KAJAMA.COM NEWSLETTER

January 30 through February 5, 2023

The Gemini Moon will have us engaged in social and intellectual pursuits on Monday and Tuesday, as we search for creative ways to change up our routines and think outside of the box. If there’s anything you need to get done, however, do it now, as come Wednesday things will slow to a halt and the rest of the work week can be a bit ethereal, thanks to the Moon’s travels through Cancer. Use these days to reconnect with loved ones, restore order to your home, or practice the art of self-care. The weekend’s Leo Moon will bring out our generous sides, as we unite with others in a common goal or reach out to those in need. Sunday’s full Moon in Leo inspires a time of release, so clear out those closets and get things ready for the donation center, or journal to let go of the past and anything that is holding you back from living in the moment or moving forward.

Shamans, Saints, and Sages: What is a Spiritual Hero, and What Does it Take to Become One?, by Roger Walsh

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

"Only if we know that the thing which truly matters is the infinite can we avoid fixing our interests upon futilities and upon all kindsof goals which are not of real importance."—Carl Jung

Throughout history, certain extraordinary individuals have lived, loved, or excelled so well that ordinary mortals have regarded them with awe and bewilderment. These are humankind’s heroes, the healers, helpers, saints, and sages who exemplify our untapped potential. Ordinary mortals have wondered and puzzled about them, venerated or even worshiped them, and often felt that they must be more than merely human, even when the heroes themselves made no such claims.

"Are you a God?" they asked the Buddha.

"No," he replied.

"Are you an angel, then?"

"No."

"Then what are you?"

Replied the Buddha, "I am awake."

The mythologist Joseph Campbell collected diverse accounts (legends, myths, biographies) of all types of heroes—warriors, healers, saints, and gods—and distilled the stages of life that they pass through. Campbell's genius lay in recognizing the common thread that runs through these many lives, and in unifying them into a single grand story.

But this grand unification comes at a price, and that price is the obscuring of differences. For while it is true that there are similarities between the journey of a saint and a warrior, there are also major differences, and Campbell tends to elevate them all to the same transcendent status.

Our focus here is on spiritual heroes. These are the shamans, yogis, saints, and sages whose lives' aim and game center on the quest for enlightenment, liberation, salvation, or awakening. It is a quest which began untold thousands of years ago with shamanism, our earliest and most enduring healing and spiritual tradition.

The book The World of Shamanism examines this ancient tradition in the light of modern medicine, psychology, neuroscience, consciousness disciplines, and religious studies. What becomes evident is that shamans were our first forebears to develop a "technology of transcendence:" a set of practices capable of inducing altered states of consciousness (ASCs). In these ASCs, shamans were able to experience themselves as free "souls," engage in "soul flights," and to use these experiences to learn, help, and heal. As such, they became humankind's first spiritual heroes, first adventurers in consciousness, and first master game players.

The "master game" is one name given to the quest for enlightenment and awakening. It is the game of exploring and mastering, not the of the outer but the inner world of one's own mind and consciousness. Its ultimate goal is no less than to recognize and dissolve into one's true nature, and to delight in the greatest of all possible discoveries: the ecstatic realization that this nature is inseparable from the Divine.

Different traditions express this discovery in different ways, but the message is clearly the same. In the great monotheistic traditions we find:

• The Kingdom of Heaven is within you. (Jesus, Christianity)
• Those who know themselves know their Lord. (Mohammad, Islam)
• He is in all, and all is in Him. (Judaism)

Centuries earlier, similar words were already pouring from ecstatic Chinese practitioners:

• Those who know completely their own nature, know heaven. (Mencius, Confucianism)
• In the depths of the soul, one sees the Divine, the one. (The Chinese Book of Changes)

Indian traditions also offer the same gift, the recognition that, in their words:

• Atman (individual consciousness) and Brahman (universal consciousness) are one. (Hinduism)
• Look within, you are the Buddha. (Buddhism)

But this raises a painfully obvious question. Why do most of us sleepwalk through life oblivious of our true nature? In his book The Master Game, Robert DeRopp explains that the basic idea underlying all the great religions "...[i]s that man is asleep, that he lives amid dreams and delusions, that he cuts himself off from the universal consciousness….To crawl into the narrow shell of a personal ego. To emerge from this narrow shell, to regain union with the universal consciousness, to pass from the darkness of the ego-centered illusion into the light of the non-ego, this was the real aim of the Religion Game as defined by the great teachers: Jesus, Gautama, Krishna, Mahavira, Lao-tze and the Platonic Socrates."

