Something very strange happened to me today, and the nexus is the only place I can go to at the moment for answers...I'll start off with a lil about me, I'm actually a mini-practicing shaman, I've been using various plant allies in conjuction with DMT for a while now, always practicing white magic, and using these admixtures in order to talk with and/or receive information from the wise tree in front of my meditation hut regarding my life, the Universe, and everything in between....

Okay, so a musician I really admire, let's call him ron, (music helped me through homeless drug addiction) finally got out of prison after serving a prison sentence for drug-related problems. His voice is very powerful and beautiful, something else really, and the band he was in prior to going to prison was AMAZING as well...A band was formed for him while he was in prison by the bass player, and of course, soon a new guitarist was introduced. Let's call him Jack. I guess he had sent a vid to the bassist, and auditioned later, getting the gig. The guy is straight up evil. You can see it in every pore of his body, every fiber of his being reeks of ego and darkness. I usually do not see people in this light, but with this guy, its hard not to...
Well anyways, he buddies up with ron when he gets our of jail, and low-key get ron to make a shit album, about girls and text messages. Of course Jack's the main songwriter, leaving the band dependent on him. The album was leaked, and it's borderline terrible. It's basically an entire album stroking the singer's ego, and I really feel this was the intention of this guitarist the entire time...get Ron to fail...

But by some wonderful stroke of destiny, 'Jack's' visa is revoked, causing him to have to go back to the UK until a new visa is processed, something that can take a while..

This is where I come in...I began posting videos of myself on their facebook accounts, their twitter accounts, whatever I could find, challenging the album's mediocrity. I claimed I could bring the band up to where it needs to be, which I very possibly could. I played my songs, shredded solos, all that good stuff. I challenged the album's concept, arguing the ideals should have been centered around the idea of overcoming drug addictions, rebirth, unity and strength in light. The crazy part is.....the fans began to agree with me....

Which leads us to today....I am very close to getting into this band, I can feel it in my bones...the problem is, so does 'Jack', the guitarist...I know he has seen my posts, I know he knows what I am saying is truth, and I imagine it makes him seethe with anger...I see Jack as an archetype of evil, seductive but cold inside and out...the other day I had aquired some new tree-gum incenses and some gnarly blue-black astral projection blend, and proceeded to use them today during my ritual with harmalas and spice...immediately I knew something was wrong when I lit my sage...the smoke blew away from me, as opposed to towards me, indicating there was something in my aural field that needed fixing...I proceeded to smoke more dmt, which prompted a quick vision of my father, and then something else entirely took over...

I was struck with a sense of blue energy, and caught a glimpse of some spirit-power-god, which was being used by the rival shaman I was about to meet...all of a sudden, everywhere where I would usually see my parents and loved ones while mingling with the Other, was replaced by a crystal clear image of an asian guy, dressed like a rockstar, but he seemed to be attacking me with energy....everything around him began to rot, and I found it very hard to breathe...I was filled with thoughts of "I hate myself" and "I want to die", and I suddenly realized what was going on....this other guy, sorcerer, whatever you want to call it, was very real and very powerful...he uses dmt, and a lot of the same methods to travel, and was coming from some very real source to attack my energy...I feel the closer I get to getting into this band, the closer I can get to spreading the idea of oneness to the masses...the darker intentions in the universe don't want this, and I feel I experienced my first, VERY REAL, shamanic attack by a dark shaman...I just don't know where he is from? I've considered searching the band's FB friend list, I feel it may be a fan, considering the guy was dressed all screamo like the people in that trend...Maybe he is a friend of 'Jack's', maybe he's an interdimensional traveler?

What really tripped me out was, it was strong...this guy was able to present himself in my environment, either from somewhere else on Earth, or somewhere else in Hyperspace, and affect my energy fields...He looked me dead in the eyes, and at that moment I knew he knew exactly who I was...I have no idea how, but he knew....I sang icaroish songs with phrases like "I love you" and "I will help you" until I could not exert anymore energy, and even this was not enough to restore balance in my field, it was only enough to push the guy out of it....things remained dark and coarse after he has been banished...Something tells me this kind of thing is going to be happening more often, humans are evolving, and this fucker was able to come through a dimensional window LITERALLY into my surroundings...He's an urban guy too, not some jungle sorcerer...probably just a guy who uses dmt and plant allies to a darker means, but seeing this possible definitely puts a new twist on where things are headed...be careful out there, fellow nexians! Protect yourself, find a plant spirit to aid you during your journeys! If you do not, you leave yourself open to possible attack by explorers/beings much more versed in multi-dimensional activity. In Plants We Trust.

