"I am so alone right now. I have never felt so alone in my entire life," said the farmer.
"Three of our tribes are nearly extinct. I know what it is to wander the earth in solitude. I rarely see another Rhinoceros, where once we ruled vast lands. Our ancient wisdom teaches us that it is only in learning to find the comfort in solitude that we grow wise. Each moment spent alone gives us the chance for deepening our introspection. For learning to trust our heart wisdom instinctually that is inside us. Through this process of coming to terms with who we are at our most alone, we cast away the unnecessary trappings and find our inner strength. Revel in your aloneness, farmer. It is a period of great potential growth."
Roadrunner
"Time to jump at new opportunities, farmer," said Roadrunner.
"How do I know if it is the right opportunity? It is moving too fast."
"Learn to move at fast speed, using your agility to avoid capture and seize the day, farmer."
"But how will I know it is right?"
"Use your heart wisdom and intuition. They move faster than your brain. If you let them lead you instead of trying to 'think' it through, and instead of trying to control everything, you will be surprised at where you end up."
" I just feel uncertain about everything, Roadrunner. Do you have any special advice for me?"
"Just as we Roadrunners build fences made of cactus around a sleeping rattlesnake, and also race to hunt and eat the rattlesnakes when they are moving, so you too, need to both protect yourself from potential harm while also racing to grasp your heart's desire. Think on that as your pursue what you truly want inside, farmer. Trust your instincts, and RUN after them. Fast. Don't let your dreams slip away."
Robin
"Now that you cleansed, I am here to keep guiding you in your change, Farmer," said Robin.
"I can use all the help I can get, Robin. Thank you," said the farmer.
"This week I want you to sing a song every morning when you wake. A song which makes you happy. Sing it loud and joyfully. Songs have power. Power to channel happiness into our hearts, even hearts that are closed. Music vibrates on a frequency that removes negative blockages, even blockages we do not know we have. You may be amazed at how different you feel after a week of song."
Rook
"Are you prepared, farmer, to work through your fears in this dark time?" asked Rook.
"Haven't I faced enough dark times already?" asked the farmer. "Why must I again be confronted with these challenges?"
"Time and time again, we are faced with a choice between light and darkness, good and evil. The most challenging of these are the insidious challenges of ethics where the choice of right action might seem, at first glance, to put us in peril of our 'so-called' success. Working through shadowy challenges without fear and choosing the path of the light, will bring us out of the void into the true light. That is the truest sense of shape shifting, the ability to transform ourselves into emissaries of light and truth. Even if you are afraid, do what you know is the right thing to do, without fear."
Sheep
"Finding the courage to make the self-affirming choices to live and maintain balance is an integral key to your spiritual healing journey," said Sheep.
"I always seem to be burning the candle at all ends and feeling drained of my energy. How do I do this better?" asked the farmer.
"The heart of the journey is self-love. Accepting who you are and what you can and cannot do. You are merely human in this lifetime, farmer, and you can only manage so much. At the same time, sometimes we are easily overwhelmed by the full vision of what we want to accomplish, that we forget to just take each little step needed. Balance comes from just moving forward, step by step, not trying to run the full journey all at once. Lastly, do not forget the wise sayings that the universe will send you everything you truly desire. Ok maybe the universe won't send you Kiefer Sutherland...or the winning lottery ticket...but if you desire real things of importance to your soul, they are yours. Believe."
Skunk
"Time to walk your talk, farmer," exclaimed Skunk.
"I thought I was already walking my talk," said the farmer.
"You have started your walk when you changed your life to focus more on your spiritual mission, giving up your pursuit of money and power. Your problem, farmer, lies in your lack of self-love. You need to say no and push out of your life people who do not respect your boundaries."
"Can you please show me how to do that better, Skunk?"
"Skunks are admired around the universe for self-defense and defense of our families, and I am happy to teach you. First you need to identify the bad boundary people. If someone complains about your 'rules', that person already is on our list of people we do not need in our life. But it is more than just getting rid of the bad boundary people, farmer. You also struggle with self-confidence. If you do not believe in your special gifts, how do you expect anyone else to believe in you?"
"You have a good point, Skunk. So what must I do, exactly?"
"Exit all relationships where people do not respect in your boundaries. Believe in yourself or if that feels too hard to start, put your complete trust in the Universe. Focus on the mission and not the outcome and see what happens in your life."
Snow Leopard
"Working on gaining trust of your inner self, including your own shadow side is an important part of your spiritual journey," said the Snow Leopard.
"Sometimes I do not like my shadow side. I am sometimes controlling, and can lash out if I feel attacked. I am not sure I know how to gain the trust of that side of myself," said the farmer.
"We all have shadow sides. In order to gain access to that side of yourself, start by understanding the power of silence. Sit in a still place and invite your shadow self to tell you it's innermost secrets. What is it afraid of? What does it need to feel safe? What does it need to feel strong? Sometimes, just letting that side of you express itself, instead of waiting for it to bubble over in times of stress, will already help you move your entire soul forward."
Squirrel
"The ability to change direction quickly, and to find moments of rest in between bursts of activity, are two of the skills I am here to teach," said Squirrel.
"I always feel better when I have a mapped out plan. I hate change. It makes me feel out of control and I end up on edge," said the farmer.
"When you can get comfortable with change, you tap into your inner ability of resourcefulness. Sometimes we need to change as we get a warning or a feeling that we aren't on the right path, and the best thing to do is to climb a tree. Sometimes something interesting attracts us to a new path, maybe one filled with acorns to store for our future. Acorns received are a blessing, and stored acorns allow us to share that blessing with others in hard times."
