October 01, 2014
Witches, Shamans and the Number Thirteen
Myths and legends warn us of the wicked witch who lives at the edge of the forrest. She is the green warty creature who brews toxic tonics in her cauldron and bakes little children in her oven. She crafts poison apples to put princesses to sleep and casts potent spells over innocent men and women. But beware… When one culture supplants another, the conquerors create new legends that undermine the powers of their predecessors.
It is well known, for example, that the best way to bring a culture to its knees is to destroy the basis of their faith and beliefs. There have been numerous examples of this in human history. Every culture on Earth started as an indigenous culture, learning how to survive by relying on their intuition and their connection to the planet. Spirituality started with our wonder for the unknown; we revered those who had the ability to see into its mysteries. Visionaries and intuitives have long been the ones who heal and guide our people to food and shelter. They have been fundamental in keeping our connection to Spirit vital and our tribes alive. Whenever a culture wants to gain control over another, however, this is the first person whose power is minimized. They are instead painted as wicked, evil and possessed, justifying killing them to protect the people. Tens of thousands of “witches” have been burned at the stake for possessing knowledge of plant medicines and being intuitive because their wisdom was perceived as a threat to the new social order. Even today shamans who object to the deforestation of their rain forests are being killed for being “possessed by evil spirits.”
The number thirteen is another such example. While once a sacred number, we now think of it as bad luck. Thirteen is the number of times the moon circles the earth within a year. The lunar cycle regulates the tides and women's cycles are known to align with it. Because they are more psychically open during this time, medicine women have traditionally gathered for moon ceremonies in service to their tribes. Archeological data shows early tribes revered these feminine powers and considered them sacred. Most of the idolatry that comes from Mesopotamian times is of females, with very few artifacts of war. Because babies clearly come from their mothers it made sense to base a child’s lineage on it’s known mother. As the possession of material things grew in importance, however, a few of the more aggressive tribes started overtaking these gentler ones for their assets. Marriage was then introduced as a way to keep their women chaste and the names of the pillagers’ heirs certain. Woman were subsequently prevented from doing moon ceremonies and made to feel shame and even face death if they defied these rigid rules. We now deeply honor the sanctity of marriage but Friday the 13th is a day to expect calamity, and all buildings are built “without” a thirteenth floor.
Similarly, many people still fear the word Shaman. They will say “Oh, I want to be healer, but not a shaman, shamans are dark.” Shaman is just a word we borrowed from the Siberians who used it for their tribal medicine persons. All healing practices originate from the indigenous practices of harnessing the forces of Nature. Where does our sense of this word’s darkness comes from? As with any power it can be abused, but it is not the power of Nature that is evil. Evil lives in the hearts of men and women who have not done their personal work around fear, power and control. Are the shamanic arts truly dark or is this another example of fearful people rewriting history to demonize the sacred? Is it not time to bring our witches, intuitives and mystics back into the light?
Christina Allen, Healer, Teacher and Founder and Director of the Austin Shamanic Center combines a strong science background (BA Physics, MS Neuroscience) with decades of applied ancient spiritual wisdom (Master Yogi, Reiki Master, and Shamanic Healer based on Q’ero Indian traditions of Peru). Available by private appointment at (512) 391-9829. Learn more about sessions and upcoming classes at Austin Shamanic Center.
© Austin All Natural, October 2014