Secrets of Shamanism

Jose AIID LENA STEVENS 91

them and danced with them all day long. When he had

grown tired, he looked for coyote. "Coyote, Coyote," he

called. "I want to go back to my village, but I have lost my

way. Can you show me the way back?" Coyote showed

up and looked at him with a grin. "OK, follow me," he said,

and led him up the mountain and into the bushes. Sud-

denly Masapa recognized where he was and returned

down to his village. The villagers looked at him in amaze-

ment. His clothes were in tatters and he had grown very

thin. "Where have you been these last three years?" they

cried. "Learning a lesson about time," he said sheepishly.

Exercise #1: Stretching Time
To stretch time you need to accelerate your travel speed
in the spirit world first. When you have learned to accelerate
in this fashion you can then learn to accelerate the speed of
your operations in ordinary reality. This takes practice and
intense concentration. The idea here is not to learn to rush
around but to experience a relaxed effortless pace in high
acceleration.
For this exercise you will need a drum, rattle, or percus-
sion instrument and a timer.
Sit with your drum in front of you or lie down using one
hand to shake your rattle. Better yet, have a friend drum or
rattle for you. Set the alarm on your watch or set the timer
for four minutes. Close your eyes.
Visualize your cave entrance and begin to drum or rattle
using a methodical beat (approximately one beat per sec-
ond). As soon as your guide or power animal shows up, ask
them to help you make time slow down. Increase the tempo
of the drumbeat threefold so that there is a sense of urgency
to it.

Exercise #1: Hie Steps

1. Relax and close your eyes.


2. Set your alarm and begin to drum.


3. Envision your cave or opening and ask your guide
   for help with slowing time.


4. Increase tempo of drumbeat threefold.


5. Follow the instructions of your guide implicitly.


6. Return.


7. Write or tell your experience.