By: Bec Robertson
CEO & CO-FOUNDER
The most transformative teachers direct us back to our true nature. I was blessed to complete my Certified Shamanic Practitioner Training with Scott Silverston of the beautiful island of Kaua’i, Hawai’i. What I learnt under Scott’s guidance will never leave me. It shifted my perspective on the universe and my role in it. Scott’s teachings are powerful. And, most importantly, he encourages each person to develop their unique connection to Mother Earth, spirit and nature.
Scott Silverston, Kaua’i, Hawai’i
Scott is a transformative mentor because he guides people to raise their power by aligning with the Web Of Life. When we are aligned with the Web Of Life, we can access intuition, creative powers and healing beyond the surface.
A conversation with Scott is always a metamorphosis of spirit. In today’s interview, Scott explains the Web Of Life, rewriting our stories and falling in love again with Mother Earth.
- HB: Describe the shamanic concept of the Web Of Life and how it interacts with everything in our world.
The Web of Life is the interconnectedness of all life on planet Earth; both physically and spiritually.
For Millennia, humans have known that the Earth itself is alive with its own consciousness. Sometimes called Gaia or Sophia; the consciousness of the planet Earth is interwoven with the consciousness of each individual life form which inhabits her. When we refer to the Web of Life, we refer to the manner in which life on Earth weaves together in both spirit and flesh.
For example, in a wilderness setting; a predator may enter a clearing in the woods. Immediately the prey animals take cover, the songbirds fly to higher branches; issue alarm calls or go silent. As these birds and small animals change their behavior, the inhabitants of the areas adjacent to the clearing respond to their reactions and the chain continues. An astute observer can detect these changes from a great distance because every action taken emanates outward in concentric rings of vibration, rippling through the environment.
In a healthy ecosystem; animals providing for themselves helps to nurture the environment even as they harvest from the environment. The taking of life is balanced with the birth of new life. For example, a beaver cuts down trees to build a dam, the dam floods the riparian area, this flooding provides a nutrient rich area which is breeding ground for fish, other animals come to eat the fish, the nutrients get recycled back into the environment through urine and faeces and fertilize plants that grow.
This is why we humans must adjust our behavior when it comes to our waste products. When pollute an area; we defile it for generations, contaminating the ground water with our chemical wastes and destroying the fabric of the Web of Life. Toxic chemicals dumped in a stream will not only make the water non-potable for humans, but will kill the life of the stream itself, the fish and all the animals which survive by eating those fish as well as damage the plants that life along the banks of the stream.
We are all interconnected, every animal, plant, insect and human as well as the Earth herself; on both a physical and spiritual level; this was known by all ancient peoples who lived in harmony with the land.
- HB: People gain many insights through a shamanic healing session. How can they best prepare for a session, to access the deepest benefits?
The most important part of preparation is to allow the requisite spaciousness to fully integrate the healing. In our modern world, we live busy lives; however in this business we often gloss over the deeply ingrained, self-limiting habits and patterns afflict us. By receiving shamanic sessions and learning the basics of shamanic journeying, we can begin to rewrite our stories at a causative level. Deep and profound change of this nature takes time to integrate.
The Shamanic Spirit Medicine session methodology revolves around 3 main objectives:
- Removing unhealthy trapped energy
- Returning back dissociated parts of ourselves and the life force energy
- Changing the agreements we have made about ourselves, the world and our place within it.
This process of releasing trauma and revitalizing ourselves allows us to authentically move forward in life with a new and empowering perspective.
We are creatures of myth and we live our lives according the myths we have learned from our society as well as the myths we form for ourselves to help us understand the events of our life. Unfortunately many of our modern myths do not serve us well and when challenging or traumatic circumstances befall us; we often receive little or no helpful support to frame those events in a manner that will help us overcome those challenges and thrive. The myths of many ancient shamanic cultures are far more aligned with helping an individual move through their challenges and return to being a positive contributor to the society as well as to living a life of reverence and respect for the Web of Life.
When we open ourselves to changing our world view at the deepest level and work with a trusted Shaman to help us; we can achieve rapid growth in a profound manner that allows us to fulfill our previously untapped human potential. The positive effects of shamanic session work are truly life changing
- HB: Shamanic practice dates back thousands of years but it has powerful healing capacities in the here and now. How can we learn from a shamanic perspective as we navigate modern life?
Modern Life is mostly disconnected from Web of Life. It is the rare modern individual who truly sees the Earth as the source of all of our sustenance. While many people may understand this concept conceptually, on a mental level; very few embody on a day to day basis. Shamanic practice brings us closer to the Earth and the Web of Life; we experience being a part of Mother Earth and re-orient our awareness towards the divinity that is embodied by Mother Earth. This awareness arises naturally as we come into right alignment; it does not come from some moral or ethical obligation or should do; it is a natural love of nature which resides within us in the same manner as healthy self-love. Once we fall in love again with Mother Earth, we free ourselves from the mundane drudgery and artificial stimuli of modern society and our life is full to the brim with the richness of the full tapestry of healthy human emotion.
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Scott Silverston is the founder of Shamanic Spirit Medicine and a leader in the international Shamanic Teaching Community serving students and clients in dozens of countries around the world.
Scott is a Graduate of Duke University and former Director of a major private trade finance company who quit the corporate world to dedicate his career to making a positive impact on the Web of Life. One of the main focal points of his teaching is to normalize Shamanic Consciousness as an ancient and effective method of achieving balance both personally and collectively.
Disclaimer: The Headspace and Bass Movement is not trained to provide or administer medical advice/treatment. Please do not hesitate to consult a trusted medical physician for help with any medical issues, diagnosis or symptoms. This includes any issues relating to mental health or addiction. We work alongside the mainstream medical system, not as a replacement for it. We believe that natural health and healing are best utilised in conjunction with treatment from trusted and qualified medical and health practitioners.