Visited by a Shaman

"Indian". Art By
Mac Coyote


Drifting on a lazy day of little consequence, I strolled letting myself drift anywhere. Not concentrating on anything. There is this cafe on the corner of the center of looky-loo boulevard in Vancouver. When I take a seat in the smoking section I can watch the people strolling. Mostly its the distraction of the pretty girls that I seek. Its very enjoyable and I find the whole experience pulls my thoughts away to escape. Sitting writing by the window, I ordered my “Extra Large Mocha Decaf Cafe O’ Lait”. (An Oxy Moron if I ever heard one.) It was a warmish day for BC, I sat dazed glancing up from the window feeling my exhausted brain sliding down the side of my face as I let go to relax. A man came. A Native man. A man who appeared to almost stumble when he stepped. He came from the back of the restaurant. From the exit. The thin man, who appeared to be reasonably good shape, sat down. He placed his smokes down on a non-smoking table. I looked down, picked my cup up from a smoking table. He went to light a cigarette and then all hell broke loose. The waiter was there before the lit match had a chance to even scorch the tobacco. I leant down to write in my journal, trying to ignore the exchange between the drunk native man and the staff. "Mind if I sit here?" I looked up. "Excuse me?" I looked up to see a pair of blue eyes staring down at me from the Native man. "Can I sit and smoke here?" I felt tired, peevish and irritable. "Ah no, I'm sorry." He turned away. I had second thoughts about how peevish I was and what would it matter to me if he smoked. After all it was the smoking section and it was the only seat left. He did appear drunk, but who was I to be so grumpy and judgmental. Anyway who knows, it could prove to be very interesting, at the very least. "Hello, sir...?" The Native man turned. "Ah sure, come on. Sit down and have a smoke." He brought his smokes over, staggering as he came. He leant over the table to shake my hand. "Hi, my name is Doug." I smiled. "I’m John, good to meet you....", I replied. "Well it’s not Doug. It’s John." I smiled again. "Well hello, Doug John...." "Well it’s not John, it’s Johnny and it’s not Doug, it’s Douglas." I chuckled inside thinking: Doug, John, Johnny, Doug, Douglas whatever......"Hi....." He kept on the tangent. "Not John, Johnny, not Doug, Douglas. Johnny Douglas. Good to meet you" He seemed to be amused. I quickly suspected something was up as I stared into the clearest blue eyes I had ever seen. Which reeked of not being hazed by any form of substance what so ever. Something was up. I knew it. I was entering the "Coyote Game." "John, Johnny, Doug, Douglas. Johnny Douglas, or it could be Mark, but that's a John joke." This man was no loony he was be precise, I could feel it. Something was up. Besides, I really enjoyed his sense of mischief. "I have a 22 year old daughter. I have been to Victoria. I have a 22 year daughter who I never have seen. I went to see her Graduate." "Oh, that must have been great for you to see her after so long." John, Johnny, Doug, Douglas was a youngish man, not very old. Maybe mid forties. Probably younger. I believed he had a daughter. Oh yes Johnny Douglas spoke with integrity. "Yes. I was very proud. I was very happy...." "Where are you from?" ".....I was gone for a week. To visit my daughter. And then another week I had gone up the island. I was gone for a week, one week for a lifetime." Johnny stared at me waiting for a reply. "A week, a month, a minute, a second. It’s all a story and each story is a lifetime." "Hmmmm" , he said. "Hmmmm", I said. "Which Nation are you from?" "I came to visit. I must return, I have a meeting to go to. A meeting. I thought I would travel by train, I thought I would travel by bus, I think I will fly." He waited for a response. "What band are you from?" " I like the rolling stones..." I chuckled. "..... I thought I would drive, or take the train, or a bus but I think I would rather fly. I have to travel to Wisconsin for a meeting, I think I'll fly." "What sort of meeting?" "A medicine meeting." "Oh", I said. "Oh", he said. "Hmmm?", I said. "Hmmmm?", he said. "Which tribe did you say you were from?" "I am Ojibwa. What