Frequently Asked Questions
How to find a "true" shaman..?
The term "shaman" is used very commonly and loosely nowadays. I personally in 30 years have met only a few who I would call true shamans - most of them were old and are dead by now.
There are so many people who drink too much plant medicine, for the wrong reason with the wrong person.
The Master often reflects the student. So I would be careful when it comes to recommendations from others about shamans. Since from the too many who drink plant medicine only a small percentage are in a position to make a valuable statement/recommendation/reference. Ultimately it is up to each individual to work it out and is based on personal experience.
The seed of the dark forces is planted within this world...
... The essence of the dark forces is not from this world...
Its energetic code is like a virus...it spreads itself silently ... for it is multifaceted mutante...it has the ability to shapeshift and change its code and form continually...
... it is deceiving...and shows up on pretty much every level of this world and humanity...
... though its most powerful deceiving disguise is ...when wearing "the white warm fur of a lamb, his eyes are soft and gentle, his teeth that are not the teeth of a predator".
... this way being able to manifest itself where it is the least suspected to be found
... and cannot be detected that easily by an average human being..
_________________________________________
Who are the real shamans?
I cannot say who the true shamans are, instead I will quote some of what the old, wise shamans say:
"A shaman is born and not made. To be a shaman means to be born with the "don" ( the gift ) to "see", to heal... The gift to "see" cannot be taught not even by the most powerful shaman...it cannot be bought with money. Ayahuasca and San Pedro do not give the capacity to "see"...they awaken it in those who are born with the gift . Of the many who nowadays drink and work with plant medicine..there are only very few who truly "see". Of those few, ...even fewer are capable to "see " when not under the effects of plant medicine.
The old and wise shamans disdain all those shamans, who , without having been "called" take advantage of the identity crisis of western culture and the increasing interest in shamanism, esoterism and alternative medicine ... claiming that they have "learned"...what never can be tought. Those shamans motivations do not come from a place of "true vocation" ..they are motivated by money and take advantage of people who come from a cultural background where you can buy and sell everything.
The old shamans say that the spirit of the plant is tied to the spirit of the land where it is growing, and these plants should be taken in the place of their natural habitat.( ayahuasca in the jungle.and not elsewhere...)
They also say that each plant has its own vibration...that taking different plant medicines ( ayahuasca, san pedro, peyote, hulico seeds, etc) in the same night can have harmful effects for people since the vibrations are different and not compatible with each other. They also do not recommend ceremonies in very large groups since from a certain group size on it is harder if not impossible to achieve healing. People do not die from Ayahuasca but from bad shamanism.
_________________________________________
How to know if a shaman is " light" or" dark".?
The line in between light and dark is very fine...
The Light shaman:
Some shamans work only with the light, they work for the good of all...not for personal reasons ( money, power status, control)..
They do not lie , cheat or take advantage of others, their general lifestyle goes hand in hand with a huge amount of respect and love for nature , animals and Pacha mama.
They are guided by "pure heart"..by a genuine calling to be of service...
they will never ever attack others...only if necessary they will defend themselves ( and their clients) ...not by using black magic but with the help of their spirits
helpers and ritualistic action...that way sending the bad energy back to its originator...
The Dark shamans :
They are driven by a different intention...they attack not to defend themselves but to make money ...they are motivated by their personal interest in money...
..their work does not come from a place of " Pure heart " and complete surrender ...
...they are not guided by the spirit of the plant but by their narcicistic ego.
... to be able to take advantage of others , .they will pretend to be something they are not.. ..they will cheat...they will lie...
Sometimes they pact with entities that are not of the light . Their power of divination, healing etc. comes from the entities they pact with...in exchange they have to pay them back, often with blood sacrifice.Those pacts can be done deliberate by a shaman. Those pacts are long lasting and difficult if not impossible to undo.
Though at times pacts happen in an unconscious way...which really is more a form of spirit possession ...which can happen when people get into practises of black magic...or when non-shamans abuse and misuse Ayahuasca and Wachuma...and that for lack the shaman's innate protection of their spirit helpers...
...then the entity will take over the person's body and personality and through them do terrible things...rapping..torturing...sacrificing animals...kill humans...or even kill he person who he is in possession of...
sometimes those entities also may attach to one of the clients/patients...depending on what kind of entity the symptoms of the attachment/possession could vary from barley to notice, to mild...up to extreme...such as in the case of Antares de Luz, the chilenean Cult leader who sacrificed animals and his baby ( and maybe something similar could have happened to Leslie Allison...?...)
there are minor forms of spirit possession that might go undetected ..they can persist a lifetime...
Independent of how light or severe it will manifest.. in most cases intervention from a shaman is needed to remove them.
the fine line in between light and dark is defined by the intention...
...also ...there is another type of shaman who works with both...the dark and the light..
The "gift to see" ( el don) cannot be called upon neither by drinking plant medicine nor by learning how to imitate the specific ways and rituals of some shamanic tradition...
it cannot be transmitted from one person to another..
"El Don" is bestowed by the spirits themselves in an act of mercy...
it cannot be earned, bought or learned...
The old wise shamans also say that...
Plant medicine's carry tremendous powers ... those can be harmful when handled by non shamans...harmful not only to the person but also to his clients/patients.
( I have met plenty of people who have suffered from delusion, paranoia, voices in their head, ongoing nightmares where as before hey never had them, insomnia , panic attacks ..etc...)
Regarding the many shamanic retreat centers and people who offer ceremonies these days...:
Quote from Nestor Herrera, an old peruvian shaman from Huancabamba:
" There are more shamans than flees on the stomach of an old dying dog"
( the "old dying dog " being a synonymous for the "shaman who has been truly called" )