My Shamanistic Beginnings.

I've had several people ask me more about my Shamanistic life, so I thought I'd start it out by explaining my beginnings on this path of life!

In 1980, I was stationed in Germany (Stuttgart, a GREAT city!!) in the Army and had a two many room in the barracks to myself. One night when I came home from work, I had a new roommate asleep on my bed (the only one that was made, I guess he figured they made it for him??). I had spent over 35 hours at work that day, so I was pretty beat up from a lot of emergencies (I was a Cardio Vascular Tech and a Combat Medic, with civilian Paramedic License and a lot of non military emergency medicine experience), so I woke him up, asked him to move to his bunk, flipped the pillow over and crashed.

The next day, when I got up, George and I introduced ourselves to each other and left to report the motor pool, and I to the Internal Medicine clinic to work for most of the day then down to the ER.

George was a Mescalero Apache Indian from New Mexico. Over the next few days we started building a friendship. He was very lonely and missed the reservation VERY much. He quickly became, what we called in the Army, a Barracks Rat, meaning he never left his room except to go to the Enlisted Club on base and drink. Which he did a lot of in the room as well.

So, as a friend, I took him with me every time I left base and he didn't have to work. At first he didn't want to go, but I started forcing him to come with me. We had a blast, and he got to see another country other than the his Nation Lands, the two Army bases in the US he was on for training, and the towns outside those bases.

After 6 months of his tour he was recalled to the States and discharge because his Father had passed away. When I came back from work that day, his stuff was gone, and there was a note on my bed saying good bye, he had my address and he would stay in touch!

I thought, well, another friend has moved on, time to morn the "losing" of a friend again.

About 4 months later I rotated back to the States for Special Forces Selection and SF Medic Training, but was allowed to take 10 days of Leave to visit my Wife and parent's, etc. The second day I was home, there was a nock on the door, so I went to answer it, and it was George. He asked if I would come up to the Res with him, as he wanted to introduce me to his Mother and others on the Res. I said sure, and I was VERY excited about it!

I spent a bit over a week there (or about a week) and spent a lot of time with the Nations Shaman asking hundreds of questions about various aspects of life, health, etc.. Many I had "my answers" to, but I wanted to know more. Many of his answers were what I felt. On the third day Dancing Bear, the Shaman, asked me why I was asking all these questions of him, as I was a Shaman and always had been, find the answers on my own.

That night I and the rest of the next day I sat in The Sweat Lodge with George (Sleeping Eagle) meditating and learning new things. On my last day at the Reservation, Dancing Bear performed the Blood Brother cerimony on George and I, and then, to my surprise announced to the Nation that I was from that day forward to be known as a Shaman of the Nation! What a feeling that was!!

I have this Journey thoughout the years (and it has been a bit over 20 years now since this has happened) and I look forward to assisting the Nation and all other Peoples and Nations over the years!

Aho Dancing Bear, I miss you in the present, think of you in the past, and dream of you in DreamLand!