about you?" " I mean no dishonor or any disrespect, I am Lakota Sioux." "Hmmmm?", he said. "Hmmmmm”, I said. "We Objibwa call the Laktota a name. We call them a name." "Yes" "We Objibwa call them a name, we have a name for them. Do you want to know what it is?" "Okay, what is this name you call....." "We Objibwa call them Mythsoo." “Hmmm”, I said. Johnny chuckled. "Do you know what it means?" He looked as if he wanted me to try to answer. "Snake?" "It means the Serpent." "Oh", I said. "They liked that name so they kept it....." My mind was whirling on the direction he was heading and why? I laughed. “I do nothing and get in the way. I do nothing and get in the way. I do nothing and get in the way. What do you do?" " I do a lot of things", I replied back. "Like what sort of things?" "I drum." "You put stick to leather!" "No..", my intensity increased no longer willing to sit back and play the game. ".....I drum!" "Who do you drum too?" "I drum to the animals!" "And what happens?" "And They Come!" "Hmmmmm", he said. "Hmmmmm", I said. "I was hitching but people weren't picking me up so I changed my face, then they picked me up." Johnny was staring straight at me. I met his glare and said, "You're searching me?" "That's in your head." "Oh, no its not. I can feel you and I know because we all search each other to see each other’s heart, gently, quietly but we all search." "Do you have a heart?" "Oh yes", I said. "What of that machine?" Johnny, John pointed to a motor cycle out on the street waiting for the light to change. "Everything has a heart", I said not entirely knowing of what exactly I meant. "Everything?" "Oh yes - machines, this table, you can feel it all. You and I, the table top, we're all one heart, with tone and vibration." I pointed at him to emphasize my dramatic moment. It’s an acting carry over characteristic I have. Doug, Douglas smiled a Cheshire cat smile then said, "I came over here because of this tables big heart." The air stopped. I felt it and in some odd way I thought I had gotten a complement of some kind but, it was more than that. "You know when you point, we say that you send little lightning sparks from your fingers." Si’Taxulwood had talked of this too, so I thought I would clarify my intent. "Yes I know, but the only sparks from these fingers are that of love." "At Wounded Knee many died at Wounded Knee. Many died and no one cared." "Yes, I know." "Many died and no one cared. At Wounded Knee it got worse because two FBI agents were killed." "Hmm", I said. "Hmmmm", he said. Doug, Douglas, Johnny, John turned looking towards the building across the street. "How many people do you think built that building?" "How many clear people?" He got aggravated with me. "No, how many people!" "I don't know. 20 or 30 people?" "No, just one." "Okay", I nodded trying to grasp his point. "I built a building last night. Last night I built a building. How many people did it take me to build it?" "I don't know?" "One........I built my tent. Haahaha!" I chuckled with him, more because of the humor he was finding in it, than the humor I found in it. "You want to see my bandana. I carry it on my side. Want to see it?" On his right side he wore a Red and light brown bandana. He showed it to me. “I like yours. I like the color. The blue and the red." I was wearing a Red, Blue, White bandana on my forehead to keep the hair from my eyes. "I like to wear my colors on my head." "Hmmmm", he said. "Hmmmm." I said. "Sun Bear?" I was confused. "Who?" "Do you follow Sun Bear?" There was a tone of disdain in his voice. "Who?" I didn't know what he was on about. "Sun Bear?" "No." "I want to see the last rain forest, they're cutting it down." "Oh?" I said. Johnny Douglas stood to go while offering his hand. "What is your name again?" "John", I said. "Still hasn't changed." "No, why would it have changed?" "Good to meet with you." "The same." I watched the most unusual fellow sit by himself. I turned down to my writing again, keeping my eye on the front door. When I looked up he was gone. I thought I would run back to see if he was really there or not.
But then I thought, I would just leave the meeting in the realm of something very special. After all, I knew who he was.(c)

