To the well at the end of the world - The oil spill as global shamanic initiation

"To the heavens, to the well at the end of the world, to the depths of the Underworld, to the bottoms of spirit-filled lakes and seas, around the earth, to the moon and sun, to distant stars and back again does the shaman-bird travel. All the cosmos is accessible when the art of transformation has been mastered." -Joan Halifax

I think we are on the cusp of the first stage - separation from or death to the old life. We are entering a period of liminality, and increased paranormal activity is a symptom. Part of the liminal period will be communitas, wherein social structures will break down. Anti-structure.

Meltdown.

Liminality is part of our cosmic rite of passage. Shamans have gone through what we are about to go through for ages, but on an individual scale. We are about to go through every stage of the typical shamanic initiation but on cosmic scale. That's why the prophecies of shamans (prophets, mystics, psychics) are so uncanny. Their experiences bear the same skeletal structure because they have been through the psychological initiation ordeal.

As above, so below.

I believe that means we will undergo a massive, collective altered state of consciousness. Just as the shaman undergoes altered states. The psychic ability of the shaman AWAKENS at that crucial point between live and death. The shaman heals himself and comes out of the NDE or OBE or trance or whatever. The shaman is resurrected...the phoenix rises from the ashes...the lead is turned to gold...the holy grail is found. Whatever metaphor you want to use , you are describing the shamanic initiation. And because we live in a reality that is made of mind-stuff, the psychic ability that is unleashed during that process is our means of rebirth.

and interesting theory, I hope you are right. If you are it would be in line with alot of other things happening right now and what other people are prophecizeing. From what i have heard the next 5 weeks or so are going to be rather amazing.
For the moment i am just waiting to see what all is going to happen, it should be a fun ride.

I don't really think the concept of consciousness being correlated to some kind of cosmic cycle works. We've had generally the same level of conscious awareness for the past 6000 years at least. And there are traces the world over of advanced cultures going even further back.

We're not really any more advanced today - spiritually - than we were way back then. Is this cosmic awakening supposed to be a one-time thing in a major, culminating event? Has this happened in the past? If so, why do we need another one?

If it's a gradual scale of awakening, then why were our ancestors of 6000+ years ago just as awake as we are? I don't really understand this.

Originally posted by Son of Will
I don't really think the concept of consciousness being correlated to some kind of cosmic cycle works. We've had generally the same level of conscious awareness for the past 6000 years at least. And there are traces the world over of advanced cultures going even further back.

We're not really any more advanced today - spiritually - than we were way back then. Is this cosmic awakening supposed to be a one-time thing in a major, culminating event? Has this happened in the past? If so, why do we need another one?

I believe it has happened in the past, but when you get right down to it time and space are illusions that emerge from non-local consciousness. It's not that we 'need another one' it's that the ONE is so strong it echoes throughout time and space...and here in time and space cycles are inevitable.

If it's a gradual scale of awakening, then why were our ancestors of 6000+ years ago just as awake as we are? I don't really understand this.

We wake, we sleep, we dream, we wake again. We have been asleep and now we are beginning to wake.

[edit on 18-7-2010 by Student X]