So often these days when I tell stories of interesting occurrences having to do with my path as a shamanic priestess or the special skills that come with the role that has been given to me, the members of my audience are inclined to exclaim comments of how cool these things sound to them. Over and over again, I receive comments on how other people wish they had the gifts I do or could share the experiences I tell occasional tales of. Each time, I simply nod my head without going into all of the reasons why these folks would never wish such a thing upon themselves if they knew the full truth.
Now, as I find myself sailing through the calm center of yet another trial, I am forced to remember the ugly along with the beautiful. Now, more than ever, I must force myself to return to writing about this journey of mine. Perhaps, some day, my tales of my own shamanic journey will help others figure out the puzzles of their own paths. To start on on telling of this journey, I am drawn to tell the curious about the full package that comes with living such a life filled with metaphysical and paranormal experiences as mine is.Life as a shaman priestess is both beautiful and horrid. One of the first things that one is taught in following shamanic ways is to expect the unexpected, even if it means some force of fate denying the plans one makes at nearly every bend of the river of life. The second thing a follower of the shamanic journey is taught is to expect the unexpected. Those visions you see while looking at ordinary mundane objects and the voices in your head might actually be something other than your mind trying to convince you that you need Prozac. Since I began my own journey, time and time again, I have been forced to confront old society-imposed ideas about the universe I live in, how it functions, and what sorts of things are actually possible to encounter within it. The phrase, “Within every myth lies a thread of truth,” is made repeatedly and abundantly clear. The third thing that a follower of the journey learns is that the journey is a river who’s current cannot always be controlled and whose path follows a bizarre roller-coaster pattern of periods of bliss and periods of agony which are never predictable save to learn to recognize the signs that one or the other is just around the river bend.
As I walk my path, I am constantly learning, even if that learning is often-times on a subconscious level. I was, after all, never aware of how much and for how long my guides had been training me until I returned one weekend to the place where I grew up as a child to look upon it with adult eyes. Imagine my shock when I saw that everywhere I went and everything I did as a child and teen had some sort of magical connotation! Even during the years when I consciously tried to bury and deny all of it, I was still being taught. Anything that is consciously repressed eventually finds a way to re-emerge in a manner that makes it clear that such things cannot be locked up and forgotten forever. Now that I am a conscious participant in my journey, I find that each new day, no matter it mundane or bursting with magic, has a lesson for me to learn. As with everything else these lessons of the shamanic life come in packages of varying sizes from large and obtrusive to tiny and requiring aid to see properly.
Ah, yes… We come to those juicy stories of my bizarre experiences. At this point, I ask the reader to recall that old saying, “No good deed goes unpunished.” In the shamanic journey, I have come to realize that phrase is altered to read, “No good time comes without a price.” This price varies depending upon how strong one’s special gifts are wired. Those who are wired for parlor tricks get prices that are more of an annoyance than a problem. Those who get wired or rewired for higher level work such as communicating with spirits, having lucid or prophetic dreams, seeing sides of reality that others can’t such as auras and ethereal beings, these people find themselves paying much higher prices for such gifts. These prices range from social rejection, problems performing simple mundane tasks that were once easy, on up to allergies restricting one’s diet and medical conditions appearing or getting strikingly worse than before. For every “Wow!” moment I have where something amazing happens, I receive soon afterward a period of misery and madness. Anymore I have taught myself to look at misery and madness as the way to the “Wow!”, thus making such times far more endurable than they would be otherwise.
For more information on maladies that have been encountered by people traveling down the path of the shaman, I refer you to Raven Kaldera’s web article on Shaman Sickness. Though his words come from the perspective of his Northern Tradition (Norse Paganism) group, this is something that all who delve into the realm of magick sooner or later come to experience in one form or another. Also keep in mind that the symptoms listed are only a small portion of what has been encountered. Many other physical and mental ailments may also arise. Even some maladies that came at birth, such as bipolar, ADD/ADHD, and high-functioning to mainstream autism have been found to be indicators of strong potential for magickal ability arising at some point in life.
My life as a shaman priestess has taught me to learn to appreciate everything I have and experience. Both the good and the bad, because, without them, I would not be where I am. I must also treasure what I have at the given moment as I never know when what I have might get taken away. Life is for living in every moment, and acting each day with the expectation that tomorrow I might no longer be among the living. All along my way, I hope and pray that despite my tendencies for selfishness, that I do my job as a priestess and make a difference in the lives of those are sent to me for aid.
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Thank you for your words. They speak to my heart. I re-membered the multitude of lessons from my childhood, the millions of transactions, pains and peak moments that have led me to be right here, right now. Thank you. Thank you. Your words made a difference to me today, and have helped with my growth.
I feel oddly prompted to ask where you live. I’m working on trusting my intuition, so I’m going ahead and asking.
I’m not quite sure how to put this so I’ll just say it along with saying that I’m in no way shape or form trying to be rude. First have you ever seen an energy healer? Or as I like to call them energy workers. In all honesty I only discovered energy work about a year or so ago and it has changed my life in more ways then I can count. The method that I use has been amazing for me, it’s called Caylaco Healing. I’d love to chat with you. Hope to hear from you, Emily.