The election is over and not only the nation, but the world has spoken. Yes the world! For this election went way beyond the people of the United States. People everywhere voted, not necessarily with official ballots, but with their hearts and minds. In small communities in various parts of the world people held mock elections and actually pretended to vote for the American president. People in countries everywhere stayed up all night and celebrated as if they themselves were the elected party. Millions of congratulatory e-mails were sent by people of all countries to their American friends. I myself received deliriously happy messages from far-flung countries congratulating me on our electing Barack Obama almost as if we had elected him for them personally. What would cause such a thing? Not in anyone’s memory has the nation seen quite the participation and celebration involving the election of an American president.
In the United States, despite an economic crises, many people of both parties were not only relieved that the election was finally over, but in many cases found themselves strangely high. Even many Republicans were respectful and impressed at the phenomenal organization that Obama put together to carry him to the White House. McCain seemed almost in a hurry to congratulate Obama on winning the election as if his annoyance with his running mate and his eagerness to be off the hook was stronger than his antipathy for Obama. He had played his part well and the script called for his stage exit left. In the end many voters on the fence who voted for McCain were just as glad that Obama was elected. Not wanting to be left out, they too wanted to celebrate what seemed to be a worldwide victory. Americans in general, but particularly moderate Republicans, seemed to be amazed at the fuss made round the world by the Obama election. Is this because Obama is the first black man ever to be elected president? While this does fulfill a prophecy that leadership in the United States and in the world will come more and more from minorities in the twenty first century, it is not really the reason.
The truth is much more expansive, much more powerful, much more momentous. Obama’s election signals the human species choice to move forward to adulthood and leave childhood behind. In a word, it is the beginning of puberty for the human race. It is like the East brightening at dawn, before the sun rises. It may still be bitterly cold but the grip of the night is broken and the day is nigh. Spirits lift and the energy shifts to an entirely new perspective. Obama is merely the one who volunteered to carry the banner, to be the symbol of the change, the symbol of an entirely different paradigm. The contrast is striking between the outgoing administration and the president elect and his new administration. While most of the world eagerly anticipates the change, a few rogue nations, rebellious children, are worried about the diplomatic and unifying skills of the new president. No longer can they manipulate a simple and predictable child president, the bully older brother. Now the parent has stepped in and they are worried.
Obama, a relationship oriented priest (mature soul), is at the seventh level, the level of mastery with regard to relationships. He is in a position to mentor, role model, and teach others how to relate, how to manage people, how to manage himself. During his campaign he never lost his temper with his staff, treated staff members with respect, downplayed drama, and refused to be a party to backstabbing and ego games. Because of this he was able to surround himself with other mature souls who equally did not want to play the young soul games. Instead of internal conflict he was able to get maximum efficiency from his staff and from all his volunteers. He was able to far outperform McCain’s team that was torn apart by strife and ego.
Now, Obama brings these skills to not only solving the problems of the nation, but in paving the way for a new set of expectations for behavior. A president can squander his influence as did George W. Bush or he can use his considerable influence to create a new style, a new way of behaving that causes people to behave in ways that bring out the best in them. John F. Kennedy was able to pull this off with his emphasis on physical fitness and service to country. With his appointments of more mature souls to his cabinet posts, staff positions, and other important posts, Obama will be able to multiply his influence many times over. Everywhere they look people will notice a more mature style, a people oriented approach, a set of leaders specifically chosen to get the best and the most from the people they serve. Perhaps there will be exceptions, there always are, but for the most part Obama’s election represents a sea change, a turning point in the road, a milestone from which there will be no turning back. And even though corporate toes will be stepped on, and the privileged few may grumble at new limits to their machinations, there will be many more who will be on board with the changes. Interestingly enough, with Wall Street on its knees, the financial crowd will be willing to play by new rules because they have been hurt so badly and are so frightened by what they themselves have perpetrated. There will be more cooperation than anyone ever expected and this is exactly Spirit’s plan. We have mentioned many times over the recent years that change would come when the younger souls were hurt badly in the pocket book, loss being the way they learn the most quickly.
