|
|
|
 The Family Luna and other Shamans of Ecuador
praying in the grand Center of the World ceremony (Mitad del Mundo)
March 22, 2001
|
In the beginning, all was mystery.
It took time for humans to comprehend
the Spirit World.
Shamanism is our oldest knowledge system providing understanding of the Spirit World. |
In Shamanism, the elements of the natural world are used to access the spirit world. Fire, air, earth, and water are used in rituals for healing and purification. With them and through altered states of consciousness, the spirit world may be entered and explored.
A Shaman is a mediator between this world and the Spirit World. The Shaman's contact with the spirit world can provide a person with new self-awareness. Insights about what may be unknown in this world can be found through corresponding discoveries in the Spirit World.
Bolivar Luna, in Cochasqui, Ecuador, performs the traditional baptism
of the shamans, as the indigenous people of Ecuador have for centuries.
|
Shamanism was the first religion on Earth. Traces of it still exist in some form in most cultures today.
But in most places, over time,
new religions have overlaid the older
religion of Shamanism and become integrated with it. They take the name
of the newer religion while retaining some
of the symbols of the old. These newer religions are no longer the pure, natural, basic, first religion of humans,
Shamanism.
|
|
The ancient form of Shamanism as practiced by the Luna brothers, is unaffected by the rational or linear mode of thinking of this world, by science, or by materialism. It remains a pure, true contact to God and the World of the Spirits.
The Luna brothers believe that there are many roads to God and that it is important that one be on such a spiritual road.
They describe Shamanism as the ability to live in this world while freely accessing the world of dreams, visions and spirit. Where traditional Western religions focus on an individual's soul, Shamanism works more broadly with the four elements to create a balanced relationship between the self, nature, and the World of Spirit.
|
Bolivar, Eduardo and Dr. Judy Sutter,
gather with Shamans from the Otavalo Tribe of Equador
|
People from many indigenous tribes visit the Luna Family
to share wisdom, traditions and ceremonies.
Here, they are joined by Shamans from the Aymara Tribe of Bolivia.
|
To study Shamanism is to awaken to ancient concepts of reality that are not bound by linear thought. One learns to work with energy and spiritual forces for the betterment of the planet and its inhabitants. With the right training, a responsible attitude, and love and respect, we can all be guided by the ways of the Shamans.
Learning to walk in balance with nature and with the World of Spirit is the key to individual and planetary health.
|
|
