| |
"Shamanism has gotten a rather bad rap these days, something quite justified, especially in regards to non-indigenous people claiming to have soul traveling/shape shifting/healing abilities and charging full
workshop prices to flaunt these so called 'gifts' to a public relatively unwary of the tragic deception. There is so much ego interference, power tripping and opportunities for various kinds of spiritual abuse in contemporary shamanism, that one has few if any genuine choices to make in regards to finding bona fide guides.
However, R. Alan Fuller, author of High Holy Adventure: Shamans, Spirits and Mediums I Know and Love describes his encounters with what appears to be the last of the authentic shamans in Peru and elsewhere.
Focusing primarily on an initiatory trip taken to Machu Pichu in the Andes under the tutelage of the hoary albeit lively shaman don Eduardo, the author clearly exemplifies the perils and pitfalls of
high altitude spiritual voyaging (further enhanced by a brew called
'White Lightning' consisting of the hallucinogenic San Pedro cactus and 'nose juice' a noxious concoction poured directly into the nasal canal) and the very real threat of sorcerers awaiting in the interdimensional wings to prey upon the vulnerable souls of those experiencing altered states of awareness. Fuller's book is important in that he emphasizes these perils while also making us aware of the lasting benefits of initiation at the hands of a master such as don Eduardo: greater and more consistent awareness, an ability to integrate higher and higher planes of consciousness without ego inflation, more physical, mental and emotional resiliency.
As a reviewer of spiritual books, I deeply appreciated his honesty and openness in regards to just how sincere one must be if they ever walk
the shamanic path in attempt to obtain healing abilities, sharing with us the serious consequences of delusional assumptions we may possess in regards to obtaining psychic powers. He offers us graphic examples of how fellow travelers responded to the experience of being in sorcerer laden Marcawasi during an initiation fire ceremony, such as one woman rolling around in hot coals without getting seriously burned, a couple who resumed making judgmental assessments of other participants as the effects of the White Lightning wore off and the perennial
boasts of one die hard megalomaniac named Beau who barely bowed to the awesome and transformative presence of Andean spirit guides and the ego melting hallucinogens all partook of prior to the commencement of the ceremony.
High Holy Adventure ends with Fuller's encounter with a trance medium in Brazil who allowed himself to be fully possessed by none other than the Jesuit Ignatius Loyola. Apparently Loyola had some spiritual experience prior to his death that enabled him to see the evil inherent in the Catholic inquisition the Jesuits used to persecute 'heretics' and decided to change his ways in the afterlife. The discarnate Loyola performed healing miracles on very ill people through the trance medium in front of many people, the experience leaving the author with the wide open realization that we are all indeed interconnected and that love is the highest and purest thing that we can integrate into ourselves and share with others.
In an age where
so many pseudo spiritual marauders attempt to stake claim to territory that cannot be owned, co-opted or colonized by anyone or anything, R.Alan Fuller's illuminating shamanic travelogue stands as something quite imperative for any would be interdimensional explorer to read and experience. Doing so will profoundly alter your perspective and help you realize just how important it is to wisely choose a guide to thread you through a path rife with very real dangers, but priceless and infinite
gifts as well."
Jaye Beldo
Writer for Mysteries Magazine, Paranoia, Pulse of the Twin Cities and elsewhere.
He has discussed his work on The X-Zone Radio program, The Robin Zodiac show, WGN Chicago and BBC London.
|
|