There will be no quick fix to the financial crises, the falling apart of traditional structures, the turbulent times to come, yet somehow these challenges will seem manageable under the paradigm shift that Obama is bringing. We must never forget that Obama is just a man but he is also us in our higher aspirations. We are the ones who empower him because of who we are and who we are becoming. Thank God he is not and we are not Joe Sixpack. Perhaps at times that is who we have been, where we have come from, apathetic and dulled in an alcoholic haze, slumped in front of the TV. No longer. There is no place for Joe Sixpack in the world to come. And although there are many mothers with children who play hockey, thank God that is not all they are, “Hockey Moms.” Their children will grow up and they will find themselves human beings with their own interesting and creative lives to lead. Let us celebrate the end of these dismal and limited labels.
Remote Healing
Each month, around the new and full moons, Jose, Lena or Anna leads a remote shamanic healing session. These approximately 30 minute sessions are designed to be experienced in a quiet, safe place free from distraction. Even if you cannot join live they can be very powerful, and always include a good clearing and beautiful icaros. Recording access is included for a short time afterwards. See the product description for dates and times.
There will be those who are so frightened by the great shift that they will viciously attack Obama and his administration. Unfortunately there will be those who seek to harm him in a desperate hope to turn back the clock. Yet no matter what they attempt, the choice has been made and the clock can never be turned back permanently. Those who behave in this immature fashion will be a smaller and smaller minority who eventually will be marginalized completely. Yet being highly vocal and drawing upon hate and fear they will remain a thorn for some time to come. These parts of ourselves who are so fearful are not confined to the United States but are sprinkled all over the planet and they must be leaned on through ruthless peer pressure to adopt a more appropriate stance. Any fantasy of getting rid of them is pure illusion because we can never get rid of a part of ourselves. The only solution is to contain that part and choose to move beyond it.
Obama is a symbol of change and the right man for the immense job ahead. His family, too, are powerful symbols of change and have a big mission. Congratulations world on your choice for maturity, for spiritual growth, for a path with heart. May you reap the rewards for having great courage in your selection and in your willingness to take responsibility after being asleep for so long.
The World Election Pt 2
Now that we have discussed the election of Obama to the presidency let us look at its broader implications. In earlier articles we have discussed how the earth is a planet dominated by the warrior role, one of the seven major character types also known as roles in essence. The seven roles are Artisan, Sage, Warrior, King, Server, Priest, and Scholar. Warriors comprise about twenty five percent of the world population. On earth the dominant sentient species are human beings, operating out of simian bodies to experience all of physical life. Simian body types are by their very nature highly action oriented, aggressive, and territorial. Their opposable thumbs allow them to build and wield tools and weapons. Their ability to walk upright makes them highly observant and independently mobile. Their forward facing eyes make them predators, and their highly developed brains make them smart, creative, and dangerous. These predatory body types are ideally suited for the warrior role.
Throughout history we have not always seen the positive pole of the warrior because the human species has been going through its early developmental stages and has therefore been quite immature. Younger souls, including survival oriented, rule oriented, and success oriented, tend to act from the negative poles much of the time. Of all the seven different roles warriors have the least interest in introspection, contemplation, or self-understanding, at least not until they are quite old. After all, they are action oriented and they have a tendency to act against something, particularly the external world.
For a very long time young warriors have perpetuated a culture of conflict, attack, defense, competition, and selling of lack. Coming from the negative pole of – coercion, they strong-armed these approaches onto the cultures, governments, and religions of the world. While these methods have had secondary benefits creating higher standards of living for many, and even great wealth for a few, it has not created happiness on the planet. What it has made is violence, war, and an endless perception of lack.