Shamanism Divinity Enlightment Money & New Age Pop Culture

I am a shaman. Oh did I say that? Now I can't be a shaman because I just announced I was a shaman and no actually, as a matter of fact, I'm not a shaman. No I'm not, of course I'm not.

I'm not the right color. Well I'm not of color, I'm white and I'm not over 75 so I am definitely not a shaman. No I'm not. No way. No.

I'm a holy man. No I can't be a holy man. I'm not a priest, or a bishop or a pope, and certainly I'm not a monk in red robes or famous. No I'm just a 50 year old white guy with a gift and no book. So I certainly couldn't be really enlightened.

"Hell no!" Oops I just said hell. So I couldn't be a shaman, or a holy man, or enlightened because all these archetypes don't swear, unless they bang there finger with a nail...and even then I bet they curse in holy gibberish.

Why do I know I'm not a shaman or a holy man? Why? Well I know I'm not a shaman or holy man because when people ask if I have trouble with money? I have to admit that "Yes I do." And then they all say "Ah to bad."

I respond with a question? "Is there a problem?" and then they answer "Well you have trouble manifesting prosperity."

"Which means?" I ask.

"Well you couldn't be enlightened if you can't manifest money."

Then I have this weird, bizarre, roundy roundy conversation in my head with myself, trying to figure out the contradiction:

The Dali Lama's people are in exile and are being tortured, and he's still enlightened but of course he has lotsa money.

The Pope is enlightened even though he belives women are subservent and gay people are not well or right or whole or a part of god. Even though appears quite of priests happen to be gay and like younger boys. The Pope doesn't have money but he's around money and wear's money but it's not his though but that doesn't matter he's the Pope and we can forgive him for that and he's still considered enlightened.

Robert Doweny Jr is a Hollywood star with tons of moo la and fame who is idolized as something special and people look to him as some sort of guru of emlightenment of money and career and manifester of his own destiny.

When I happened to point out that he maybe just maybe, a little flawed:

"Huge addiction, unable to meet responsibilities, has unhealthy relationships and has a few troubles with the law, from time to time..."

"Yes..." People answer feverishly "...but he is a brilliant actor."

Suddenly he is put on a pinnacle so high that he is within the touch of god. Maybe he is a holy man then?

But what am I? Some one who's is (in the land of psychopaths) being honest, not wanting to lie, steal or cheat (you may now, consider me tragically flawed)destined to eek out a meer existence unlike everyone else. (Well not unlike everyone, although it certainly appears unlike everyone). But I'm not enlightened because I can't manifest money. Or so they say.Them guys who are called Corporate America. Who know all about manifesting monies...bruhahaha!!(evil laugh). No I'm a nonshanonholymanifester of monies, who is living simply, has a supportive family, lives in a caring community, and I have a wonderful wife and daughter (we all love each other...really) and live on a hill, with a view (of the ocean) one and half blocks away from the beach, in paradise...a rainy paradise but a paradise none the less. Who has to say, "yes I'll admit it, I have trouble manifesting money..."

"...but not prosperity by the sounds of it."(c)

Where do you go when you die?

Death, done, over, finished, final end is getting put into the ground with white little crawly bugs? I thinking...no.

From my experience it doesn't happen that way. Oh and I'm not just talking about "Life After Death," to me that's a gimme and not worth even running a debate, cause seriously they're bigger fish to fry, more interesting issues to discuss. I'm going beyond into the great mystery, the big wow.

Some would say you go to heaven, others hell, others still yet limbo this is may was my journey to the other side and back again.

I was 30 years old, I was learning how to be a channel, for the layman, a "Deep Trance Medium," for those who know the deeper parts of an old British spiritualist teachings.

I would go to my friend Loyd's house and we would sit in a circle with 5 other people. Loyd would sit in this specially design fabric cubical (this helps to contain his energies). I was at least 30 years younger than everyone else in the room.

There where all Catholic, two wonderful older retired ladies from the catholic school system, both in there nineties, a excommunicated Monk in his late sixty's another fellow in his 60's and Loyd (who I found out later was the leading Spiritualist Medium in Ontario) who was in his seventies. All incredible caring supportive people.

I szt in this circle (some would call it a seance)every Friday night for a year, learning. This story is about life after death, without dieing, but if I chose to leave that night and not come back I would have die.

The room is pitch black, you cannot see your hand in front of your face and we sat side by side within a foot of each other. Also please keep in mind that I am very respectful of Elders (very respectful) and I would not ever swear in the presences of the Elderly, it's not in my nature. I'd feel horrible if I did that. I say this because its makes (for me) this story more authentic. I leave everything in the story the way it happened. Nothing has been edited out.

