Are You Losing Your Path? by Shaman Elder Maggie Wahls Excerpted from The Shaman Speaks: How to use the Power of Shamanism to Heal Your Life Now Question: Every time I try to walk my path as a healer something gets in the way. Why is that and what can I do about it? Answer: Sometimes we get "tested". We get asked by Spirit to make a choice. We find ourselves in a very uncomfortable place that we do not like and we have to make some sort of choice. Often we do not even know what the choices are! But I have learned that when you commit yourself to a certain path, every now and then along the way you will meet a path crossing yours, a detour, a sidetrack, or a u-turn. We all reach these places. If you are not committed fully to your path, then you will run into conflict when you encounter these places. You will start to feel unwell, dragged down, unsure, restless, and unhappy because you are being asked to once again confirm your commitment. You may have already found your path as a healer. You understand the power and the holiness of this path. And you may have already met a crossroads where you faltered and hesitated. You then reaffirmed your path as a healer once again and continued practicing; the crossroads was over and you continued to walk stronger than before! It is only painful when we hesitate, when we are not sure about what we believe. Your own questioning of your healing path caused this presentation of a crossroads. We actually place these u-turns in front of our own selves. So by believing strongly in whatever you believe and being committed to whatever you believe, you will not see too many u-turns or sidetracks in your life. And when you do see them, you will recognize them as sidetracks and u-turns and just ignore them, or better yet, realize that you are trying to fool yourself. How do we fool ourselves? We say we do not have time for our healing gifts. We say they don't really work. We say we can't do it. We say we are too lazy to do it. But the truth is that your healing gifts do work, and you know it. Everyone has healing gifts and skills. You do have time for your healing path every day, all day long. It does not interfere with time for other things. You will have to judge yourself to see if other reasons have come up and if they are true or not. It is all about being true to yourself, being authentic. Let’s look at detours along the way. Somebody taught us how to put detours into our lives. They don't have to happen but they do, for nearly everyone. Somebody told us there would be snags in our lives. I say, “That's their belief, not mine”. Somebody said into every life a little rain must fall. I say, “That's their belief, not mine”. My Creator tells me that there is neither snag nor rain, only blessings, gifts, abundance, love, peace and joy. Anything else is the belief of others. Does it take determination to be a healer? Very much so! It takes commitment and determination to do anything worthwhile. In fact, the Yaqui Shamans say that a Shaman even needs to be ruthless in his or her pursuit of the Shamanic path. But when you weigh your efforts against the blessings that will happen through your efforts, the determination and striving for impeccability are a low cost for health, joy and abundance. An old Yaqui Indian teacher of mine of long ago once told me an old saying of his people. It was that by the time you have finally learned what your path is and how to walk it, your legs are too old to do the walking! Do not let this happen to you. We need your healing and your light in this world yesterday! You can see all the healing that needs to be done here. You can see the people suffering, crying out, and lost in their own pathless lives. Today, you can do something about that. Today, you can live an impeccable life. You can do your very best in every way today, and that includes learning what you need to learn, practicing your skills and offering healing to those who come your way. There is another truth given to me by this same teacher. He was a great teacher! He said that if you do not live your truth, then you are nothing. He taught me the meaning of truth not only in what I say, but in what I do and in how I interact with you as a colleague, a friend and a teacher. A person without truth is totally worthless. You cannot trust them, you cannot believe them, and you cannot depend on them to help you. And what do they have if they do not have their truth? Nothing. That is why I begin and end everything I say or write with the Yaqui word, “Aho!” which means in the Yaqui language, "I speak my truth." My truth may be all I have to give you but it is my truth. I keep a sacred vow to myself to be in my truth at all times. In this, I have dignity, light and power. It is part not only of being a Shaman, but of being an authentic human. Owner of Come Walk With a Shaman and author of "The Shaman Speaks" Shaman Elder Maggie brings the indigenous traditional wisdom of her own family ancestors to heal the struggles and conflicts of modern man's everyday life. Her book provides detailed instructions, practices and answers to all of life's difficulties. It is available for sale at amazon.com or get an autographed copy with free shipping at shamanspeaks.com for $13.95. The course she has offered for over ten years teaches over 20 traditional shamanic tools and skills to heal oneself and others. You can start today at shamanelder.com OMPLACE HOME