Starfish
"My task is to reconnect you to the star people, farmer," said Starfish.
"I do not even know who the star people are. Please teach me Starfish," said the farmer.
"Long ago, before the world was formed, all of the divine energy lived up in the heavens. It was all connected as light tends to do, collected and connected to itself. But when darkness came and attacked the light, it scattered, shattering into tiny pieces of light. Some fell to the world, some into the sea. All creatures carry a piece of light at least within them. Some remained in the heavens, to serve as guides for the rest of us to wish to ascend. All of us carry a divine spark from the original divine light of the world. We, Starfish, are the keepers of this story, as we turned our spark into our form, to honor the star guides and to remind those at the depth of the sea to look heavenward. There is a tidal movement flowing now - regenerating all people to rekindle their yearning for universal connection. You need to pay attention to it and follow the guidance of the star people."
Tiger
"Sometimes, farmer, you need to just 'do it'," said Tiger matter-of-factly.
"I know," said the farmer, "I am prone to analysis paralysis, waiting to r
eflect and reflect upon something until it is perfect."
"You could already be eating," said Tiger, "I'm just saying. Especially in the face of adversity, you need to just go and do what you need to do to eat. Find your power. Do what is in your heart. No need to shilly shally about. Gazelles do not just come to you to be eaten. You must act through your will power and do."
"Yes."
"Know that strength and energy will appear as soon as you launch into the hunt. We are always with you, farmer. It is the power of now made manifest."
Turkey
"I come with the bounty of Mother Earth, to remind you of all of the good things flowing all around you," intoned Turkey.
"Sometimes I do not see all of the good things," said the farmer, "I get stuck on what isn't working in my life or on past trauma. How do I get more in touch with the good things?"
"Feeling connected to abundance often starts with attuning yourself to a higher purpose. In doing so, you begin to often desire to give to others what you have. And giving to others brings more abundance into your own. Every time you want something in your life, practice giving it to someone who needs it. Watch as it multiplies back to you. Whether you give someone the gift of your focused attention, or help a friend, or give money to someone who needs it. Give in all forms. Then practice receiving too. Sometimes as survivors, we get stuck on one end of that pendulum only. Give and Receive."
Turtle
"Things progress at their own pace," said Turtle.
"Everything seems to take so long. We thought we would have this community ready sooner," said the farmer.
"When we allow things to unfold, we also have time to see the beauty, to revel in the experience of new found friends. When you live as long as I have, returning each year across great distance to reach my home, you begin to find peace in the cycle of new beginnings, growth, and eventually decay and death. Nothing lasts forever, and no new births are made without some pain. Learn to appreciate where you are in each cycle of your life. If you hold fast to your spiritual purpose, and uphold that duty above all others, you will find more easily the peace that eludes you. This week, decide to trust the flow of the water of life and do not try to move faster than the current carries you."
Wasp
"Do you know why I have come into your life this week, farmer?" asked Wasp.
"Are you here to teach me about female communities?" replied the farmer.
"Very good, farmer, you are learning. The sisterhood of the Wasps is one of our core values. We harness female warrior energy to make ourselves very strong and rely on the united strength of our community. Very useful for trauma survivors to learn to channel our strength as a way of overcoming adversity."
"How do we best harness that energy?"
"Often, it is found in sharing our stories with one another. If you and every other survivor uses this as a call to express yourself and your story more clearly in the world, the collective energy will build. While we cannot eradicate trauma from happening, we can unite in healing energy all over the world - all men and all women who need to share their stories are welcome here to do so. And that collective healing energy can bring about new beginnings for all of you in unexpected ways."
Wolf
"it is time for your to face the end of a cycle in your life, farmer," intoned Wolf. "I know this may be difficult for you."
"It is," replied the farmer. "I thought wolves were meant to help us outwit our enemies?"
"We do," said Wolf, "yet sometimes outwitting is not manifested how you think it should be. True outwitting means facing the end of a cycle with dignity and courage knowing it is a part of the karmic cycle of death and rebirth. That you will be led by your spirit guides, and by your inner wisdom found in meditation and in dreams, to the next incarnation your soul needs."
"But what about my family?" asked the farmer. "I am afraid of what these changes mean for them."
"We wolves know that your true family, the pack of souls with whom you are traveling in this lifetime, will continue to support your soul in its journey. Do not be afraid of the loss of earthly things. Consecrate your energy to enter the change towards your truest self."
Worm
"I have come to remind you to seek nurturing energy from the earth, farmer," said Worm. "You are once again in a difficult situation and I can help you."
"Indeed, I would love to find a way out," said the farmer.
"Start by wriggling free as we do, making our way through the earth. Sometimes, the mire which sticks to us on our way is actually a way of being in full touch in order to regenerate our energy."
"I never thought of that," said the farmer. "I hate repeating my mistakes, just as I hated getting dirty as a child."
"Sometimes our mistakes are repeated so that we can demonstrate what we have learned: that we can react differently and control our reactions or that we can rise above the emotions or that we can be fully present even in something that feels like our trauma. All of these are valuable ways to ground ourselves in where we are today, in the present. No life will ever be all sunshine and water and no dirt. No plant can grow without all of them. So it is with your spiritual tree of life inside you. You need the dirt to anchor your roots. You need to face your mistakes and ground your reactions within them and that is where the growth will find you."
Afterword
We hope you enjoyed reading the wisdom of the shamans in this first edition of the compendium. If you want to read more shamans, please join us at https://www.community.stoopvillefarms.com on Fridays when a shaman animal shares his or her wisdom.
Shaman animals also make an appearance in my book, The Gnosis of the Salmon.
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