We are living in profoundly uncertain times. A global pandemic of epic significance. Racial justice protests. Political unrest. A looming U.S. presidential election.
To remain grounded, I’ve been turning within for inner guidance all the while honoring the importance of staying woke to the outer world. I find this to be a daunting balancing act, one filled with though-provoking lessons and scary scenarios.
In The Wisdom of the Shamans: What the Ancient Masters Can Teach Us about Love and Life, Toltec shaman and master storyteller don Jose Ruiz explores the jagged terrain of life, one punctuated by an unending series of metaphorical stories and oral traditions.
The son of don Miguel Ruiz author of the widely acclaimed bestselling book The Four Agreements, don Jose offers his own version of Toltec wisdom, translating it into pragmatic concepts that everyday people can use to navigate through life’s inevitable transitions
He is the co-author, with his father, of The Fifth Agreement which is among the books next on my reading list.
A shaman according to don Jose Ruiz is “one who is awakened to the realization that all beings are life force energy, and that humans are dreaming all the time.” In asking the question”, who can be a shaman, he responds:
Anyone who has the desire to awaken from the dream and find his or her own personal freedom.
I’ll raise my hand for that!
For ions upon ions, Toltec (which means artist) shamans have offered their wisdom to laymen through the use of stories. These stories are meant to enhance one’s sacred knowledge which in turn becomes the seed for a better life.
It seems like a lifetime ago when I was pursuing my undergraduate degree at The Ohio State University. As a part of a foreign language class I was taking during my sophomore year, we were required to write a book report on a Spanish literary figure of our choosing.
So in my nativity, I selected a book written by Carlos Castaneda, the title of which I don’t recall.
What I do remember is feeling like I was in some sort of mystical trance while reading it, kind of like an out-of-body experience. Needless to say, it was the most challenging book review that I’ve written to this day.
It was years later before I learned that Castaneda’s book was a deep dive into shamanism and divination, the latter being a practice where one seeks knowledge of the future or the unknown by way of the supernatural.
In Jose Ruiz’s book, I was excited to discover that in Mexico, Shamans are referred to as jaguars or “awakened ones” These animals reflect life force energy, the divinity within each of us.
He says:
“The point of the shamanic path is to have the experience of awakening, which involves something beyond the thinking mind or intellectual knowledge.”
Being in my head is something that hinders me mightily. Given that I’m intellectually wired, I am prone to overthink things. But when I allow things to flow without being mentally attached to whatever peculiar notion I have about the way things should work, life just flows effortlessly.
Continues Jose Ruiz:
“On a global scale, shamanism refers to the spiritual tradition or religion of native cultures around the world. These spiritual traditions are said to have certain things in common: respect for nature, a respect for all life, and a respect for their ancestors. While this is all true, this is only the barest of beginnings of what it means to practice shamanism.”
The next point of his really struck me:
“The truth is that any story of your life is just that, a story and its collapse is a beautiful thing, because when it collapses you find out who you really are; you discover that you are really life itself. — Haven’t known who I really am until about a year ago. I am the most prolific storyteller of all time. “Is that true or is that such a story.”
So try this out. The next time you encounter a friend or family member spouting off about this or that drama, ask them a simple question:
“Is what you’re saying really true or is that a story?”
That question was posed to me earlier this year as our nation had fallen into a state of racial upheaval. I had fallen into a place where I began to truly identify with the victimization tied to being black.
At one point, a persistent voice kept going off in my head telling me, “With all of this racism in America, if you are black you have no chance at meaningful success in life.”
It was at that point that my alter ego chimed in with:
“Is that really true or is this a story tied to an excuse that you just made up?”
What I discovered from this is that life is indeed one big story including the ones I personally concoct. In other words, I hold the freedom to choose the story of my life within the larger story of life.
Embracing The Jaguar Part of Me
According to Jose Ruiz, in Mexico, Shamans are referred to as jaguars or “awakened ones.” They reflect life force energy, the divinity we have inside of each of us.
Finding this fascinating, I did a deeper dive into the shamanistic significance of jaguars, Here’s what I learned:
Jaguars are closely tied to Black Panthers, a Native American word that means “he who kills with one blow.” Jaguars symbolize power, ferocity, and valor — the true essence of aggressiveness. They also signify the power to embrace one’s fears or engage one’s enemies.
They are known for their exquisite vision with the ability to see at night and peer at the dark parts of a human heart. They are prescient, possessing the foresight to see what’s ahead.
These are attributes that I will continue to employ in the world as I strive to transcend fear and bring the best version of myself to the world every day.
I resonated with so many of your points...the quote inspiring us to get out of our heads/stop over-thinking and the reminder to check the stories we tell ourselves and others, were perfect! As usual, I update my Goodreads app with a new “want to read” book or check my bookshelves for a book/author you recommend...today finding Carlos Castaneda’s “Tales of Power“. I’ll be bringing it along on an upcoming camping trip where I will be “seeking knowledge unknown to me”. Thank you for being vulnerable and brave in sharing your experiences and perspective!