CHAPTER 3

The Secret World:

What Shamans Know

The Web of Power

The summer storm came crashing through the moun-

tains as Teema and her small son Vol scurried to find

shelter in the barren high pass. The wind rose up to gale

force, stinging their eyes with dust particles and flying

sand. Teema knew that if they did not clear the ridge they

could be blown off or, worse, struck by lightning. As Yol

whimpered by her side, she grew calm inside and

kneeled behind the sparse protection of a boulder. She

felt her body go limp as she mentally focused on the spirit

of the wind. Suddenly she felt her spirit body rise up to a

great height, strangely impervious to the raging wind and

intense flashes of lightning. A great hawk hovered near

her and spoke to her calmly: "Go higher up the ridge and

find the small cave that is just below the peak on the right.

There you will be safe as the storm passes this way."

Having spoken to the wind on several occasions before

with good results, Teema did not hesitate. Up she scram-

bled with Yol to the peak above. The cave, though small

and sparse, offered ample protection from the tempestu-

ous winds. Now Teema had time to thank the spirit of the

wind for her timely help. As the storm abated she felt

strangely invigorated, as if she had received some of the

power of the wind during the storm.

One of the basic concepts of shamanism is the notion that
a "web of power" underlies all of life: the belief that all
things of physical form also have "spirit." This spirit is the
source of power for all life. For the ordinary person, the
world appears to be just a physical environment that runs
according to ordinary physical laws. It has some order but no
meaning. In the shamans' world, the web of power creates
coherency and gives meaning to the world. Without it, there
would be chaos. For shamans this underlying source of
power is not a theory or a metaphor but a definite reality that
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