A shaman is standing in the middle of a forest clearing,
doing Shaman stuff. Suddenly, he comes to the knowledge of a Terrible Thing that's
coming upon him. He knows this because that is part of what a Shaman does. He
knows Shaman stuff. Because this knowledge came to him as a result of objective
mentation, and not because of an accidental and semi-consciouss chain of thoughts and
associations, he determines the real and inmediate gravity of the situation. At the
same time he realizes, due to the application of the law of resonance, that this Terrible
Thing that is coming upon him is consciouss--and of knowledge. The Terrible Thing is
not anything any human would fear--for they only fear that which threatens their false
sense of security and identity. No. It isnot death that is coming to him--he
knows death is always to his left, hunting and taunting him like a skilled lover before
the union. It isn't pain, oblivion, or disgrace that is coming to him. No,
this is a truly objectively Terrible Thing.
The Shaman, because of the law of correspondence, knows
also that the Terrible Thing coming upon him knows him. It is looking for him.
It knows him, at least as much as he knows himself. The Shaman knows this because he
knows nothing of this Terrible Thing, except that it is the Terrible Thing that is coming
upon him.
There is no escape, no consolation, no way to fight, and no
way to surrender. The Terrible Thing is coming to the Shaman.
At that moment, a bear comes into the clearing. The
Shaman looks bear in the eye. The Shaman knows bear. The sly Shaman comes upon
a way. Because that is what a Sly Shaman does: always coming upon a Way.
The Shaman takes on the form of bear, applying all
the art of shape-shifting. He does it impeccably and resolutely.
When the Terrible Thing came to the clearing, it found a
man and a bear. The bear was just leaving, and as it leaves it has already forgotten
that he is a powerful and sly Shaman. All he knows are bear concerns, and bear
skills, and bear hungers. Bear knows nothing of the problems or memories or
strategies of sly shamen. Bear is Bear, and has always being Bear. The
Terrible Thing did not come upon the bear, it was coming upon the Shaman.
The man in the clearing was standing there, facing the
Terrible Thing and seeing the bear part. It has the memories of having being a
Shaman, and having come to the clearing to pick a medicinal plant for his sick son.
It also has this vague feeling that something terrible was coming upon him. It is a
visceral feeling, not a definite knowledge. But he has the belief that he is a
shaman, a powerful shaman who has done great and wondrous things. He believes
himself to have power, skill, and cunning. He feels he is prepared for anything, any
terrible thing that might come his way. The Terrible Thing was not interested in a
pitiful man full of delusions and sadness. It was coming upon the Shaman, not upon a
shadow.
That is what the Terrible Thing saw on the forrest
clearing: a sad, old, powerless man who believes himself to be a shaman; and a bear who
hungers like a bear, hunts like a bear, and has the thoughts and skills of a bear--and
nothing else.
How sad. How bad. What a terrible thing it is
that didn't visit upon the shaman. All is lost now.
Experiment 1
Consider the present moment in which you find yourself. Along with what you can perceive
around you and within you, there are a number of memories of the past you can invoke.
Also, there are a number of projections or credible images of the future you can create.
These perceptions of the past and the future can be here, present for you in your
imagination. What is the difference between the two? Don’t they “feel”
similar? Can you come to see the images of the past indistinguishable from images that
have not happened? Try it.
Experiment 2
Evoke a memory of the past. It can be something that happened earlier today, last week, or
of your childhood. Once you pick a memory, visualize the sequence of events as you
remember them. Now, see where there are gaps in that sequence and insert clips from your
own imagination. That is, fill in the gaps with a sequence that makes sense to you. There
are no requirements to what you can add. It can be ordinary events, or they can be
fantastic events. Tell the story, or write it down. Does seem more real the more you tell
it?
Experiment 3
Go to a place where you have a strong memory. It
can be a good memory or a bad one, but it should be something that evokes a strong
emotional response in you. Stand in the place (or as close as you can) and allow the
memories to wash over you. Feel the body and its strong electrical relationship to this
place and the images that it evokes. Allow all these emotions to flow through in any way
they wish. Feel, sense and think through all the images, memories and thoughts that come
rushing towards you. As this happens, take a TRUE STEP backwards. Watch it from somewhere
above and behind your head. Who were you then? What could you have been? Who is this body?
Where is this body? Who are you apart from this body? Who are you now?
Allow for silence then slowly reintegrate with
your body. Something has changed. You are not the same.
Walk away.
