I was doing some soul searching and reflecting today while
thinking about the different practitioners of Wicca, shamans, shamanic
practitioners that I have run across over the years (I met "my" first shaman in Bolivia in 1971 so I've been at this for a while) and thought
about where I would put myself on my taxonomy of practitioners. After doing that I thought that it might be
useful to at least share my taxonomy with you, just in case you want to do some
to the same kind of self-examination.
The same taxonomy might apply, to some degree at least, to religious and
spiritual figures of any tradition. So
first, the taxonomy:
- Beings of Darkness – those who use their position of authority or ability to manipulate energy to harm others. In Wicca these are the practitioners of Black Magick. I ran across quite a few shamans in South America who made their living casting spells to cause harm. In general they were quite well off, but with few if any friends . . . individuals who were feared by not loved or respected. Obviously I don’t want to fall into this category, and I hope that neither do you.
- Light (Spot Light) Seekers – Some people, and you probably know some, are only interested in gaining power and authority. These individuals have a strong need to be the center of attention and to be the most important person around. Often they want to be the big fish in a little pond, and those with high aspirations want to be the biggest fish in the ocean. The spot light seekers appear frequently as media personalities (think movie stars and talking heads on TV) and in politics. Unfortunately religion seems to attract a good number as well. If you think that the message is more important than the messenger then you lucked out . . . you’re not in this group.
- Bound by Tradition – these individuals tightly cling to tradition. Their way is the only way because it is the way that things have always been done and any deviation from the tradition is categorically wrong. This approach, to me at least, seems to negate one of the primary benefits our spiritual tradition. Wicca and shamanism are paths of direct spiritual experience and individual revelation. Consequently Wicca and shamanism are polar opposites to book religions that believe that all that Deity has or ever will revel is contained in their book. It would appear that being tightly bound by tradition blocks the possibility of direct spiritual experience and individual revelation. To me this is sad and limiting approach to spirituality. Tradition is beautiful, but being open to the new and different is exciting.
- Lightworkers – I’m a little reluctant to use this phrase because it has become overworked and trivialized. However, it fits, and these are the practitioners of Wicca and shamanism who work for the good of their society. They aren’t ego-bound; they do what they do because of an inner drive to serve others with no thought of secondary gain. They help when help is needed and teach when a student is ready. They are able to manipulate energy and call upon Deity and helping spirits as needed in the service of others.
- Light Beings – In twenty years I have only met one shaman, an old man in the Bolivian highland above the altiplano that I would call a light being. He had evolved to the point where he was light energy. He didn’t need to call upon Deity, spirit helpers (the Apus), or any outside force to heal. His look or his touch was all it took to heal physical, spiritual or emotional issues. I think that he had aligned himself so completely with Deity through a lifetime of service to his community that energy flowed through him like a “hollow bone”. Unlike the workers of darkness who are feared but neither loved or respected he was loved and respected by all and feared by none. Give me another hundred years and maybe I’ll get there too.
If you have read all of this then you probably can guess
where I hope that I am headed. Nice goal
and we in the West are very goal oriented.
I’m not there yet, not even close, and don’t know if I will ever get
there. However, I am convinced that (1)
the journey is as important as the destination and (2) the direction that you
are headed is more important than where you are on the journey.
So I guess my closing thought is not where are you, but
which direction are you headed?
