Moonshadow

{{Ogun}} "I think, I’m a lucky guy 😊" ... No! You're a master of intent guy I just read your post just nodding my head. Especially at the part about will and death and time. Maybe because we are the same human age. If I might add, I've been thinking a lot about (and using) Will and time lately too. One thing I found that helps make your Will stronger is to.. actually feel it's intensity and actively make it more intense. The old makers were masters of Will, which makes total sense given the short life spans of people and how as you explained developing and using your will saves time. To say it another way, perhaps, is to feel and grow the power of your Will and make it even concentrated, so that when you apply it your intents become outcomes faster, as you said. Something that happens too, when you do this: 1) your Other develops more rapidly, and 2) intents can be come outcomes instantly, without you even trying so much. Congratulations on your new car! ❤️ Eman

Hello DB, It can be like that for some people- a sudden awakening, and often happens when your own energy calls out to you at the right time, whether you felt ready or not. For others it’s a more gradual process. Feel free to PM me if you’d like, I’m happy to answer any questions you have. We are shamans of the Maker tradition, come from all over the world and call ourselves makers, however energetic truth is energetic truth across the board, as you’re discovering. Eman

Like Belle said, be ruthless. Your fear is the opening the door too. I was in your shoes once. The more you heal, the more you'll realize the only power they have over you is what you allow them to have. There will come a time when they will become insignificant and won't reach you.... Who knows, maybe one day you will be the one stalking them *grin*. e.

Hi ArcaneHuman, Going into psychosis or not, nothing and no one has the right to your energy without your agreement. Look in your energy for where you are allowing this to continue: fear? Inability to say vamoose? The belief that once you go into psychosis you have no power or control? Explore it and give them a firm NO and kick them out then dust off your hands. e. "Intent is King, Will is Queen."

((AH)) It sounds like you're listening to yourself and letting your energy guide you and that's the right approach. You got great advice from your friend, but as you said you sensed you were ready to come to terms after picking at the edges of your trauma scabs. I think your huge breakthrough probably came from being in an overall healthier energetic space- good eating, long-term recap, and meditation to boot- high five. You were ready. About recapping trauma: I wouldn't dive into it directly when you officially start the class for the sake of experiencing each step alone. And it's a funny thing, recapping trauma: at first some days you can do it, other days you'll be watching a movie and start bawling because the movie somehow triggered something connected to the trauma. For me, I approached trauma in slivers, layers, aspects of it here and there. I'd still go back to square one as taught once class begins since there's a method to the approach, even if it feels like you might know some of this stuff already because of your independent recap work. What you achieved with the recap so far will most likely give you much deeper experiences with the recap 1 exercises you'll get in the class. I'm sure others will jump in with some advice on what worked for them too. eman

((ArcaneHuman)) These are the ones you should focus on- they are opportunities for growth. If you think about Spirals, for example, the entire class, in terms of exercises, really is just one movement: getting you to use your intent intentionally + the knowledge that came with the class. Quicksilver, as you're seeing, is developing your awareness and perception, the exercises all geared towards fine-tuning these energies. All classes are just one big movement in a sense that had to be broken down into smaller achievable ones. What I did, having been a student at the cave too, is that I went through and focused on each class at a time and incorporated many exercise into my life. Some things became part of my daily regular routine, like recap, working with rocks, etc. Remember you are in the stages of moving and understanding your energy as you heal it, so tier 1 is all about you. Focus on the exercise of the week as you take a class because it helps prepare your energy for the next exercise. You can, afterwards, go back and revisit whatever you want and need to. Here are some analogies that worked for me, silly as they are : with these classes you are going through an energetic transformation and growth, like a Transformer. Also, if you were a car with a lot of dents, you are taking apart the car (you), understanding how each piece works (a specific class), fixing it, and then putting them all together again but now you've become a car that has technology that the world doesn't really have, and it can do things other cars can't. There will be an "aha!" moment, or a series of them, where classes connect, and you begin to realize is that you are turning into the person, the healed, powerful, energetic creature you were born to be and wants to come into the world: each class is a part of that transformation. So go through each class with the intent to take the challenges head-on and learn from the ones you can't do: this is where the real change happens. And if you can't do it now, so what? A year from now, you'll pick it up and do it as easily as making a P&B sandwich because your energy has changed over time... this has actually happened to me. Long answer, but the short of it is focus on what's at hand, keep on recapitulating (I would really take this class and you will see why when you do- too long to explain here but it goes into such great detail that you don't get from the articles, so worth it), and go for the challenging exercises because "if you push anything long enough, it will eventually move" (quoting Gary). I hope this helps. e.

