Shapeshifting and Dream Change

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Shapeshifting and Dream Change

by Barry Fraser

Shapeshifting. The word conjures up images of science fiction movies where aliens from far off worlds mysteriously transform themselves from one physical form to another. Surely a feat we mere human mortals are incapable of.

Or are we?

After reading John Perkin's remarkable book "Shapeshifting" I am beginning to wonder. The art of shapeshifting, the transformation of a human being into another living creature, is an ancient shamanic practice known and practiced by many indigenous people throughout the world. Very adept shamans are said to be able to physically change their human forms into that of plants and animals, using this shamanic technique of "becoming the other" in order use the abilities of the plant or animal to help and heal themselves and others.

It is difficult for us in the western culture to fathom such possibilities. It is also easy to become distracted by the debate of whether such extraordinary feats of physical shapeshifting are possible. In reality, though, it doesn't really matter, as shapeshifting can occur on many levels that go beyond the physical.

At its core, shapeshifting is a transformation, a potentially life-changing shift that brings us to a new level of understanding and consciousness; one that helps us become aware of the illusion of our separation from all of creation.

I experienced a very profound shapeshift in my own life not long ago while sitting alone on a hill overlooking Friday Harbor, Washington, an island just off the coast of Washington State.

Looking out over the harbor that day, I let my gaze gently touch each part of the surrounding landscape. And as I did, I began to notice that, no matter where I looked, I could not see anything that was not connected to something else; nothing was separate. Each flowed into the other. There were no boundaries where one thing stopped and another began. Every feature of the landscape was part of a perfect tapestry, and I too was a part of it all.

What happened next I now recognize to be a shapeshift. In that moment of clarity, all of my senses were heightened and I was overwhelmed by the beauty all around me. I found myself transported from a purely intellectual way of knowing my connection to nature to deeply experiencing that profound bond. I no longer felt separate from anything around me. And in that moment, I felt myself merge with the sky, the trees, the seals in the harbor below. I was not separate from them. I felt their energy flowing through me and mine through them. I felt this profound shift, and knew, unmistakably, that I was, and always have been, connected in some mysterious way, to the earth and to all of life that was now present before me. For that brief moment, I somehow had shapeshifted into something else, and I was able to awaken from the dream of separation.

"The world is as you dream it," says John Perkins. Our dream, our collective cultural dream in the industrialized world, has been one of separation from nature and from each other. This destructive dream has shaped our ideas, institutions and culture for thousands of years, and has now led us to the environmental crisis we see today. This dream has put our very survival at risk.

We desperately need a shapeshift, or as cultural historian Thomas Berry would say, a New Story, one that acknowledges the reality of our intimate connection with all of life. We now know that, from one supernova that exploded in our galaxy some five billion years ago every element on the earth and in our bodies was created. In reality, the cells in our bodies contain the same elements that existed from the beginning of time. We are indeed cosmically connected to all of existence and intimately bound to one another and to all of life on the planet.

Changing our dream is not an easy task. We will need help. We will need help from those who have been living a different dream, a dream that offers us sustainability and one that acknowledges that what we do to the earth we do to ourselves.

The indigenous people of the Shuar tribe of the Ecuadorian mountains have lived and practiced this dream for generations. Immersed in the Amazon rainforest, they have learned to live in harmony and balance with their environment, and for generations, have lived a simple and rich lifestyle that is both sustainable and spiritual. They have much to teach us.

On Friday, February the 8th, John Perkins, author of the Pulitzer prize nominated book "Spirit of the Shuar" will present a public lecture where he will show how we can transform our lives and our world by transforming our dreams. He will share with us his experiences with the indigenous shamans of the Shuar, as well as the shamans of the Amazon, Andes, Siberia, Guatemala, Himalayas, Southern Africa, and other cultures. He will describe how he has applied those experiences in his work with people and organizations around the world to create a new dream -- the foundation of a new reality -- of living in harmony with the earth and each other.

Please come to what promises to be an extraordinary experience. Come dream a new dream with us.

The World Is As You Dream It --
Transforming Your Life

Lecture with John Perkins

Friday, February 8, 2002, 7:00 p.m.

Unity of Tallahassee, 2850 Unity Lane (same location off Crowder Road)

$15, $10 members, $8 students/seniors

Sponsored by Southern Springs Holistic Learning Center and Heart of the Earth

For detailed information on this lecture, please visit: http://www.southernsprings.org/fall01.htm#featur