Death and the Shaman
Death is one of two things. Either it is annihilation, and the dead have o consciousness of anything; or, as we are told, it is really a change: a migration of the soul from one place to another. – Socrates
Seeing death as the end of life is like seeing the horizon as the end of the ocean. David Searls
Everything we see or seem is but a dream within a dream – Edgar Allen Poe
Death and the Shaman

The Shaman has a kind of symbiotic relationship with death, a concept that some find less than easy to understand.
This relationship is integral to the work of the Shaman, that life and death exist together in harmony is unacceptable to some who will not venture to become comfortable with the idea of their own mortality or that of their loved ones.
Fear and dogma is the veil which obscures our understanding of this subject; curiosity is the key to overcoming the inevitability of our demise. We really are the only animals on this earth that fear death because we are the only ones to quantify it, deify it and philosophise it. We endeavour always to control it, to avoid it at all cost and to what end? We still die.
Really, we cannot have life without death– for without either there would be no existence – no ability for rebirth. The seasons change and things die, we see the cycle of life as they are born anew, not the same as before but part of the same species for plants and trees, they would be the forebears of the original – carrying the double helix to the next generation. So I suppose that we would call life and death a co-dependant relationship, the fruits of which give us the space to bring forth new life, and still allow us to honour what went before.
Anais Nin said, Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it. This is a kind of death.
This equating death with a permanent state of non function is not unique; it may however be more than a little unfair. As with most things we have to realise that our experiences form our opinions of things. Those things we do not have experience of we depend on other authorities’ views to explain. Authorities that we have deemed worthy of the position; so much so that we invest in their belief and make it our own, sometimes less than wisely. This again is a matter of opinion. However, when it becomes a consensus of opinion it can jump from the realm of belief into the realm of fact. Ask any room that has a cross section of Creationists and Darwinists. Though what if they are both correct? What if it is the time frame that we humans have given that is the bone of contention and nothing else?
As Kuan Yin posits People believe that death is punishment from God rather than a natural progression, a doorway to other realities. By having such grim perspective on death, they make it a fearful and painful experience.
Belief is the key.
Traditionally Shamanic initiation will involve some form of ‘death’ which in turn is followed by rebirth into the new life, the new state of being. For the Shaman death is another state, another way of being in the Universe; this one or any of any number of others. The valley of shadows is a journey undertaken by the Shaman for many purposes. They choose to cross the bridge that spans the worlds.
Occasionally, through trauma mental or physical the veil may be pierced by those unaware of the existence of the other worlds. Unbeknown to them as it does not form part of their belief system. They are shown that there is something else, somewhere else.
Some catch a glimpse of what is on the other side of the veil or membrane of that parallel Universe and others are catapulted right into the belly of the Void with all its magnificent potential. Each experience is subjective and coloured again by the belief system of the person involved. This may be the reason that it does not sit well with some.
This is life through a different door, and like Bluebeards’ wife we may find that once we have gone through that door our perception of what life is on this side of it will be changed forever. As found the curious spouse, once something is seen it cannot be un-seen, once a story is told it cannot be un-told it may be changed and adapted but it will still have been brought into conscious awareness.
