The Gift of Shamanism: Visionary Power, Ayahuasca Dreams, and Journeys to Other Realms

222 Pages·2015·2.56 MB·English

by  Beery

To my parents, Chaim Kolodzianski-Beery and Sara Margolis-Beery,
who gave me a chance at this lifetime, and to all the spirits who came
before me and those who will come after me
THE GIFT OF SHAMANISM
“Itzhak Beery’s The Gift of Shamanism offers clear teachings as well as
riveting testimonials about what becomes possible when we walk this path
with humility, reverence, and discipline. He is to be commended as he has
created very good medicine. I love this book!”
HANK WESSELMAN, PH.D., ANTHROPOLOGIST AND AUTHOR OF THE
SPIRITWALKER TRILOGY AND COAUTHOR OF AWAKENING TO THE SPIRIT WORLD
“Itzhak Beery is a master storyteller who shares his fascinating journey from
skeptical nonbeliever to gifted shamanic healer and teacher. The Gift of
Shamanism is filled with powerful and engaging stories of transformation
that inspire us to tap in to our shamanic potential. Brilliant book!”
SANDRA INGERMAN, AUTHOR OF SOUL RETRIEVAL, WALKING IN LIGHT, AND
COAUTHOR OF SPEAKING WITH NATURE
“In this beautiful book Itzhak Beery, a powerful seer and agent of change,
illumines through the ancient art of storytelling the mystical worlds
coinciding with everyday reality and the inner magic we each carry.”
LLYN ROBERTS, AUTHOR OF SHAPESHIFTING INTO HIGHER CONSCIOUSNESS AND
COAUTHOR OF SPEAKING WITH NATURE
“The Gift of Shamanism is eloquent and mesmerizing. it offers an utterly
fresh perspective that may reveal shamanic wisdom embedded in your own
long-neglected life circumstances.”
ARIEL ORR JORDAN, PSYCHOTHERAPIST,
WRITER/DIRECTOR, AND FILM PRODUCER
“Itzhak gifts us with an eclectic array of healing stories that bridge sacred
tradition and present-day living. This wonderful healer teaches us how to
connect with spirits and forces that diagnose and heal.”
MARGARET DE WYS, AUTHOR OF
BLACK SMOKE AND ECSTATIC HEALING
“The wonderful message of Itzhak Beery’s excellent book The Gift of
Shamanism is that everyone has this gift. it is our birthright. Through
personal stories from his own life and the lives of his many clients, Beery’s
contribution to readers is his deep understanding of what makes a shaman
and how a shaman lives in this confusing world. Even better, his story
teaches us to trust the visions of the spirit world to ease the burden of
uncertainty and empower our personal lives with wholeness and meaning.”
TOM COWAN, AUTHOR OF
FIRE IN THE HEAD AND YEARNING FOR THE WIND
“I heartily recommend this book to learn how Itzhak Beery works, including
how he facilitates spirit communication and spiritual healing, helping people
connect with their shamanic abilities, such as visions, out-of-body
experiences, dreams, and his work with ayahuasca. Beery has distilled his
years of experience into this marvelous volume.”
LEWIS MEHL-MADRONA, M.D., PH.D, AUTHOR OF REMAPPING YOUR MIND, COYOTE
MEDICINE, AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE COYOTE INSTITUTE
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book was predicted many years ago by my friend, a well-known psychic,
Frank Andrews, who encouraged me to write my stories even though I protested;
I am forever grateful for his vision. This book could not have happened if it
wasn’t for Joe Kulin, my longtime friend turned my literary agent, who believed
in me and held my hand even at times when I lost faith. Gratitude to my client
Roberto Guerra, the filmmaker who made me promise at his deathbed to resume
my art career by illustrating this book. Huge credit goes to Ehud Sperling and
the Inner Traditions team that guided me every step of the way.
