KAJAMA.COM NEWSLETTER

March 6 through March 12, 2023

We'll have two important astrological events occurring on Tuesday, as the Moon waxes full in Virgo and Saturn moves into Pisces. Saturn changes signs approximately every two years, so the last time it transitioned was in 2020 near the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Traveling through Aquarius during the last two years, we saw sudden changes, restrictions, and profound inventiveness, all hallmarks of this sign. As Saturn now ventures into Pisces for a two-year stay, we are likely to see the spiritual reasons that this event happened and be able to align ourselves to the changes that have occurred. This will also herald the start of a new cycle of growth and understanding. Full Moons call for release, and being in the sign of Virgo, Tuesday's full Moon is preparing us to leave Winter behind (Summer in the southern hemisphere) and begin to set our sights on the new year ahead. Our most productive days of the week occur under Monday and Tuesday's Virgo Moon, while we'll focus on balance Wednesday through Friday as the Moon travels through Libra. We can expect a quiet and mellow weekend under a free-flowing Scorpio Moon.

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.

I had a dream last night of my cousin's house. I was able to see the hallway to her living room and a part of a couch. I also saw the stairs to her bedroom, and that the bedroom had a sliding glass door. It was also clear that her bedroom was long but not wide. I was able to see this through the sliding glass door from the outside. The weird thing is that I have never been to my cousin's house, yet when I described her house as I had seen it in my dream, she was as amazed and confused as I was, because my description was totally accurate. Can you explain this to me?

Marissa

Dreamchaser:

Marissa, thanks for asking this question. I know that many people experience this kind of dream, but never say anything because it just sounds so far-fetched. What happened in your dream was your soul left your body and went to your cousin's house. This is called Astral Travel. Astral travel is defined as an out of body experience where there is a conscious separation of the soul from the body. Most people who come back from an astral travel experience will talk of being very high up in the sky looking down. I am more like you, Marissa; I go to actual physical places; I do not just fly around in the sky.

The most interesting part of this to me is that you remember it. We leave our bodies all the time and go away. Have you ever woken up with a start and felt completely disoriented? You might have looked around but you couldn't quite figure out where you were, even though you were in your own bedroom? You were waiting for your soul to catch back up with your mind/ body. Sometimes the opposite happens as well. Our souls will try to wake us up from a scary dream or place, and our mind/ body will not cooperate. That is when you can remember trying to wake yourself up.

I know I repeat myself in this column quite often, and here I go again. Oftentimes when we sleep, our souls leave our bodies and go to where they most need to be to heal from today and prepare for tomorrow. From time to time, our conscious minds just cannot deal with situations happening around us. We go to sleep and let our souls do the work. I know when I get stressed or sad, I try to take a nap. At times it is just the fix I need. We do not always remember these "trips." When we astral travel, however, we DO remember, and are very aware of the trip as it is happening and after we wake up. Apparently, we can train ourselves to astral travel at will. If you are interested in that, do a search on the Internet for "astral travel." I suggest you search anyway, Marissa, so that you can learn more than we can tell you here.

The bottom line here is not to be afraid of this experience, or those you have had before or will have in the future. This is a very normal and natural thing to have happen. Your cousin confirming your visit was just that: confirmation. You needed to know that it is REAL. When we question the validity of something, Spirit will find a way to show us the truth. I think you cannot doubt that you had this experience. Rock on, Spirit!

I wish you exciting travels.

*****

Astrea:

You and your cousin have a telepathic connection. Your subconscious is trying to bring the two of you closer together with this dream. There must be some reason that the two of you need to be in contact with one another on a more regular basis.

You dreamed of her house at probably the same time SHE was dreaming of her home. You shared this dream much the same way that people who are in love "at a distance" share their dreams without ever knowing that is happening. I have known people who have had similar experiences with parents, siblings and exes.

The advantage you have is that you know now that you can at least RECEIVE messages from her. Start practicing. The two of you should set up a practice schedule. Every day is probably too much for people with busy lives, but the two of you can agree on an hour or so three or four times a week. Try to practice at many different times, but keep as many as you can EARLY IN THE DAY.

Buy your cousin a deck of "ESP CARDS" and get a deck for yourself. These are the cards that have symbols on them such as triangles, circles, squares and wavy lines. Take turns on alternate days sending TEN CARDS mentally to one another. Keep a little notebook of the cards you "send" and the cards you "receive." Send on one day, and receive during the next practice session.

Don't compare notes for at least ninety days, then send each other your lists and compare what you got right and what you didn't. See if there is a "better" time of day. I believe that you will find after the first month your accuracy gets stunningly better! By the last 30 days, you should be ripping through those symbols with at least 85% accuracy. Remember, 50% is NORMAL, even for people who are NOT connected, so you two should start with a higher rate of accuracy.

When you find that this is not only POSSIBLE, but getting easier all the time, depart from your ESP cards and start sending "mental photos" to each other. Stay with the every other day routine. In about a year, you should EASILY be able not only to get the correct images, but to be able to "call" each other at any time. You'll also find windows into past lives and other experiences you and your cousin have shared before this lifetime.

Sometimes cousins are much closer than siblings telepathically and emotionally. The Universe is opening up something rare and beautiful between you two. Take the time to practice with each other, and enjoy the benefits of having a "SOUL" sister in this crazy world!

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.