Emergence, reunion, and enlightenment are the aim of both spiritual heroes and the Master Game to which they devote their lives.

The World of Shamanism shows how the Master Game progresses through five major stages, which are:

1. The hero's early conventional life
2. The call to adventure and awakening
3. Discipline and training
4. Culmination of the quest
5. The final phase of return and contribution to society

Conventional Slumber

The normal adjustment of the average, common-sense, well-adjusted [person] implies a continued successful rejection of much of the depths of human nature.—Abraham Maslow

At first, the hero slumbers unreflectively within the conventions of society like the rest of us. To a large extent, the culture's conventional beliefs are accepted as reality, its morals deemed appropriate, and its limits seen as natural. This is the developmental stage of conventionality, where most of us languish unquestioningly throughout life. Conventionality is an essential stage of life's journey, but it can be a stopping point or a stepping stone. Since our culture rarely recognizes further possibilities, most people settle here and die here. But if there is one point on which Master Game players agree, it is that though conventionality may be a necessary stage of life, it is definitely not the highest.

In fact, the conventional way of being and state of mind are considered as suboptimal, clouded, and inauthentic. In Asia, this clouded state is described as maya, illusion, or dreamlike. In the West, existentialists label it as automaton conformity, everydayness, or inauthenticity. Likewise, psychologists describe it as a shared hypnosis, a collective trance, or to use Freud's term, "the psychopathology of the average." Whatever its name, the painful implication is that most of us sleepwalk through life, ignorant of our potential, and unaware of our clouded trance because we are born into it, we all share it, and because we live in the biggest cult of all: cult-ure. The hero's task is to go beyond these conventional limitations.

The Call to Adventure and Awakening
At some point the hero's conventional slumber is challenged by a crisis, an existential confrontation that calls previous beliefs and ways of life into question. The call can come from within or without. Outer physical crises may take the form of sickness, as with some shamans, or suddenly staring death in the face.

An inner call may take the form of a powerful dream or vision, or of a deep heartfelt response to a new teacher or teaching. It may also emerge more subtly as "divine discontent:" a growing dissatisfaction with the pleasures of the world or a gnawing question about the deeper meaning of life. No matter how this challenge arises, it reveals the limits of conventional thinking and living and urges the hero beyond them. In our culture, this may appear as an existential or mid-life crisis. Tragically, the deeper causes and questions of the crisis are rarely recognized, its potential rarely fulfilled, and one of life's great opportunities is then missed.

As Jesus said, "Many are called, but few are chosen." Indeed, few choose to even recognize the call. And no wonder! For those who hear the call now face a terrible dilemma. They must choose whether to answer the call and then venture into the unknown realms of life to which it beckons, or deny the call and retreat into their familiar cocoon. If the call is denied, then there is little choice but to repress the message and its far-reaching implications. Only by such repression can non-heroes fall again into the seductive, anesthetic comforts of conventional unawareness, suppress the sublime, and sink into what the philosopher Kierkegaard so aptly called "tranquilization by the trivial." The result is a life of unconsciousness and conformity, which existentialists call inauthentic living and alienation.

But the call never really goes away. It lurks in the unconscious, alienated, and repressed, but periodically sending into awareness bubbles of vague dissatisfaction and disease that demand still more defenses and distraction. No wonder that a potential shaman who refuses the call is said to be at risk of sickness or insanity.

Discipline and Training
For the next phase, a teacher is essential. The teacher's job is to assess the would-be hero, and then tailor an appropriate training program. This program will inevitably include at least some of the seven central practices that all the world's major religions regard as central and essential for anyone who would live fully and awake. For a description of these practices and practical exercises to use them, read Essential Spirituality: The Seven Central Practices, and for a conceptual understanding of such practices see Paths Beyond Ego: The Transpersonal Vision.

