Do you wish your work was more spiritual?
Birgit Baader teaches shamanic practices to both kids and adults. Her work is accessible and deep at the same time, and even if shamanism isn’t your thing, the way that Birgit has incorporated her spirituality into her work is a source of inspiration and motivation.
Lions and Tigers and Shamans, oh my?
Of course, when most people hear the word shamanism, they probably think of something quite different than what shamanism really is in practice. There are many definitions of shamanism, but here’s mine: Shamanism isn’t a religion. There’s no book, no dogma, no priest or guru. It’s a chance for you to be your own conduit to deeper insights about yourself and your world. You can learn to foster a closer relationship with nature with just a drum and a quiet space.
Shamanism isn’t “out there”, even though it may seem that way.
With intro, on to you, Birigit. What is your story? How did you become interested in shamanism, and how did you determine that it was your life’s work?
Since I can remember I have always felt a part of something bigger, the trees in our garden spoke to me when I was sad as a child, the birds came and sang with me, the clouds and the stars and the wind, the mountains and rivers – everything, I felt, was part of my family, part of me. So I spent a lot of time outdoors, on trees (my mum once called the police when I was about 5, because she couldn’t find me anywhere – I had been on one of my favorite trees and completely forgotten the world around me), going for long walks or rides on my bike or on horse friends. It was a magical time full of learning.
Growing up in a Western white middle-class setting, I didn’t find a lot of this indigenous natural way of being reflected in my surroundings. And part of me started to split off. I did my best to “fit in” with the society and culture I experienced around me and forced my Self into mainstream conventionality. However, I never lost what I now call my shamanic part. It was re-activated when I met shamanic mentors along my way in various parts of the world: North America, Mexico, Guatemala, Mongolia, Namibia, Japan, Aotearoa/New Zealand. Closing the gap between what I perceived in the human created structures and systems around me (economic systems, educational systems, health & care systems, etc.) and the natural world with its laws of balance and resilience has since been an ongoing theme in my life.
Shamanism is one tradition that has cultivated this path since ancient times and offers many tools to find natural balance. I believe we are ALL born with an innate knowing of natural laws and balance, we all have a “shamanic” part.
I see so many people who struggle with the discrepancy between their inner knowing and what they encounter in the lives they have created or that they are born into. This is the reason for a lot of tension in young children and teenagers: we all come into this world with an innate sense and knowing of natural balance. However, our modern societies and cultures mostly do not reflect this. This creates a lot of trauma and conflict.
Shamanic teachings and principles reconnect us with natural balance, internally and externally. For me it was a huge relief and confirmation of a big part of my Self when I discovered that shamanic traditions all over the world have been aligned to original life principles and nurture a balanced way of living. My journey has been to find a way to bridge and ultimately close the gap between modern Western life styles and natural balance. To raise consciousness and support others I have written many articles and books about this and been active in the field of conscious birth, holistic education and interspecies communication.
What practices do you do on a daily basis to deepen into your work?
Meditation and/or visualisation: in the morning I hold a space for “dream stuff” to come into my awake consciousness (e.g. snippets from dreams, ideas, guidance from my spirit helpers, etc.), then I visualise what I want the day to look like, focusing on how it feels and experiencing it with all my senses as if it was happening (you can call it “day dreaming” – I am rather good at it, like all children 😉 In the evening, I review the day and focus especially on the things I am grateful for, then I meditate or journey, let things come up that are important or relevant for me, and sometimes, when I have questions, decisions to make, etc. I ask for guidance in my dreams at the end of the meditation/journey before I go to sleep.
This is the “minimum practice”.
I so agree, Birgit! A daily process is so important if we want our lives to change and to experience more.
During the day, I often “tune in” by breathing deeply (using a special breathing technique that I learned from one of my mentors) and balancing myself.
I try and make time every day for brief or long breaks, preferably in the “wild”: walking, paddling waka ama (outrigger canoe), on horseback, swimming in the ocean or river, sitting in the sun,… When I am at home, I go down to the river near our house and listen. This is where I find balance, guidance and inspiration.
I also have many special places in nature where I go for specific purposes. When I am travelling (which I do often), I always find special balancing places, trees, birds, and many other life forms that I can connect to in order to keep my balance.
All of the above can take anything from 30 minutes to hours (e.g. when I am working on something or processing important things).
How do you separate the workings of your mind from knowledge that’s being sent to you from Source (or Spirit)?
When I was in my twenties, I remember that I sometimes doubted myself and didn’t know how to discern mind-messages and Source-messages. Over the years, I got used to how Source-messages feel and can discern what’s what.
1. I find that this is predominantly an adult-thing – children find it easy to discern which is which. This is because in Western societies the mind is trained to be the last instance (highly overrating the mind’s capacity). So by the time we are adults, most of us get really confused and do not find it easy to separate thoughts from Source-messages.
2. I learned through observation and using my senses. Often the messages from Source are different from my general opinions and thoughts. So I know that “this isn’t coming from me”. Source messages also “feel” differently. This is not easy to describe. This is how I prepare myself if there is a lot of external distraction or if I am emotionally involved and/or “sidetracked”: I breathe and balance myself; I still my mind (gently push thoughts away “for later”) and am present in the moment (e.g. listen to the bird sing, the wind, feeling the sun/the rain on my skin…); I then observe my feelings in relation to a certain topic/question/issue.
Source-messages feel calm and strong and stable and true. There are no strong emotions, twists, confusion involved. I simply feel: this is it. In the beginning, my mind interfered and counteracted that feeling of certainty – it often succeeded and I ended up in doubts. Over time, I learned to trust my first “gut-feeling” and to keep my mind in check. It’s essential to keep practising to listen to your tuition from within (your intuition). As with many other learning courses or experiences, this inner master course is always accessible for you – the difference is: it is one of the most valuable “teaching tools” you will ever be able to access, it is always available, it is 100% aligned to your individual Self and it is FREE. The only thing you will have to do, is to “enrol” and commit to it: hold a space for it and be present. Your investment is your time & presence – and the rewards will be invaluable.
3. While learning to trust my intuition, I sometimes used muscle-testing to check if the message I was receiving was coming from my mind or from Source. However, if you are not used to muscle-testing and not sure of how to balance/calm yourself, it can be easy for the mind to interfere, too.
How do you align your business side with your spiritual side? (I.e. how do you get comfortable with accepting money for your work?)
I used to separate business and spiritual things: I had a pretty strong opinion about not taking money for spiritual work. Today, I don’t see it as strict anymore. I ask my spirit guides/my Self and get a clear answer as to when to accept money and how much. Over the years, I also experienced that I don’t have to worry about the money-side of things: there is always enough for us to do what we need or want to do if we stay in a “good flow”. Good flow means: listening to our inner truth, following our inner guidance and our Selves and doing things for the benefit of all life. This is the “money aspect” of things.
There is another aspect: I used to not mention my spiritual side and my spiritual practice when working. About 20 years ago, I changed this. I didn’t want to “hide” or not express a vital and integral part of my Self. I learned from some dolphins who showed me how their lives are not divided into categories, but all aspects are intimately intertwined. The energies flow freely between the various aspects and strengthen each other. The more aligned my work/business, leisure time, family life and all the other aspects of life become, the more authentic and real and empowered my life becomes – on all levels.
Was there a point in your life where you felt fearful of speaking of your direction in Shamanism? Did you (or do you) feel strange speaking about spiritual topics with people who aren’t heavily involved in the spiritual world? (and if so, how do you overcome it?)
I used to not talk about my shamanic path as people had all sorts of connotations and images in their head and heart. I shared this part of me only with a few friends and a group of like-minded and -hearted people. This literally tore me apart – and after 20 years I realized I didn’t want to continue to split off a vital part of my Self. I started to embrace the “whole picture” and shared it openly. On this journey I had to overcome some fears:
1. The fear of being persecuted – yes, I realized that I had a underlying fear of being “burned at the stake”.
2. The fear of being exposed to ridicule, dismissed, etc.
Once I had identified these fears, I realized that a) I certainly wouldn’t be chased and burned in this life-time, and b) that the worst-case-scenario of being laughed at and/or dismissed was a small price to pay compared to holding back and not sharing an essential part of my Self. I only have to re-mind my Self of this realization when I hesitate or “hold back” 🙂
There are many methods out there to explore why you are holding your Self back (usually it is some sort of protection or coping mechanism that we need to become aware of and address).
