Shamans are found in traditional cultures around the world - African witch doctors in huts, Celtic pagan priests standing in open fields, American Indian medicine men in sweat lodges.Shane Knox plans to work in an office.
Knox, who uses the name ShadowHawk, says he has been a shaman for 25 years. He studies and applies traditional native American, Asian, African, Celtic and other methods, but he is firmly planted in the modern world.
"I may very well do a traditional ... smudging and blessing with prayers to Grandmother and Grandfather, but I will have booked that appointment on my cell phone and entered it in my electronic organizer," says Knox. "Now we're going to do it at the office."
Moving into an office seemed natural to Knox as his business grew to include more clients, CDs and a Web site.
"My personal mission is to take all of these traditionally honored modalities of helping people and bring them into the modern age," says Knox, sitting in front of a desk covered with plants, crystals, a cell phone and a Hewlett-Packard computer.
Knox plans to be in his new digs by month's end. He will share space with longtime friend and massage therapist Sheila Johnson, owner of Natural Escapes Body Therapeutics on East Battlefield Road.
"My basic concept ... is to help people relax," says Johnson, leaning back on a comfortable brown leather sofa in the waiting room of her salon, the natural sounds of birds and running water filling the air. "The world is complex and fast paced. It's hard to get quiet," she says. "Shane is very good at ... getting you quiet."
The combination of a shaman who offers guided meditation, intuitive readings, soul retrieval and energy work, and traditional spa services seems natural to Johnson, whose office is filled with representations of angels.
She also finds it a natural fit with traditional Christianity. A churchgoing Christian herself, Johnson believes her own clients will feel comfortable with the match.
"When doing massage you have a whole attitude of acceptance," she says. "You accept everyone where they are. That's why there are so many different religions; everyone is at a different level. There's room for everyone's beliefs."
Knox also has a Christian background. Raised in a Baptist church, he still remembers his "calling" as a young boy of about 10 singing in church.
"I felt the call of Spirit and was saved," he says. "I felt for the first time a true connection and closeness to God. I wanted more."
His quest began, leading him to various churches, faiths and interests from Zen Buddhism to metaphysics. By the time he was a student at Ash Grove High School, he was doing "shamanic rituals out in the yard."
While he was a youngster he met a woman he calls "Barb" who told him he was a reincarnated shaman who had more work to do in this life. Barb and her sister, whom Knox describes as "medicine women of the Black Bear Clan of the Lumbees," gave him the name ShadowHawk. The Lumbees are a tribe in the eastern United States.
Knox says he continues to respect the faith of his youth as he participates in rituals that recall other belief systems. "Even though I ... use words like Grandmother and Grandfather to refer to God, I believe it's a gift from God," he says.
"I'm not afraid of standing up in the middle of the Bible Belt and saying, 'I'm a shaman and I'm going to do my work,'" says Knox.
'Try on new ideas'
The word shaman comes from Evenki, a Tungusic language of Siberia, and means "a priest or priestess who uses magic for the purpose of curing the sick, divining the hidden and controlling event," or anyone who "resembles a shaman."
While definitions differ, Knox says a shaman is "somebody who acts as a go-between for the physical and spiritual realms, and who is said to have particular powers such as prophecy and healing."
Almost all cultures around the world have shamans, he says. They have different names and their emphasis varies, but they all connect the "people and the spirit world."
For shamans such as Knox, modern day Americans in a fast-paced world, all those traditions are mixed together.
"Each has his own specialty, but the core thing is that they are the people who can alter their consciousness, connect with the divine, the all, the that-which-is-beyond-the-physical-limitations," he says.
Meditations, intuitive readings and even healings are now offered in climate-controlled offices, on CDs, Web sites and over e-mail.
Michelle Pillen, a psychologist and author who lives on the island of Oahu in Hawaii, seeks out Knox for his readings, a way she manages to "stay sane" amid a busy life of work and family. They connect every few months by phone.
"Shane has helped me to accept my path and live my life more fully," she says. "Sounds corny, but it's true."
She says moving into Natural Escapes is a good business move because "it will give folks like me, who aren't fluent in New Age ways, more opportunities to try on new ideas and new experiences."