Physical disciplines train the body as well as disrupt the ordinary physiology and state of mind, and thereby open the mind to new possibilities. These disciplines include fasting, sleep deprivation, physical exertion, or exposure to extremes of heat or cold. Rhythm is a powerful adjunct and may involve singing, drumming, and dancing. Spiritual practices may involve meditation, yoga, ritual, or prayer, often combined with periods of quiet and solitude. Social disciplines may incorporate compassionate service to cultivate generosity or menial tasks to instill humility.

Whatever the method, the aim is the same. It is to work with body, heart, and mind so as to reduce the compulsions of greed and fear, to strengthen capacities such as will and wisdom, and to cultivate emotions such as love and compassion. The final goal is to develop the seven qualities of heart and mind that each of the great religions regards as central and essential to anyone who would live fully and awake in their spiritual identity.

The Culmination of the Quest
For successful players, years of discipline culminate in life changing breakthroughs. These may take the form of visions, insight, or experiences of death and rebirth. There may be a sense of dissolving into the Absolute, of union with Spirit, God, or the Tao. The potential experiences are numerous and the names many: salvation and satori, enlightenment and liberation, moksha and wu, fana and Ruach Hakodesh, death and rebirth, to name but a few. But whatever the name, the result is similar: a realization of one's deeper nature and a resultant self-transformation. For Master Game players, such breakthroughs represent their life goal.

With the great quest complete, the seeker has become a knower, the novice a shaman, the student a sage, the pupil a potential teacher. But there is one more phase before the journey is complete: return and contribution. With one's own questions answered, the world's confusion begs for clarification; with one's own suffering relieved, the pain and sorrow of the world cry for healing. The desire to contribute becomes compelling and the direction of the journey now reverses. Whereas one had formerly turned away from society and into one's self, now the hero turns back to society and out into the world.

There are numerous metaphors for this return. In Plato's parable, after escaping from the cave the hero reenters it to help others make their escape. Zen's famous "Oxherding Pictures" portray in exquisite images the stages of spiritual life. In the tenth and final picture, the enlightened one "enters the marketplace with help bestowing hands." In shamanism, novices first tame their spirits and then use them for the benefit of their tribe. For Christian mystics this return is the final stage of the "spiritual marriage" with God—the stage of "fruitfulness of the soul."

This phase completes a cycle that historian Arnold Toynbee called "withdrawal and return." Spiritual heroes withdraw from society to wrestle with the fundamental questions of life, find insight and inspiration within their own depths, and then return to help, heal, and teach.

Of course the spiritual hero's journey can be, and usually is, played out less fully and dramatically. Many set out on the path but few attain the greatest heights. Nor do the stages of the soul always constitute a single great circle of withdrawal and return. Rather, the journey may consist of a series of circles, like a spiral in which one returns again and again, but each time to a higher vantage point.

Fortunately, the hero's journey is not limited to saints and sages. It is available to us all to greater or lesser degrees, depending on the sincerity and intensity with which we undertake it.

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2008. All rights reserved.

Last year I had a roommate and we became very close. Basically, we clicked almost immediately; there was a definite psychic connection between us. Somewhere along the line, my feelings for him became something more. Living with him really taught me a lot about myself, but I told myself all along that I loved him like a pesky but lovable kid brother. He moved out in September due to new employment, and I literally cried my eyes and heart out. It's like there's this big hole in my soul. I do still hear from him, and my feelings vacillate between joy and pain, because I realized that I'm in love with him. A psychic friend of mine said I connected with him the way I did because he's from my soul family.

While I hinted to him about my feelings, I never came right out and told him for fear of rejection. (I've never had much luck with love relationships in the past.) Also, I'm 11 years older than he is, and I tell myself that I should know better. Should I tell him how I feel about him? Should we always tell others if we're in love with them? Is there a chance of this working? Heaven knows, no one ever has really touched me emotionally like this in over 20 years. The last time that happened, it turned into a disaster.

Terrie

Dreamchaser:

Terrie, I sure am glad someone asked this question in this forum. Should we always tell people how we feel about them? Absolutely not.

