Disaster Shamanism | Self-inflicted Philosophy
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Disaster Shamanism (or Apocalyptic Shamanism) in a nutshell:
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The Disaster Shaman recipe combines aspects of The Shadow with aspects of The Hero and then mixes in a little Trickster humility. The combination of these archetypes creates a particular flavor of nontraditional shamanism that spearheads healthy Cosmic Law into the unhealthy lawfulness that surrounds us.
 
A Disaster Shaman is a force of nature first, a person second. They sow radical revolution in order to reap progressive evolution. Healthy balance is primary. Even if it comes at the expense of comfort and security. Disaster Shamanism (or Apocalyptic Shamanism) is the interdependent shamanic response to apocalyptic times.
 
The primary tasks of a Disaster Shaman:
–Heal disaster situations through shamanic cosmology and ecopsychology.
–Listen to Universal Laws to discern the difference between healthy and unhealthy.
–Live moderately so that others may moderately live.
–Diagnose and heal Nature Deprivation.
–Transform weaponry into livingry.
–Bring “water” to the Wasteland.
–Rewild the overly domesticated.
 
The Four Pillars of Disaster Shamanism:
–Eco-consciousness (The 5th Horseman of the Apocalypse)
–High humor (The Sacred Clown)
–Hero expiation (The New Hero)
–Self-overcoming (The New Oracle)
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6 Signs You May Be a Disaster Shaman

1.) You heal disaster situations through shamanic cosmology and ecopsychology:

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You empower the disempowered and lift the downtrodden through shamanic reengineering. Your philanthropy is not money, necessarily, but sacred energy. You realize as Henry David Thoreau did: “To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts.” But you do not preach.

 

You teach by eco-conscious example, using ecopsychology as a direct method to reintroduce the afflicted to the healing properties of the greater cosmos, using a post-modern shamanic cosmology as a medium for safe passage into higher realms of thinking about the human soul.

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2.) You listen to nature in order to learn the difference between healthy and unhealthy:

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You use a nature first culture second approach to life. You are a space that the cosmos fashioned to feel its own grandeur, and you are not afraid to feel the double-edged sword of that grandeur. You are a custodian of interconnection, attuned to the paradoxical reality of the human condition as being both god-like and animal-like, and so you operate outside the cultural framework of right & wrong.

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3.) You live moderately so that others may moderately live:

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Living moderately is challenging, but you embrace the challenge, knowing that the liberation of the soul is worth going through any amount of hardship. Living this way upturns convention and undermines tradition, creating a sacred space for new world-building. And because your load is so light and you are so adept at practicing moderation, you tend to exist on the periphery.

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4.) You are skilled in diagnosing and healing nature deprivation:

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You teach people how to live sustainably within their immediate environments. You even take the concept of re-wilding to the next level, applying it to human beings as well as non-human animals, so that they can rediscover a sacred spirituality by getting back in touch with Nature and the human soul.

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5.) You are adept at transforming weaponry into livingry:

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You realize that if moderation isn’t taught as an imperative for a healthier world, then the volition of people will become immoderate and militarized, and the world will therefore be unhealthy. As a disaster shaman, you realize that times of crisis are the best times to teach, and that teaching by non-violent, demilitarized example, is the best method of teaching.

 

It will be your creative vision that will transform the destruction inflicted by the weapons of unsustainable men into the creative force for progressive technologies created by sustainable men.

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6.) You are willing to die in order to bring water to the Wasteland:

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You have the courage to rise up out of the mass-destruction of unsustainable men and dare to become a sustainable force of nature. Art is your medium. Creativity is your vehicle. Sacred play is your power, and not even death can prevent your message from being translated.

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As a disaster shaman, your creative play is your power. You are neither scientist nor priest, but artist. You are Artist incarnate. Your sacred art is like water for parched souls. And you have the audacity to bring it to them, despite the powers-that-be. You have no fear. For you realize that safety is an illusion and security is a prison in an ever-changing, ever-evolving cosmos.

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