some recovery of one's true-self, a step that can mean all the difference in the world in one's life. Or how about the guidance of young men and women across the threshold from childhood to adulthood with all the attendant community responsibilities and roles.
  
Though there are patterns that clearly demonstrate the functional congruity between shamanic practices in one region of the Earth and another, there are also huge differences in language, culture, and even physical environments that also mean huge differences in ritual. This is because all shamans, everywhere, have with their spirit help and non-ordinary consciousness, been creating and recreating their practices and understandings since the beginning of time, forever adapting and discovering ways to meet the developing needs of their time and place.
  
On the other hand, there is no orthodoxy to shamanism: it is, and has always been, the necessary evolution of a particular person, culture and region into an expression of understanding and healing. Indeed, no orthodoxy is possible, because the truth that is discovered is always through the individual experience of single person, no matter how deeply they are invested in a specific community.
  
Yes, shamans have also sought the loneliness from others in order to connect with the deeper community of all of Life. However, beneath a blanket or behind an eye curtain, they traveled to worlds apart with multitudes of beings. Seemingly by themselves within the forest, on the tundra or walking across a mesa, they were the farthest from alone as could possibly be, and it was there that they learned ritual.
  
Most often from the spirit world, shamans gathered the words, the understanding and the activities that could help the rest of us navigate through the sometimes difficult transitions of human experience. What do we do when planting? What do we say when we harvest? Perhaps the shaman brings songs to sing at birth, or songs to sing at death. The shaman showed us how to navigate our steps between this condition, and the next.
  
Shamans today need to grasp firmly the role of serving their community with its need for ritual. Because it is the shaman who walks that less-traveled path between ordinary and non-ordinary reality, it is up to he or she to see where their community wants - even when not realizing it - ways to navigate the many transitions faced in our contemporary world.
  
When that need appears, perhaps in the form of a person, a newspaper article or within a discussion among friends, embrace the opportunity to journey to your spirit helpers. Do as shamans have done throughout history and spend time wandering in nature and the non-ordinary world for the words and actions or the songs and dances that can help guide us through our transitions.
  
Because there are always transitions of some sort. And for a shaman, bringing the ritual to help the community step across such transitions is why they are here.
The Wise Owl - A wise owl lived in an oak. The more he saw, the less he spoke. The less he spoke, the more he heard. Why can't we all be like that wise old bird?  
Edward Hershey Richards
Embracing the Wise One: a Rite of Passage 
Lisa Belvoir, Shamanism 101 Instructor 
 
This ritual is for someone who is turning 50 or older that would like to do a ceremony to embrace stepping into becoming the Wise One as a Rite of Passage.  

Preparation
 
For a few weeks or months prior to the actual ceremony, take some time to answer the following questions in your journal:
 
- What does it mean to you to become the Wise One?

- What do you need to let go of in order to truly embrace and fully step into becoming the Wise One?

- Write on little pieces of paper all of the things that you would like to let go of and bring them in a bag to your ceremony.  You will be burning them in a bowl of sage.

- Buy a small plant, fresh soil and pot that will allow the plant to grow big.  This plant will represent you - the new Wise One, so nurture this plant on a daily basis.

-Take a walk out into nature with the intention of receiving a gift from nature that you will put in your medicine bag and carry with you. This gift is to remind you to honor yourself. You can also use an item that you already have for this purpose, if that feels better for you.

- Go over the details of the ceremony in your mind, so you are clear about the details of your ritual.
 
The Day of the Ceremony
 
Make time in the morning at dawn (time of the rising sun) and face towards the East (the direction of new beginnings) for your ceremony.  Make sure that you will not be interrupted for two hours. The ritual may be longer or shorter, so allow for time.
 
Preparation prior to the Ceremony
 
Call in the Directions, sage your space, offer yourself a sage cleansing, feather dusting and prepare yourself in whatever way feels right for you.

-Take a moment to sit quietly and drum or rattle lightly to call forth your true-self and your spirit helpers and teachers. 
Letting Go
 
- Supplies: sage, bowl and lighter. Put sage into your bowl and give it life with fire.

- Take one of the letting go pieces of paper, read it to yourself and burn each one of them in turn with strong intention.  You may need to forgive another person, forgive yourself, say goodbye to a habit that no longer serves you, let go of your limiting beliefs, etc.  

- Forgiveness: to truly let go of another that has hurt you is not easy.  Close your eyes, sit quietly and bring in the spirit of the person that you need to forgive.  Look into their soul. From a soul level, forgive them, not because it was okay for them to hurt you, but forgive them, so you can free yourself from them, once and for all.

- When the past is released through the ceremony, sit quietly to feel the emptiness.

- Dig a hole into mother earth and bury the ashes from your ritual and fill it back up with dirt. Sit quietly and say goodbye to the things that you have let go of.

- Sage yourself and the space after the ceremony to clear the energy again and to bring it to closure.
Plant Ceremony
 
As a symbol of you, position your small plant into its new pot with fresh soil and water, so you can nurture the Wise One on a daily basis.

- Feed and nurture your plant with all of your heart and watch it grow.  Reflect on your goals every day, while you are caring for your plant as if caring for yourself through it. 

You can now put your sacred gift inside your pouch, and bring it with you. This will remind you to honor yourself in all ways. 

- Before you make decisions, hold it and ask yourself, does this honor me? If the answer is no, then try to steer away from acting on it, so you can build your empowerment as you move forward.

- To bring closure to this part of the ritual, you can dance, drum or rattle, sing or whatever feels right to you before you start your journey.
 
If there is anything that you would like to add or revise to this ritual to make it more sacred for you, please do so and make it your own to get the most out of it. 
30 Minute Journey: 
  • Journey to your safe place in the Middle World.  Call in your Spirit Helper that protects you to accompany you there.
  • When you get to your safe place, cleanse your body in a pond, waterfall or whatever feels right to you and change into your Wise One clothes.
  • Call in all of your upper and lower world Spirit Helpers and Teachers and your true-self to join you around a sacred fire just for you. 
  • Thank each and every one of your Spirit Helpers and Teachers and your true-self for joining you.
  • Go up to each one of your Spirit Helpers and Teachers and your true-self in turn and receive a message, healing, guidance or a gift to help you with stepping fully into becoming the Wise One. Take your time with each one of them and truly receive.
  • Say thank you when you are complete with each one of them and then go to the next one until you have made it around the circle.
  • When you have gone around the circle completely, offer your thanks and gratitude one last time and come back with the call back beat. 
Closure

Bring closure to the ceremony in whatever way feels right to you.
We are all born with extraordinary powers of imagination, intelligence, feeling, intuition, spirituality, and of physical and sensory awareness.
  ~Thank you for joining Shamanism 101~
~ September's Newsletter ~