For me to say that may surprise some of you; regular clients know I am always stressing the importance of open and honest communication. In a case like this, however, I am not sure that open communication is the best thing, because you must consider his feelings and comfort level during and after the communication.

Terrie, you two lived together for a while. I say this over and over again, because it's true: men are hunters. Hear me, ladies? Men are hunters. That is what they do. It is inbred in them from the beginning of time. If a man is interested in you romantically, sexually or any other way, you will know it. Men hunt. When a man sees a woman he wants, he goes after her. Now granted, not all men are directly expressive or aggressive, but they still hunt in their own quiet way. The fact that this man never hunted you in a romantic way reveals his true feelings.

I know I use my own life as an example quite frequently, and here I go again. I have an old boyfriend who broke up with me and broke my heart. I KNOW that we are soul partners. I realized, however, that we are not meant to be together romantically. As a result of that, I know that I can love him and call on him without wishing for more. I think you need to look at your relationship with this man and realize that for the rest of your life, he will be there. That is VERY important. He is most assuredly a member of your soul family.

I agree with your friend. You can love him with all your heart, but you have to realize that it will not be a romantic thing. You are very fortunate to have as much of him as you do. It is a very important and powerful friendship. If you ask me, this relationship IS working, just not on a romantic level.

Terrie, please re-read your question and look at how you think/ feel about LOVE in your life. You do not allow it in. You hold it off from yourself by saying things like, "Love never works for me." You also choose (subconsciously, I think) people you KNOW are romantically unavailable to fulfill your own "prophecy." If you would readjust your attitude, you could have plenty of men pounding down your door. You are quite a catch. If you need further insight, please come see one of the insightful psychics at Psychic Chat. They can help you resolve the issues that are keeping you from true love!

I wish you completeness.

*****

Astrea:

Aries usually doesn't fear rejection enough to NOT say "I LOVE YOU" to someone. If it's the age difference that's bothering you, I say, Pshaw! PFFFT! SILLY GIRL! Let's deal with THAT right out of the chute.

Eleven years is NOTHING. All that means is that when you were eighteen, he wasn't old enough to be with you. Now that this person who is from your Ka-Tet/Soul Family is old enough to BE with you, who are you to say nay? Say not NAY! Say YAY! Get over that NUMBER (which is all age is, ANYWAY) - it's just an EXCUSE. I so hate excuses that people throw around, especially that AGE thing. Friday (my husband) is fifteen years younger than I am, and it makes HIM feel relaxed! Your LEO couldn't care LESS how OLD you are, Darlin! He loves you for YOU!

Oh, did I mention that he is as lonely and scared and miserable as YOU are? The two of you are GOOD for each other. You already know there won't be a problem LIVING with him, which is just about the only thing that comes between Fire Signs - whether or not they can get along.

You ALREADY know that you're attracted to him, and you know that he is attracted to YOU. Also, he loves your BRAIN, and he's never going to find another woman who will spoil his Leo self rotten. Yes, I can tell you did your best. Now it's time for you to do BETTER!

Call him. Make a time to talk, and TELL HIM. He needs to hear how you feel so that he can tell you how HE feels. Yes, I know that you would "rather" he did the calling. You would rather the Leo be the Lion here and take the lead, but that's not going to happen, so you MUST. Both of you would be so much better off together. This being away from each other makes BOTH of you feel like you're sleep-walking through life. Every day (and night) that you're apart is like a link in a chain that will NOT bind you together. Spend some quality time with him working out the little details, and finding out from each other when EACH ONE of you figured out that you should be together.

Aries can take a hint when someone hints. Leos, however, have to HEAR THE WORDS each and every time. They are naturally skeptical of hints. They tend to feel they read too much into people and wind up getting hurt. That's why the straightforward approach with him is the ONLY way this can work out between you.

I feel a WONDERFUL relationship here. Don't let it slip away by being afraid. Aries is FEARLESS. Be your TRUE ARIES SELF, and everything will be wonderful! Trust yourself, and trust HIM.

Astrea:

Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.

Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!

While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!

I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!

As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.

I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.

You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!

Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.

A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.

You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.