I am aware that I am God, as are you, and we are all expressions of the same one Lifeforce. I understand that everything that happens within the experience is created by the Lifeforce, but the lifeforce is so complex, it is able to produce ultra-real simulation, which I am relating to you as of now...This guy, expression of me or not, was a dark shaman who caused attack on the form I occupy now...I just wanted to capitalize on that, IT WAS A REGULAR PERSON WHO COULD TRAVEL INTERDIMENSIONALLY...INTENTIONALLY....something I never thought possible...

thanks for your sharing,

..on a higher plateau the 'adversary' is an aspect of yourself...
but for your more 'warrior/shaman' viewpoint, i'd say the works of Carlos Castaneda deal with approaches to these experiences well...
..when you write, i in no way doubt your intention, but it can be very difficult to remain
'impecable' to one's ego based intent (please don't take offense to word 'ego', we all got one!)..

one person's 'white magic' could be anothers' 'sorcery'..
also when you say, you are draining your energy reacting emmotively (or judgementally)
towards this 'person'..stay focused & don't waste your precious time..

(..i like to try to reach the higher ground when i go 'out'...)

It's weird, the more I'd think about him, the stronger the memory of him would get, and the more that feeling would come back...What a trip though dude, I thought back to the castaneda stories as well, and amazingly enough, this was just like the spiritual attacks described in those books...I mean, I know the guy is an expression of myself, but it seemed as if he were a REAL person somwehere...Any idea how these things work? Any idea how one can achieve this kind of affect, but in a more positive approach?

Bro,

You are thinking way too hard about these things.

My only advice for you would be to take a step back, let go of your emotions and memories, and meditate on what ACTUALLY is happening.

What if there was no magic, no shamans, etc- What if all there was was human jealousy?

The reason I ask is because I have been there in my youth and I see this in your words. You are growing up. You will learn not to let others around you effect you so much. This person that you think spiritually attacked you, you are actually either just afraid, intimidated, or worried about this person. Try not to be.

Try living in the moment where there is no supernatural. Take the higher ground and try to let go of this instead of allowing your mind to run off on these rather insane tangents. It's not healthy to worry and to make up stuff like this. When I read this, myself and a few others were very concerned about you, tobecomeone00.

I know it must be tough for you right now. This is your world, your social circles, etc. Over time you will see how much you are making this up out of fear. Do not let fear rule you. You have nothing to worry about, I assure you.

Are you aware that Carlos Casteneda made everything up? You should do some research about him. His books were fiction. This may come as a shock to you now, but please, I am only informing you of these things to help you better understand that ALL IS WELL.

I can only advise you to maybe go camping, hiking, meditating, and to get your mind off of all this stuff so you can better focus on what is actually really happening around you instead of what you think is happening.

The mind is a powerful creative thing and if you don't step back, relax, and tame it, you will soon find yourself suffering from delusions.
Be well...

۩ wrote


..while i agree the majority of tales in the books are 'fiction' (...is a DMT trip 'true'?), i did read Castaneda's Journey by Richard De Mille (1976)

in it he interviewed various academic supervisors of Castaneda, including a few who are members of p.80

..de Mille believes Don Juan is an amalgamation of Maria Sabina & two other curanderos (Don Aurelio and Aristeo), who were introduced to Castaneda
by Gordon Wasson at UCLA in 1960..(p.60 &ff)..this promted Castaneda to take several field trips to Mexico between 1961-3..

like Castaneda's books, de Mille's book is a good read whatever you think of 'em...

..interestingly, in the book de Mille refers to two papers by Michael Harner (1962/3 American Anthropologist & Dissertation Essays)
about Banisteriopsis/ayahusca..the author waited until 1968 to mention to the world that he had experienced it's profound visionary effects (p.113-4),
perhaps inspired by the wave of 'experiential' books The Teachings of Don Juan ushered in...

Let us not stray from the point of this thread. This is not a discussion of the legitimacy of Castaneda, as we have a plethora of threads that already go into the details.

The point here is tobecomeone has asked us for help. I want to see him get through this as smoothly as possible, that's all. <3 (The title of this thread says NEED HELP, not, Is carlos legit?)

yeah, so because tobecomeone00 used similar desciptions, and agreed that they had thought about Castaneda, i think this is
giving some balanced info. that can help tobecomeone00 help themselves...

sadly, I feel the concensus here will be that you are experiencing self generated delusions tobecomeone..not that that is my opinion at all. I have had my fair share of experiences that seem to exist outside of the mainstream scientific paradigm. On this forum though there tends to not be a large group of people outside that paradigm though, although there is some..and no offence to anyone here. That is just the way I see the situation in reguards to the nexus.

Your experiences are just that, your experiences. I dont think anyone here can really say what you have expereinced. I am not sure what you expect anyone here to really say in reguards to all of this..