Oh so you have touched upon the void, have you? Excellent. It’s not nothingness though. Good work. Over time you will find out for yourself what the void is, who knows it might even reach out and look back at you *grin*. e.

Crucial. @ArcaneHuman, Lorrie is pretty much second in command here, guides all student development at Shaman's Cave and is ultimately the best person to ask about what class to take next-- especially since your only class was taken years ago. It all starts with energy retrieval. I will now bow out of this conversation as Lorrie is in touch with the overall picture of who has taken what, it really all starts with the cornerstone classes as she is advising. Good luck to you in your upcoming class choice, I hope to see you around. ~Eman

Hello again, Oh! Stacey is an advanced student/maker, I've known her for years and if she 'sees' that you will benefit from Quicksilver I'd trust her advice. I'm not sure it's being offered this session though. e.

Hello again. Let’s leave Allies for another time I see that you’re still tier one so that comes later. To be fluid is to be able to move and act in the moment. Act, not react. It is to go where you need to go, be who you need to be, do what you have to do in the moment. Stalking is only a part of the vehicle: it works in tandem with self-healing, intent, and dreaming energy. If I over explain now, it will become something intellectualized and your mind will take over: I am speaking to your energy. Do you feel it? It’s such a beautiful day, where I am. The sun is out, the streams are streaming, life is moving. e. PS https://www.shamanscave.com/courses/7-shamanic-will-voice

Hello again @ArcaneHuman. Let me go looking for some articles later and come back to post them it's morning where I am and I have to run out soon but *nod* we can have such deeply engrained patterns, like to reach for something to make us 'feel better' like ice cream (sugar) or cigarettes but if you think about it they aren't just habits but are also chemical dependencies (like 600+ chemicals depending on what your brand is) so it's a bigger thing to contend with it's got to be a combination of stalking, intent, recap, and lots of will power. So I'm drawing a distinction between the pattern to reach for something, and a habitual dependency on something outside of your own energy. It can be done- quitting a thing, that us. Substance habits are big fish, they are things outside of your energy too so you are 'dancing with something else' not just stalking your own energy there needs to be a strategy to quit them, but honestly the desire to quit, the intent and will... *intent is king, will is queen*. We break up areas of teaching online because it's the best way to learn this tradition when it's not in person-- like taking a car engine apart and studying what each piece does, but the whole engine, or the whole areas of the tradition, work together. So yeah I'd separate quitting smoking from stalking yourself, but use stalking to help yourself quit and stay done. So to answer your question, yes you are changing patterns with stalking (and recap, of course), but substance habits need to be separated from you, or quit- you know what I mean. I've battled with cigarettes, quit for eleven years (except a smoke here and there with a friend but not until years after quitting)... but they snuck back in during Covid lockdown- just one a day, then it became 5-6. Why? I never fully closed the door, did I? But they are on their way out now. I'd formerly quit with just the great desire to quit + intent/will power and replacing the habit with drinking lots of orange juice and water at first just to give the body mechanics something to reach for at first. I had to stalk why I smoked (my mother did, it also symbolized independence to me in some weird way). I'm pretty fluid now, of course, but I've picked up an old bad habit I thought was gone but the smoke ally was just waiting for that moment to pounce back in... have you learned about Allies yet? Here's a challenge: I'll quit if you will. We can share notes on stalking the habit out of our energy as well as strategies for letting go of that dopamine hit our brains like when we take a drag. e. PS I'll be back later with more on Shamanic Voice and how it intersects with stalking.