Mindy Spitz of Springfield agrees. She has been consulting Knox for years, but she sees his new location as a place where "people would feel more comfortable to visit."
For Spitz, who works in public relations, having a "regular place and schedule" will also make it easier for her to access his services.
Fitting the ancient spirituality of a shaman into a square office may seem an odd fit, but Spitz isn't concerned. "While (Knox) is in tune with other-worldly powers, we also have to be part of the real world," she says. "The real world means doing business. It's part of life."
'Spirit Guides'
Knox lights his smudge pot � filled with cedar, sage and tobacco � and blesses the room while moving the smoke with a "spirit fan" made of colorful feathers. He offers prayers to the Grandmother and Grandfather as the smoke covers his computer screen. He turns to a shelf covered with crystals, totems and a pipe wrapped in animal skin and leather.
"The sage gets rid of the negativity. The cedar calls for good, and the tobacco is an offering to the spirits," he says.
Then he sits down in a high backed office chair, tucking his legs up lotus style, and begins handling a deck of tarot cards with American Indian symbols. The cards offer focus but no information themselves. Bouncing back and forth, the leather medicine bag swinging from his neck, Knox begins an intuitive reading, barely looking at the neatly displayed cards.
He mentions disagreements at work, projects at home, health problems and a dying friend, all spilling out of him in a matter-of-fact way. It is his "spirit guides" who provide the information. He offers no solutions and no opinions.
"My guides and my intuition tell me" what to say, Knox explains.
In the background, he plays a CD of pipes and drums, taking the place of the traditional drummer. His cell phone interrupts the reading. He smiles apologetically and turns it off.
The computer screen shows the shamanshadow.com Web site where music and meditation CDs are available.
"We're introducing the cyber shaman aspect of what I do," says Knox. "Yes, we're going to honor tradition ... but we're going to bring it into the modern day."
He gently moves a rattle, tied with a small fetishes of bird and bear claw, to its place on the shelf, then flips open his cell phone to see who called.
"We're living in a high-tech world," he says. "There's no reason why those two things can't be married."
Seeking insights and direction? Visit a Shaman and a Psychic by Ann Leach
Hundreds of thousands of us are seeking spiritual guidance and direction every day. We may discover it through an inspiring church service, a quiet walk at dawn and/or by talk to a psychic like Shane Knox of Springfield, Mo.
Knox is both Shaman and psychic and utilizes both healing and support in his readings. "The Shaman is the go between with the spirits and the seeker," he explains. "As Shaman my responsibility is to teach and help people empower they lives. I made a promise to God that I would help those who need it and share what I know." When asked about his psychic abilities, Knox explains that he believes God is always talking and giving us the guidance we need. "Sometimes we don't get quiet enough to listen, so we seek out the voice box of God."
Knox's reading style is direct, challenging and empowering. "My readings are like holding up a big mirror and saying, 'Ok, here you are. Now what are you going to change?'" In an hour long reading the first half is devoted to his sharing the information he is receiving from beyond. The second half focuses on specific questions from the client.
He believes he defines things that people have a general awareness of. "I give them clarity on their situation," he says. He is also gently persistent in the sharing of the information he receives from Spirit. "I trust the messages and images I receive," he said. "I am constantly asking the client if that particular comment makes sense and if they understand. If they don't, I keep working with them until it is clear."
At age fifteen Knox knew he had a gift and needed to share it with others. "My mother had taken me to a reader and she told me things I was doing and that I could also do what she did,� he remembers. "I bought a deck of Tarot cards, learned them and began to share what I learned with a few friends and family. I started to get feedback and that really encouraged me to keep learning." Not everyone was impressed. "It ran the gamut,� he said. "The other kids at school either thought I was really cool or really strange." It was as a teen that Knox had a profound spiritual experience that called him to God. "I knew this would be my life's work," he said.
Indeed, Knox is building programs, classes and other experience designed to support clients and educate them about the tremendous power he believes is available to all of us. "We can all do this," he states. "It takes effort, discipline, but we all have the ability."
He reaches out to his potential clients through his website, shamanshadow.com, where he has a message board and shares his schedule of events. He is developing a full line of recorded meditation c.d.'s and a cyber center for metaphysical studies, as well as the Shadow Board, his version of the Ouija board. He is also being asked to write about his experiences so that others can learn the techniques for opening to Spirit's guidance.
