By Sara Annon

Foreword

I am writing this book for those who long for greater depth in their shamanic practices. The human population is booming past six billion, some say that there are currently more humans living than have existed since we first appeared. More people now are experiencing shamanic states of consciousness, journeying with the drum or the rattle, and taking hallucinogenic plants in ceremony, than all the shamans that ever existed in all our previous times. Most say that they are looking for greater balance, harmony, and peace in their lives. Most seek healing for the environment as well as themselves. With all these good intentions, why does our biosphere, our beautiful planet, spiral further and further into imbalance?
We continue to spiral into imbalance because while we have adapted shamanic techniques to the therapist’s office, we have not adapted our cultural mindset to shamanic practices. It is not enough to passively experience altered states of consciousness. It is not enough to interpret our experiences based on the very limited world of our small ego-self. What we do not realize is that in order to bring order out of chaos, in order to help and heal not only the individual but also the greater community, a tremendous depth of knowledge is required. The shaman must know the land, the spirits, and the language of his culture. In intact indigenous cultures, the shaman is an acute observer with a prodigious memory and a profound ability to recognize meaningful patterns in both the physical and etheric worlds that requires decades of pragmatic experiential work. What is it to think like a shaman? It is to dedicate yourself to decades of work learning your language, your community, your culture, your land, and your spirits. It is to be an active and knowledgeable participant in a spiritual practice that concerns itself with the collective energies of consciousness on all levels. There is great beauty, strength, and wisdom in our spiritual and scientific traditions. There are also deeply embedded distortions that lead us into killing one another and destroying the earth’s capacity to support humanity. If we want to live, if we want a peaceful world, we have to have the courage to find and change what is not working. I am not so much interested in what shamanism has been as I am interested in what shamanism could become. I am not selling a belief system. I am applying the thought processes inherent in shamanic practices to our western culture. I am writing for those who are willing to become fully cooked, fully human, fully active participants in the life of their world. I am writing for those who have to courage to go into chaos, and return with life-sustaining stories. In this way, your prayers take on meaning and life and have the energy to make a difference in the world.
Peace be with you,
Sara Annon
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