Upgrading Our Collective Starts With Us, Shamans!

In this Shaman's Bag Blog:

• Upgrading Our Collective Starts with Us! (You!) - Othering is Smothering: It’s Time for a Family Reunion.
  
  
• Science Backed Benefits and Brainwave States of  Shamanic Journeying
  
  
• Develop Your Journey Practice In Community With Like Minds and Hearts!
  
  
• Gift to Support Your Own Shamanic Journey Practice (if you don't have one.)
  

I recently had the pleasure of speaking on a podcast that focuses on unity and clearing the patterns that keep us from achieving it.

In our chat, I used the phrase, “Othering is Smothering: It’s Time for a Family Reunion.” Othering is when we focus on the differences we have instead of the similarities. It is the root of the deadly “isms” of racism, ageism, classism, sexism, nationalism and “cultural illnesses” of homophobia, xenophobia, and transphobia; as well as religious prejudice, are all forms of “othering.”

They are perpetrated by the ignorant, the cruel and those who, rather than work on their own insecurities, try to bring others down so that they feel more powerful. In hiding their fears under a blanket of anger against others, they miss the opportunity to grow and meet people who can enrich their lives.

Today, we now know scientifically that every person on Earth is a relative. With any two individuals sharing about 99.9% of their DNA, meaning the genetic difference between any two humans is only around 0.1% on average; this makes the human population remarkably similar at the genetic level. The genetic differences between different groups of human beings are similarly minute.

In other words, we are all cousins! 😃

To be more exact, every one of our over 8 billion plus collective, can be no more distantly related than a 50th cousin!

Due to the relatively small population of early humans and the passage of time, all humans share a common ancestor within the last few thousand years. And as we trace our ancestry back, family lines tend to converge, meaning that even people from seemingly distant regions may be related at some point. Imagine you sitting where you are, being related to people you have never met who live a world away! They may be of a different color, speak a different language, worship in a different way or express their sexuality differently from you, yet they are FAMILY!

Our skin colors reflect the colors of soils, sands and clays of our planet. Our languages have threads of connection, and since there were far less people in the past, we have interwoven family trees! In addition, we all can experience similar pain, joy, love, connection, wonder and curiosity.

Othering is a profound disservice to our large family. We are a wealth of talent, intelligence, strength, fortitude and passion that can – if we choose – heal our world.

We can no longer afford to fracture our collective into separate camps at a time in history when we most need to be gathering together to solve the enormous global issues that we face.

As shamanic practitioners or developing shamanic practitioners, we can use the process of expanding consciousness through shamanic journeying to perceive the larger picture. This allows us to transcend our own human short-sightedness and find new visions of how we can step back into more harmony, balance and loving connection with the rest of our collective, as well as the rest of the amazing biosphere of Life on Earth.  

Will it be easy, that is yet to be seen. Yet, we have done many things as a species that seemed impossible at the time. We have so much talent in our collective, so much passion to heal the damage we have done and the strength in our larger family to accomplish what needs to happen for the health and wellbeing of the generations of cousins yet to be.

What certainly helps is shamanic journeying both on our own and in the opportunity to work with others who, through expanded consciousness journeys can look at the big issues and in the repeated accessing of the Shamanic State of Consciousness, actually transfor their brains which can lead to new choices and behaviors both individually and as a collective!

Science Backed Benefits
and Brainwave States of Shamanic Journeying

The repetitive stimulus of the journey drumming (4 to 4.5 pulses a second) stirs the brain to produce four brainwave states and benefits:

•Alpha State = Mystical states of consciousness, “right brain” activity is engaged

•Theta State = “Reverie State” of conscious that is open to intuition and inspiration

•Delta State= Feelings of connection of spirit and body to a universal energy

•Gamma State = Facilitates the brain's optimal frequency of functioning with increased levels of compassion and positive emotions; they allow for heightened perception and consciousness, psychic abilities, and out-of-body experiences. In repeating this suite of brainwave states, our brains become enhanced. This is especially true about the activities we once referred to as “right brain/hemisphere skills.“

Principal benefits of “right brain/hemisphere” activity that can be initiated with journeying. 

1. Enhanced creativity and imagination: The right brain can be thought of being connected directly to the source of creativity, and the alpha state is hence more conducive to innovative thinking and generation of new ideas. Imagination is a critical tool for “rewiring” the nervous system. The nervous system cannot distinguish between physical “reality” and a richly imagined one. As a result, the imagination can be harnessed as a tool for transformation. In many ways, the reality train will run on the tracks that the imagination lays down.

2. Enhanced problem-solving and troubleshooting: With the mind in a more relaxed state and access to its immense resources, it is naturally better disposed to deal with crisis and solve problems constructively.

3. Reduction of stress: The alpha state has a built-in fringe benefit in that it releases accumulated stress and tension from both body and mind. In our hectic lifestyles, this makes for more harmonious state of being, improved health and wellbeing as well as offering other long- term benefits.

4. Heightened intuition: Studies at Harvard revealed that the majority of presidents and managers of multinational companies attributed up to 80% of their success to intuition. Open- minded, right brain thinking is highly conducive to intuition., particularly in deep states of alpha.

5. Easier implementation of personal change: The alpha state very much facilitates changes in disposition or attitude, enhancing constructive traits and eliminating unconstructive ones-- catalyzing new awareness at deeper subconscious levels of synthesis

6. Enhanced study / learning abilities, and memory retention: Right brain patterns greatly facilitate learning and study, as well as memory retention.

7. Better rapport and negotiation skills: Establishing rapport with others during meetings and negotiations can mean the difference between agreement or non-agreement, deal, or no deal.

8. Other mind skills: Possibly the most outstanding applications of right brain methodology lie in the use of specialized techniques which present new, often astonishing possibilities.

• gaining of new mental information
• establishing non-localized rapport
• establishing non-localized rapport
• solo brainstorming and mental 'market-testing' of concepts.
• access a peak performance states, at will

With continued practice, these beneficial effects also become more sustained even while in ordinary awareness. 

We have a wide circle of friends who journey and when we have a question that we feel stuck about, we ask one of them to journey to their teachers to get a fresh perspective.

When we put that together with our own journey information, we get extraordinary clarity and life support!

If you are only journeying with drumming once in a while...

You may want to consider upping your game by practicing more regularly and in community! By asking questions in journeys and spending time in the Shamanic State of Consciousness, you will be enhancing your capabilities! 

Also, joining a shamanic journeying community where you're surrounded by others can also help you develop the habit of shamanic journeying.  Join our free Shaman's Bag mailing list to learn about the next time we open the doors to our affordable, face to face and interactive Spirit Walking journey community where we connect with each other in break out groups and more soon!

If you aren’t journeying on your own already...

Joining a shamanic journeying community where you're surrounded by others can also help you develop the habit of shamanic journeying.  Be on the lookout for an announcement for a free event in which we'll lead a guided group journey with others and open the doors to our affordable,  face to face and interactive Spirit Walking journey community where we connect with each other in break out groups and more soon!

Meantime, you can begin with this FREE drumming track and journeying guide.- Click Here