And of course, he is doing private readings for those seeking guidance and counsel. "Come with both an open mind and a healthy dose of skepticism," he encourages. "We'll have an enjoyable time together."
Interview by Jacob Lewis
Jacob Lewis: Thank you very much for agreeing to help me out. Below I will list a series of questions. Only answer what you want with as much as you feel I need to know and as much as you feel comfortable giving. I will try to get as much of your personal history as I can off of your site, as well as some other info, so if I ask question that I can find the answer to there, just direct me to the area on the site. Here are the questions:
Why have you chosen to be a shaman, or was it a choice? Is there a large local group representation of Shamanism?
ShadowHawk: I didn't choose to be a Shaman in the beginning. The medicine woman of the Black Bear Clan of the Lumbees used to do readings for my mother. She told me that I was a reincarnated shaman and that i was to continue my work in this lifetime. I know of one other shaman in this area. It is becoming a popular buzzword and many may call themselves shamans. For people like myself, who have devoted a lifetime of work and study to shamanism there are actually very few.
Are there any other group, practice or philosophy that you are presently involved in? How long have you been a Shaman?
I have walked the shamanic path for 27years...practicing for 25 of those. I am open to all paths of spirituality. In my belief they all serve the same purpose, to connect us with the creator.
What are the most significant ways in which your worldview differs from traditional Judeo-Christian beliefs?
I could write a book here...i shall try to be brief. I do not view god as an angry parent. I feel that all of creation, every single thing is a thread in the tapestry that makes up God. I do not personify God, casting "him" into my image. Rather, I see Spirit in everything, as everything. When a Christian looks at a beautiful day he will say, "look at what god has made"...when I look at the same day I will say, "look at God". The creation and the creator are one in the same. It is a part of us, inherently. it is what we and all things are made of. You will often hear a Native American pray or speak to "all my relations". That means everything, literally. When I pray I pray to Grandmother and Grandfather. This is not to be confused with personification. It is more a recognition of the feminine and masculine qualities of spirit. Grandmother is the limitless unrealized creative potential, the void. Grandfather is the activating principle that brings the potential creation into being. Great Mystery and Great Spirit are also common terms in this area.
My way is to live in harmony with all things. To respect the earth and all that lives upon it. As a Shaman, I see everything as a great circle. A never ending cycle or creation. I do not believe in hell. Not in the traditional sense. I believe that when we forget that we are a part of Spirit, when we do not see ourselves as part of Grandfather/Grandmother then we are in hell. Sin is anything that takes our awareness of this truth away from us.
I do not believe there is only one true path to Spirit. I believe that all religions and faiths are merely different expressions of the same thing, a basic human need to feel connected with God. I also do not believe that religion and spirituality are the same thing.
As a Shaman it is common to "speak" with spirit guides and loved ones that have passed on, to lose oneself in spiritual ecstasy, to "shape shift" and see through the eyes of a totem animal or spirit, to journey into other realms of existence. I never learned any of that in Sunday school growing up as a Baptist, I'll tell ya that.
What opposition have you faced (if any) from others who disapprove of your practices?
Through the years I have met with many who did not approve of what I do. I used to do a seven-direction ritual in the backyard of the small town I grew up in. The neighbors just didn't know what to think. I have been asked everything from "are you satanic" to "do you believe in God". As one might expect I meet with the image that Hollywood has created. Many expect me to be a leathery old man with long grey braids and a drinking problem that saves the day just as the movie runs out. I have had many people offer to pray for me and others who have distanced themselves out of fear. The most shocking opposition came from a recent NewsLeader article about me. I had expected to receive backlash from the Christian faction from it, but to my surprise it was the Native Americans that spoke out. I found out that I was posted on a hate site. Native Americans going off because they thought I was selling out their culture; that I was putting a price on their heritage. None of which is true. I am a modern day Shaman. I learned from a full blood Native American and that tradition is one I honor dearly, but I draw upon many faiths and belief systems. As i mentioned before, in my world all is one.
What do you feel are the best resources available for helping someone not familiar with shamanism to learn about it?
