Shapeshifting Into Higher Consciousness
by Llyn Roberts
O-Books, John Hunt Publishing Ltd. 2011
Book Excerpt | Chapter Four: Shapeshifting with Nature
I was first introduced to the Siberian Mark Exercise when traveling across expanses of the Asian steppe (prairie) from Kyzyl, Tuva to Mongolia with a Tuvan Shamanka. The purpose was to offer ceremony and healings to remote communities. As with all shamanic groups, Tuvans see the energy of trees, fields, waters and winds. Everything is alive. They do not have to get out of the car, lie down, and blind fold their eyes to discern these forces. Shamanic perception is always open, so spiritual reality would be hard to miss. Yet, they do get out of the car to honor the spiritual aspects of the land and deepen their connection to these. The steppe in this region is grassland interspersed with stretches of taiga (evergreen forest). This is bordered by rivers and mountains. From June through August the temperatures can rise to over one hundred degrees and the forest’s ground cover is lush. Shrines called Obaas dot the landscape where the topography and, the shamans say, the spirits, change. We make offerings here, at the energetic gateways of the land. You would not walk into a neighbor’s home without knocking or knowing that you are welcomed. Similarly, shamans will not enter a spirit’s territory without appeasing them and asking permission. This also deepens their connection to that which is unseen.
In stopping at one of these locations, I walked over to a small teepee like structure, an Obaa this woman built with her own hands. When her father was alive he also spent time on this land. The Shamanka asked me to crawl inside the Obaa, kneel upon the earth, and place my forehead upon the ground. I stayed there for a long time. The shaman woman finally said, “The earth will give you a mark.” I worried that nothing would appear to me, but soon I did see a horse. The horse became a clear figure in my mind and I enjoyed watching it gallop. After some time, the horse disappeared and in it’s place formed a circle of twinkling stars. When this also faded, I knew it was time to emerge from the Obaa. After I came out the Shamanka, who was waiting for me, asked what I saw. When I shared my images she smiled. She said, “Today begins the holiday of horses and tonight we do a ceremony to the stars.” I had received a clear mark from the earth.
Award-winning author, Llyn Roberts is a prominent teacher of healing and shamanism. Her books include Shamanic Reiki, The Good Remembering, and the Independent Publisher’s award-winning Shapeshifting into Higher Consciousness. Her most recent book, Speaking with Nature, coauthored with Sandra Ingerman, is a Nautilus Gold award-winner.
Purchase Shapeshifting Into Higher Consciousness here
Visit Llyn Roberts’ websites:
www.shamanicreikiworldwide.com
www.eomec.org
