With the Fall Equinox this last week I began to have a clearer picture of my future, and then I asked myself what I needed to release in order to achieve this future, knowing that this threshold in time is about planting the seeds for spring – the seeds of our hopes, desires and what we dream of.
Well, I got my answer within a short period of time. To clear the heart is the first principle in shamanism, Munay – and the message for me in this season was to complete and clear the grieving process with something that I began in my 20’s.
What did I learn from joining a community/cult in my 20’s:
• Not to give my power to anyone
• To trust my self, feelings and thoughts
• People lie and manipulate then rationalize it
• The people closest to you may deceive you
• Learned much about the flaws of human nature
• Seeing how corruption begins and spreads when it is set up on a foundation of control and deceit (the cult)
• To remain free at all cost
• To fight like a Mother Lion for my freedom and rights
• To forgive and move on also (leave)
• Learning which friends stayed true to our friendship and which ones could not
• What a healthy community is and the value of it
• To know deep friendships with common values
• Learned about the journey of the soul and the Hero’s Journey
Yes, I was in a cult in my 20’s, for nine years.
From 1979-1988 I was living in an “alternative community” – of course it began as a benign health community, teaching diet and health to others. I did not know it was a cult when I joined, and I do believe the original intentions of the group were good.
With giving power to a few people, the community quickly lost its goodwill and became a lopsided hierarchical mess. As the actions of the leaders began not matching their words I knew something was very wrong.
I want to give you a very personal example of how energy tied up by grief or loss can rob you of your life energy, keeping you from living your life to the fullest.
The loss of missed opportunities and the loss of years spent learning lessons has been the topic of my newsletters in the last three months.
The depression/sadness phase in this grieving process was the longest phase for me. This phase drained my power and energy. As I come to a full circle of completion here I feel an energy surge and clarity in my life again.
I am honoring myself for having gone through these stages of loss ( grief ), and for having the courage to continue and feel all of the stages. This last stage of grief is Acceptance, I have added honoring as an equal component to our healing and completion process.
Through the last eight years of studying and practicing the Shamanic arts, the volumes of loss and grief that I have gone through has been remarkable. The tools to move through each stage of loss with grace and support has been priceless.
The freedom that is released back to you from releasing the old energy ties is a beautiful thing. After this last completion for me, I feel as if I am 19 again. The sense of freedom and life force that I had then was intoxicating and is what life is meant to be like.
In the South American Shamanic tradition of the Laika tribe, originated from the Q’ero in the high Andes, first principle to practice is Munay. Munay is a Quechua word and describes the practice of loving-kindness and living your life in beauty. Yachay is the second principle, it means that we need correct knowledge guided by wisdom to live in beauty.
Harmony and peace comes when our feelings, thoughts, and actions are in balance.
“To put this simply: to practice the first principle, Munay, you have to clear your heart and heal all the wounds buried there. To practice the second principle, Yachay, you have to let go of opinions, judgmental behavior and the idea that accumulation of information produces knowledge.” -Excerpt from The Andean Codex by J.E. Williams.
Let’s all get ready to have more freedom and energy in our lives. All you have to do is set this intention and watch out!
