The truth is, you’re never “ready”; you just simply have to start. It doesn’t make any difference how good it is, or how successful it becomes, what you’ll have learned in the doing of it is immeasurable.
My friend thinks she’s not ready. She doesn’t know enough, she’s not prepared enough. How/where does she get the self-confidence if she doesn’t try to do it?
You won’t know whether you can or you can’t until you do it and find out how much you know and how much you still have to learn.
Life is like that.
Take the first step.
Try one thing after another.
Get better each time.
Clarify by explaining what you do to others
One of the most clarifying and sometimes difficult ways I begin to “own” something is to find the simplest words that’ll let me explain it to others who have no experience with what I’m talking about. A true “beginner’s mind.” Look for ordinary words that create a one-line introduction.
I now explain my own work by saying, “I help you recognize the messages from your inner world. I use shamanic journeying, which is the earliest form of meditation. It’s a powerful form of healing and guidance.”
But it took me a long time to get it all down to those few words. Find a simple, yet core explanation for what you do for others. You’ll hugely clarify your own purpose in the process.
How do you explain what you do in the simplest of terms, for a beginner’s mind?
What does your work do for others?
The simplest answer is the best one. And that simple answer explains exactly what your work will do for others. One step at a time. One process at a time. For instance, shamanism lets you explore the 95% of your world that’s invisible and brings back answers that help you in your human experience.
How do you absorb the work you have chosen to do?
We absorb by reviewing the material, applying it to our own lives and then explaining it to others.
I take shamanic journeys for myself. I journey for family and friends. I journey for the well being of the world (that’s particularly empowering!). I reread the material from the extensive courses I’ve taken and the many books I’ve read on the topic – but most of all I practice. I just do it. I make it my own. I will learn to conduct ceremonies, for me alone in the beginning, in order to decide for myself how I want to do it.
Begin by doing.
Know what your role is
As I deepen my practice of shamanism, I look for guidance regarding my role. I’ve been an explorer and map maker for a long time now, and that’ll continue. I am not to teach shamanism; I may only occasionally journey for others. But I do know that I’m to continue to explore and share what I find with others. I am the inspirer and motivator for others to go learn this for themselves if it calls to them. But I am not the teacher of the details.
Know what your role is.
It was very empowering for me to realize my specific role. Just as I absorbed Taoism into my life and my philosophical writing, so will I absorb shamanism. My core purpose is the exploration of the inner planes and the sharing of what I discover there.
I’ll never be “ready” to share that. I simply share what I figure out and move on.
You are ahead of someone
If you’ve read one book on a topic, you’re ahead of the person who hasn’t. If you’ve added one practice to your life, you’re ahead of the person who hasn’t. So you always have something to share, with someone, in some manner.
What’s your unique gift to our world and how are you sharing it?
You are ready you know. Just begin.
To Sing a Deeper Song Consider:
How Your Spiritual Life Changes You
