Death and Shamanism

“The things we learn about life from working with the dead,” says shaman and host, Christina Pratt, “are timeless and priceless.” One of the shaman’s traditional roles is the psychopomp, or guide of souls.  A psychopomp escorts the newly deceased souls to the afterlife, providing safe passage and often comfort or guidance in reconciling life and letting go.  And on that journey the dead do tell tales…

We are precisely who we have crafted ourselves to be with our lives.  Nothing changes at death.  The dead teach us that it is critically important to live well and to live fully now.  What ever you are cultivating now with your time and attention will be your legacy.  Will your legacy be one of depression, shopping, and chasing tail? Or will you hand on something of meaning and purpose to your descendants?  When the dead do not receive the guidance that they need to complete the journey or they simply can’t let go, their unresolved energies remain, plaguing their descendants with a legacy of the same habits and addictions.

Working to clear the energies of the dead teaches us that everything matters, everything can be changed with the help of spirit, and there is always hope. This week we begin a summer “blockbuster” series as we look into what shamanism has to teach us about the big issues—death, life, love and sex.

Listen to the show (just click the Play arrow):  

or download (right-click the link) the Shamanism and Death .mp3 audio file.

About Christina Pratt…

Shamanic teacher and author, Christina is a skilled shamanic healer who weaves her authentic shamanic experience, extensive training, and experience with shamans from Ecuador, Nepal, Tibet, and Africa into her contemporary practice. She has been in practice for 20 years, specializing in soul retrieval healings, soul part integration, and ancestral healing. She is the director of the Last Mask Center for Shamanic Healing in Portland, Oregon.

Comments Off on Death and Shamanism Original post date: Tuesday, August 10th, 2010