JOSE AIID LENA STEVENS 65basic requirement: respect. Respect is the key to communi-
cation; any truly successful communicator knows that respect
carries with it a lack of judgment and an openness to contact.
The elements of nature are no different with regard to how
they respond even if you are not able to see them with your
eyes open. They respond to the respect that you show them.
You may feel skeptical at first because you have not been
taught that gems, trees, clouds, and insects are reachable
through your emotions and thoughts. Try to take their point
of view for a moment. Suppose that you were suddenly con-
fronted by your household pets. Suppose that you could hear
them, yet they acted as if you were an inanimate object.
Maybe you would hear them discussing among themselves
whether or not you could feel anything. Wouldn't you be
taken aback? Wouldn't you be outraged? Wouldn't you be
fearful? Especially if you had given them some food to eat or
provided them shelter for protection, you might feel that
they were not only ungrateful, but showed the height of arro-
gance.
Therefore, do not expect the spirits of nature to warm up
to you immediately when you first try to communicate with
them. Give them a chance to trust you and your limitations.
After all, they have been treated rather badly by people for a
long time. You may ask, if we show this kind of respect to all
of nature, is it not then a betrayal of this trust to kill an
animal for food? to eat a plant? to cut a tree for shelter?
Shamans know that the creatures of this planet do not mind
serving people by providing food products, shelter, clothing,
and the like if they are asked properly and thanked after-
wards. The spirit world, their true source, cannot be de-
stroyed; only the physical form can be altered for a time.
Shamans are aware of the importance of balance and the
fact that the natural world thrives on the tensions that keep
this balance. When the balance is tipped through exploita-
tion and greed, the natural world rebels. For shamans, the
crises that face the world today are no surprise. They are a
result of imbalance caused by lack of respect, and this imbal-
ance ultimately results in a loss of power.
As you read about how how to communicate with stones
and animals, keep in mind that the secret of your success is
respect. You will ultimately lose power should you divert to-
ward exploitation rather than mutual service.
Remember that your goal is success and real power. For
you to be truly successful, you need to cooperate with your
environment. You do not exist in isolation or separate from