I am grateful beyond words to my wife Margalit who was always there for me,
listening to my outlandish stories and growing frustrations, and to my children
Ariel, Tal, and Shira who tolerated my unexpected excursions into the unknown
shamanic territories of the Andes and Amazon and came out to support me.
My thanks to June Balish, Mindy Melemed, Nora Logan, David Rothenberg,
and Shira Beery who took their precious time to help me sort it all out and to
Thieu Besselink whose firm encouragement and friendship I valued immensely.
Huge thank you to my dearest friend, Ariel Orr Jordan, whose loving, guiding
hands and generosity of spirit I tremendously value. His first recognition of the
shaman in me pushed me to become who I am today in spite of my inner doubts
and protests. Our daily early morning exchanges as we walked around
Washington Square Park were a great laboratory for this book. Deep gratitude
goes to Samuel Jakob Kirschner who walks the seeker-of-truth path with me.
Both Ariel and Samuel play major parts in my life and in this book, and I thank
them for the many years of adventures and unwavering sacred brotherhood. And
to Barbara Ensor for her loving support, thank you.
I am forever indebted to my teachers and mentors—first and foremost Don
José Joaquin Piñeda who initiated me into his family’s tradition and Ipupiara
(Dr. Bernardo D. Peixoto) and his wife Cleicha—for their trust and their love
throughout the years. I am thankful for the generosity of the many incredible
shamanic teachers and elders from around the world whom I was fortunate to
encounter during this great journey that gifted me with their treasured
knowledge. I hope I am worthy of their teachings; their names could fill up a
whole chapter in this book.
I want to give special acknowledgment to John Perkins for his inspirational
work and for writing the foreword to this book.
My fellow core members of the New York Shamanic Circle are most treasured
by my family and me; thank you for your support, challenges, friendship, and
invaluable teaching during the past eighteen years. I also want to express my
special thanks to my clients and my students around the world who taught me so
much more than I taught them.
Most of all, I am in reverence and gratefulness to the Spirits of the unseen
worlds and my spirit guides for teaching me and allowing me to interact with
them to bring healing for those in need. And for those of you whom I never
thanked for their contribution to the book and my life I do so now.
CONTENTS
Cover Image
Title Page
Dedication
Epigraph
Acknowledgments
Foreword
Introduction: From Skeptic to Believer
WHY A BOOK OF STORIES?
THE POWER OF VISION
Chapter 1. How It All Started
A CHANCE ENCOUNTER AT A LOCAL BOOKSTORE
EARLY EXPERIENCES
CYNICAL AND SUSPICIOUS
Chapter 2. Dreaming
BALLS OF LIGHT
ECUADOR CALLING
A WARNING FOR A FRIEND
A VISIT WITH MY SISTER
MISSED PERFORMANCE
OH, AND ONE MORE THING . . .
MEETING A MACHI IN PUCÃ"N
Chapter 3. Past-Life Experiences
TWO KNIGHTS
MARGARET’S STORY
MY LIFE AS A WITCH
Chapter 4. Soul Retrieval
LAURIE’S REINTEGRATION
THE COLLAPSING FLOOR
SEXUAL OBJECT
BADGE OF HONOR
THE CLOSET
UNDER THE BRIDGE
THE STONE
Chapter 5. Plant Medicine
VISIONS FROM THE VINE OF THE DEAD
GOLD NECKLACES
THE ELEGANCE OF THE UNIVERSE
A LESSON ON THE RIO NEGRO
Chapter 6. Shapeshifting
MEETING THE JAGUAR
Chapter 7. “Seeing”
SOUL FLIGHT
TWO GUYS IN THE OTAVALO MARKET
SHUAR SPEARS
A VISIT WITH THE ANCESTORS
“ARE YOU FOR REAL?”
Chapter 8. Shamanic Journeying
FINDING HELENA
FISH RESTAURANT
GINA’S BEHEADING
MEETING WITH AN ANCESTOR
THE DOLPHIN
WATER LILIES
FAMILIAL HEALINGS
LIFE IN THE PUEBLO
SARAFINA
Chapter 9. Candle Reading
HER ALLY