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8 A Journal of Contemporary Shamanism Volume 6 Issue 1 SPRING 2013 The Difference Between Curing and Healing I see a distinct difference between curing and healing. In indigenous cul- tures children were raised with an under- standing of how to live a life of harmony honor and respect. They were taught how to live in harmony with nature and because people lived in close community they also learned how to be creative and vital members of their communities. Obviously when issues of healing came up in indigenous cultures people often instinctively understood what was out of harmony in their lives and creating illness. After a shaman performed a heal- ing people understood how to return to living a harmonious life. Disharmony causes illness. In the Western world many people on hearing this feel they are being blamed in some way for being ill on an emotional or physical level. This is not true. But what is true is that we have to do some self- exploration about how we live so that we can return to living a harmonious life where we honor and respect ourselves others and all of life. When a shamanic practitioner performs a ceremony that will remove blockages and returns power or lost parts of ones soul this provides a cure. But for longterm healing to occur clients must look at what changes they need to make in their lives that will create long-term healing after the ceremony is performed. For example if a client comes for a heal- ing ceremony and then goes back into a life filled with stress an abusive relation- ship or continues to eat a very unhealthy diet we cant expect solid long-term results. I find that many people come for shamanic healings and expect a miracle cure where they do not have to do any work on their own. It is almost like going to a doctor to get a pill that will allevi- ate symptoms without looking at the core issues that are creating illness. Of course there are people who have done a lot of self-exploration and really just need the curative spiritual ceremony to be performed. For example I have had clients who explored the impact of past traumas on their lives in psychotherapy and made healthy changes in how they live. This type of client may need only a soul retrieval to complete the process. For some people a shamanic healing cer- emony is the first step of the work and for others it is the last step of the work. But it is essential that we look at how to bring our lives into a place of harmony after shamanic healing is performed. I have noticed in many forms of healingtraditional medicine psycho- therapy Chinese and Eastern forms of healing shamanism and othersthat when we feel ill on an emotional or physical level we also feel worn down energetically. It takes a lot of energy to go shopping for food run errands and go to work when we dont feel well. But when we are healed of our emotional and physical issues we have a lot more energy available to us for daily living. Some people inherently know how to direct this energy to create a positive present and future for themselves but I find this is not universally true. Many people without being aware or conscious of their energetic process end up directing this energy to create another trauma or illness in their lives. Some individuals have no awareness that we have the potential to create a deep and meaningful life for ourselves. Creating a Better Life Shamanism is more than journeying to helping spirits for healing. It is a way of life. As shamanic practitioners we have a great opportunity to teach people after weve performed a shamanic healing how to live a life that is filled with harmony. This benefits our clients and the world itself because our inner world is reflected by the outer world. And every change in consciousness we make ripples through- out the web of life. In shamanism we learn that we are part of this web of life. We are part of nature and its cycles. In the West many people have forgotten this teaching. We live in a way where we separate ourselves from nature and this is a major cause of emotional and physical illness. So many people today walk against the river of life which causes an incredible amount of emotional and physical stress. We can teach people how to align with this river with the cycles of the moon and with the seasons of the year. We can teach people about the power of gratitude. When we wake up each morning and give gratitude for our lives and to earth air water and fire as the sun for giving us what we need to thrive we create a pathway for positive things to happen in our day. In shamanism the principle of reciprocity shows us that when we honor and respect ourselves the spirit that lives in all things and nature we will be honored and respected also. In shamanism we learn that thoughts are things and words are seeds. We can teach our clients how to direct their thoughts and words to achieve desired outcomes in life and direct the energy of their thoughts and words in a way that end up blessing themselves and others. As shamanic practitioners we know that there is a difference between express- ing energy and sending energy. To live a healthy life and create peace in the world we need to feed all of life by expressing love rather than sending psychic darts that create harm. What we feed grows. It is our birthright to fully express our soul in this life. We are all born creative beings. In shamanic cultures unique and creative gifts of community members were honored and respected. In the West we are taught not to shine too brightly and that there are only a few creative people. Westerners are taught to behave and fit into society. Many have forgotten how to direct their creativ- ity to build a life filled with meaning. Instead we expect that collecting material objects and money will bring happiness and meaning. Shamanism encourages us to find true wealth within ourselves as we develop a rich inner world. It is our