Enlightenment on the Shamanic Path

Announcer 0:28

Hello, and welcome to speaking spirit where we talk about all things spiritual. Your host, John Moore is a shamanic practitioner and spiritual teacher. And now here's John.

John Moore 0:47

Hello, hello. Hello, everybody.

is the first day of February: 2023

I would say my apologies for that. ordinary reality sometimes gets in the way. Went through a big transition where bought a house and my girlfriend moved in. And we've been doing construction and, you know, my, my website kind of blew up. And I've been getting invites to do interviews and requests for people interested in healing or becoming students or Wow. So but I do want to get back to doing these on a regular basis. And hopefully, we'll have some guests coming up for you, as well. So you're not just listening to the sound of my voice. Pardon me if I'm a little scratchy, just having my morning coffee.

Hinduism, which is you know,: 6000

Anyway, let's talk about the sovereign enlightenment a little bit in this is a, you know, this is a phrase that is, you know, hard to grasp a little bit because there aren't amazing definitions out there. Right and then there are there are contradictory definitions there are in pardon me, excuse me, I don't edit these usually. So if I have a little cough or sneeze you'll pardon me and I don't edit them for a reason I you know, I want this to be just me talking or just me in dialogue with somebody without cleaning up my mistakes or or whatever, there's, there's a method to my madness. I'm gonna have a little, little something in my throat. I have a little sip of coffee here. One day, I will discover if there's a God somewhere associated with coffee, and I will build an altar unto God. I know it's coffee come from Ethiopia. Originally. I'm not I don't know where coffee comes from originally. I know it's grown heavily in the Americas but I don't know if it originated here or not. I'll find out I'll do some research. Before my next podcast maybe we'll do a whole episode on the sacred nature of coffee and cacao. Oh my gosh. Wow. Like we think of like going out and buying a candy bar at the store as chocolate but if you've never experienced ceremonial cacao, it's so drinking chocolate like actual drinking chocolate in ritual form. It's it's a, the psychoactive components of chocolate come to the forefront. It makes you feel warm and loved. And there's a reason why the coffee plant is in, in scientific you know, in in the scientific terminology is theobromine right is theobromine is the fruit of the literally food of the gods. And I concur. I love chocolate. But maybe I'll talk about cacao ceremony in another another episode, but let's go into let's go into enlightenment a little bit. Let's talk about enlightenment a little bit, and I'm going to talk about a model of everything In a model of of existence and how existence works. Now, this is a model and all models are imperfect because all models do two things, they distort, and they delete information. But we measure a model in its usefulness. For example, I might have a map of a street map in my phone, use my GPS, and the street map is important. Now, the street map is an abstraction. It's a model, it's not, you know, we don't drive on our phones, hopefully not anyway, the the end of your phone, I don't drive on my phone. But I can look at the map as a representation of the streets that I'm driving on and get to where I'm going. In that case, it's useful. But it's not the same thing. And it deletes information. My the map, and my phone doesn't show topography, for example. But if I wanted to know how tall a mountain was, for example, near me, or where a flood zone was, I might use a different kinds of model a map that represented the same thing from a different perspective and show a topographical map. Or, you know, sometimes people know with, you know, computer graphics and stuff, create some really cool maps, right. So you might see a map of an area like your state you live in with, you know, crime rates, in different colors, depending on the area. Right, and that's useful for certain type of thing. But it's not going to help you navigate from one place to another. And it's not going to show you how tall a mountain is. So my model, the way that I'm going to describe reality, the way that the Universe works, is both imperfect, incomplete and distorted. But useful from one, from a certain perspective, from my perspective, anyway, you might not find it useful, that's fine for your purposes. But, you know, it's not to say, you look at this model, well, that's wrong, because that's not what I was taught or whatever, set that aside for a moment. And just, if you set aside doubt, for a moment, you can bring it back after and you can completely throw this model out. And I have no problem with that. But for the purpose of this conversation, this model will be useful. So whether you are Christian or atheist, or whatever, we'll talk about the universe. And the reality is that there are, you know, maybe maybe infinite universes, the multiverse, right? But let's just talk about the universe for a moment. And there was a point in time where nothing, you know, where the universe didn't exist, whether you're, you know, religious, spiritual, but not religious, atheistic, you know, that that's an understanding. There was no time there was no space, there was, you know, some something, something existed before everything. And that something was really outside of our current what we conceive of as time and space. We could call that source, we could call that God, we could call that the proto universe or whatever. I don't know, I don't know what scientists call it what was there before the Big Bang. Everything in the universe was in a particle smaller than an atom. Think about that. And then, you know, source, God, the universe, whatever expanded into everything that we know and continues to expand and infinite diversity, expansion and change and all of these things. Let's talk about this from a spiritual perspective. From a god perspective or source perspective. I'm going to use the word source, but if you prefer the word God or you prefer the word Brahman, or you prefer the word, whatever you can fill in with that. I'm going to use the word source because source doesn't have a lot of baggage. The word God has a lot of baggage to it. And by just by baggage, I mean, I'm not dissing the concept of God. I'm just saying like, people have piled a lot of different meanings onto that word. We've anthropomorphized God sometimes to be this, you know, bearded dude standing in the clouds, and that's a very limiting view of source. So, source think of consciousness, and all pervasive like, think of a mind or consciousness. That is all there is. But all there is includes no limitation, there's no time there's no space, there's no matter. There's no gravity, there's no there are no trees or suns or stars or anything like that. There is consciousness. Right, there is this one consciousness, this one thing, this source. And this consciousness. And again, this is a model wants, what does everything there is want, but decides to have experience decides to experience things to have different experiences for whatever reason, we probably can't really know the reason how does this consciousness have experience? You know, how does it entertain itself or know things or learn about itself? How do experiences arise in this Source consciousness. And what it has to do is it has to create the source has to create the appearance because real boundaries and limitations, if you are all there is don't exist, there are no boundaries, there are no limitations, there's no time and space.

