IS IT TIME TO GET YOURSELF A SHAMAN?
BALANCE recruits Shaman Durek to talk you through the hype of shamanism and explain what’s involved.
This is a full online re-paste of the Balance Magazine piece about Shaman Durek. Re-Produced with Permission.
For those of you who are wondering, a shaman is a person who acts as a bridge between our world and the spirit world. Since ancient times shamans have claimed that they can travel through other dimensions via trances, and talk to your spirit guides and angels to bring back valuable information. They can also work with and heal the body.
It goes without saying that not everybody will believe they can do this, and using a shaman as a method to find healing or help can be very different from traditional western medicine or therapy. I know it may sound odd, but a shaman can be useful in getting to the root of a problem, and assist you with taking responsibility for having a part in its development.
Shamanic teachings explain that your physical body is only a small percentage of who you are. Healing can’t happen without your spirit, emotions and mind being on board. In shamanism, your ego has an effect on your belief systems. It is talking to you in your head, telling you its story. If you’re not careful, this can affect how you live.
By working with a shaman, you can put the power back into your hands and understand how to make things flow easier in your life. Shamans identify what’s going on behind the scenes. By this, I mean the blind spots, the things you’re not willing to look at because you have belief systems that are limiting you, or you have fears of the unknown.
So what does a typical shaman session look like? Well, they are all unique: I can do pulse readings, check your energy levels, teach you how to access your energy fields and change them. Sometimes I’ll speak to the spirits on your behalf, tap around your body, communicate with certain organs; I’ll do breath-testing or swallow-testing. These things tell a shaman about who you are, why you are, and what you’re here in this world to do. Sometimes you need several sessions; some people may just need one.
I’m sometimes asked if there’s anyone I can’t help. I say that you have to define what that means. In shamanism, I’m not the one who assists people; they help themselves. I just create a loving container for them to see and recognize the power inside.
LIFE NAVIGATION
My book, Spirit Hacking, gives you insight on multiple levels on how to navigate your life. A lot of spiritual tomes are focusing on you constantly having to look outside of yourself, whereas Spirit Hacking is focused on you being your own teacher. It describes and gives you the tools to access different forms of spirituality, and consciousness and common sense in a way that facilitates living your best life.
You will discover the importance of self-empowerment and how it can mean getting over your fear of being rejected and an outcast. In our world, we are taught to follow a certain linear way of thinking. When you go outside of the system, you are risking putting yourself in a situation of not being accepted by your peers because you’re not following the herd.
The greatest leaders and innovators of our time are the people who stepped outside of the comfort zone of society, and found ways to improve it by creating new ways to move us forward in our evolution.
Through working with a shaman, you will be able to move towards a place of self-love – and that can mean being selfish in the most positive way possible. True selfishness is taking care of yourself first and making sure your needs are met before meeting the needs of others. If they are not, then you are not going to be good for anyone, because then you will base your relationships on “I do for you, you do for me.” We need to be selfish first so that your cup runneth over, and that overspill is what you can give to the people around you.
You need to learn how to be a tap rather than a drain. You can’t fill the world with light if you’re not ‘lit’. You should be really enjoying life and the people in it. We should be able to contribute to our communities and the people of Earth in a way that is beneficial not only for ourselves, but for everyone. That can only happen when we are allowing ourselves to be filled and to be lit.
THE BEST CHOICES
If you take nothing else away from this article (and think it’s all rubbish), just know this: everything in life is a choice. Choice gives you an opportunity to exercise your free will. This shows you how to operate your power in this world. It is an amazing thing, and the true power is recognizing how many choices you have.
The more expanded your consciousness, the more awake and aware you are, the more you are able to realize that there is not just one choice, but multi-dimensional ones to pick. Once you recognize that, you are able to find what will lead you to where you want to go. Spirit Hacking: Shamanic Keys To Reclaim Your Personal Power, Transform Yourself, And Light Up The World by Shaman Durek (Yellow Kite, £14.99) is out now on Amazon.
B R I N G I T B A C K
Shamanic steps to start reclaiming your personal power today
1. Make time for yourself. The biggest reason we have stress and anxiety is because we meet others’ expectations and needs of us. When we take time for ourselves, we cultivate a healthy relationship with the self, and we can give more to the world.
2. Turn life into a ritual. Everything you do can be a ritual, from closing the door to taking out the rubbish (next time, say: “I am taking out things I no longer need in my life”). Create new ideas just by changing the way you see things.
3. As a shaman, I have learned that most people think meditation should take place by a quiet stream. But the more you learn to meditate in noisy places, the more you’ll learn to become the eye of the storm, and able to handle many situations.
4. Eat healthy, organic, nutrient-rich food to optimize your brain. Also, walk every day. Taking a lengthy walk expands your horizons and opens yourself up to new ideas, releases toxins and stimulates your brain in a powerful way.
5. Use this Spirit Hack! Cover your navel with your left hand, tap your heart three times, take a deep breath and say, “I download into my body: power, restoration, optimized health and feeling good.” Do this at least five times a day.
