THE FORCE OF THE PRIMAL # 6 LESSONS FOR US When we immerse in nature and "go primitive," it really is not primitive at all. It can be spiritually sophisticated. We are able to access some of the long forgotten powers we once had eons ago. Our dreams can be personally prophetic and we become more intuitive. We may even start to acknowledge that ... “The body is not what it seems …It is not a solid mass but a system of little particles or points of energy separated from each other by space and held in place by an electrically balanced field. When these particles are not in their proper place then disease manifests in the body. Spiritual healing is one way of bringing the particles back into harmonious relationship.”  Olgar Worrall Spontaneous remission of diseases have been reported in sacred places such as Lourdes in France but shamans, indigenous healers, medicine men and women have also been able to achieve the miraculous - usually labelled suspect or anecdotal by the medical profession. Here is a description from a woman who was cured of breast cancer in a ritual in the jungle.

My cells were alive, beating the rhythm of the cosmos. Some were spontaneously regenerating sending live signals to others beside them. The dark spots in my breast were black holes sucking energy into another sphere, one in which living cells were doomed… I cried in pain as I watched his hand magnetize the black smoke. It spread like army ants in file and followed his motion away from my body.”  M. De Wys These are some of the phenomena which can happen from common to rare: Synchronicity begins to show up for us. We become more "Coherent" with ourselves, other beings around us and with the cosmos. This has also been described as the "Maharishi Effect." The Maharishi university found that when a critical number of people in an area meditated the crime rate in that city declined. Prayers for peace can also work. We may experience "Superfluidity" also called "being in the zone." This is well described in athletes and others, when a sense of flow takes over and they perform beyond what is usual for themselves. Other more highly developed paranormal skills include; precognition, telepathy, clairvoyance, clairaudience or sentience, telekinesis, remote viewing or distant diagnosis and distant healing. Hunter-gatherers and indigenous peoples have mastered some of these. No single person will have all or even several of them. We are all uniquely adapted to develop our own particular spiritual talent and should not perseverate on trying to get those that were not given to us to by the Creator. Many have other non-paranormal talents instead.

 

There are also spiritual "dis-eases" unknown to western medicine or psychiatry that are well known to shamans but may have varying descriptions depending on the culture. Those that I have gleaned from sangomas and inyangas in Southern Africa can be described as follows. 

1.   Disease just happens. We really often do not know why some people get sick and others do not. someone once said; anyone who is not confused here really does not understand what is going on.

2.   The Great Spirit or the ancestors or our guides can create disease usually through omission of their protection rather than commission or malicious intent. Evil spirits can create "dis"- ease which can cause sickness.

Would be initiates can suffer the Ancestor sickness (“Thwasa” or the “ Calling” sickness) because of the presence of a spirit guide/s creating an energetic field around them. This will get the attention of the living one. This energy can be disruptive causing maladies which will defy an allopathic diagnosis.

3.   Spiritual intrusions due to hauntings can arise from various situations such as earth-bound spirits or ancestors seeking forgiveness. 

        Earth bound spirits usually result from a sudden, traumatic, confused death. When the spirit departs from the body it may not see the light or hear the ancestors calling them home. The spirit may become stuck on the wrong side of the the veil between the worlds. Many may not know they are earthbound and some may not even think they are dead. They need to be guided back across the veil by someone experienced and competent in this type of healing.  Earthbound spirits are more easily seen in dreams and visitation while others who have crossed over may have more difficulty in traversing the veil to "visit" the living.

 Spiritual intrusions can also occur because of the dead seeking forgiveness for abuses perpetrated on the living. When we go to the other side we face a spiritual tribunal and have to reconcile with our karma. If we have done something bad to another living being we are accountable unless we are forgiven. Forgiveness can release us from our karmic misfortunes. This is best done before death but can be done after, with ritual, and with the assistance of someone knowledgeable.   

  There is nothing good about being haunted either by an earthbound spirit in one's home or someone who has passed on and needs forgiveness. They may cause energetic dysfunction such as anxiety, depression, bad luck, difficulty with relationships etc. 

 Many cultures describe various non-human spirits which are believed real by some such as; trolls, elves, fairies, gnomes, goblins etc. Indigenous peoples in Southern Africa differentiate between non-human spirits; bush or terrestrial spirits, cosmic and water spirits – some good and some bad - the worst of all being the Tokolosh. The water spirit or Unzunzu is key in the initiation of a sangoma. 

Kabbalah describes Sheyds and Dybbuks which are dysfunctional human spirits. Sheyds or intrusive spirits are not necessarily evil but their energetic effects can be disruptive. Interestingly in South Africa these intrusive spirits are also called Shades. The Hebrew for Sheyd is a ghost – Sheydim – the plural form. 

A Dybbuk is a disembodied human spirit that, because of former sins, wanders restlessly until it finds a haven in the body of a living person because it has little hope of redemption and reincarnation and this is the only way it can again experience sensory pleasures. 

True spirit possession, though very rare, is real, not only to the Catholic church but also in African and Kabbalistic belief. It requires someone very skilled to remove it. The Baal Shem Tov, a Chassidic mystic and Jesus were both know to do exorcisms as do Catholic priests.

I will be taking a blog break. We will continue the blog in a mid-May and complete the other spiritual illnesses we all need to know about.

Farewell to winter - hello to spring.