All this has created an almost intolerable desire for dramatic change now that the planet is ready to go through puberty. This negative warrior paradigm can never be a vehicle for where we need to go next as a planet, and therefore it is imperative that it be relieved of command for the time being. The young or success-oriented stage is the third stage of development and three in a cycle of seven is the number of the warrior. The mature or relationship oriented stage is the fourth stage and symbolized by the number four, the scholar number. Therefore where we are going as a planet is the age of philosophy, the age of understanding, the age of curiosity, and experimentation with consciousness. Ultimately it is the age of relationships characterized by the heart, the fourth and middle of the Hindu energy vortices (charkas) along the spinal column.
The whole process of the presidential elections has been the symbol of the end of the negative warrior era. Obama, a priest, has beat out all the warriors-Hillary Clinton and John McCain, and will drive out the young warrior cabal with George Bush, Dick Cheney, Condoleezza Rice et al, and reluctantly they have acquiesced knowing that change is nigh. Where we need to go right now as a planet cannot be led entirely by warriors. This is why there are other roles, to carry a different energy, a different approach when it is the right time and place. Priests, only three percent of the population, are designed to play a very influential role. Bob Dillon, Martin Luther King, Marianne Williamson, Stevie Wonder, and the rapper Eminen are all examples of priests.
The dominance of warriors however is not going away for good because a) there are so many of them and b) they are so effective in human bodies, but they must step aside for the time being to let a new paradigm shift take effect. Commerce, finances, and business, all warrior dominated areas, will continue in the future after the shift, but they will be based on a different set of rules.
A mature priest leads from inspiration, from moral authority, from a place of conscience, and most importantly from a place of compassion, all traits that Obama has in abundance. All priests can become zealous, a bit rigid, arrogant, and overly serious. Certainly there will be moments when Obama will exhibit these traits. However these are not likely to last or dominate because of three things, his maturity, the influence of his family, particularly his wife, and the wishes and intentions of the people.
Finally it is important to realize that warriors tend to view priests with some skepticism. They subconsciously remember all the times a priest such as Napoleon, led them to the slaughter and they fear a priest will acquiesce to the enemy out of compassion and will not defend them in crisis. Their trust will have to be earned. When Obama meets with their satisfaction, he will have their undivided loyalty and he will be able to accomplish an enormous amount of work. Obama will then be much loved, much more than he is now.
As warriors mature along with the rest of the human population they will continue to have a dominant effect on how things are done. They will however express the positive pole much more often and this will make a huge difference in our world. Several words express the positive pole of the warrior, + productivity, + persuasion, + organization, + loyalty and so on. These traits will have a most positive influence on the world and help us to fulfill our destiny here on earth, to awaken, to unify, and express the intentions of Spirit. Let us celebrate the warrior, not through war, not in supporting troops, but in honoring them for being courageous, strong, energized, productive, organized, and powerfully helpful in times of need. Mature and old warriors include: Don Juan Matus, Robert Redford, Paul Newman, Clint Eastwood, and Hillary Clinton. Notice that none of these warriors are soldiers, have killed anyone, or carry actual weapons. Warriors are capable of much more than war and this is for humanity to learn. The Toltec notion of the ultimate warrior captures this potential best. The quintessential warrior is the one who goes through life unarmed, without armor, leading with his or her heart, completely vulnerable. Now that is where we are going with our warrior brothers and sisters. Sounds good to me.
Jose Stevens
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José Stevens
José Luis Stevens, PhD is the president and co-founder (with wife Lena) of Power Path Seminars, an international school and consulting firm dedicated to the study and application of shamanism and indigenous wisdom to business and everyday life. José completed a ten-year apprenticeship with a Huichol (Wixarika) Maracame (Huichol shaman) in the Sierras of Central Mexico. In addition, he is studying with Shipibo shamans in the Peruvian Amazon and with Paqos (shamans) in the Andes in Peru. In 1983 he completed his doctoral dissertation at the California Institute of Integral Studies focusing on the interface between shamanism and western psychological counseling. Since then, he has studied cross-cultural shamanism around the world to distill the core elements of shamanic healing and practice. He is the author of twenty books and numerous articles including Encounters With Power, Awaken The Inner Shaman, The Power Path, Secrets of Shamanism, Transforming Your Dragons and How To Pray The Shaman’s Way.
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