What Is Shamanic Wisdom? Stories on Finding Purpose and Shattering the Societal Box You’ve Been Put In.
stock image
By Sara Murray
October 22nd 2024
This article was inspired by asking myself this morning “What is shamanic wisdom?”, and all the realizations and shifts I moved through as a result. It’s a little all over the place, but the value is there.
As always, take what resonates and leave what does not! These are my opinions and truths, and should not be taken as facts - all facts are merely facets of the whole, anyway. ~
I have recently been giving my life’s work and career a lot of thought… reflecting on who I am, what I am here to create, and how I am here to serve others.
I’ve been trying to define myself and the work I do for others - which has been very hard to say the least, because my work is so multi-faceted, just like me. I do Akashic Records work, something I’ve been doing since becoming a certified Soul Realignment Practitioner in 2020, I have been reading tarot for myself and others since 2019, I am extremely passionate about plant medicine and psychedelics and have been sharing my wisdom on these topics for over 4 years, and recently I have been diving deeper into shamanism and studies of different shamanic lineages, in addition to working on a certification to become a Shamanic Life Coach.
But the titles, the labels, have never been important to me - the value I receive from studying and applying these teachings are what holds the most value for me. Who I have become over these past 6 years is what is valuable to me, not necessary the content of the many various topics I’ve studied.
So today, a sunny 70 degree Tuesday morning in Massachusetts in October, I’ve been dropping more deeply into this thought - what is shamanic wisdom?
Like any other American, I instantly thought to google it and see what AI says… this is what I got.
“Shamanic wisdom is a belief system that is based on the idea that the world is a reflection of an internal map that we create about reality. Shamans believe that this map is stored in the light body, which is similar to the brain’s neural networks. They also believe that the light body is the blueprint for health and disease. ”
Here are some other aspects of shamanic wisdom, also from Google:
Relationship with spirits
Shamans believe that the visible world is filled with invisible forces and spirits that affect the lives of the living. They seek to connect with the spirit in all things.
Healing
Shamans use both spiritual and physical methods to heal, as they believe that the causes of disease are in the spiritual realm.
Divinity within
Shamans believe that everyone has a light, divinity, or nagual within them, and that each person has their own truth.
Reclaiming shamanic energy
Some believe that we can reclaim the shamanic energy that is our birthright.
Merging the secular and sacred
Some believe that we can merge the secular with the sacred to become stewards of the planet.
Upon reading all this, I was a bit mind blown. I’ve always resonated most with the term “shaman” when trying to describe my business, what I do in service to others, and spiritual practices, but I’ve always doubted myself because I am a white American woman. I thought because of who society tells me I am, I cannot be a shaman, or share shamanic tools and lineages with others.
But… why not? This is what I asked myself after all these limiting beliefs and self doubts came into my consciousness. Seriously… why can’t I call myself a shaman?
I’ve been deeply invested in studying ancient civilizations since I was a child. Although I lost myself to the party scene for a few years after high school, after my near death experience and eventual spiritual awakening, I fell right back in love with shamanic wisdom and the teachings of ancient civilizations.
Reclaiming who I am, beyond the labels, conditioning and pressure from external forces, as been the most liberating journey I have been on in this human incarnation. Remembering my past lives, having transcendental experiences both sober and on psychedelics, and seeking out holistic healing has been the game changer in shifting my life, bringing me from suicidal ideations, narcissism and deep self hatred to unconditional love, service to others and honoring all people just because they exist. I used to judge everyone and everything, because it’s a part of our human nature and it’s all I saw people doing around me, but I soon learned that there’s another way to play the game.
We attract what we judge until we no longer judge it and see it for what it is - a reflection of the parts within ourselves that we reject and judge endlessly. All experiences we attract are an opportunity to resolve the judgements we hold within, to eventually expand us into the truth of our being and who we are at our core… which is energy, expressing itself in different forms.
Many shamanic teachings reveal our interconnected nature, that we all come from the same energy source and this is the life force energy that animates us at our core. We are all one, but we are all many facets of the one. We are all unique, different expressions of the same force.
~ cue a star wars quote ~
stock image
So… where do we go from here?
How does one step into their purpose, and create a new identity for themself, when societal conditioning and negative thought loops are standing in the way, pushing us back down into our smallness and keeping us within the realm of what is familiar, known and safe?
How does one break out of the box, without stepping on any toes or pissing people off?
Well, you don’t.
This doesn’t mean you don’t break out of the box, it means you’re faced with a choice…
Continue on people pleasing and existing in the box that society placed you in. You continue on being nobody special, just a cog in the machine, accepting the fate and identity that has been given to you by your government and society around you.
or…
You break out of the box, and choose to go your own way, in integrity and alignment with the unconditionally loving and accepting source of energy within you and within all beings. You honor yourself for your individuality and give yourself permission to be fully authentic and true in every situation you find yourself in. You dedicate yourself to service of others and allow the Great Spirit to flow through you, recognizing that it’s all God anyway and that you can open yourself up to this higher power to show you the path to your soul’s highest expansion.
Which do you choose?
