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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.
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.
Yes, as any good gardener knows, for life to flourish, one needs
'sh*t'. Only then will flowers and a wide array of food grow. But
even flowers ultimately emerge from the inside out, from the heart
of the seed. The sh*t is simply food for the journey. This is just
the way of all of life, including those of you reading this
article.
Don Oscar follows the Peruvian path of Shamanistic practice because
of its depth of relatedness to the natural world. We are blessed
that the Peruvian Shamans do not horde and hide their wisdom, even
from the conquering hoards, but rather share it. Thus he takes
Western practitioners from the fake, manufactured plastic, metallic
world back (and forward) into the organic world. Instead of a "dead
universe" as believed in by those of us in the West, he brings one
into knowledge of a "living, breathing, magical universe."
Don Oscar states that what has gotten us into a dangerous position
today is that we don't realize that transformation, or change, is
what is permanent. Our world is in constant flux, transforming and
evolving. If we try to hold onto it, don't recognize it, we fall
into the illusion of control. It is this illusion that gets us into
a mess. Thus, the power elite create the horrid war pictures above.
It is simply created by their fear of transformation, evolving and
the flux of the planet responding to our actions. "We must simply
remain in charge! Our lifestyles must continue on! I'm not giving
anything up!" It might do the reader well to pause and think more
about how this illusion of control has affected our current day
politics, economics, relationships, and environment--indeed, the
state of our entire world.
