by Bea Garth, copyright 2015

What is it like to be a sensitive creative shamanic person in today’s Western world here in the center of the south San Francisco Bay Area? The short answer is that it is just not very simple or easy given the insensitive ego dominated environment around here.

How do I cope?  By going on regular walks, doing my art and writing poetry, plus doing Hatha Yoga regularly with deep breathing and meditation all make a world of difference. In addition, it helps to talk with my lover and friends, play with my cats or poke around in the garden.

IMHO its hard for anyone to be grounded around here in the land of Ego Supreme. This is after all Silicon Valley! Where dreams of big deals in the Silicon Industry can possibly become Reality. A place where rents are sky high even if not everyone’s income is.  A place with a higher than usual population of those not even capable of appreciating the value of a sensitive such as myself, or even of the arts in general.

Though after talking with my friend Erik in Japan, and reviewing the current state of the world, it seems like this problem is endemic world wide, especially for those who live in areas affected by the current dominate “Rogue Ego” Western  paradigm.

People such as myself who live more in the weird and are sensitive to Spirit are often either not seen or at least studiously ignored. Unless they too  have “Made It Big” of course! Although amazingly we make more impact than we think just by being who we are despite what is  consciously acknowledged.

As an artist and poet I see this constantly. For instance, one can often be in a place where you jump through all kinds of hoops  and still remain invisible to the community at large. I have seen this countless times. The unfortunate thing is that for some it can lead to tragedy when a person despite following his or her Goddess given path, is not supported or acknowledged except perhaps by other artists. Poverty and lack of recognition has a way of killing the spirit if you are extremely sensitive and have not developed ways of coping or fitting in to the everyday world. It is particularly dangerous if one does not recognize one’s strength connecting with the Inner Self and Spirit. Though honestly IMHO Rogue Ego can also kill the Inner Spirit of a creative sensitive person just as effectively if we lose connection with the Inner Self and our sense of how we are all interconnected. We are given gifts that we need to humbly share, whether those gifts are large or small.

On the positive side, this lack of awareness or support by the egoic money driven community at large gives one more privacy and freedom for sensitives and creative writers and artists which might not be as easily achieved in other circumstances. However even oddballs such as I like to feel  one is part of a supportive community.

Thus to help preserve myself, I have tried (as much as is humanly possible) to create my own environment with my own rules. I follow natural law and practice the ideals of having respect towards others with harm towards none, so things work better even if the people that I work with are not sensitive like me. They appreciate the magic I bring to their everyday  lives, particularly when it comes to my helping them circumvent or resolve a crisis. And for those that are more like me, I have often felt compelled to create (or help create) events and places where we can  meet and showcase our talents. This website for instance being potentially also such a place for connections and interconnections.

I have also felt compelled to create my own sacred creative space I can go into apart from everyone else except perhaps for my  lover and my cats. There I have complete freedom to dream and create  or simply meditate without interference from others.  In order to fully recharge I need my isolation and creativity to help ground myself in my center while connecting with the Earth, Spirit and the Universe.

Like many other creative sensitives, trying to ground  given who I am is truly a balancing act of the Inner and Outer worlds since I am neither fully an introverted isolationist, nor fully extroverted.

Nevertheless, I think this is a dilemma that Shamans have had throughout time since part of them is showman and story teller, healer of wounds, deep researcher and gatherer of herbs, adviser of damaged psyches, leader of dances and rites, makers of creative images, words and objects while still absolutely needing their time off by themselves traveling engaged  between worlds. The image I like best is of the Shaman  hanging upside down from the World Tree. This is considered to be a vehicle for travelling between worlds. Not so very comfortable, and certainly not very dignified. But quite effective!!

Now as the World Self carries its inhabitants to the Brink, we as Shamans and Sensitives can act as pathfinders and leaders creating the path back to our Inner Self with a new appreciation for Spirit and Earth and our Interconnectedness as more and more of us begin to realize we need a more human Earth and Soul interconnected Gestalt.  IMHO the survival of Humanity after all needs us to learn to let go of fear and begin to re-embrace the planetary Inner Self.

Part of this role IMHO is to realize that we are powerful beings  despite what the surrounding culture tells us. Humanity and the World’s Creatures really need us! And we need our own positive connecting with who we are and what we are capable of. We  need to dream the dream of our own success and inner strength, learning  to connect our inner beings with Spirit with thankfulness and love despite all appearances to the contrary.

We can after all create our own success, love and strength, whether it is acknowledged by others or not, though more than likely the more we ground and believe in ourselves, the more likely it is we will become acknowledged by others too. Just in the Nick of Time, more than likely! But without a moment to spare!! As the Age of Big Money and Rogue Ego go to bigger and bigger excesses destroying the very Planet and Interconnectedness we all love and need.

Definitely this is high drama as the World rediscovers itself in this next turning approaching the birth of a New Age–which for now I am calling the Age of Compassion. And just in the Nick of Time for me personally and perhaps for you too as we learn how to connect with the Inner Self in more and more positive nurturing creative ways!