Shamanic Initiations: Stepping Into My Power

In traditional shamanic societies, healers undergo a rite of passage. Some shamans may experience direct initiation by spirit in forms of intense messages and visions in dreamtime. In 1998, I had a vision that prompted Don José Joaquin Pineda to ask me to become his apprentice.

Catalyzing the Shamanic Archetype

Spiritual awakenings often are precipitated by experiences of wounding, abuse and trauma; a genuine spiritual awakening is often a co-joining of healthy and pathological factors.

The Initiatory Path in Fairy Tales

In the etymological and true sense of the word, initiation means “to put on a path, to introduce someone into a way.” It involves a dynamic projection starting from an initially static position.

Lwa or a State of Lucid Dreaming?

Aunt Tansia advised me to be resolute in everything I did, so as to be in control of my entry into Nan Dòmi—into the dream state. To dream is to see, she kept repeating. A dreamer is a medium, a witness to the unknown.

21st Century Guide to Cross Cultural Initiation

When societies lose their initiation practices, new ones emerge, for rites of passage are hardwired in the human psychological formula.

My Curandero Initiation

After I had studied with Don Juan for a year and a half, he decided it was time to present me with my initiation as a curandero. At the time I really didn’t understand the significance of this.

Masonry and the Mysteries of Eleusis Revisited: Threshing Floors and Waterfalls

There are two types of initiation. Formal initiation plants the seeds that through time might blossom into actual initiation. To ensure that formal and actual initiation coincided, psychedelic drugs served in the ancient Mysteries.

9 Key Components of the Shift to Higher Consciousness

Personal evolution is the great duty and the great joy of all human beings. Here are 9 key components of the shift commonly experienced by evolving people.

Think of the Peaceful Cat — Reflections on Initiation

After a very long initiation, I've come to the conclusion that
initiation is overrated. The problem with any initiatic journey
is initiation itself: Why, after all, is it necessary? Why are we never content in our own skin?

The Third Matrix: Humanity’s Rite of Passage

The current global crisis represents the
greatest challenge our species has ever faced. The very structures that support life are being rapidly dismantled, and our daunting challenge is to come
together to engage our collective wisdom,
compassion, and creativity to preserve as much life as possible. This requires an authentic, heroic humility.