Integral Shamanism, States and Stages of Consciousness

I've been involved in an email discussion about how indigenous spiritual leaders organize (or don't organize) sacred gatherings. No one showed up at a recent gathering, which okay for the elders. A few highlights as background:

If it is a sacred gathering it is not publicized. If someone is to be there they will find it. Gatherings are made hard to find on purpose.


Fliers are usually a no-no. It is like, if someone calls themselves a medicine man/woman or shaman--run as fast as you can. Only the people can give you that honor.

It does not matter if there are 2000 people in attendance or one. When an Elder speaks it goes out to the whole Universe. Elders are not attached to how many they speak to, only that they can speak.


They understand that the words "we are all related" are real. That the trees, wind, rocks, and water will carry their words forward. You were fortunate to be one of the ones to experience them first hand.

If there are hundreds of seats they are all filled, even if you can not see the people.

Elder gatherings never start on time. It is normal for an Elder to be several hours late. They will start when the energy is right.

I'm reminded of the story about a religious man who, caught on the roof of his house as the flood waters rose all around him, beseeched God to rescue him. As two boats and a helicopter came by and asked if he needed help, he told each that he was fine, God would save him. Finally, as he clung to the chimney with water just below his mouth and still rising, he cried out, "God, why hast thou foresaken me?" Suddenly, a booming voice rang out from the heavens: "Whaddya want, I sent you 2 boats and a helicopter!"

While I honor traditional methods and beliefs, I also see that Spirit moves through us, and that we are the manifestation of Spirit, and what we do in the name of Spirit and in integrity is Spirit in Action. I also see that we are evolving creatures, and as we evolve, so does our deepening understanding of God and the Universe, as we can only see where our current structure of consciousness enables us to see, not beyond, and our perspectives are limited by those structures.

In other words, that all states of consciousness, right up to awareness of the non-dual, are available to anyone at any level of consciousness, has been demonstrated throughout the ages. Shamans and Medicine Men have always had ready access to those altered states of consciousness (ever-present, never-changing, the formless), but they can only be interpreted from an individual's stage, or structure of consciousness (always changing, evolutionary). What it means to be enlightened in the Integral age is very different from what it meant a thousand years ago, as newer stages of consciousness had not emerged and simply weren't available.

Unless we become aware of ourselves as evolving spiritual creatures, we'll keep doing what we've been doing, and getting the results we've been getting. Yes, I agree that the talks go out through the oneness of everything, into the collective unconscious, but I'd prefer that it also goes into as much of the collective consciousness, as well.

Post-modernism must integrate the wisdom and altered state skills of the Shaman and the Medicine Man, and indigenous teachers must integrate post modern stage consciousness. Anything less is only partial enlightenment.

"Integral" Shamanism

Last year, Bill, at Integral Options Cafe, wrote about what he called "Meta-Shamanism," where a "meta-shaman moves vertically along the whole Spiral, accessing the necessary energies, values, or traits of any given Meme as needed to solve the current situation. Within the Meme accessed, the meta-shaman is able to move within the horizontal or vertical orientation of that Meme as needed."

He goes on to say "The meta-shaman recognizes the entire Kosmos as a manifestation of Spirit, the source and destination of the manifest Universe. The gods, goddesses, and spirits humans have recognized throughout their history remain alive and valid within each of the vMemes that spawned them."

"Meta-shamans are capable of selecting (through a conscious process, or some intuitively - Gary), the Meme required at any given time. Within the selected Meme, whichever form of consciousness transformation is appropriate to that Meme is accessible, whether it's the trance state of the traditional shaman in Purple, or the nature mysticism of the Green Meme."

The danger with traditional Shamanic practices is, of course, the classic trap of of the pre/trans fallacy (as first identified by Wilber), in that it mistakes a previous level for an advanced level.

It is in this sense that I agree with Bill's well thought out analysis of "Meta," or even "integral," shamanism. I like his use of Spiral Dynamics as a values model to move through various stages of shamanism, and I want to try to take it a bit further, moving into Wilber's AQAL model, as well.

As Ken points out in Boomeritus, one of Shamanism's great contributions has been providing profound techniques of inducing altered states of a psychic and subtle nature, and that can be a path out of flatland. The trick seems to be to be able to take the altered-states technology of the shaman and fit them into more adequate interpretations. That shamanic STATES exist cannot be denied, but what STAGE do they get plugged into?

Whatever one's experience is of the shamanic altered-state practice is, like all state experiences, they will be interpreted first, by the altitude of the shaman, and individually interpreted, or reinterpreted, by the person experiencing the altered state based on their own development.

In this sense, Shamanism is no different than any other path that leads to altered states and transformation. "Integral" shamanism goes beyond traditional therapy and traditional shamanism: During this time of evolutionary unfoldment, an "integral" shaman may intuitively, or with purpose and intention, use all their tools, all the perspectives, including the the AQAL model, developmental levels, lines, states, and stages, recognizing that the people they are working with can be met where they are, and with a sense of using these skills, including shamanism, to have a sense of what needs to happen next, healing and opening paths to higher states of consciousness.