the NewsLeader Article by Linda Leicht
the Show Me the Ozarks Article by Ann Leach
Interview with Jacob Lewis
by Jacob Lewis
Jacob Lewis: Thank you very much for agreeing to help me out. Below I will list a series of questions. Only answer what you want with as much as you feel I need to know and as much as you feel comfortable giving. I will try to get as much of your personal history as I can off of your site, as well as some other info, so if I ask question that I can find the answer to there, just direct me to the area on the site. Here are the questions:
Why have you chosen to be a shaman, or
was it a choice? Is there a large local group representation of
Shamanism?
ShadowHawk: I didn't choose to be a Shaman in the beginning. The medicine woman of the Black Bear Clan of the Lumbees used to do readings for my mother. She told me that I was a reincarnated shaman and that i was to continue my work in this lifetime. I know of one other shaman in this area. It is becoming a popular buzzword and many may call themselves shamans. For people like myself, who have devoted a lifetime of work and study to shamanism there are actually very few.
Are there any other group, practice or philosophy that you are presently involved in? How long have you been a Shaman?
I have walked the shamanic path for 27years...practicing for 25 of those. I am open to all paths of spirituality. In my belief they all serve the same purpose, to connect us with the creator.
What are the most significant ways in which your worldview differs from traditional Judeo-Christian beliefs?
I could write a book here...i shall try to be brief. I do not view god as an angry parent. I feel that all of creation, every single thing is a thread in the tapestry that makes up God. I do not personify God, casting "him" into my image. Rather, I see Spirit in everything, as everything. When a Christian looks at a beautiful day he will say, "look at what god has made"...when I look at the same day I will say, "look at God". The creation and the creator are one in the same. It is a part of us, inherently. it is what we and all things are made of. You will often hear a Native American pray or speak to "all my relations". That means everything, literally. When I pray I pray to Grandmother and Grandfather. This is not to be confused with personification. It is more a recognition of the feminine and masculine qualities of spirit. Grandmother is the limitless unrealized creative potential, the void. Grandfather is the activating principle that brings the potential creation into being. Great Mystery and Great Spirit are also common terms in this area.
My way is to live in harmony with all things. To respect the earth and all that lives upon it. As a Shaman, I see everything as a great circle. A never ending cycle or creation. I do not believe in hell. Not in the traditional sense. I believe that when we forget that we are a part of Spirit, when we do not see ourselves as part of Grandfather/Grandmother then we are in hell. Sin is anything that takes our awareness of this truth away from us.
I do not believe there is only one true path to Spirit. I believe that all religions and faiths are merely different expressions of the same thing, a basic human need to feel connected with God. I also do not believe that religion and spirituality are the same thing.
As a Shaman it is common to "speak" with spirit guides and loved ones that have passed on, to lose oneself in spiritual ecstasy, to "shape shift" and see through the eyes of a totem animal or spirit, to journey into other realms of existence. I never learned any of that in Sunday school growing up as a Baptist, I'll tell ya that.
What opposition have you faced (if any) from others who disapprove of your practices?
Through the years I have met with many who did not approve of what I do. I used to do a seven-direction ritual in the backyard of the small town I grew up in. The neighbors just didn't know what to think. I have been asked everything from "are you satanic" to "do you believe in God". As one might expect I meet with the image that Hollywood has created. Many expect me to be a leathery old man with long grey braids and a drinking problem that saves the day just as the movie runs out. I have had many people offer to pray for me and others who have distanced themselves out of fear. The most shocking opposition came from a recent NewsLeader article about me. I had expected to receive backlash from the Christian faction from it, but to my surprise it was the Native Americans that spoke out. I found out that I was posted on a hate site. Native Americans going off because they thought I was selling out their culture; that I was putting a price on their heritage. None of which is true. I am a modern day Shaman. I learned from a full blood Native American and that tradition is one I honor dearly, but I draw upon many faiths and belief systems. As i mentioned before, in my world all is one.
What do you feel are the best resources available for helping someone not familiar with shamanism to learn about it?
*Shameless self promotion* ShamanShadow.com. There are a lot of books, but in my experience it is best to learn firsthand. Shamanism is often on oral tradition, passed down from a shaman to his apprentice. To walk the path of Shamanism is to adopt an entire lifestyle. One that can be hard to mesh with the modern world and a predominantly Christian based society.
