A shaman is a priest, something like a doctor and spiritual leader of a tribe, he practices so-called spiritual medicine.
Alberto Viloldo is a Cuban-born psychologist and medical anthropologist. He was educated in America, where he received his doctorate, and for 25 years he studied the shamanic way of healing.
It is an ancient healing skill that was developed in many parts of the world, primarily in India, Tibet, Russia, and has remained the most active on the American continent to this day.
Viloldo calls shamans the keepers of ancient wisdom, who practice so-called spiritual medicine. For them, every illness has a spiritual cause.
Shamans believe that physical and emotional challenges provide the opportunity to experience the spiritual rebirth of an individual through initiations. Initiation represents a transition from one life stage to another, awakening and spiritual advancement. If you miss an initiation, then your second awakening may come in the form of some serious illness.
They do not differentiate between cancer, diabetes and heart disease. For them, it is a spiritual illness, resulting from the loss of a sense of oneness with the universe, as well as neglecting one's own role in the world.
Shamans consider the "power of the universe" as the starting point of everything, which you can access only by raising your own level of consciousness.
They believe that every person must go through certain initiations or changes, and this means that at a certain point in life one should discard old habits and old opinions and accept a new self and a new life. It is a kind of symbolic death, which enables a new life.
Every human being goes through seven initiations during his life:
1. birth initiation
2. becoming a woman or a man
3. first love
4. Marriage
5. parenting
6. wisdom
7. death
Some of them you may not live through because not all people become parents, for example. But, these people can become "parents" of their creativity (some people will write a book, start a creative project, etc.).
Each initiation offers you the opportunity to achieve enlightenment.
"If you miss any of the initiations, your physical and emotional health is at risk," says Viloldo.
Initiations have four stages:
Awakening
When you are faced with a major life change, you enter the awakening phase. For example: you may not lose your job, but you will no longer find yourself in it, you may not lose your house, but you will no longer feel that house as your home. You may suddenly see a stranger in your marriage partner and wonder how life ever brought you together at one point.
The big departure
The awakening is followed by a great departure. When your big departure begins, you will leave your job, house or partner… Or you will lose your job, house or partner. Then, says Viloldo, you will begin to despise your old way of life and you will turn to a new one, aware that you are no longer the same person. To complete this stage, you need strong will and determination. If this does not happen, you will repeat to yourself that you are not smart enough, wise enough or capable of new challenges.
"People can stay stuck in the stage of great departure for years, leaving jobs or partners and attending many self-help workshops, without entering the next stage - temptation," says Dr. Viloldo.
Temptations
After the big departure, a series of difficult challenges and tasks awaits you - it is a time of temptation. To overcome these challenges, you must face your own demons, that is, the toxic emotions you were born with and which are stored deep within you. During the overcoming of challenges, you can discover the Wise Old Man or the Wise Old Woman, that is, your inner source of knowledge and wisdom.
Enlightenment
Shamans believe that any person who is willing to dare and embark on the path of initiation can achieve enlightenment. "For shamans, enlightenment is a series of awakenings and realizations that an individual experiences," says Viloldo. Enlightenment is a state that frees you from emotional suffering and gives you insight into the true nature of reality. This is when your physical and emotional healing takes place. Shamans believe that at this stage a person can form a completely new body that can age differently and die.
Additional tips from Dr. Viloldo:
- When you find yourself in the vortex of life change, do not resist because you will feel like a butterfly caught in a spider's web.
- Understand life as a wild river of timelessness that accepts your suggestions, but which you cannot tame, so you have to cooperate with it, writes "Alternativa za vas".
- To make it easier for you to go through the transition period, approach everything with a sense of humor - laugh at yourself.
- Realize that everything that happens to you is part of a bigger picture of the universe and that you don't need to take anything personally.
Bonus video:
