| Shamanism is not a system of belief or faith, it is a | | | | find out the physical location of a person, object, or |
| system of knowledge, and divination is one of the | | | | place where an event will take place. In this practice no |
| paths to gain direct knowledge. Direct knowledge can | | | | information will be given about the object, person etc |
| be defined as that which is experienced first hand by | | | | only it's location. One can see the usefulness and |
| the senses. Divination is not 'fortune telling', it is a way | | | | practicality of this technique, for example to help |
| to a deeper understanding of events and influences | | | | hunters locate game animals, or the to find out and |
| surrounding a situation or person. Divination has always | | | | rescue a lost member of the tribe and so on. I have |
| been an integral part of shamanism. One of the most | | | | used this practice many times often to locate lost keys |
| important roles of the shaman has been to seek | | | | or the wallet of a client! |
| revelatory knowledge from visionary sources, which | | | | An Exercise - Naskapi Sunbeam Divination Journey. |
| may be for healing purposes, "why has this person | | | | First meditate or reflect on what you want to locate or |
| become ill?" "what medicine does this person need?, or | | | | know the whereabouts of, remember the first principle |
| important communal needs "where are the herds of | | | | of Intention. When ready, find a place where you will |
| caribou?", divination is also often used to get meaning | | | | not be disturbed for half hour or so, darken the room, |
| from dreams and visions. | | | | and lay down and relax. Note: It is best if you have |
| Divination is as old as humanity, but unfortunately in | | | | tape for shamanic journeying drumming (which will |
| mainstream Western society it has been regarded as | | | | smooth the transition into expanded states of |
| something primitive, irrational, and pandering to | | | | awareness). In the imagination, the launch-pad into |
| superstition. Divination is simply a way of revealing the | | | | multi-dimensional perception, go to a place where you |
| truth. The diviner reveals or uncovers to their client | | | | can visualise, perceive, or sense being in the open |
| hidden truths about themselves, or the circumstances | | | | landscape. Sense being fully in this place, experience |
| surrounding them. In societies outside the West, divining | | | | your feet on the ground and the ground pushing up |
| continues to play an important role, revealing that which | | | | against the soles of your feet, experience the air and |
| is hidden, easing anxiety, and helping in coming to terms | | | | the wind on your face, become fully present in this |
| with challenging circumstances that may demand the | | | | landscape, and when ready look up to the sky where |
| implementation of difficult decisions. | | | | the sun will be, with the question firmly in your mind, ask |
| In divination, the role of the shaman is to act as a | | | | the sun to show you the location or whereabouts of |
| mediator or 'middle-man'. The shaman by exploring and | | | | what it is you are searching for. Typically a particular |
| providing the initial reading and interpretation allows the | | | | sunbeam will either shine brightly or capture your |
| seeker of this information to avoid projecting personal | | | | attention in one way or another, follow this beam of |
| wants, desires, and wishes if the question or situation is | | | | sunlight, you may even experience yourself flying over |
| emotionally charged. | | | | the landscape, and where this specific sunbeam |
| The Multi-dimensional Cosmos of the shaman | | | | touches the ground, that is where the location is. When |
| In shamanism, there is another kind of time, not linear or | | | | you recognise the location, and can correlate it to an |
| sequential but a time which is one single moment. This | | | | actual physical place, it is then time to return. So turn |
| vast ever moving moment has no boundaries which | | | | around and go back to the place where you started |
| separate the past, present and future. This is a time in | | | | from, and when you have returned, gently feel yourself |
| which anything which has ever happened to anybody | | | | back in the physical world, and gently open your eyes. |
| anywhere, somewhere it is still happening. The shaman | | | | Remembering the second principle of trust, check the |
| travels 'outside' of linear time into this vast unending | | | | information out, try and get verification of the validity of |
| ever-moving moment to seek the information at the | | | | the journey, keep on doing this until you have |
| place where this event is happening. | | | | developed trust and the confidence will then follow. |
| One of the main gateways to this vast moment of | | | | Shamanic Trance Postures. |
| time or universal consciousness is our own powers of | | | | Another form of specific techniques is the body of |
| imagination coupled with the three fundamental | | | | work known as Shamanic Trance Postures. They |
| principles of expanded perception; | | | | take the form of certain precise bodily postures. |
| 1.Intention All actions begin with an intention, a desire for | | | | These postures are gateways to an altered state of |
| a specific outcome. The principle of intention operates | | | | consciousness, and visionary experiences. This body |
| on two levels, the obvious , 'this is what I want to do', | | | | of knowledge originates from ancient civilisations and |
| and the subtle level , i.e. it is a signal or alert to energy | | | | many indigenous cultures throughout the world. |
| to be prepared to move to a certain destination. | | | | Rediscovered in the 1970's by the renowned |
| 2.Trust Trust is an ineffable quality, it is experienced in | | | | anthropologist Felicitas Goodman, these postures are a |
| the body, not the mind. Trust takes time, and to get | | | | piece of living history from our heritage of spiritual |
| trust we need feedback which either directly or | | | | tradition. |
| indirectly validates our experience. With trust our | | | | It involves holding non-strenuous, but precise physical |
| experiences and confidence in our actions increase | | | | positions together with an accompanying rhythmic |
| significantly. | | | | sound eg. Shamanic drumming or rattling. There are a |
| 3.Attention This is about the application and focus of | | | | number of specific postures for divinatory purposes, |
| energy and intention. Attention is not 'hard-work' yet it | | | | for example the Nupe people in sub-Saharan Africa, |
| needs consistency, to place your awareness at the | | | | use these ritual postures, and in the one that their |
| interface of events or places..... Energy flows where | | | | divinatory shamans work with gives the experience of |
| Attention goes. | | | | detachment and a dispassionate persepective of the |
| Divinatory methods | | | | question. |
| The shamans used many diverse methods for | | | | An Exercise - Nupe Divination Posture |
| divination, either ways seeking patterns in natural | | | | Once again meditate or focus on your question, as |
| objects and events, or using techniques to directly | | | | with this work it really helps if the question is sharp, no |
| obtain hidden knowledge. An example of the former | | | | 'ifs', 'shoulds' , 'but' and so on, get your question as |
| could be the practice of divination with rocks. | | | | razor honed as possible. |
| Rock Divination To do this the traditional practice is for | | | | Sit on the floor, leaning toward your left and supported |
| the seeker looks for a rock whilst holding the question | | | | by your left arm. Hold your left arm rigid, with your |
| in the mind, eventually there will be a rock which stands | | | | hand at a right angle to your body. Place your left hand |
| out or 'metaphorically' shouts out "me, me!". Here is an | | | | at a spot three to five inches to the left of your body |
| opportunity to practice the principle of trust!. As a | | | | and just behind a straight line drawn along the back of |
| helpful tip the more faceted and inner forms the rock | | | | your buttocks. Bend both legs at the knees with both |
| has the better as more facets and patterns mean | | | | feet pointing to the right, positioned so that your left |
| more detail will be available to the reader. The seeker | | | | foot is resting just to the left of your right knee. Place |
| should then give the rock to the shaman or practitioner | | | | your right hand on your lower left leg, where the |
| and state the question. The shaman (who knows as | | | | muscle indents about halfway down your calf. Move |
| little as possible about the questioner or the | | | | your head slightly to the left, so you are looking over |
| circumstances regarding the question) will gently focus | | | | your left knee, and close your eyes. |
| on the rock and allow patterns to form within the | | | | If possible listen to a shamanic drumming or rattling |
| imagination. The shaman may ask the seeker to state | | | | tape, as this will enhance the visionary potential and |
| the question a few times as this helps to deepen the | | | | makes the experience smoother, and more powerful. |
| trance state of awareness, to the place where the | | | | Allow the visionary imagery , or just simple 'knowing' to |
| shapes and patterns in the rock become a 'gateway' | | | | take place, when you have a sense of an answer |
| directly into the universal field of energy, and images, | | | | (even if you do not understand it rationally) just gently |
| pictures, words, feelings will start to form within the | | | | release yourself from the posture, and come back fully |
| shaman's being. Each rock face represents a different | | | | into the present. If an answer is not immediately |
| aspect of the question, and the initial response is | | | | understood, incubate it, play with it, draw or paint it, this |
| generally "where the questioner is at this moment", and | | | | is important as the answer is not always addressed to |
| this leads to other rock faces, each rock face | | | | the rational mind. Being with the imagery or vision will |
| exposing and presenting an expanded view of the | | | | often lead to a deep and profound revelation. |
| answer. To me personally this work is awesome, | | | | To conclude there are many other ways of divination |
| mysterious and poetic, and I have found that is as if a | | | | in shamanism many which underlie well known |
| person's life story is contained in a rock. | | | | practices eg; divination with quartz crystals, casting of |
| Sunbeam Divination Journey An example of a specific | | | | objects, Scrying. |
| technique to discover hidden knowledge is the | | | | As the Tungus shamans of Siberia say "we are all |
| Sunbeam divination journey of the Labrador Naskapi | | | | connected, we are all one". So is it no wonder that we |
| shamans. This journey has a single specific purpose to | | | | can discover ourselves through the natural world. |