So it has to create things like time and space. And it has to create the illusion for of separation of individual consciousnesses like little bubbles of itself floating around. And that's what we are, that's what everything is when we see ourselves as separate from God or from others or from nature, from or from all there is where this little floating collection of illusory limitations and they say illusory, because we're still a part of that source. So one metaphor that I like to use. And again, this is a very limited model metaphor. If you think of source, if you think of God, if you think of all there is as this infinite beam of white light, passing through empty space. Now, if you look at a beam of light passing through space, you will see nothing. Right? Like if there's a beam of light passing in front of you and empty space, you don't see it, because it's not reflecting off of anything into your eyes. If you shine the light directly into your eyes, yes. Or if it hits an object, yes. So in order to experience itself, this infinite beam of white light has to set up limitations, surfaces to reflect off of write. So it just puts up a surface and the white light reflects back to back to and says, Okay, well, that's sort of, that's a lot. That's everything there is, and I already know that I'm everything there is, how do I explore. And then we experience everything there is. So we take that white light, and we put a prism in front of it, right? We've probably all done this in school at some point where you have, you know, a triangular prism, and you shine a white light on it and it spreads out into the spectrum of light. So this white light that is pure consciousness separates itself out into individuated beams of consciousness and then sets up limitations things that for these beams to reflect off of. So that experience cannot rise in this field of consciousness, and that's us we're a beam, we we as an individualized consciousness are one of those tiny beams of light spread out by that prism, one have infinite beams of light spread out by that prism. But we're a different we are one frequency, and our next door neighbor is a different frequency. And the tree that we're looking at is a different frequency and our cat is a different frequency. But it's all conscious. And it's all part of source. If, if you were able to block off that white light or turn it off, and you can't, nothing would exists that you know, the the prism is not what's creating the separation is not what's creating our consciousness. Nothing is creating our consciousness or consciousness just exists. But it exists as one color one frequency of that white light, that is all frequencies. So if you were able to turn off the white light, then it would, you know, all frequencies would seek cease to exist instantaneously, nothing would exist. There'll be no time, no space, no consciousness, no material, nothing. Nothing would exists, because white light is the source, it's everything. And everything at its core is consciousness. Even the things that we think of as things hold up a rock. That rock we know on a physical level is primarily empty space. The parts that are an empty space are physically are, you know, electrons and other subatomic particles floating around in space.

