Schizophrenia and Shamanism

I'm still broiling on Henry's Demons.

He was sectioned during a rather extreme wander.

He tried to swim across the estuary in all his clothes. Of course he had all his clothes on; he'd need them on the other side. Of course he swam across. He was trying to wander keeping the most direct contact with nature possible. Feet on land, and swimming through water. One or two thousand years ago I bet it was perfectly common for young men to swim across bodies of water in all their clothes during a journey, just to get to the other side and keep going.

This is not cause to section someone. It is an indicator that they are in a deep part of what Bill Plotkin terms 'stage 4' - the wanderer, opened to a spiritual awakening, yet to find clear purpose.

Of course he felt guided by the wind. I feel guided by the wind. It is a clear conversational partner, a clear interlocutor and now that I have learnt how to read it I trust it's guidance. During a personal development course near Bristol just two weeks ago a registered therapist told me to trust the wind more.  I should strengthen my alter practice, I said. Alter practice is a widely recognised method of prayer, aka technology of discourse with the non-material aliveness - across various religions. Yeh, he had said, you could do that, but it sounds like you have already got your practices of talking with the wind and nonsense singing. Why not stick with those and deepen them?

Another thing I do is sing random nonsense until wisdom starts coming out of my mouth. When it comes it becomes firm and useful guidance.

How vastly vilely awful that he was captured and trapped and deadened. I see it like that. I feel it like that. When did this start? This is just a modern version of burning witches, killing shamans. How did we get to this?

It must change.

The problem is with the more extreme behaviour. What is that about?

I would imagine...

Wanderers without well developed survival skills can act oddly and be picked up for it. Eg Henry did not know how to deal with the cold when he got out of the water on the other side so he got back into the water for that was warmer. There he was picked up by a fisherman. I wouldn't know how to deal with that situation either but there must be a way. That's a survival skill - and, recognising this, Plotkin counsels the stage 4 wanderer to become well equipped with them so that they can find the experiences in nature that they need.

The paranoia - I don't know, I felt very paranoid when I lived in Brighton and smoked a lot of fags and drunk a lot of beer and didn't exercise or have a clear sense of purpose. Paranoia can be overcome by establishing a healthier way of life. Not by medication and imprisonment.

Is it political this treatment of our shamans and if so would we have a fight on our hands to rescue them?

The point of opportunity I see is at those very early stages before the medication and the incarceration weakens them so.

He seemed spaced out, says his mother. Well you and I would be if we were shut in a small cell and surrounded by other incarcerated now-mad people!

The response I think is to create great appropriate forms of ritual, clarify the role of the shaman, gather and nurture the great contemporary social shamans, and create a culture of practice within which the young can find path. 


I'm struck by the way that the connection between the shamanic and the schizoprenic encourages us to not bleach the magic out of ritual.

The 'schizoprenic' experience, the visions and voices, is all about the magic. And the potency is all about the magic.

By magic I mean connection with the non-material aliveness.