In the modern world — filled with digital distractions, environmental degradation, and social and political disunity — it's all too easy easy to feel disconnected, disempowered, and detached.
According to acclaimed shamanic teacher and author, don Oscar Miro-Quesada, shamanism is a powerful antidote to these modern problems. In fact, it may be that shamanism is what the modern world needs most right now...
Connecting With Your Soul — and the Soul of the World
As don Oscar puts it, so much of the disconnection and disempowerment we experience in our modern world is because “we have forgotten the reality of soul.”
That is, we don’t acknowledge the unseen, spiritual aspect of life — whether that's within ourselves or in everything around us. We insist that anything that’s not visibly tangible is a myth, or something to be ignored.
But in shamanism, everything is infused with Spirit and is deeply connected as one whole. We actually can’t separate ourselves from this whole. And living in the illusion of being disconnected from this whole and being devoid of this Spirit is what causes so much suffering in our lives.
Shamanism empowers us to connect with our soul with the anima mundi, the world's soul, at any moment. It's a spiritual path that teaches us to recognize the sacred in everything... to recognize magic and to make magic... and to bridge the gap between the seen and unseen aspects of life.
When you walk through life like this, you are connected, empowered, and part of a bigger story...
A Direct Connection to Spirit
Shamanism is the oldest religion on the planet, making it perhaps the most natural way for people to connect with their sacred.
Shamanism does not require a third party to intervene for you and help you connect to the sacred (such as a priest or priestess).
What this means is that all of the sacred connection and empowerment that's offered through the path of shamanism is something you can do on your own — whether at an altar in your living room or high on a mountaintop in the Andes.
Connecting directly to the sacred is a right of all humans, and mastering the ability to do so can help cure the general feeling of disempowerment that's so common in our modern society.
A Path of Positive Change for Our World
If we all followed the principles of shamanism — acknowledging and having reverence for the sacred in all things, remembering our interconnection with life, and choosing to connect regularly and directly with the Divine, the world would be a much different place.
When don Oscar says is that shamanism is a “path of selfless action,” he's affirming that practitioners are in service to the greater good and to all things — since shamans are deeply aware of and connected to everything.
Here’s to shamanism creating positive and lasting change in our modern world!
If you haven’t had a chance to watch the above video, be sure to check it out. Here are some of the highlights that don Oscar covers:
- (0:05) — Why we have estranged ourselves from the sacred dimensions of life
- (0:31) — Shamanism is a core approach to healing our modern psyche by allowing us to experience a reconnection with the world’s soul
- (0:52) — How the reality of your dreams is as important for guidance and inspiration as things you have learned in waking reality
- (1:33) — Shamanism provides people from all walks of life with a direct experience of communion with source
- (2:24) — How shamanism differs from other religions
- (2:58) — Why shamanism is a path of selfless action
Spend these few moments with don Oscar and discover how to come back to what he calls “the reality of the soul.”
Sign Up Now to discover the powerful medicine of Ayni — practical skills of sacred reciprocity, reverence, service, and communion to heal our world.
The Medicine of Ayni
Did you discover something new about shamanism from this article or elsewhere? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