What do you wish the general public knew about shamanism?
How beautiful and intimate the relationship with Spirit is. When you experience Shamanic ecstasy you feel both huge and small.... like a drop in the ocean, individual but part of something so expansive it is hard to imagine. I do not look for some external God to decide if I am worthy of his love or not, but rather live my life knowing that I am a part of God. That there is nothing in the entire universe that I am not connected to, a part of. I know that there is a spirit world. I have been there. We all have. It is a place of love and light. I do not just believe this...it is a deep inner knowing.
Could you explain (for I have misplaced my notes) what each of the following is used for or its significance? A Medicine Staff, a Thunder Rock, a Mandela, Animal Totems and the Medicine Wheel.
A Medicine Staff: used in ceremonies and ritual work to direct energies and intentions...medicine staves are decorated with "fetishes", symbols that represent the quality or power the individual wishes to embody.... ex: an eagle feather might be used to represent the individuals spiritual dedication or a shell used to represent protection.
A Thunder Rock: boji stones, moqui marbles, shaman's stones...these are all names for a compound rock that was formed when a meteor hit the earth in the southwest united states. They are round rocks with an iron based outer shell and a limestone or sand core. They form either smooth or with a ridge around them or often small outcroppings of the stone on the surface. The smooth ones are considered female and the others male. Both aspects of creation. Shamans use them to call the elements, control the weather and send intentions or prayers to grandfather or any of our relations.
A Mandela: a spiritual shield. Decorated with fetishes and images that represent the owner or family that holds it.
Animal Totems: animal spirits or sometimes-actual animals that helps us by offering guidance, giving strength, or lending us their unique abilities. Let�s say you were having trouble seeing a situation clearly and needed help. You might call upon the hawk to lend you his keen eyesight and ability to rise above the situation to give you better understanding. Or you might call on the totem of the bear to give you courage.
The Medicine Wheel: a large circle basically divided into four parts, representing the seasons, directions and elements. The construction varies from tradition to tradition which is true for all things native. It is used for various ceremonies. Walking the medicine wheel helps us to find our place in things, to understand ourselves better. This is an involved one and i would suggest further study by the individual to truly understand the medicine wheel.
What is it like while in a 'trance' (I'm not sure of the proper terminology here)? I have read there are three realms one could to while in a trance; do you have any comments on this?
Lucid dreaming is the closest term I can come up with for Shamanic ecstasy, or trance. You are aware of what is going on but you are in another place at the same time. Your focus shifts from one to the other, often leaving the "real" world behind for a time. The spirit world is like the dreamtime. The three worlds you mentioned are easily confused with heaven, earth and hell. They are in fact not the same. The upper world, middle world and lower world are where a Shaman journeys to manipulate reality and most often to do soul retrieval. I consider the three worlds as navigation points.
What role does sound play in the practice of a Shaman and what tools do you use as such?
The drum is the mainstay of the Shamanic practice. It is the heartbeat of Grandmother and the voice of Grandfather. It, along with the rattle serves as the main tools used by Shamans. However, all traditions have their variations. Bells, digeree doo, chanting, singing, clapping, practically anything that makes sound have been used in Shamanic practices. I personally used the drum, and rattle, but have found that in this day and age it is hard to beat a good cd. It also allows me to journey without the need for a drummer or attendant to keep the beat going.
How do the other sense play into your practice?
All of the senses are important. For the purpose of journeying, for example, you need to be comfortable (touch), use the drumming (hearing), the quest itself is visual. Smudge or the burning of incense or resinous woods often accommodates smell. Taste is harder to define, almost like a reptile "tastes" it's environment. Each of us is stronger in one sense than another. I respond very well to visual stimuli and the drum. So, in my practice i use drumming and mental imagery to get into the trance state. The other senses are used, but secondarily.
Again I want to thank you for helping me with this project. Toward the end of the year I will writing a ten-page research project on Shamanism. I have quite a few sources already, and I will probably use your interview as one as well, but if there are any other texts, web sites of videos that you think would be helpful, I would be grateful.