Rebirth: Dying to the Old Ways, Taking on the New

Becoming a shaman can be a trial for some people, particularly in the early stages, as the shaman experiences various difficulties that test his or her commitment to the path of healing, connecting, and sensemaking in the service of a better world. Discovering what your gifts are can be a part of this testing process and can also lead to a rich and fulfilling life. Initiation into shamanic ways can even require significant transformation of the self, sometimes a form of imaginal death and rebirth. Sometimes a serious illness, accident, or fairly traumatic life event becomes a trigger for this transition. In a sense, the shaman receives a ‘call’ to the healing path of shamanism—one that is sometimes hard to ignore (or that is ignored at one’s peril).

One thing that frequently happens to traditional shamans during their apprenticeships is an experience of dying to the old ways so that the new can emerge. Obviously, ‘real’ death as we typically understand it is not the object here. Rather, the idea is that the shaman becomes someone new—someone more healed than previously—because (hopefully) harmful old ways, thoughts, and patterns have shifted. Eyes open, new awareness enters, purpose changes, relationships shift. In such experiences, something happens that either profoundly or subtly changes who you are and how you are in the world. In a sense, a ‘new’ person has been (re)born, typically out of some sort of struggle.

This transition from the old to the new is a form of awakening, sometimes even sort of death and rebirth. Major transitions can be profound and fundamental, causing major life shifts, or much more subtle and occurring over a lengthy period of time. We are each unique and our path to awakening, to finding our inner shaman, is going to be unique to our background, experience, and openness. In any case, I call this the journey to becoming fully who you must be. It is, in essence, a journey into the innermost depths of yourself that allows discovery of your fundamental purpose(s) in life.

Traditional shamans might face this struggle in the passage through an illness, a life crisis, or other experience that fosters a new way of perceiving the world. Or there might be rituals that cause them to experience their own vision or awakening. Native Americans, for example, often went on vision quests to find their personal vision, or even their rightful name, which often reflected their calling and purpose. Other types of rituals, such as ecstatic dance, drumming, chanting, and other trance-inducing practices can facilitate such experiences. Modern shamans, of course, can use similar techniques if they wish to accelerate their journeys towards shamanism.

Sometimes, however, the re-birthing process almost seems accidental or, certainly, unplanned. For some people, there is actually a near-death experience that sheds light on the old ways that the person has been acting and causes him or her to shift. The transition might also occur because of significant life changes, e.g., in today’s world, the death of a loved one that causes you to reflect on what is really important, a divorce, job loss, or a similar experience that is upending in some way. Such experiences can cause you to rethink your life in important ways.

Other people experience an awakening to their own need to become the healer, connector, and/or sensemaker because of career change or a move to another part of the country or world. Awakening can also occur in the context of a relationship, for example, with a teacher who helps you see things differently, or with a loved one. Or it could be something that someone says, that you see or read, that just gets you thinking and ‘seeing’ differently. For some, it might be an experience of either doing or observing art that opens them up to new possibilities and new ways of being in the world.

Some shamans come into their awareness and what I have called ‘being fully who they must be’ through working with a teacher. Perhaps, as in traditional shamanic apprenticeships, they undertake a ‘journey’ to spiritual (or other, e.g., artistic, disciplinary, systemic) realms, where they learn something new that becomes important to them and creates in them a new vision for their purpose or way of being. Sometimes new awareness can come in a meditative state, a dream, or the more traditional trance-induced shamanic journey in which the initiate experiences something profound in what are called imaginal realms. Imaginal realms are realistic imaginings that allow us to experience something ‘as if’ it were happening in our everyday reality. Artists of various sorts can ‘visit’ these imaginal realms in their creative process, as do shamans.

Sometimes this re-birthing process can take place as a result of learning, spiritual inquiry or experiences, or psychological or other therapeutic means. In short, rebirth can take many forms, and what is right for you is just that: right for you.

What does this rebirth mean? Who are you in this new form? You may look pretty much as you always did, but there is something different about you, even if you are the only person who recognizes it. Maybe your purpose in life has become clearer. Maybe you are better able to relate to others. Maybe you have greater focus and concentration than before (or perhaps less). Maybe you have discovered some formerly hidden part of yourself that allows you to release creative energies that were previously suppressed. Maybe you find yourself acting differently in relationships, being able to relate to people better and more openly, or finding new insights as you explore your relationships. Maybe you find you can help others in new ways, e.g., helping them find their own insights or actually doing a type of ‘helping’ work that connects you to people in a new way.

Perhaps you have new ideas, or can connect old ideas in different ways than you used to be able to do. Perhaps you can help others see those connections. Possibly the rebirth that follows struggle can enable you to find your own path towards making a positive difference in the world. Each of us has something to offer and by tapping into our inner shaman, we can help release that offering.