It may seem obvious, like an easy choice… but it’s not. All the societal pressure, the way others see you, who you’re supposed to be when you show up at work… all can stand in the way of choosing the path of your authentic self expression and true calling. But hey, I get it. I understand this pressure fully - it held me back, and kept me in boxes, for years at a time. But, one day - or a series days that unfolded as life changing realizations and a growing discomfort in this societal box - I knew I could live this inauthentic life no more.
And I decided to go full time with my purpose, after many years of preparing, researching and rediscovering who I am at my core, who my truth self is, and what my expression feels like when I am being most authentic.
The way people reacted when I started being authentic and following my dreams was SCARY. The rejection, the fear, the projections and judgements sent my way were deeply unsettling, but also reflected all the fears and rejection of my purpose I held within me for so many years, trying to keep myself safe and within the bounds of what is known and familiar to the people around me. I kept myself in the box for years, and when I started to step out of it, it sent ripples of change out around me, triggering many others who never gave themselves permission to follow their dreams. I realized those who were projecting onto me were only trying to bring me down so they did not have to face off with their own failed dreams and repressed passions - so they didn’t have to take responsibility for their own lives, and could continue on in the machine of suffering and illusion that has been conditioned into them through repetition, familiarity and societal standards.
Oof, that was a mouth full…
But yeah, you can see the path I chose when I was faced with the above mentioned crossroads. When you follow your dreams, you will have to face everything that has been holding you back from doing so - all the limiting beliefs, negative attachments, fear based programming, thought loops, conditioning, people pleasing tendencies and so much more - only to realize your true strength, and to learn about the nature of the illusions you kept yourself trapped in for some time.
Fear is a real stifling force of all things godly and rooted in passion. It is the weapon of choice for the control systems across the world that are rooted in materialism, control and greed, serving themselves over being of service to the world as a whole. If you want to learn more about this, check out any of my articles about the Matrix, the upcoming Timeline Split, or the Control System. I have a few.
So… I am Sara Murray. I was born and raised in Massachusetts. My favorite foods are pizza, zucchini and potatoes, and I love smoothies. My favorite show since childhood has been Ancient Aliens. I love reading books. And most of all, I love sharing knowledge with others. I deeply, deeply love shamanic wisdom and teachings from long ago, lost for centuries to capitalism and colonialism, a virus that spread across the globe but who’s power and influence over humanity is coming to an end.
There is so much more to me than my identity that was created for me by the system surrounding me. I am so much more than a woman. I am so much more than a social security number. I am so much more than my nationality. I am so much more than my local identity - being from the North Shore of Massachusetts. I am so much more than the sports teams, identity structures and trends of my local area. I am so much more than who I’ve been told to be.
When we spend our lives solely identifying with the constructs and shared identity structures around us, we miss out on our true individuality. Our true authenticity. Who we are at our core is sacred, unique, infinite and pure. We are all creative, in our own ways… what if we die before finding out what that is, instead choosing to fit the mold and fill the script society, our parents, teachers, authority figures place upon us?
You are not “stupid” just because you found it hard to pay attention in school. You are not less than because you have ADHD, OCD, dyslexia or a learning disability. You are not wrong because you don’t like doing homework, or failed your vocabulary tests. I’ve been there. It ain’t shit. School is a playing field, a place for expansion, learning and finding who you are. It has been turned into a breeding ground for mental illness, hierarchies, bullying and putting people into a box. It has caused more harm than good to our children, if you want my opinion. Nearly every child hates going to school, deals with countless suffering while within it’s doors, and is fed terrible, awful quality food, so why do we force them to go?
“Well that’s just what everyone does. You go to school, you get good grades so you can PAY to go to more school, where you graduate and get a job, and then maybe you get married and get a house…” and thats is?
If you ask me, this path laid out for us feels quite hollow. People have been defending this system, this lifestyle, because it’s all they’ve ever known. But hows it going? Has anyone asked themselves that?
You are gifted. We are all gifted in our own ways. And as one chapter of human life ends, and another begins, we are being gifted a blank slate. When you discover everything you’ve been told or given has been a lie, an illusion designed to keep you within the bounds of what is deemed right and good, imprinted on you by a small few people who do not have your best interest at heart, where do you go from there?
You see it as a blank slate. If everything you’ve known is false, then get excited because the path to truth is more exciting and beneficial then you could ever imagine. It may be challenging, scary or painful at times, but so is life. Existence is not meant to be a cushy, cookie cutter, “thats just the way it is” reality that is the same everyday with little to no change. It is meant to be explored, felt, sensualized and experiences to its fullest. It doesn’t rain everyday - sometimes it’s sunny, sometime’s its cloudy. All of it is necessary to create a fullness and richness of life experience. Without the dark, you could never fully know the light.
So, seek the light within yourself, my friend. What is it calling you towards? What dream was seeded within your heart before you were born, that was activated in childhood and possibly stomped out through school and growing up and fitting into society’s mold? What passions are calling to you, eagerly desiring to be expressed and transmitted to the collective of humanity?
Sing your unique song. Play your authentic role. Be your truest self, please.
The world is STARVING for you, for the real you.
I hope this inspires you to reclaim your authenticity, even if it gets you judgement from others. Your medicine is sacred. Your magic is desired, now more than ever.
Be yourself - everyone else is taken.
Much Love beautiful souls ~
Namaste,
Sara Murray
ancientesoterica@gmail.com
