JOSE AIID LENA STEVENS 89past and future. You can go even further and imagine that on
all sides around the blue and green records are stacked an
infinite number of yellow records representing alternative or
probable pasts, presents, and futures. Now visualize shamans
traveling into the spirit world where they emerge in the hole
at the center of the blue record. Here, from a central point,
they have immediate access to a great range of possibilities.
The important consideration for them is to know what they
are looking for. Allies and power animals act as guides to this
living library, leading them to find out exactly what they want
to know.
Not only do shamans gain entrance to this living record to
retrieve knowledge, but to learn to shift the course of events
so that the outcome emerges differently. This does not mean
that the original result did not occur. It means that the origi-
nal result is relegated to a side stack or probable occurrence
and a more desirable one is shifted into the central stack.
Shamans are able to manipulate time in a number of
ways. First of all, they know how to stretch time or make it
slow down, as was the case with Sally and her exam deadline,
or, in some radical cases, to avoid an accident. There are
many reports from people who, in the midst of an automo-
bile accident, experienced time slowing down, allowing them
to make decisions and take protective action that saved their
lives. Shamans would say they used their shamanic ability
unconsciously to perform the act. Shamans carry out these
time warps consciously.
Although Ron had been playing football for three
years, he had never felt the pressure of a game like this
one. It was first down, fourth quarter, with one minute to
go in the big game. The noise in the stadium was deafen-
ing. The only problem was the score. After winning al-
most every game this season, they were now tied seven
to seven and the other team had the ball. As he ap-
proached the line of scrimmage, Ron felt a strange feel-
ing in his stomach. He felt odd, almost as if he weighed
half of his 210 pounds. The ball snapped and there was
the usual flash of jerseys, mud flying, and grunts as the
teams slammed together. Just as he thought, this was a
pass play, and he fell back to prevent the long throw. But
he was much too far away from the ball as it rapidly
arched through the air toward the receiver. Suddenly the
whole world slowed down and became like a slow-motion
instant replay. The ball seemed to be moving incredibly
slowly as the players gradually moved their arms and