Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 49 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing Summarizing
Life Arts    H4'ed 11/6/13

Reclaiming the Self and Nature: The Wisdom of Shaman don Oscar Miro-Quesada

By       (Page 2 of 3 pages) Become a premium member to see this article and all articles as one long page.   6 comments

Burl Hall
Follow Me on Twitter     Message Burl Hall


We have become so docile in our world that the powers-that-be only need guns to keep us at-bay when we become more and more vocal and awake about our situation. Awakening is the last thing they want. At present, they tend to keep us mesmerized through media and fear. "Don't worry," said George Bush before attacking Iraq, "just go shopping!" This line says it all. Having our sons and daughters on both sides blown into bits means nothing to us. The state of economic prosperity does. And the result is this:



Copyrighted Image? DMCA

Image from http://veteranstoday.com


Is there a connection between the shop-till-you-drop lady and the plight of this little girl and the elder that loved her? And what of the soldiers in the wars that shot that little one? They truly are not always heartless murderers of little girls.


Copyrighted Image? DMCA

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/iraq_war.jpg&imgrefurl=http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/978/do-american-soldiers-understand-iraq/&h=266&w=458&sz=43&tbnid=8TI6Ho5bQ-UHkM:&tbnh=119&tbnw=205&zoom=1&usg=___UtqIgg6WAxEtDM1uce6ZFwUO84=&docid=36jyUwRl82Xb-M&sa=X&ei=LxV2UtHcCIPjsATAhoCgBA&ved=0CEYQ9QEwBg

Imagine what horrors these soldiers or marines have seen.


Even in a lot of our spiritual organizations, we are taught to sit on hard benches while a man or woman stands upon a pedestal, or stage, to dictate to us what we need to know about religion. In these cases, religion is most often about teaching an idealism and not a discovery of the relationship of the individual self to the Cosmic Self. Instead of being Baptist, Catholic, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist or Taoist, why not be a loving human being? Our alienation from Nature "out there" is a mirror to our alienation from our Nature "in here." Through our being alienated from ourselves, we surrender our power.


Yet, there are spiritualities that are empowering. These spiritualities reflect the epistemological meaning of religion, which is "to connect." Religion in this sense is about relationship more so than following some man or woman standing upon a pedestal. These spiritualities engage a person into kindling their power by developing a deep relationship to Nature. Such is the work of don Oscar Miro-Quesada, a Peruvian Shaman.


Don Oscar's work is grounded in the Pachakuti Mesa Tradition. The grounding message for this tradition is: awaken to who you are while embracing a vibrant world. As reflected in the short video below:



My wife and I had the golden opportunity to speak with Don Oscar through our on-line radio show, Envision This! Don Oscar carries the Peruvian Shamanic Tradition to the rest of the world. He presents a cross-cultural shamanism which reflects a depth of relationship with the natural world. It is a relationship of loving and caring. It is responding from that which is sacred within us to all that is sacred around us. His is a practice that turns us all into lovers, healers, creators, and sustainers.


Don Oscar's message is not one of "follow me, for I have the answers." Instead, as stated by Bonnie Glass-Coffin, PhD in the forward to his book, Lessons in Courage: Peruvian Shamanic Wisdom for Everyday Life, "We can choose to be a victim or an evolutionary partner in the unfolding of the great sacred hoop of life."


It's our choice! It is we that have the power. But we have to take a good hard look at how we have surrendered our power. The task ahead of us isn't going to be easy!


To begin, we must ask, "Why does the shop-till-you-drop woman surrender her power in such a way? Is her shopping akin to a drug, or liquor, which then makes her zone out from being who she is in relationship to the world? Is she escaping from freedom to use Fromm's language? If she goes through a misfortune, will she then take on the victim role?"


According to Don Oscar, misfortune is understood as a necessary challenge for the growth and evolution of the Soul. Trusting Soul means shifting consciousness from being victimized (i.e., externalizing our power) by life circumstances to a place of recognizing how illness or violence or disaster are the necessary compost that creates fertile ground for Becoming.

Next Page  1  |  2  |  3

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).

Well Said 2   Must Read 1   Touching 1  
Rate It | View Ratings

Burl Hall Social Media Pages: Facebook page url on login Profile not filled in       Twitter page url on login Profile not filled in       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

Burl Hall is a retired counselor who is living in a Senior Citizen Housing apartment. Burl has one book to his credit, titled "Sophia's Web: A Passionate Call to Heal our Wounded Nature." For more information, search the book on Amazon. (more...)
 
Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Writers Guidelines

 
Contact EditorContact Editor
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter

Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

Physicist Tom Campbell's Big TOE or Theory of Everything

Through Music and Story Telling: Makana Speaks

Beyond Monsanto: Rekindling a Healthy Earth in the Face of Corporate Farming

Sex as Natural Process: A Primary Step to Healing Alienation?

Corporate Psychopaths Housing Senior Citizens: A Personal Editorial

Rob Kall's Vision: A Transcript of His Interview With Envision This!

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend