Shamanism Made Easy: Awaken and Develop the Shamanic Force Within - Christa Mackinnon 2018

Expand your sense of self: find your own creation myth
Spirit, soul and the sacred in nature
The Wider Web of Life

We each have a personal creation story that is very deeply rooted in our unconscious mind. This will reflect the creation myth of the dominant religion in our society and our society’s beliefs about what human life is and what we are here for.

My first experience of exploring the story of creation — and my own creation — showed me how much such unconsciously held stories restrict our sense of who we are:²

In the beginning, if there was a beginning at all, there was the joy of pure consciousness. Pure consciousness was JOY, because this was the only way it knew how to BE.

Consciousness was sending out, quite involuntarily, sparks of joy as it danced its own way of Being. And as pure consciousness has danced since eternity — and still dances now — it sent out countless sparks. Some sparks travelled faster and faster, in all directions. Some travelled together, some separately. Some ran out of steam after some time and some were so strong that they are still travelling now. But no matter where they are, they are everywhere, invisible to the eye, filling a space that has no boundaries.

Some sparks joined together and formed planets, stars and galaxies. Many sparks formed the sun. Their overwhelming joyful dances created heat and warmth and light for the Earth, helping to give birth to life as we know it on our planet.

I am one of the sparks that came from the sun. I am fire and light and warmth. When I entered the atmosphere of Earth, I connected with water and what we know as air, and so I became the rainbow. My task on this Earth is to be the rainbow, coming out of the pure light spark that I am. The rainbow is a bridge. It shines in many colours and it needs all the elements to be visible, but it is pure white light beyond its visible manifestation.

And, just to add, everything is created in the same way: out of the sparks of pure consciousness that was in the beginning, if there was a beginning, and will be at the end, if there is an end.

How to find your own creation story

You will find that if you are asked about yourself, the story you will typically tell starts at birth and ends with death. But once you are able to enlarge the context of your story, your view of yourself and your world widens and becomes enriched.

The best way to find your own mind-broadening creation story is via a shamanic journey to the upper world. You need to be conscientious in setting it up and not be tempted to use a shortcut. This is a profound journey. You will be astonished how much it will widen your perspective of who you are and what you are here for.

Exercise: Finding your own creation story

· Journey to the upper world. Your intent is:

’I am journeying to the upper world to learn about creation and my own creation, and about my task on this Earth. I ask all my guides, teachers and ancestral spirits to help me.’

· Immediately after finishing your journey, write your creation story, as I did in my story above. It should be a story, not a transcript of the journey. This is quite important, because as you write it the story will unfold further and will bring itself into form.

Integrating your creation story into your life

My own creation story tells me what I am. The rainbow is important to me, because I have many facets and for some time I tortured myself with the idea that I should specialize in something. This has long passed, because I now understand that some people are excellent at focusing on one thing only, whilst others feel restricted if they cannot express different parts of themselves. I also understand that I am indeed a bridge. I see myself as forming a bridge between the contemporary psychological and therapeutic world and the ancient shamanic psycho-spiritual one.

So, once you have your own creation story, embody it. Dance it, paint it, create something that reminds you of it and put it on your altar. Find a symbol of your bigger story and put it in places that are important. For example, I have a rainbow painted inside my drum frame. Nobody sees it but me. It reminds me of who I am, especially when I try to narrow myself down to please others. Most importantly, use your creation myth to help you to express yourself, to understand that you are more than your story of this life and that you have purpose.