Any path that teaches you to disengage your rational mind is
extremely dangerous. Logic and rationality are very
important, and are a gift from Usen'. Anything that
shortcircuits the faculties of intellect and critical
thought is very dangerous. "Turn off your mind/Relax and
float downstream..."* is a tempting proposition, but also a
dangerous one. This not only opens you up for possible
possession, but also to domination from fellow human beings
too. Read the text files archived in MINDWASH.ARC for
further information on cults and how they use mind control
techniques. I believe I can speak from experience on the
subject of thought control, for I have survived both
Scientology and Born-Again Christianity and can attest to
the fact that the things Dick Sutphen talks about in the
file are totally true.
The alpha state, which can be extremely perilous when used
in mind control, is also the state that the shaman uses in
their travels through Non-Ordinary Reality. The difference
is that shamanic training teaches an individual how to
enter the Shamanic State of Consciousness in an aware
manner, and to maintain total control of yourself within it.
One practice that is useful in cultivating this ability is
lucid (aware) dreaming. Brett Hallett, a student of the
Cherokee Medicine Path, gave me this method to retain
awareness in the Dreamtime:
Look at your hands or your feet while you are in the
dream. If you can, looking at your reflection in a shiny
surface like water, or a mirror, or highly polished stone is
even better. It takes exertion of Will to do this but it
does work very well.
Another helpful thing to use when learning lucid dreaming
techniques is affirmations. One good one is this. "I will
remain aware and in control in the Dreamtime. When I wake
up, I will remember all that I see. So shall it be." Go to
sleep with this either on your mind or on your lips.
Another practice that cultivates awareness in the Alpha
state are the Harner shamanic exercises. The book "The Way
Of The Shaman" details a few of Dr. Harner's methods, and so
does the text file SHAMAN.TXT.
In summation, there are some very important things to
remember regarding any sort of occult practice and the
reality of negative entities.
1.) Do NOT open yourself to entities other than your Power
Animal, which is your "lower" self, which doesn't
necessarily mean inferior but just more instinctual and a
source of the primal power that makes a shaman do things;
and your Inner Shaman (Inner Teacher, Inner Wizard) which is
also known as the Guardian Angel, which is the
personification of your "higher" or spiritual self. One can
have several Power Animals (the more you get, the higher the
level of shamanic power) but only ONE Inner Shaman. The
Inner Shaman must be gotten through the journey to the Upper
World, and no other way. A Power Animal can be dreamt
about, or seen in glimpses of the Non-Ordinary Reality one
sometimes gets after some training, but unless you take the
Upper World journey and meet your Inner Shaman there, there
is a good chance this entity identifying itself as your
Teacher is in truth an earthbound or worse.
2.)Any spiritual discipline which teaches you to reject
rational thought and/or refers to logical, critical thought
as "maya" or illusion is dangerous, especially when it is
also taught that one must give allegiance to a "spiritual
master" or a group.
3.) Do NOT try channeling even in a dabbling sort of way, or
even consult a channel. The information a fake channeler
will give you is entirely useless, and your'e throwing money
away on a fraud anyway. The information an authentic
channeled entitiy may give you will be untrustworthy, and
possibly even HARMFUL.
4.) Learn a way of warding yourself from attack or
possession by earthbounds or gan'n. Do NOT show fear or
even THINK fearful thoughts when confronted by malevolent
entities.
5.) Practice lucid dreaming and travel in the Upper and
Lower Worlds.
6.) Do NOT allow yourself under any circumstances to be
hypnotized.
I hope this series has been thought-provoking and helpful,
and perhaps even sanity-saving for you. Books with further
information that I recommend are Psychic Self-Defense, by
Dion Fortune, and The Way Of The Shaman, by Michael Harner.
Enju!
Michelle Chihacou Klein-Hass
Shaman's Soup BBS