All I can really offer you is that from my experience, these sorts of things, whatever they're basis in reality is are not the goal when it comes to spiritual growth..of course that is just my opinion. If I was in that situation, I would take a step back and just focus on your own development. I see the whole world of "shamanism" as a sort of term that covers a wide variety of phenomenon, that may very well be spiritual, but does not necessarily comprise of spiritual growth. I am starting to realize that too much focus placed on it can cause you to get hung up more than anything.

I have stopped worrying so much about entities and these sorts of things. I know they are out there..and again whatever the reality of them might be I dont wish to debate here..I have those experiences but my main focus is just on my own personal growth..I dont wish for come sort of contract with spirits to help me or anything because I am unsure how much 'growth" is actaully involved in that type of spirituality. I definatily have met with beings that I feel have my best intentions in mind, but I dont choose to get hung up on them..nor do I worry too much about some of my experiences with seemingly negative ones.

My point is that you give power away to wherever you direct your focus. Direct it inward and find a place of true peace within you, and I dont think a damn thing can touch you.

Honestly, I didn't post this for philiosphical dissection, though it is welcomed nonetheless...I am just relating what I have experienced, and I don't feel I am delusional at all...This kind of thing is very common place among practicing shamans, or those who work with various plant allies. Whether or not Castaneda's stories are true or not, it doesn't matter...They helped me to understand what happened, regardless of how much of a nut you guys consider the author to be...So yeah, I may be delusional, or this could be very real stuff that no one wants to open their eyes to...I mean, all comments are welcome, but I'd prefer ones that aren't trying to dissect my story, and more comments looking at things from a symbolic point of view, as opposed to trying to rationalize everything...Thanks guys..

tobecomeone00 wrote
..yes, absolutely..i tried to be as helpful as i could (from personal POV) briefly in 1st reply..in most shamanic/magical traditions i know of, while a little bit of guidance is offered by old wise ones, the 'trainee' has to face, or work through such challenges themselves, as part of their training/initiation..
..protection circles/incantations & guardian allies are some shamanic/magical techniques that come to mind..
..experiencing threatening entities etc. is not neccessarily dillusional..

the important thing is that you are not suffering, or unable to get on with your shamanic practice..

best wishes...

Ayahuasqueros learn ways to use the powers they receive/build through training to protect against magical attack. Whether an individual believes that others can use magic to attack them through these plants or that its a manifestation of particular aspects of the subconscious, developing tools or techniques for "magical protection" seems prudent.

I mean no disrespect...but why do you call yourself a shaman? Have you trained under ayahuasqueors or any other shamanic group? Have you been educated in a shamanic paradigm? I ask because many people in the modern world who refer to themselves as shaman have not actually undergone any of the rite of passage that typically go along with traditional shamanism (of whatever culture). To my mind, this makes light of the shaman's profession. There are entire social/life structures that go into these models of being/realities and require vigorous work throughout the various stages of a shaman's life. As Entropymancer said:



As I said, I mean no disrespect, I'm just rather curious as to what shamanic sect you hail from and whether or not you could talk to your teacher about methods of protection.

And I have to jump in on this one: Is there a real difference between someone who just "calls himself a shaman" and one who has the credentials that you specify?

Take it one step further and replace the word "shaman" with the phrase "psychic medium." In that case, many skeptical people would scoff at the idea of being a "certified" psychic medium--and would surely say that there's ZERO difference between the certified ones and the uncertified ones. In fact, a truly open-minded skeptic might say, if anything, that the certified psychics are almost surely BUNK, whereas, among the uncertified ones there might just be one strange freak who really has had some bizarre and inexplicable experience of something "psychic."

So, what I mean to say is that I'm REALLY skeptical about most "certifications," and I have a tendency to feel that when someone offers his "credentials" that those are really ALL he has to offer!

That being said...yes, I prefer board-certified surgeons--which doesn't mean that the occasional individual who ISN'T board certified couldn't be an extremely talented yet self-taught surgeon. But certain, objectively defined areas of study ARE subject to meaningful certification. And by contrast, certain other areas claiming certification can be a joke...

Well...simply put there are diseases and phenomena that have been shown to be culturally specific. For example, white non-hispanic Americans would never claim to be afflicted with "susto" or soul-loss because it doesn't exist within their paradigm. Similarly, I don't dress up in shipibo garb and attempt to sing "classic" icaros because it holds no meaning for me. This doesn't mean I can't create my own rituals and beliefs and call it an ayahuasca ceremony...but I wouldn't claim to be a shaman.

The parallel example you attempt to draw of "psychic mediunm" holds very little water as there is no American social history of "psychic mediums"...if however we were to discuss this in the Russian context, where there exists a vibrant history of faith healers, I would say that my initial claim holds water, again precisely because there is a social/cultural history of faith healing. I am not saying certified in the "board certified" sense (actually I never said anything about "certifications" ), which applies only for the example you made of surgeons...and that's a no-brainer. The "certifications" you allege I'm invoking are not "certifications" any more than someone who learns to play an instrument is "certified".