What is one practice that anyone can do with their children in order to bring more harmony to their relationships?
I am currently writing a book “Power Tools For Power Kids” with lots of tools for children and teenagers to do just this, and I will send you one example practice from it. Before I do so, I want to share this incident: yesterday I asked my 13 year old son and a group of 14 teenagers (14-16 years old) how they would answer this question. The unanimous answer was: You have to build a relationship with yourself, before you can have a relationship with others.
The first 7 years of our life strongly influence how this “relationship to Self” looks like. Our self-image depends on how our environment (parents, caregivers, other family members, teachers or other influential people in our life, e.g. nannies) is mirroring us. Self-confidence, self-love, self-respect, self-awareness are mainly influenced by the impulses we get from the people around us. Hence, anything that nurtures the development of a positive relationship to Self is of vital importance.
What would be a first step for a parent wishing to introduce shamanism or other spiritual practices?
A lot of parents ask this question. From my perspective you cannot introduce something to somebody else unless you (or someone you know who can be the teacher/role model) have practiced or experienced it yourself. It certainly works best if you can play the guitar before you teach your child. You can, of course, choose to learn how to play the guitar together! However, this requires some form of teaching (teacher, book, video) – and yes, it can be self-teaching as well, through trial and error. This will probably take a bit longer, but is possible.
To connect with your spiritual Self in one way or another is the prerequisite for introducing shamanism or other spiritual practices to your children. There is quite a bit of Self exploration and Self development involved (see above) – especially for people raised in Western societies. Meditation and contemplation practices aren’t part of everyday life and educational curriculums. Babies and toddlers are naturally meditating and visualizing all the time. It is usually the adults who disrupt their practice, drag them to various activities and impose their schedules and time frames onto them.
From my experience, the first and most efficient step as a parent is to STOP: unwind, unlearn, relax, meditate, contemplate, observe, play, reconnect, get to know your Self – follow the child, your inner child and any “outer” ones (if you are lucky and have a 0-3 year old master around). Nature in all its non-human forms (plants, animals, rivers, lakes, oceans, stones, etc.) can be another great teacher and guide.
Tip: Be in nature as often as you can to re-calibrate your system and to open your “Spirit”-channels (also see this video). Water will also help you to get into the “right flow”.
Your children will pick up what you do. It will nurture their own spiritual development and naturally strengthen them in who they truly are.
What do you most wish for women (or anyone) who is struggling with their direction to know?
Here are 10 steps that will show you the way. You only need determination and commitment. Some steps might not be easy as they go against everything our culture/society teaches us – be prepared and be gentle. You didn’t learn how to walk in a day – give your Self the time you need.
- Step out of your inner and outer rat-race, overcome the social pattern that has been imprinted on you and that urges you to “produce/succeed/do/make”
- STOP, be still
- Relax
- Listen
- All you need to know is within you
- You are not alone. Ask for support (from the human and non-human world)
- STOP, be still. Observe…
- Something will “show up”. Open up to receive – in whatever form it might be. Trust your intuition.
- Hold a space for your Self, daily/regularly. Play, sing, dance, dream, be – true to your Self.
- Enjoy your Self. Be gentle and kind and compassionate with your Self, like a good friend would be.
Birgit Baader, born in 1967, studied business management and social behavioural psychology in Munich. Further trainings in Systemic Communication Therapy, Living Dance (Anna Halprin) and Healing Tao. At present she works as a free lance journalist, book translator, editor and writer for book publishers, print and TV media. She is passionate about bringing back life-supporting and balancing shamanic principles into areas such as child birth and education, working with women and young people to empower them to live their innate potential, follow their intuition and to feel the interconnectedness of all life.
http://holisticlearning.weebly.com/
