The Christ-Centered Shamanic Woman

The Christ-Centered Shamanic Woman is something my friend Alison and I have been talking about and around for years. She grew up with what some might consider unusual spiritual gifts. There was no place for them, no teachings in relief society on how to use them. I also grew up without much support for my "strange" gifts. We both had to go outside of our church setting to find understanding or training or mentors for being who we were are and applying those gifts in a practical way that is appropriate for our missions.

Last week in my post on clairvoyance I wrote about how I think spiritual communities should have some built-in ways for people with gifts to be spotted and nurtured/mentored by others who have similar gifts-- but that's not a thing yet. (Mostly because many are called and few are chosen. I'll explain that more on that later.)  

Alison and I having fun drumming together at a kundalini yoga visionquest retreat. 
FYI drumming calms the heart, but it's not required for being 
a Christ-centered shamanic woman. 

Many of us who recognize what we have is a gift and don't want to let ourselves forget, have had to go outside of our faith communities to learn or develop our gifts. Alison honed her intuitive gifts with a Jewish contemporary shamanic practitioner, as well as many other trainings. I collected all kinds of trainings and lots of experience applying things in my Christ-centered life through trial and error. I'll share with you some of what I have learned.

First, I have to demystify shamanism. When some people think of a shaman (pronounced: shaw-mun) they think that is is a Native American word for a tribal healer or visionary and that only Native Americans or Hawaiians can be real shamans. This is not true.

If we dig into the etymology of the word shaman it comes from way back. Here is an expert from the etymology resource etmy.com 

1690s, "priest of the Ural-Altaic peoples," probably via German Schamane, from Russian sha'man, from Tungus saman, which is perhaps from Chinese sha men "Buddhist monk," from Prakrit samaya-, from Sanskrit sramana-s "Buddhist ascetic" [OED].

 

Basically, a shaman is a person with spiritual gifts who can be a guide for others. My friend Alison defines it as: "One who sees in the dark and helps others see in the dark." It's similar to the gurmukhi word "Guru"

So let's get this out of the way: It's not cultural appropriation to talk about shamanism or to work to understand and use your own shaman-level gifts. Contemporary shamanism is alive and well all over the world, and even in the relief society, by many different names. Of course, I have to mention that as with all good things, there are counterfeits and people out there who call themselves shamans --many of whome are encouraging the use of psychedelic drugs. That's not my trip. No drugs here. Drugs have their own limited consciousness and will prohibit the work of a true shaman which is to bring back healing for the community.   

Here's what I have learned on my own Christ-centered shamanic path: 

Spiritual gifts are not rare. I was talking to a well known Irish novelist when I was in Ireland last summer and he said that he didn't believe literary talent was rare. What he believed was rare was the kind of discipline to sit and write every day for years on end until you are good enough and have produced enough that you have a publishable novel. And then keep going and write more. 

I think he's right. And I think spiritual gifts are just like that. Everyone has at least one spiritual gift. Often many. But like anyone with raw athletic or literary talent, many are called, but few are chosen because they don't have the discipline. If you are going to be an athlete, there are special diets you follow, a sleep routine, a workout routine. It's like this with spiritual gifts. There is a special diet that can increase your light and knowledge and power. There is a sleep routine. There are daily workouts for your spiritual muscles. The majority of people are not pro athletes or even in shape because they aren't willing to do their part or change some habits. It's the same with the spiritual path. Many are given gifts, few put in the consistent actions of meditation, repentance (re-turning to God) and listening to the voice of the soul. But this post isn't for them. This post is for you who are on the path or who are on the brink of choosing ascension. 

The priesthood was taken from the earth, we are told, and was later restored through Joseph Smith. But the truth, which I tell you from the spirit is that they authority of the priesthood was never taken from women. It couldn't be, because it is inherent within us and a gift from the Divine Heavenly Mother. In women, this power does not need to be restored, only remembered. 

It needs to be remembered on four levels: the conscious, subconscious, the body (cellular) and the DNA.

We have to break the curse of generations of forgetting. Will you join with me on that path?

Reach out and leave a comment if you want, or reach out to me on facebook. Alison and I are working with Heavenly Mother and Christ to create something that maybe you have been looking for, that thing we wished we had years ago. 

You can keep up with this journey and learn more you can follow on IG @namjotikaur and @christcenteredhshamanicwoman