Le Barre said ‘There were Shamen before there were Gods’; it is a kind of Schrödinger idea, the situation doesn’t exist until it is seen, and once seen it may be believed – but only by those who have experienced the sight of it. Depending on whom these people are, their relationship to whomever they tell and the evidence they produce of how that experience has changed their own perception will govern the acceptability of the event to a wider audience.
That this idea remains unacceptable for some is to be expected since it may fly in the face of certain belief systems. There will be those who will question such ability or the experience of it due to fear, dogma or their opinion of the person relating it.
Let’s get this straight Spirit doesn’t care if you have a degree in theology or not, Spirit speaks to the heart and soul; Spirit is its own qualifier and quantifier. Ordinary Joe Blogs round the corner has as much chance of an epiphany as does the Pope the only difference is in the expectation and perception of their audience. The Pope is expected to deal in epiphany; it is a recognised and widely held belief that this guy has the ear of God; therefore it’s his job to deal in the less than tangible. Joe Bloggs on the other hand, he has the ear of his wife and family and his epiphany can easily be brushed off as a dream or nonsense by family and friends even should this be the result of a near death or indeed a death experience.
It is others’ beliefs as to what right Joe Bloggs has to claim a life changing spiritual experience that will govern how many times he tells it, and to an extent his own continuing belief in his story. If he believes he has witnessed/experienced a miracle and it was sent to him by God it is most likely that he will seek out the counsel of a priest. Should the priest be dismissive of his experience it will fall to how much he believes that he is deserving of such an epiphany and what it means to him.
It is understood that even Jesus Christ had a hard time being accepted as the Messiah in his home town, because people knew him as only the son of a carpenter.
It is the human condition to seek out those who with whom we share experiences, this is proven by the amount of support groups that are around brought into existence by people searching like for like. There are indeed groups of people who give each other support due to dying on the operating table and having the post resuscitation blues. They stay within this ‘circle’ and are comforted. Some see it as a miracle some really do not like the idea of it at all – a door has opened and they’ve had a peek, a bit like Bluebeards’ wife, once she knew what was on the other side of the door she had no idea how to deal with it only that she wanted to undo it, which of course is the one thing she was unable to do. She had no way to know how to be, everything was different now, and she was different.
For others the way to understanding the concept of death is less dramatic – they may not remember the event or indeed they may not consider it memorable enough – one persons’ near death trauma is another’s extreme sport.
It is within these parameters i.e. being human, being curious and being experiential learners that the whole thing gets tangled up like a big ball of string the kitten’s had for a week.
Generalising is one thing, feeling, being, doing, touching, hearing and seeing is another.
Oh, and one more thing before I go on...there is a theory that we cannot imagine anything we have not already experienced...if you could just keep that idea in mind for what comes next and if you are not sure then perhaps you could imagine what that would feel like now, or not either is better.
We cannot speak our minds for fear of ridicule
We cannot love for fear of being hurt
We cannot move forward for fear of losing what we leave behind
We cannot stay for fear of what we may miss
We cannot be ourselves for fear we offend another
We cannot die because we fear..... DEATH
Death – the cessation of life – or not?