You're stalking to learn fluidity so that you can act on the turn of a dime for so many reasons, for yourself and for others. Our habits make it hard to be truly fluid so we stalk ourselves, practice being others, etc. Later, your stalking gets bigger and so do the reasons behind it. Stalking goes nicely with shamanic voice too... I won't rehash the stalking classes, ArcaneHuman, but I want you to look at that pattern you have with shrugging your shoulders: try not doing that- no reason in particular, just because. See what happens. Eman

((Nitekreature)) May I share something? When I was young I tried to take my own life. I too was so depressed, I couldn’t take feeling that way anymore. I took a bunch of pills, pulled the covers over my head, and waited. Then I sat up and realized I was about to make a big, big mistake. Even later, in different “circles”, let’s say, the people who successfully just took their lives and in the process of unraveling that came across our radar were in greater agony than when they were alive and depressed, all saying the same thing: what have I done? We did so much healing work on them as they unraveled, perhaps much more than they would have needed when they were alive. We are going to all die sooner or later. I do understand your pain, very well. I can tell you there is a way out of it and you will be so glad that you saw your life through to the end because you came here for a reason, even if it isn’t clear to you now. I’m glad I’m still around to tell you this. Dear Nitekreature: take heart. This too shall pass. can we do a healing on you? I would like that very much. We all would and are reaching out our hands to you. ❤️🌷 eman

Do not worry about what you cannot change, it is done. But If you cannot change the past then you might as well empty it: take the energy out of it for your use at your disposal in the now to create a different future from where you are standing to stand somewhere else with power. I guess that’s my philosophy.

Hello Varg, You should check out some of the articles on a practice we do called recapitulation and consider adding it to your "fixing it" list. It's a form of energy retrieval from life, trauma- doesn't take the memory away but leaves the memory empty of feeling. Yes the dreaming space is a great dumping ground for trauma, suppressed memories, etc. But why live with PTSD, when you an heal it? All that energy of ours we leave lying around through the corridors of time, from people, wars, family stuff, exes, you know just from being alive. I think if every human practiced recapitulation, we would be in a different collective reality. It really works, Varg. Eman

I have to say I’m really enjoying this exchange and comparison of traditions. About your comment on Odin, Vargtid, on how religions draw from more ancient practices, last November I was walking in the mountains in Oregon and was struck by how beautiful the pine trees looked, decorated by fall leaves. It reminded me of how Dec 25th was originally a sacred day for Druids. The way you've tattooed spells on your knuckles is intriguing: one thing I have seen is that energetic truth is the same across all traditions, and that the way energy moves is often reflected in the physical world. We use the spiral a lot in this tradition, for example, because it represents the motion of the physical universe, among other things. e.

Well said— energetic truth is energetic truth no matter what tradition you follow. Also, great poem, I understand. e.

Hello again. Just to add to what Holly said about the nature of the universe as predatory, there is such a myriad of entities out there. In our tradition we have seen that when a human being passes from life, their energy unravels and goes back to what we call the pool of human energy however sometimes people who have died traumatic deaths, as you described, leave some of their emotional energy here. Sometimes clusters of the residual energy from different people can be drawn together to form what is known as a poltergeist. These also create cold spots and smells of sulfur and are drawn to emotionally troubled people. I have also encountered what is known as demons, twice, when you encounter one will know, they are a very different beast. The universe can be looked at as having a creative and a destructive side, each has a role to play in the cycles of life and death. The best thing I can say to anyone is try to heal yourself as much as possible before dancing with anything you encounter. That way you can stand in your own powerful, fully, and act from that position. We focus so much on self-healing in this tradition so that any spirit or entity cannot hook on to your unhealed parts, among other reasons like being free in the world of Man- people also like to hook your energy too and take your power from you. Better to be detached, healed, free. We like to have full control of ourselves, for we know that sometimes entities (or people) find those places in our energy they can hook on to and as Holly described, feed, or make agreements with us that we aren’t fully conscious of. Nothing or anyone has the right to your energy but you. You sound like you lead an interesting life, Vargtid, but it’s ok to get a good night’s sleep. In fact, the dreaming side is such an exciting world. Yes, other entities do exist there that like to feed too but I wouldn’t worry about it so much. Symbols are a universal language and act like containers they hold much more than what meets the eye, don’t they? e.

