ANIMALIA is a deeply powerful theme, with the potential to awaken everyone in BRC to the original nature they hold deep inside... where their animal instinct lives... the original connection to spirit now known the world over as shamanism.
Have you ever wondered what a "Power Animal", "Spirit Animal" or "Spirit Guide" actually is? The different names reflect the variety of their expression in indigenous traditions, but what they all do is act as a connection between the conscious self and Spirit.
Yes, Spirit. Source. Whatever you choose to call it, it's the metaphysical allness that simply is, and you're an expression of it.
Now, we're not talking about the kind of Power Animal you pull as a card from a big, beautiful deck or receive after answering some basic questions online... though they make great conversation starters at Animal Onsie parties.
There's only one place to meet a real Power Animal. You must go on a metaphysical journey to the place where the shared consciousness we call animal instinct lies -- the Lower World.
In many traditions, a spiritual leader must journeyon your behalf. A very deep journey may express itself immediately in this world (the Middle World), manifesting healing in a client while at the same time inducing a life-threatening trauma in the practitioner. Perhaps the latter is in trade for the healing. At any rate, such work is only available to one whom spirit has called to do it. We shamanistas are, for the most part, student-practitioners - like children standing on the shore of a bottomless lake, dipping our toes into the sacred water.
In some traditions, each member of the community must at least once face their animal guide - some even require that to happen in the Middle World.
In some cultures, traveling in other realms is part of everyone's daily life.
Does that last sentence sound familiar -- kind of like being at the burn?
We believe that ANIMALIA's invitation is directly connected to the great global shift toward higher-vibration energies that so many practitioners of different traditions and cultures feel strongly is taking place in the world. If the folks at Burning Man Project meant this as a conscious intention, it's deeply brilliant. Even if they didn't, it's still true. (And... that's kind of how Spirit works.)
Shamandome is here to help
For ANIMALIA, Shamandome is planning to offer as many Power Animal circles as we possibly can. For the first time, in addition to our regular 11am Find Your Power Animal circles, Shamandome Camp will be offering evening Power Animal circles at 8pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday nights (for you nighttime burners). We're moving our One-on-One healings and guest workshops to the afternoon hours, to make our entire campus available for Power Animal circles in the morning. (Our full schedule will be published on our Schedules & Events page just before we leave for the burn. The 2022 schedule will stay up until then.)
We're offering to create programming for Center Camp. Stay tuned...
If your camp camp would like a Power Animal circle of its own, we will send a practitioner to lead one, if we can. Hit us up! shamanistas@gmail.com
Most importantly, we'll be encouraging every participant who joins our circle and finds their Power Animal to grow the manifestation by leading Power Animal circles at their own camps, out on the playa, whenever and wherever spirit moves them.
We dream of circles popping up spontaneously at Center Camp... around the Man... near the Temple... in deep playa.
Here's where it gets weird...
Believe it or not, ANIMALIA was kind of presaged on Thursday night of Waking Dreams, at a sweat lodge on A at 2:15-ish, led by a Quechua indigenous practitioner, Tukuillapa. (A number of Shamandome campers attended.) Tukuillapa said that the most valuable action people can take to heal the environment right now is to teach shamanism to everyone, to reconnect us to our true nature, to Pachamama (it's a core Quechua prophecy) ... and that Burning Man has the potential to be a global catalyst for this work.
But really, it's not our job to save the whole planet*, we just want to help you meet your Power Animal.
So, stop by Shamandome just before 11am Tuesday through Saturday, or just before 8pm Tuesday, Wednesday, or Friday.
And... we'll see you at the Animal Onsie rave at the trash fence.