*Shameless self promotion* ShamanShadow.com. There are a lot of books, but in my experience it is best to learn firsthand. Shamanism is often on oral tradition, passed down from a shaman to his apprentice. To walk the path of Shamanism is to adopt an entire lifestyle. One that can be hard to mesh with the modern world and a predominantly Christian based society.
What do you wish the general public knew about shamanism?
How beautiful and intimate the relationship with Spirit is. When you experience Shamanic ecstasy you feel both huge and small.... like a drop in the ocean, individual but part of something so expansive it is hard to imagine. I do not look for some external God to decide if I am worthy of his love or not, but rather live my life knowing that I am a part of God. That there is nothing in the entire universe that I am not connected to, a part of. I know that there is a spirit world. I have been there. We all have. It is a place of love and light. I do not just believe this...it is a deep inner knowing.
Could you explain (for I have misplaced my notes) what each of the following is used for or its significance? A Medicine Staff, a Thunder Rock, a Mandela, Animal Totems and the Medicine Wheel.
A Medicine Staff: used in ceremonies and ritual work to direct energies and intentions...medicine staves are decorated with "fetishes", symbols that represent the quality or power the individual wishes to embody.... ex: an eagle feather might be used to represent the individuals spiritual dedication or a shell used to represent protection.
A Thunder Rock: boji stones, moqui marbles, shaman's stones...these are all names for a compound rock that was formed when a meteor hit the earth in the southwest united states. They are round rocks with an iron based outer shell and a limestone or sand core. They form either smooth or with a ridge around them or often small outcroppings of the stone on the surface. The smooth ones are considered female and the others male. Both aspects of creation. Shamans use them to call the elements, control the weather and send intentions or prayers to grandfather or any of our relations.
A Mandela: a spiritual shield. Decorated with fetishes and images that represent the owner or family that holds it.
Animal Totems: animal spirits or sometimes-actual animals that helps us by offering guidance, giving strength, or lending us their unique abilities. Let�s say you were having trouble seeing a situation clearly and needed help. You might call upon the hawk to lend you his keen eyesight and ability to rise above the situation to give you better understanding. Or you might call on the totem of the bear to give you courage.
The Medicine Wheel: a large circle basically divided into four parts, representing the seasons, directions and elements. The construction varies from tradition to tradition which is true for all things native. It is used for various ceremonies. Walking the medicine wheel helps us to find our place in things, to understand ourselves better. This is an involved one and i would suggest further study by the individual to truly understand the medicine wheel.
What is it like while in a 'trance' (I'm not sure of the proper terminology here)? I have read there are three realms one could to while in a trance; do you have any comments on this?
Lucid dreaming is the closest term I can come up with for Shamanic ecstasy, or trance. You are aware of what is going on but you are in another place at the same time. Your focus shifts from one to the other, often leaving the "real" world behind for a time. The spirit world is like the dreamtime. The three worlds you mentioned are easily confused with heaven, earth and hell. They are in fact not the same. The upper world, middle world and lower world are where a Shaman journeys to manipulate reality and most often to do soul retrieval. I consider the three worlds as navigation points.
What role does sound play in the practice of a Shaman and what tools do you use as such?
The drum is the mainstay of the Shamanic practice. It is the heartbeat of Grandmother and the voice of Grandfather. It, along with the rattle serves as the main tools used by Shamans. However, all traditions have their variations. Bells, digeree doo, chanting, singing, clapping, practically anything that makes sound have been used in Shamanic practices. I personally used the drum, and rattle, but have found that in this day and age it is hard to beat a good cd. It also allows me to journey without the need for a drummer or attendant to keep the beat going.
How do the other sense play into your practice?
All of the senses are important. For the purpose of journeying, for example, you need to be comfortable (touch), use the drumming (hearing), the quest itself is visual. Smudge or the burning of incense or resinous woods often accommodates smell. Taste is harder to define, almost like a reptile "tastes" it's environment. Each of us is stronger in one sense than another. I respond very well to visual stimuli and the drum. So, in my practice i use drumming and mental imagery to get into the trance state. The other senses are used, but secondarily.
Again I want to thank you for helping me with this project.