Hi Vargtid, yes I agree every culture has their own shamans, I know what Asatru is, I have a great respect here for polytheism and your heritage, and yes, while drugs may sometimes be a shortcut for spontaneous experiences, they are just that- spontaneous, you are not in control, and here we are drug-free and learn to do all that we do with our own energy the experiences you can have by yourself alone, as you may have seen, are much more exciting. I'm happy for you that you stopped the drugs, I know all about that too, as you experienced they are only a screen saver, the real ability comes from your own energy. Take your energy back from all the drugs now that you stopped them and see what happens to you *grin*. You are right, this is a place where you don't sound crazy- crazy is normal here, weird is good. All of us here I think have been drawn to an energetic intent put out by the universal intent to bring more shamanism out into this world to help heal it and do all the fun crazy stuff we shamans like to do. We are dreamers, healers, energy movers, stalkers, time travelers, we move through worlds and explore them there are so many fascinating creatures out there.... yes NDE's, active dreaming, talking to the dead, yes all signs of someone who is bent, I've had my own share of that in fact I would say your NDE's probably brought out your shamanic side even more.... you have very interesting energy, and you are not wrong this is a place where you can talk to any of us, we all all with one foot in life and one foot in death, in this world and others. Yes books don't teach you I agree, energy teaches you, everything I know and have learned has been taught to me energetically or I have learned it by myself, never from a book. The spirit in your house, the one you call your guard dog, is pretty interesting, we call beings like her "Allies", they come in many shapes and forms and often there is an energetic exchange between the shaman and the ally. We're all about personal power and energy here, about taking our energy back from this world, healing ourselves to the point of complete freedom and power that we can go anywhere and see anything in this world and out. You've come to a group of shamans where we think weird and crazy is good because it usually means it's outside of that narrow microscopic world view most humans experience life through. Truly, welcome here, ᚹᚨᚱᚷ. The shamans here come from all over the world, I'm sure someone else will probably jump in and say hello at one point too. e.

Hello, Vargtid. Nice to meet you. Can I ask, what does being a practicing shaman mean to you? I find it to be such a broad, blanket term. We here are Makers, from a tradition that originated in France about a century ago. I see you are reaching out, you can find out more about the tradition here by browsing the public articles available on this site. Please feel free to ask any questions, a number of us often check the site and are happy to answer any questions, about the tradition we practice and general shamanic topics. Welcome to Shamanscave! Eman

Hello again. You know, we have a class here that's just about recapping and a new session is starting this Saturday Oct. 2... maybe the timing of your post here is serendipitous, let's say. I think if you are taught how's to do it properly, you'll do it and stick to it. Just 15-20 minutes a day, and within two months you'll start to feel a difference. Six months in, you'll feel like a different person. Stronger. Happier. Free from all the suffering and guilt you seem to carry. Believe me- or try for yourself. I really, really, hope you take it. I think if every human on earth practiced recapitulation our world would be a very different, happier reality. Intending you all the best on your journey towards healing and freeing yourself. Eman

Hi, Arcane Human, I was just talking with someone about how wonderful meditation is but the tragedy is that you put so much work into it without getting your energy back- that exactly is what will help you heal. I once meditated for years, it energized me etc but it wasn’t until I tried recapitulation that I actually began to heal …. Myself. can I suggest something? Browse through the articles on the caveshamans site and read up on what that is- recapitulation, an act of energy retrieval, and come back with a few questions, we’d all be happy to jump in and answer because everyone here has done it and really got a lot of self healing done that no one could ever give us. Eman

Hi Koiu. I would say, retrieve your energy from the world. We lose energy as we go though life- check out the sections / articles on recapitulation. We constantly move through life retrieving our energy and find the ways we lose energy and try trouble change those things about how we live. Good luck to you a d let us know if you have any questions about the recap once you’ve read the articles. Mandy

Hi Dreamer123, If 20-25 years ago someone told me that Castaneda's books served only a small purpose and only flickers of shamanic truth, I wouldn't have been able to imagine it. I had them all read them all, many times. Carlos' work serves a purpose: they are a stepping stone and can be a trigger for those who are energetically bent as dreamers and otherwise, act like a calling card, but it is up to you and your intent to decide if you want to stop with his lovely works of fiction or really allow yourself to discover what's behind the trail of little breadcrumbs his narratives hint at. You really can't get that from a book, although you can evolve naturally as a dreamer on your own you will probably only get so far. Waking up in your dreams, taking control in the dreamscape, is really just a fun beginning. Imagine Mandy

What Stacey said- sage advice!