Shining Our Light During Uncertain Times
The world is going through seemingly insurmountable change. Fast change. Painful change. It's challenging to move through and it's affecting each of us on many levels. No one is immune to this and it's actually in many ways, a blessing, despite how things seem.
Looking through the lens of shamanism, it's undoubtedly clear that we are going through a global initiation. We are being asked to become. When peering through this sacred lens, it is important to recognize the overall picture as well as to practice non-attachment in regards to the current events that are undoubtedly effecting us all.
What exactly is an initiation, you might ask?
Initiation is a series of trials that manifest in the spiritual realm that affect one on physical, mental or spiritual planes to reconfigure and force a person to become something that he or she has not yet discovered within oneself. Initiation is not known as a comfortable path. In fact, it can be incredibly painful and quite challenging. The process can bring one into a place of despair as our lives suddenly seem out of control and bring us unexpected stress and suffering.
It's important to remember that initiation can bring one to places that are truly deep within and really have nothing to do with external events. The stressors of external events bring up the places within our shadow that we would otherwise avoid. Our ego would rather not look at the darker places within that are painful, and it would rather stay in the superficial energies that do not ultimately induce deep, lasting change. Piercing the illusion of ego is the modus operandi of initiation.
Looking at the built-up stuff within that is actually longing to be brought to the Light and healed is in reality a positive path, although it most certainly does not feel like it at the time. The ego would rather externalize the suffering and would prefer to react to outside circumstances rather than holding space within to acknowledge what is coming up. But our true light is crying out and calling us within for deep healing... for another way. Without initiation, we would not attempt to seek the Light of the new path that might seem out of reach without this catalyst.
In shamanism, initiation is a death process. The longer we choose to avoid our own suffering, the longer we sit in our own personal and collective stuck-ness. We must be willing to let go of the parts of ourselves that are no longer serving and are creating more suffering for ourselves and each other so that we can rebirth ourselves.
In my own primary shamanic initiation, I gleaned some important lessons that I have applied to future initiations that I have experienced. The first, is to recognize the fact that one is being initiated. In order to recognize and confirm this, you may need the assistance of a well-trained shamanic practitioner. The second is to have the wisdom to know that there is no control over that initiation process. As humans, we all want to have control, however the strength here is to recognize where one's locus of control exists and where one's control ends. The key is to focus on what can be controlled and let go of what you cannot.
From that place, one must surrender to the process. I have found that in the act of surrendering, there exists a deep peace and acceptance as the letting go of the old begins and makes room for birthing the new. In shamanism, it is not the initiate who is in charge of the initiation, it is one's helping spirits who already know everything about the initiate who is undergoing the unsurmountable change and challenge. It is indeed the helping spirits who see beyond the ego of the initiate and bring him or her through a process that redefines them.
But this global initiation includes everyone, shamanic practitioner or not. It indeed speaks to the deep need for change on every scale that our souls, Mother Earth and the Universe are calling for. How do we walk through this time and assist ourselves and each other in this process?
Remember, there is a part of us that is untouched by external and internal factors. That part of us is eternal and divine. It is infinite and unchanging. It is always shining. And? It does not need permission to shine.
Having just passed through the Summer Solstice on Saturday, we have passed through the particular metaphor of the triumph of light over dark. Summer Solstice is a time when our Ancestors celebrated the Sun in all its glory, the star that gifts us with its Light, abundance, and fertile days. Our Ancestors, not knowing that the Sun was always shining, held ceremony during Winter Solstice in hopes that it would return to the people again.
In modern times, we understand that whether we experience rain, snow, clouds, or storms, the Sun is indeed always shining. It is the same with us. We may be experiencing despair and challenge, but we still continue to shine. All it takes is focus on our own inner Light to remember this. Look past the clouds, the storms - do you see it?
Whether you have a shamanic practice or not, you can carve out time for yourself to create ways to experience your true, divine self. This is a place where thoughts drop away and all ideas are static. It is in this state of Beingness where we can rediscover our Light. That Light shares the same frequency in which we were all created.