The Journey begins with Loyd talking to one of the entities (Dema - Irsh approx 6oo years old in our linear way of thinking) that comes through me to talk. All my Spirit Friends (Guides) call me the little one (Just so you don't get confused about who Dema is referring too. Loyd is talking to Dema in the beginning then Dema leaves and I come back into my body.

" Were did you say you where Dema?" The clouds where white around his feet. Not used to being confused Dema glanced around. "At the misty place." Lloyd asked again. "We are you now Dema?" Puzzling Dema return to the room. " Oh its the little one you be wanting for this then."

Lloyd left his seat. Stood up and wandered to my side in the dark. "John?" I pause in seeing the misty place I had seen when I was nineteen. (the night with Old Mrs Thorn, my Mom, my Aunt, my Uncle) "John tell me, what do you see?" I investigated closer. It was a misty place. More like a place of waiting, in the clouds. "I see some clouds. Misty white." Lloyd was very close. His hand was near my head. I think. I could feel some warmth from his hand. He was helping. "Go there." "Okay" I said."I see a bridge all made of wood and rope. Like the old ones you might find going across great casims." It was suggested that I cross the bridge. So I did. When I got to the other side I notice people in a huge line all asleep all walking into a dark void. Being very curios I went to see what the whole thing was about. "John, we're you going?" I stopped "To the dark void of course." Lloyd prodded. "Do you see the light?" I didn't see any light what so ever. "John, turn around." I turned to be blinded by such force that my being wanted to run not walk to the nearest exit! "John, do you see it?"

"Holy shit!!!! " Lloyd paused at my description. "John what do you see?" I stood before something that took my breath away. "A light. A huge light! Holy shit, holy shit!!" "Go towards it." "No" "John, its okay, go to it." "No" "John, how do you feel?" "Scared, really, really scared." "John can you see someone their with you?" "Yes" "Where is he?" " He is standing in the light." "Go to him John." "No" "Why" "I don't think its a good idea." "Can you see his hand?" "Yes" "Go to him John. He'll take care of you...Where are you now?" "I'm close to the light" "How do you feel?" "Scared! REALLY, REALLY SCARED!!!" "Go closer" "OKay....Jesussss....oh my god, oh my god!!!!!" "John, we're you now?" "Close,close, really close...oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!" "Go into the light." "No." "Is your friend going into the light?" "yes." Take his hand. Can you see his hand?" "yes...oh my god, on my godddddddddd!!!!!!!!!" "John, how do you feel?" Scared, so scared. God oh god I'm really scared." "Go deeper into the light." "Okay..." "John where are you?...John?" ...

..."Holy shit. Holy shit! Holy shit!!!! This is incredible!!!! Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit holy shit, holy shitttt!!!!!!!!!" John, how do you feel? " I feel Great!!!!!!! Really, really, really incredible....Holy shit! HOLY SHHHITTT!!!!!!!" "What do you see?" "Oh my god, oh my god, I see thousands and hunderds of thousands of little light all apart, all together. Separate, whole. Close, near. Holy shit, holy shit!!!!!! Its incredible you should see this. Hahhhhhhhahahaha!!!!! Holy shit, holy shit!!!!! Everything is apart of eachother. A humungess mass of lights. WOOOOWW!!!!

"John, come back."

"No." "John, you've got to come back." "No I don't" "John.Give me one good reason why I ought to come back?"

It took Lloyd along time to come up answer and if he didn't I promise you I would not have come back.

....You've got more work to do."

"Why did you have to go and say that? If you had said anything else, I could have argued with you. Why that?"

"John?"

"I'm coming."

"....We're are you now?"

"Its hard." "John?..." "I'm coming but its hard." "...Are you out of the light?" "I'm out of the light." "Are you at the bridge?" "I'm at the bridge." "Are you across the bridge?" "I'm across the bridge." "Are you in the misty place?" "I'm in the misty place." "Are you back?" "I'm back." "Are you hear?" "I'm hear." "John, are you with us?" "I'm with you."

"Are you Home?"

"Yes I am Home." (c)