Upon arriving in Sedona, in the mountains of Arizona, I headed to the house of Starry Song, the shaman who had the gift of perpetuating the ancestral philosophy of his people through songs and stories. When I parked the car, I noticed that he was talking with a woman on the porch. I knew her. It was Nascha, a respected Navajo elder. Her recognized wisdom had made her a member of the Council of Elders, the highest representative body among the original North American peoples. I hesitated to approach. I didn’t want to interrupt their conversation. Seeing me, Starry Song smiled and gestured for me to come in. The shaman greeted me with a tight hug, as a demonstration of friendship and joy at our reunion. Nascha graced me with sweet words and a beautiful smile. Around seventy years old, with two braids in her hair, an elegant dress decorated with ethnic patterns, greenish-brown eyes, and tan skin, she charmed with the beauty of her features and style. She was extremely kind and good-humoured, as spirits of light usually are. “Grumpy people have no place in the Highlands,” Starry Song used to teach in his talks. She mentioned that they would be holding a small ceremony the next day and that I would be most welcome. I thanked her for the invitation and, of course, confirmed my attendance. She offered me a sincere and welcoming smile. I took the opportunity to express my admiration for her great wisdom. “No one is part of the Council unless they have profound knowledge of life’s mysteries,” I commented. Nascha smiled again and reflected: “There is no value in possessing great knowledge. Value arises as we are able to use the knowledge we possess. Contrary to what many imagine, I know very little. If I have any value, it lies in the effort not to forget to use the little I know in every situation I live. Since situations are never the same, I learn a little more every day. I believe this habit qualified me for the Council, since I don’t possess even a small fraction of the wisdom of the other members”. Through her simplicity, Nascha enchanted with the beauty of her light.
I asked if anyone else would be participating in the ceremony. Nascha replied that it was intended for a group of young people. I asked if there was a specific reason. The shaman explained: “They will be introduced to the four arrows of the spirit”. I waited for him to add more, but nothing else was said. I tried to get more information by asking about the purpose of these arrows. Starry and Nascha exchanged glances without saying a word. Then, with the usual smile in his eyes, the elder said goodbye and left. Afterward, the shaman invited me to go to Flagstaff, a pleasant town less than an hour’s drive away. We chatted along the beautiful road that crossed the mountains. There were so many subjects that we didn’t notice the time pass. We stopped at Barnes & Noble before lunch. Heitor, the Argentine monk, soul brother, writer and psychoanalyst, also a monk of the EOMM, had ordered four books of unpublished short stories by Agatha Christie, discovered by her family after the author had left the road of time. They had been published just a few weeks earlier. We had lunch nearly at dinner time in an old brewery, where we watched a performance by a rock band formed by the shaman’s friends.
After the show, they came over to greet Starry Song. One of them sat at the table with us. It was John, the band’s guitarist. Despite the joy of meeting the shaman, an undeniable bitterness was etched on the musician’s features. Without me asking anything, he drank a shot of gin while telling me his story. His need to talk was evident, as a way of releasing the unbearable internal pressure caused by a series of misunderstandings, the root of all suffering. He had abandoned architecture school to dedicate himself to music. He had a dream common to his generation. He wanted to become a popstar, to be part of a famous band, to sell millions of records, to travel the world, to perform in stadiums for tens of thousands of people. “I was born for stardom,” he stated without hesitation. So much so that in the 1980s, when he turned thirty, he was invited to replace the guitarist of a very successful band on a tour through several countries. His talent was recognized by both the public and critics. He was mobbed on the streets by fans, sought out for television interviews, and invited to exclusive parties, to the point that the other band members grew jealous. Old friends became envious. It was a short period of great fame and money, but also of many fights and troubles, he confessed. So, he chose to leave the group and form his own band. The old group was more of a hindrance than a help to his climb toward success. He had no doubt he would make it, for he lacked neither will nor talent. He would be the brightest star of the new band. He invested everything he had earned. However, influenced by his former bandmates, he was boycotted by record labels and sabotaged by producers. He never got a good contract nor the necessary conditions to promote his work. He ended up in debt to the banks, a debt he would never be able to pay off. Almost forty years later, no one recognized him on the streets anymore. What was left were gigs in bars where people were more interested in drinking than in music. “I feel wronged and abandoned,” he declared. We were interrupted by an employee of the brewery. It was time to begin the second part of the performance. Starry Song said we needed to return to Sedona. We had to wake up early because of a morning commitment. He invited John to come to his house. He wanted to talk more with the musician. We said goodbye and left. On the way back, I remarked on how harsh life had been with John. The shaman reflected: “You heard the reading he makes of his own life. He does so with the eyes he has. It’s the version he sincerely believes. The best one he can accept, or the one that suits him. That doesn’t mean it’s the truth. That is why he suffers so much”. He furrowed his brow and added: “You had the opportunity to witness how the four arrows of the spirit work”. Then he asked: “Do you understand?” Astonished, I said no. He added nothing more.
