Superhumans

reply to post by WhiteAlice


I know from my own studies of the subject that medicine men often needed to have some sort of near death experience, early childhood illness or prophetic dreams/nightmares to be considered for the position.

I have often wondered what the implications of that really are, could the transition back and forth between the spirit world be similar to crossing inter dimensional barriers? Could standing on the thresh hold of life and death result in greater cultivation of the basic energy that empowers and drives all things?

What affects would it have on a much larger population like our own if even 3 to 5% (Equivalent to the population of the US) of the world population were to suddenly have this kind of awakening?

reply to post by Thorneblood


I don't recall the position being specifically associated with childhood exposure to a near death experience or illness in the Navajo tribe. Mostly, the detection comes from being born within a family of medicine men. What is looked for precisely varies between the different type of medicine men, but the ability to heal oneself or others is a definite factor in selection for training as a hatali and most likely for hand tremblers as well. Going to add an aside here for any others reading this that medicine in the Navajo culture is not just for the physical body but also the spiritual. The medicine man's son that I knew was the son of a hatali (singer). What he definitively said on why he was not selected was that he lacked a certain perception or insight that would've allowed him to become one. He did assist his father in an apprentice like fashion but could not become one because of what he was lacking. The closest comparison would have been an awareness and ability to perceive he spiritual world along the lines of clairvoyance. Basically, the child must have "power". That is the best of what I know on that particular subject and I'm certain that deeper facets into selection for training exist that I was not privy to with good reason. Although close to being Navajo, I was still a bilagaana.

In terms of your ideas of exposing even a small percentage of the population to a kind of awakening, I suspect that such a thing may have already been attempted but am not 100% sure. John Curtis Gowan was the director and president of the National Association of Gifted Children and an educational psychologist.

Also, another note--the Navajo would not like the idea of their culture being compared to a shamanistic one at all. Within Navajo society, what would've been their animal shamans went foul and were evicted from the tribe under a variety of crimes so shamanism has an understandable taint for the Navajo. However, it still describes their culture in terms of maintaining a balance with nature (hozho) and I use it not in defiance of the Navajo but to help cultivate understanding.

reply to post by BobAthome


Yeah, I remember those two. That was a really strange set of incidents.