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(From left to right: Bolivar, Nelson, Nelson Jr. and Eduardo Luna)
The Family Luna reaching out to the Spirit World and
connecting with the energies of the Universe.
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The most important facet of a Shaman is the ability to time travel. This allows the Shaman to move in other dimensions and have contact with other beings. Direct communication with the Spirit World is fundamental to a Shaman.
Consider this analogy. A family has lived forever in a small, isolated town. They do not have telephones, television, the Internet, or any other contact with the greater world outside. Only occasionally do they receive visits from nearby villages like their own. This family would have no concept of the world outside, including the existence of other languages, cultural traditions, advanced technology, etc.
The eldest brother Vincente Luna and his wife Susanna Tomalá in the
Ritual of the Serpent at Cochasqui, Ecuador.
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Then one day, a stranger arrives. He begins to tell tales of distant lands. He has traveled in many cultures, experienced many ways of living, and has studied both the ancient and contemporary knowledge of other countries. To the isolated family of our analogy, this stranger's stories would seem incredible. To hear of advanced technology, different religious practices that seem blasphemous to them, and perceptions of reality and knowledge of the universe outside their grasp would be an uncomfortable experience for them.
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Members of the family would integrate the stranger's information differently. The children might accept the stories without too much difficulty and want to hear more. The older people might think the stranger was evil and try to send him away. The young ones might react with skepticism but go on to ask questions.
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Eduardo and his family,
share the basic symbols of shamanism
MICARAS
meaning wisdom and humans
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The Shaman's experience in this world is like that of the stranger visiting the small, isolated town. The Shaman also lives in the Spirit World and has broader experiences to share. The Shaman's view of the cosmos is as far from the view of most of us as the stranger's view of the outside world is from the villagers'.
The Shaman's broad knowledge is due to two factors.
The first is the fact that he or she was born with the cumulative knowledge of ancestors. Parents or other Shamans help to guide the young Shaman in this knowledge.
The second is the ability to travel through time to other dimensions.
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Bolivar Luna, Shaman of the East, at the Pyramids of Cochasqui (pre-Inca).
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What is it like to travel through time?
The first step toward time travel is dreams of floating or flying. Archetypal images, described by the psychologist Carl G. Jung as being of the "collective unconscious", come in these dreams.
Eduardo Luna, Shaman of America, at the Pyramids of Cochasqui (pre-Inca).
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These are primordial images that are common to all people on this planet. They are expressed in our myths, ancient and contemporary art, and religious rites.
The next phase of time travel involves vibrations followed by a circular movement. There is the experience of an opening vortex, often with a light guiding the way. At this point the travel through time begins.
There is a relationship between time and other dimensions.
Actually, other times are different dimensions.
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| "I believe that if more people could have this experience the world would not be as it is. Any person is able to have this experience so long as they have a spiritual consciousness and prepare themselves through a natural process of seeking the spiritual, not the material. This is a life transforming religious experience. If everyone could have this experience then the world would be as Heaven because these experiences are so strong." |
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—Eduardo Luna, Shaman de America
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