Russian faith-healers and Amazonian ayahuasqueros come from a culture of such healers. People who practice these medicines in these situations are trained; whether directly or from the plants may be up for debate, but the social and cultural framework exists and is beyond reproach within the cultural context.

So, ultimately, yes, to my mind there is a real difference between somone who just "calls himself a shaman" and a shaman. I never specified any credentials...A credential is an attestation of qualification, competence, or authority issued to an individual by a third party with a relevant or de facto authority...such authority exists in the relevant examples only as the society's acceptance of a shaman as such. This, as you point out yourself, is clearly not the case within post-modern society as a whole and therefore, such a context is useless for comparison, imo.

Your example fails to take any sociocultural perspectives into account. Shaman have actual functions within their societies and are able to do things within those societies. Even if we make this the lowest bar for "qualification" of a shaman, that still misses out on the contexts and understandings that are passed down from one generation to another. Even if we ignore that alltogether and focus solely on those shaman who derive their knowledge directly from the plants, we still find ourselves examining individuals who are coming from a certain society and culture and have a very different view of the world than postemodern Westernists.

I wouldn't call myself a Jewish adult if I had never undergone a bar-mitzvah, I wouldn't call myself a surgeon if I had never gone through medical school (and I don't ), I would never call myself a musician if I hadn't learned to play an instrument, etc. There are teachings and rituals and methods that go into any of those "arbitrary" titles...that's what I was getting at with my post, which was also why I found Entro's quote so relevant.

Well then, since shaman (as I understand it) is a generic term for one who claims to connect people to the "spirit realm" as defined in any particular culture, then, again--anyone should be able to declare themselves a shaman, in their own culture (and, quite specifically, "psychic mediums" would indeed be shamans in western civilizations).

I just don't feel a need to prohibit people from identifying as something which I personally don't give much credence to anyway (as a group). For me, if somebody wants to call themselves a shaman, then they're a shaman--but then they're gonna have to show me they're a shaman with interesting CAPABILITIES...and that's the real (and only, as far as I'm concerned) certification.

Thus, I wouldn't care if such a person studied with whomever, and claimed to learn one thing or another. I'd want to hear his CLAIMS and see his DEMONSTRATION of his abilities, knowledge, and talents--all the rest is just words. Shaman is just a word. As far as I'm concerned, anyone can use it who pleases; but I'm interested in more than just words from people--so titles don't mean anything to me, good or bad.

I can't claim to know what to expect from either a punk high-school kid or a wizened and shrunken brown man from South America. Either one is gonna have to SHOW ME something in order for me to think they HAVE something worth noting...

I agree with Snozz when he raises the issue of whether ot not a certain practise exists within the culture- and each culture will have its own 'interpretation'.

I dont think you can ever 'certify' someone as being qualified in such an esoteric field such as shamanism; the process of becoming a 'qualified' shaman seems to arise most commonly through a rigorous apprenticeship with the 'teacher' telling the student whether or not they have passed.

Right. Words (titles) have a meaning as far as they can be DEFINED. The title of "shaman" doesn't have a definition that I find valuable or useful. People who declare themselves as shamans haven't said anything to me that I can USE to determine how to value what they say or do--beyond perhaps knowing some things about their particular cultural practices, which, most often, carry no universal/objective value.

I think that was the point of my initial post...to determine what's actually going on below the superficial words.

from what I understand maria sabina had no formal training. She started eating mushrooms with her sister as a child and she learned from them directly.

Right, and having been trained/educated through a shamnic group/person might (if you knew about the group) tell you something. My point is that it probably wouldn't tell you much of anything USEFUL--even as compared to somebody on an internet forum calling themselves a "shaman."

For example, South America is PUSTULAR with shamans these days--all willing to educate Americans, for a nice price, meals and bedding not included. Ask them, and I'm sure they'll all be able to give you a long narrative about the depth of their "studies." But you just won't know their value until you meet them and try to make an informed judgment--and the information to make that judgment probably WON'T depend much on the story of their "studies." Thus, to me, a shaman--jungle diploma or not--isn't an informative title, and can't be...so there's no particular value in having it elaborated upon (as you ask the OP to do). That's all I'm trying to say: any response he might give to your question wouldn't really MEAN anything useful (although it might be interesting)...

EDIT: I should clarify. This is just a personal pet peeve of mine--the issue of titles, and what they do and don't mean. People can be totally SUSPECT of someone, and then, if handed a TITLE, act as if all things are known, etc. It's a goofy cultural bit of whimsy that seems to work wherever you go! To me it's just an example of how most people don't WANT to know the realities of things, and are ALL TOO EAGER to accept a palatable substitute for actually KNOWING something...