| Masks of Illusion and the
Authentic Self by Christina Pratt One of our greatest challenges in this earthwalk is to see through the many-layered illusions of our world and to remember who we are and why we are here. In the past, masks were used to honor or to call in Spirit and facilitate this human process of remembering. Today, the most common mask is psychological, worn to hide, protect and often forget the spirit self. We wear many different faces -- the nice face, the strong man face, the devoted worker face, the good woman face -- but, what does the face of your spirit self look like? This is the journey of Masks of Illusion and the Authentic Self. We travel together around the medicine wheel, meeting an aspect of our self in each direction through visualization and shamanic journey. Then we bring the contemporary mask-making process up from the subconscious depths and into a conscious, and quite literal, creative process that leaves us with a mask in our hands at the end of each day. We learn to bring the necessary focus and intention into the creative process to make each mask an object of power. Each mask is the energy of the aspect of self you are working with. Finally, the change comes from the rituals that bring the process of each day to fruition. We drum, sing and dance the energies of each mask to release, embody or awaken that part of the self. Throughout the whole process we call on the spirits of the land, the ancestors, the four elements and our helping spirits for guidance, support and inspiration. All of this mask-making and ritual-dancing would be nothing if it did not help you "learn to walk the path of the spiritual life on practical feet." Throughout each day, there are many activities that support your mask-making rituals. Ultimately, they are tools available for use in daily life to sustain and continue your personal transformation. Effective tools facilitate and heal the integration of the Body and the Spirit. Where the Body and Spirit come together is the place of magic here on Earth. So, all of the support activities or "tools" either help to bring the Spirit fully into the Body, or to raise the vibration of the Body to meet the Spirit. The emotions and the intellect are also engaged, but in new ways that serve this healing process, not block or torment it. When the Body and Spirit are integrated, you are free to act in the moment; addictive patterns and baggage from the past do not drag you out of the moment nor do expectations of the future pull you forward from the moment. You can see "what is" and act in the moment of power. The group is a powerful opportunity to learn to be in the moment. We use the group process to learn to speak from the body and not the head. We learn to honor our mirrors and own our projections. This group process is a constant challenge to live in the body and to act from a place of ever deepening honesty. These tools are fundamental to drawing deeply from any group experience; they enable you to stay centered, honest and work with whatever comes up. There are other activities, both with the group and alone, that we draw upon to inspire and support our journey. We learn many ways to call on Spirit for guidance, to open to answers to our questions and to divine meaning from the infinitely creative ways that Spirit answers our call. We use yoga and shamanic dancing to open the energy channels in the body and guided meditations to run energy in the body and release blockages. We sing and share the spontaneous songs of the moment as they rise from our being. We dance to move energies, honor our helping spirits, and to learn the truth of the body's stories. All of these are tools that help to connect the Body and Spirit. One powerful tool will be reconnecting to your creative energy, which is an enormous part of every individual's life force. Life is a creative process. It takes a great deal of creative energy to find the faith to see through the illusions, to fuel the imagination needed to see your life as it could be and to act "as if" you are already capable of living there. A healthy connection to your creative energy sustains your ability to imagine and create the passionate, sacred and loving life your spirit dearly wants to live here on Earth. Overall, this wee, is a journey from shaman's death, or ego death, to rebirth. In ritual, we ask to release the aspects of self that no longer serve us, letting them die and freeing the energies locked in their patterns. Then, working with these many tools -- the masks, rituals, journeys and spirit energies -- we consciously and lovingly cleanse and open our internal space. Into this space the final mask is born, awakened through ritual, calling in Spirit and calling up the hidden parts of self. In this mask you are remembered -- and in its awakening you are freed to live the life of your Authentic Self. Masks of Illusion and the Authentic Self will be presented Sept. 14-19 at Intelligent Nutrients Retreat Center in Osceola, Wisc. For information please visit http://www.shamansense.org, call 1 (800) 927-2527 ext. 02586, or e-mail lastmaskcenter@earthlink.net. Christina Pratt also will be teaching "Foundations of Shamanism & Shamanic Healing" Sept. 22-26 through the Center for Spirituality & Healing, University of Minnesota. Contact the center at (612) 624-9459 or e-mail dimon007@umn.edu Christina Pratt is a shamanic healer, teacher and author who opened the Last Mask Center for Shamanic Healing in New York in 1990. She has been serving clients on both coasts since then, opening the Center in Portland in 2001. She has taught at The Omega Institute, Rowe Center, Hollyhock, Breitenbush Hot Springs, and Sleeping Lady Retreat Center, in addition to the workshops produced by Last Mask Center. Her book, An Encyclopedia of Shamanism, will be published in two volumes by Rosen Publishing Group in 2004. Copyright © 2004 Christina Pratt |
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Aug 2004 |
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