But the majority of that is, is empty as nothingness. But what what's behind that what's behind the subatomic particles what's, what holds that rock in place is consciousness beneath at all, so our reality beneath that in there are many so the other thing about this division, the spectrum this, you know, this wonderful thing. This is not to say that the physical world isn't beautiful and wonderful, and, you know, delightful thing to explore. It's just that one in one angle of it one in, in under the underlying spiritual reality of it is that it's illusory, that we are seeing things not as they are. But as they are arising as experience in our consciousness, and there's nothing wrong with that. It's not bad. And it's also not the case that I can decide the laws of physics don't apply to me all of a sudden. Because the laws of physics are arising in my consciousness. Are there people who have had spiritual realization to the point where they can defy the laws of physics? Seemingly so I have experienced things. Personally, I have witnessed things personally that don't have an explanation in what shamans call ordinary reality

so you know, we would call it glitches in the matrix per se, but they're you know, there are people who are developed to a level spiritually where they can where they have Siddhas or powers or you know, whatever. People who generally people who live in the state of enlightenment throw away their sidas like powers are something you pick up in this is you know, my understand I'm not saying that I'm I'm not describing myself as an enlightened saint or something. You pick up powers along the way. So I've known known people and known of people who had developed certain spiritual abilities, and then realize that those are a little bit of a trap along the way, the same way that illusory thinking it's just one step along the path to say, oh, yeah, this is just to point out how what I think is real is not really real. Like it's not the reality behind the reality. So let's get to enlightenment. what enlightenment is then is a return to source. So let's say I follow my, let's say, my beam of light is purple. I hope it is. I love purple. I follow that beam back using whatever technique using meditation, for example, using using shamanic journeying, using gnosis of some sort. I follow that beam back, and I realize that all is one underneath. That's kind of step one. Right? Is this realization is this mental realization. Because I'm still existing, intellectually, I can know that all is one. But I'm still knowing from a single mind perspective.

So, you know, and this, again, is there are spiritual systems where there are many, many, many levels of enlightenment very technically described levels of enlightenment, you know, Tibetan Buddhism talks about creating the rainbow body that survives death and you know, having all of the stuff and again, different models, different paintings of reality. If you and I were looking at the same sunset and creating a painting, we would create two different paintings right? Is your painting more real than mine? No, there are different perspectives. So

enlightenment essentially, is not just a realization that we are sourced that the there underneath it all is non duality, meaning we are the understanding the realization that we are all one but it's absorption in that. Now becoming absorbed in non duality doesn't necessarily mean that this body mind ceases to exist. This body mind can still exists. But the self that I experienced as AI starts to melt away a little bit.

This body mind can still exist as part of that spectrum that's broken apart. This body mind can teach others and lead others back to source and still have experiences. But the ego parts and I'll have to define ego too, because this is a term that comes up a lot. The ego is just the sum total experience of AI as a separate being. That's it. It's the experience of AI as a separate being. Now that experience includes a lots of things includes identifications, things that this experience of I identifies as, I think I am a man, a 50, almost 51 I'm proud to be my birthday. I think that I am a 50 year old man who lives in the state of Maine in the US and has two kids and a girlfriend and a dog and a cat. Is that who I really am? Well, I have a sense of that. I have a sense that that i is speaking to you on this podcast. Underneath that though, under Beneath be behind that ego, if I transcend that ego, there is no difference between this self, the real self, and everything else there is that oneness. So let's talk about how shamanism might work with this. One of the things that the practice of shamanism lends to is an experience of oneness first with nature, right? First with spirits of nature and the natural world around us. Shamanism is very nature based. And this is one of the ways we experience the world around us as individuals, right we see the trees and the rocks and the rivers. But underneath that all when you practice shamanism, you see a the interconnectedness of all things. So it really is only one further step to understand the common source of all things. How are we all interconnected? How am I connected? To the tree that I'm looking at. And, and I can experience that tree as being conscious. You might think I'm crazy, but I can have a conversation with that tree. When I enter the right state of mind.