Normally we do not like to think about death. We would rather think about life. Why reflect on death? When you start preparing for death you soon realise that you must look into your life...now...and come to face the truth of your self. Death is like a mirror in which the true meaning of life is reflected.
Sogyal Rinpoche.
Ancient Egyptians believed that upon death they would be asked two questions and their answers would determine whether they could continue their journey in the afterlife. The first question was, “Did you bring joy?” The second was, “Did you find joy?”
Leo Buscaglia.
We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.
Dr. Wayne W. Dyer


Psychopomping

For most people it is not the fact of death that they fear it is the mode of transport, and in some cases the concept of blame, also known as guilt.
Fear is a powerful driver; add to that the tag team of guilt and blame and you have a Bermuda Triangle effect, where everyone gets lost. Peoples beliefs tend to become more adamant than ever when the perception of death is nigh or imminent.
This can be quite a turn around for some as they have perhaps eschewed all religious belief consciously; however toward the end of life the unknown inspires a search for a common thread of security, and this they will find more often than not will be a re-visiting of the beliefs of their forebears with the caveat that it will very much depend upon the values that they hold most dear also. It is not unusual to find someone who says that they are not particularly religious until someone steps onto the toes of their values and a surprising effect will be immediate, a knee jerk reaction.
Beliefs are very important in all aspects of life but most especially when it comes to death.
In saying that of course the one thing that transcends all belief is the fact that we shall all die.
In that respect we are all of us animal, vegetable and human, equal.
This is where the talent of the Psychopomper comes into play. How many of you have experience of, or have heard someone say, that having said their goodbyes and assured the dying person (even when that person is in a coma) that everyone will be looked after and all affaires managed appropriately, have reported that very soon afterward, if not immediately, the person has died.
We can call it co- incidence but then what is co-incidence? Again, it will depend upon your beliefs not only in religion but in your connection to the deceased.
What has this to do with it? Well, what has just been described is a form of Psychopomping.
At times the Shaman is called, compelled even, to areas of disaster or major accidents and incidents, which due to their very nature cause a lot of confusion not least to the newly deceased who can be lost and wandering in a state of shock having been evicted from their bodies so violently and unexpectedly.
The Shaman journeys to these incidents and becomes a guide for the souls of the deceased, comforting them and facilitating their transition.
Where there is terminal illness, a Shaman may be brought in to allay any fear. By acclimatising the patient to the concept of changing states and introducing them to their body on a metaphysical level they are encouraged to journey to the seat of their illness and to communicate with their bodies, connecting to the divine, by whatever name they choose to call Spirit.
Since the act of journeying involves trance this is beneficial in a lot of ways as this can relieve pain (which will also tend to increase with fear) and if nothing else is achieved this in itself is positively therapeutic, and at the latter stages of some illnesses can comfort the patient allowing them to keep some control over their situation, it returns power to the patient who for most of the time can feel totally isolated and alone. Lost in a sea of doctors, nurses, beeping and flashing machinery where they are talked over but not spoken to. They have become a patient not a person, a unit.
Too often the visitors that come are already grieving and perceive loss first and foremost, forgetting that their loved one is still within this reality. They fail to understand that this is not happening to them it is happening to the person in front of them. If we manage in some small part to facilitate an awareness of how to be in the present and to celebrate what the dying person has brought not just to their lives but to those of the extended family and how it has enabled them to go forward and thank them for being – just for being, then perhaps everyone can accept the ultimate change and understand its place in the scheme of things.
It is crucial that this is done for children who are in this situation. A child reads the emotion of those around them and if they are reading fear and grief that is how they will spend the short time they have left or they will be very brave for the adults and be congratulated for being so but still have not been allowed to express their own emotions because they may feel responsible for the morale of the adults around them. All this will be age related and it is from children that amazing feats of emotional strength are witnessed. It is also at this time in their lives that dogma and fear can be installed to great detriment.

“Let children walk with Nature, let them see the beautiful blendings and communions of death and life, their joyous inseparable unity, as taught in woods and meadows, plains and mountains and streams of our blessed star, and they will learn that death is stingless indeed, and as beautiful as life.”
John Muir



The Void
The void is many things to many people and again its very existence, although ratified by a number of religions is still subject to the individuals belief in that tenet of their faith.
Ask anyone what they perceive as the void and you will get quite diverse answers from the mathematical to the extra terrestrial.
Personally I believe it is the place of nth potential the one place where just being is just that. Where it is possible to understand the parallel Universes and Quantum mechanics and physics; where it is likely that we can manifest our wishes into reality by filling our void with our imagination of how we can be as our ultimate selves. It is a nurturing and nourishing place, almost akin to a fantastically giant womb where we may sense the beat of the heart of the Universe. Where we may come to realise how alive, powerful and beautiful it is.
The cornucopia of all that we can ever need, want or imagine and the more we can imagine the more it will show us.
This is a very short introduction to the void mainly because talking about it will never teach it, accessing it and experiencing it is the only way to learn about the void.
So now this is where I show you the door, for that is all I can do. Only you can choose to enter and experience what lies beyond.
But, before you open the door – remember at least one thing on this side that you would return for so that should you become enamoured and would tarry within the magnificence of the void, we may bring you back to this side of the door. Seeing with new eyes, changed but not different just... re-focussed perhaps. Once the answer to the puzzle is seen it is there for all time.

Of course you don’t die. Nobody dies. Death doesn’t exist. You only reach a new level of vision, a new realm of consciousness, a new unknown world. Henry Miller
The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins? Edgar Allan Poe

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