Over the more than 35 years of practicing as a professional Shaman, I have had many interactions with people of all ages who seek guidance, support, and healing. I am so honored to have been a part of each of their paths. Something that has happened many times over the years is age discrimination. First, it started with folks discriminating about me because I was way under 50 years of age when I began offering my practices and teachings. Many thought that there was no way I could know what I know at such an early age. They soon found, however, that I was and still am wise beyond my years…although now they expect it because my beard is white, not dirty blonde. Eventually people began to accept that I am what I say I am.
Then they began to discriminate against themselves. One reason for this is that they were not familiar with Shamanism and thought they had no right to explore it based upon the color of their skin, the fact that they associated it with only one fragment of the Shamanic population of the world, and because they were already, say, in their 60’s or older. Shamanism is universal, so I assured them that they were not culturally appropriating ANYTHING by exploring what their own ancestors were also known to practice. But when it came to their age when they began their journey of exploration I had two things to say.
First off, they did not have the benefit I had by being born into a family that practiced at this time. The teachings and practices had been lost over several hundred years. But they were still back there in their genealogy. So they needed to give themselves credit for finally coming to a point in their lives where they were now ready and willing to learn.
Second, we all get here however we can. What counts more is what we do once we arrive. It might take years, decades, or even lifetimes to come to a point where, through one experience or another, we are able to address the Shamanic connections we feel within ourselves and with everything around us. Much of that got hammered out of people as Abrahamic religions took over the planet. It simply has taken a long time to move beyond that dogmatic stuff and find your own personal truths. Once those truths are discovered, what do we do with them? Do we hide from them? Do we hide them from others? Do we stuff them deep within and try to function in the old paradigm for the sake of not rocking the boat within our family or religious community? Sometimes that is something that initially feels safer because then you are not exposing yourself to ridicule and condemnation. However, over time it will eat away at you, creating feelings of deep unrest, upset, and can even make you physically ill with the amount of emotional energy it takes to stay hidden.
It is better to come out of the Shamanic closet, so-to-speak. Accept your new beliefs and practices for what they are and understand that you are no longer living simply to keep others happy or comfortable. You are now living for yourself. Yes, there will be some who fade away from your life over time because they don’t jive with who you are becoming. That is alright. Some will walk away immediately for those same reasons. That is also alright. You might go through a period of loneliness and feel like you have no support whatsoever. That is also alright. You will get through these things and find your tribe of supportive people who “get it.” The thing is, once you have arrived at this place you don’t have to become a “practicing shaman” in order to live a life filled with shamanic understandings. You can simply live your life as you always have, but with new perspectives (or old perspectives if you consider the fact that Shamanism is well over 40,000 years old). It will simply change how you perceive your life and those around you. You will be able to come at life with more compassion than fear. You will be able to connect with others on much deeper levels. You will find conflict resolution easier because you will no longer be manipulated into self-doubt.
Follow your intuition and allow yourself to manifest and create the life you want for yourself, regardless of what others’ illusions of you may be. You can and will go through a complete metamorphosis. It is natural to do so. To try to work against yourself is self-defeating. It is your responsibility to continue to change and to grow throughout your entire life. You will be required to do your shadow work to vanquish your own inner demons. Dive in. You can do this. If you are afraid to start, know that there are many of us out here who have already been doing this for years. We are a resource for you. So don’t allow fear to hold you back. Feel the fear, and take the first step. Being brave does NOT mean to have no fear. It means to feel the fear and still do what needs to be done.