Why can I have a conversation with that tree because it's conscious. And its consciousness is a different flavor. It's a different frequency. It's a different shade of light, then my differentiated consciousness, but we have the same Source consciousness, and that is God, source Brahman, the universe, whatever. We are all one. So enlightenment is about movement, towards unity consciousness. Now there are stories of people, saints and cities and whatever who achieve enlightenment and disappear bodily. who decide, yeah, I'm done with this individuated experience. And either their body dies, usually very peacefully, are in a kind of a weird, there are, you know, monks who train for death, for example, and meditate until they pass away, but they're passing into a state of their passing into a different form of consciousness. Well, death is a passage in 20 different form of consciousness, but they're passing into very specific form of consciousness.

There are these like mummified monks in Japan and some other places where they do this very specific meditation practice, where they sit for three years in meditation, and eat very specific things and do very specific practices. And they pass away they die, the body dies, and the body is placed in a special chamber. for some period of time, I don't know seven years or something. And when they take it out, the body has not decomposed. It's as if this person is still sitting in that enlightened state. And that's an indicator to the monks who have worked with this person that you know, it's a physical indicator for them and their belief system that this person has passed into this state of enlightenment. They're not really they're not identified with the body anymore, the body and mind, the body and the brain and that part of the mind have ceased to be so enlightenment doesn't mean you you know, your body, my mind doesn't die. Your consciousness exists forever and has existed forever, and it technically is beyond space and time. This is the other realization that shamanism gives us is that space and time in spiritual terms. arms really break down. Like we can explore the past we can explore the future. But I can interact with I can do a session with somebody who's on the other side of the world and I have and they can experience something as I'm experiencing it here How could that be if we're not connected somehow. But we are underneath at all we're connected. Another realization that happens from shamanism is as high of done when you heal yourself as I've done my own self healing the world around me heels as well. There's a very interesting, from the regional holy grail stories that come out of Europe. And the area known as the UK is the story of The Fisher King where the wealthy fisherman or you know, whatever, there are many different forms of it. But this is, you know, a king or a rich fisherman who is wounded and has a wound has sort of a magical wound that doesn't heal. And all around him, the land that he lives in is in a blight seems to be associated with his wound. And then the night comes along or whatever in the story comes along and asks him some questions as some some correct questions. Some magical process happens there's a grail, which sometimes is a cup and sometimes is a platter of food. In the earliest stories about it, it is not the cup of Christ's that is a Christianization of the holy grail that came later. And, you know, there's a lot of archetypal stuff going on here, but there is, you know, this healing that happens, and when it happens, it heals the land and the rivers start to run and the plants start to bloom and the kingdom is saved. So it's about it is about this interconnectedness. It's about this mat, this magic of healing when you heal the self, the world around it heals as well because it's all interconnected underneath it all. So personally, I believe that shamanism is a fantastic path for spiritual healing

I have healed a lot from that. But it's also a fantastic path for doing exploration beyond just healing and part of this is that our our, our wounds inner or outer wounds only exists in a state of perceived imperfection you know and there's a lot of people will say that you are whole and complete imperfect just as you are. But you look at yourself and you say, but I've got back pain and I've got poor vision and I've got this and I've got that and I've got trauma and depression and addiction and all of these things yes, your body mind has those things, but the you that you are underneath it all the unity that you are the divine spark your beam is unbroken you cannot break that connection to Source or you would completely cease to exists you would never have existed because time and space are not things in at that level of reality. So anyway, um, I will talk more about this in the future and I will perhaps bring some guests on and talk about you know, realization of non duality and put that in a context with shamanism, perhaps. With that, I hope you are happy, healthy and well and I will talk to you very soon.

Announcer: 45:12

You have been listening to speaking spirit with your host John Moore. For more info or to contact John go to mainehamon.com That's maineshman.com