 

 

 THE FORCE OF THE PRIMAL # 5

LESSONS FOR US

FINDING PRIMAL MIND IN NATURE

  

How can we become more primal in Nature? This requires a shift in receptivity as well as an inner intention  with the focus on fully experiencing all of Her polarities. By keeping as close as possible to the hunter gatherer or minimalistic model the magic can occur.  This means having as little as possible separating us from the power of wild things. Five days is ideal if feasible. With time we become more intuitive and our dreams can be profound as we can tap into the primal polarities more deeply as transformation and also as medicine.   Attend to only our basic needs. These are; being safe, climatically comfortable, adequately fed and hydrated.   Knowing something about wilderness psychology, the hunter gatherer model and ancient wisdoms can enhance the journey. These can help to inform us where we have been, what is important now and where we still need to go. The journey can become our own vision quest especially if we use the three stages of the Hero/ine's journey as a template:  Separation - Threshold (the primal experience itself) - Incorporation (on the return.)  This inner journey can create spiritual epiphanies that I  have called wilderness rapture which are similar to Maslow’s Peak  Experiences and other inner empowerments or “oneness” experiences described in yoga texts.   The following is a summary of some of their manifestations.       Being or feeling more like one’s true Self.     An appreciation of awe, oneness, wonder, transcendence - peak or oneness experience (unity consciousness.)    Humility, ego subordination and a realization that any control one thinks one has over nature is an illusion.     Becoming more pleasant and affable with fellow travelers.    A connection with, and a sense of comfort in wilderness.     A sense of renewal, and aliveness, feeling less cluttered, more  mindful and focused.    An appreciation of alone time, for many being the most powerful.     Major life style changes on the return.  Release from habits and addictions of the past from minor to major.     Before one ventures into the wild outdoors there may be a sense of  uneasiness which creates the need for much preparation.  Often a sense of duality is apparent. To nature bound peoples there was no such duality. We, however, often feel that we are “here” and  wilderness is out “there.” Finally, on the journey, we enter and  imperceptibly become part of the wilderness and a sense of balance and harmony supervenes.    These experience can sometime lead to the phenomenon of  “Re-entry Depression”  which can be considered a manifestation of how potent the inner effect of the journey has been. Some will encounter a sense of loss when they come home. Paradoxically, this depression occurs in the face of a demonstrable restorative effect. The re-entry depression seems to be a result of having been in an altered state of consciousness and upon the return there is a dramatic shift as one is propelled back into a normal state of awareness. The severity of the depression is directly related to the inner intensity and effect of the journey coupled with the resignation that one now has returned to the frustrations of ordinary life. Often the harder the home and work circumstances, the greater the depression. Intensifying one's spiritual practice combined with patience is effective and the depression usually resolves spontaneously after about three weeks.    If we analyze the mystical effect of the wilderness we see similar  principles described by Eastern philosophies, such as; being in the  present moment, an unconditional positive regard for one another,  suspending judgment of others, coming closer to one’s  true sense of Self and being less egocentric and more humble.  The ultimate goal of these philosophies is to leave the duality of  everyday existence behind and reach for the more profound state of  “oneness” or non-duality, if only to have a sense of it. Even without any esoteric practices it is easy to appreciate a sense of the interconnectedness of all beings and things when one has been out in nature for some time. When we subordinate ego to the Self, these changes can occur.    The following principles can enhance the inner aspect of the  wilderness journey.   Sleep on the earth around a fire, feel the elements, immerse oneself in the Soft Fascinations. Nature being feminine helps us to embrace the more internal, intuitive and creative parts of our psyches.  Avoid time restraints, survival situations and goals (bagging peaks, running rivers.) Cameras, alcohol and similar conditionings should be minimized.  Allow time for inner practices even beyond the more common Eastern meditations like drumming, sketching, singing, chanting, meditative slow walking and ritual.  Transcendent and Peak Experiences “Wilderness Rapture"  What greatly differs is the vastness of the territory, variety of the forces, purity of the pristine and magnitude of the drama and majesty. The more splendid and awesome the less need for a teacher other than itself and you. The Ancestors “Wilderness rapture” is a way of being, a way of experiencing which can be sought wherever one is. We can hear it in the sound of rain, feel it in a fallen feather and see it in a spider's web. There are everyday wild wonders that are unheard and overlooked which seem far remote from wilderness until we realize how perception of the smallest bit of wild can connect to our higher Self.  Nature reveals, inspires, encourages and shows the way. The Ancestors  To achieve is to be externally oriented but to attain deeper effects we need to let go of the attachment to accomplish anything. Goal orientation and rapture are mutually exclusive in the present moment. We begin with a purpose but once the intention is set we need to disengage our craving for an explicit outcome. This is the crux between balancing the inner and the outer. Balance is achieved by harmonizing polarities. Dualities come into harmony by negotiating a third or middle path, a path not of assimilation but a path of coexistence.  The Ancestors Here are some poetic descriptions of the oneness experience, peak experience, wilderness rapture or whatever one chooses to call it where the Knower - The Known - the Process of Knowing all fuse into one thing. “Haze hung over the valley, light as gossamer and clouds partially dimmed the higher cliffs and mountains. This obscurity of vision but increased the awe with which I beheld it and as I looked a peculiar exalted sensation seemed to fill my whole being and I found my eyes in tears with emotion.”  L. Bunnell when first entering Yosemite with the first white settlers ever to see it. "And then it was as if all the chains of a type of slavery dropped from me with such a rush that they tinkled and rattled in my imagination… a great rush of emotion swept over me that was impossible to describe, except that all its urges and manifestations met in a wordless cry; 'I have come home'!”  L. Van der Post after returning from the Second World War and having being interned in a Japanese concentration camp with all of its malignant implications. He believed this experience cured him of much of his suffering.