The next day, I woke up early and was preparing to climb the mountains when I was informed that the ritual would take place in the backyard of the house. Nascha had already spread several colourful blankets on the lawn for the young people to sit on. I found it strange that a magical ceremony would be held in such an ordinary place. Starry Song explained: “Magic is transformation. The ones that truly matter are those that happen inside us. Everything else is form without content. We will transmit to the young an ancestral knowledge of immeasurable value. Knowledge provides the keys to many portals. Taking advantage of the opportunity and making good use of it depends on each one’s ability and responsibility. This is what we call maturity, which has nothing to do with age, but with spiritual progress”. Without delay, they began to arrive. They were boys and girls between sixteen and eighteen years old. They were relaxed and cheerful. They settled on the blankets on the lawn to wait. I joined the group. At the appointed time, Star and Nascha sat side by side on two chairs placed under the leafy oak that reigned in the backyard. Everyone grew attentive and silent. The shaman beat the two-faced drum in a melody that invoked the light and protection of good spirits upon that space and the ritual about to begin. Then, Nascha opened the ceremony: “Since time immemorial, each person inherits the consequences of their own choices. An immaterial heritage of opportunities and lessons, wonders and difficulties, freedoms or dystopias. We direct life as we elaborate the experiences we have lived. We process events according to the principles, values, and priorities we use as elements in the equation. As a result of the same experience, depending on the elements used in the equation, whether vices or virtues, we will find joy or sadness, peace or revolt, evolution or stagnation. Thus, according to the maturity achieved, we can expand or contract the truth. As a result, the individual will encounter the reality allowed by their perception and sensitivity. Hence, we can conclude that although we live in the same world, given the differences in understanding, we live in different worlds. What I do not see, understand, or feel does not exist for me, though it may be part of the reality of others. And vice versa”.
The elder sharpened the reasoning and interest of the young people. Starry Song continued: “The use or waste of each situation, in an incessant chain of events, defines the boundaries of life, always structured within one’s own consciousness. No one can extract from a situation the good they do not see, the lesson they do not understand, the light hidden behind the shadow they still admire. Thus, all suffering originates from the imbalances of the panels of consciousness, still incapable of filtering evil, of offering mechanisms to reverse misunderstandings, and of releasing repressed love, whether toward oneself or toward life. Love has different amplitudes and depths. Therefore, it is not enough to love. It is necessary to learn to love more and better. An achievement equivalent to removing the blindfold from the eyes of the soul, fundamental to the deconstruction of suffering”.
Nascha added: “The rigid molds of thinking, the addiction to immediacy that drives the race for short-term achievements and pleasures, the restrictions and coercive conditions imposed on love, the loss of individuality through the deformation caused by ideological struggles incapable of filling the existential void, daydreams serving as an escape from self-discovery, the freedom of choice being constrained by fear, these are examples of conditions that trigger emotional pains that grow, intensify, and destroy the individual due to ignorance of the causes that gave rise to them. Bad temper, impatience, and intolerance, accompanied by dissatisfaction, anxiety, and depression, signal the overflowing of suffering out of control”.
Starry Song reached the central point: “These existential phenomena, which so deeply unsettle thought and feeling, give rise to diseased emotions, such as desire, fascination, hatred, and frustration. The four arrows that strike the spirit and make it waste the wonders of life”. He paused for the young people to connect the philosophical arc and illustrated: “Desire is like a truck rolling downhill, without brakes or steering, smashing everything that stands in the way of what the individual sees as destiny. Even the desire for good deeds and evolutionary achievements requires balance and good sense, lest it plunge into the abyss of selfishness and obsession, trampling on the wills, perspectives, and rights of others. As a limit to desire, there must be sincere satisfaction with the goods and conditions offered by life. In them lie all the necessary tools for spiritual evolution. At times, the challenge is in lack; at other times, it is in excess. There is learning and overcoming in both situations, whether to awaken humility or to dismantle selfishness. It is not a conformist attitude. The understanding that what is enough suffices for a luminous existence illustrates a posture of lucidity and inner harmony. All other material goods to be added, if they come, will be welcome. If they do not, prosperity will not be harmed by their absence. Prosperity goes beyond the immediacy of shallow pleasures, for it dialogues only with spiritual development. No unbridled desire will ever have the power to satisfy the individual lost and uncontrolled in this common and vulgar type of madness”. A beautiful young woman, with sharp eyes, asked if all pleasure is a behavioural vice. The shaman clarified: “Not at all. You must understand what gives you pleasure. There are those who take pleasure in showing off, in revenge, or in someone else’s defeat. On the other hand, there are people who feel pleasure in helping, welcoming, guiding, and healing”. He paused briefly to ask a few simple rhetorical questions meant to spur reasoning: “Do I feel more pleasure in creating problems or in finding solutions for others? Pleasure has a thousand faces. Which one do I find in the mirror?” Then he added: “Another valuable aspect is to understand whether you control your pleasure or whether you are enslaved by it. When we are in control, we have balance and good sense at our disposal to make choices, to separate right from wrong, to discern good from evil. Something that becomes impossible when pleasure holds the power and commands our actions”. The young woman said she understood and thanked him.
Nascha addressed the second arrow: “Dazzlement is the consequence of an excessive desire that life has allowed more as a test than as a merit. Pride and vanity deform the personality and overshadow the identity of an individual driven by unrestrained ambition. They believe themselves superior to others, see as natural the privileges they enjoy without considering the harm they cause to other people. They move within the illusion of money, fame, and positions as sources of power and pleasure, without any understanding of dignity and happiness. Tormented by the transience of time, they fight desperately against invincible enemies that they cannot understand with love and acceptance, such as old age and death. Even when placing themselves on the pedestal of the world, even in the days of their prime, they are exacerbated by the fear of losing the position of prominence which, despite the worldly power gained, is extremely fragile in the face of the impermanence of events and the speed of time, phenomena impossible to master. They suffer from knowing nothing of the true riches, powers, and pleasures of life”.
The elder continued: “Hatred is the third arrow. It arises as the madness of an interest or desire unmet. It gives vent to wild and destructive feelings, being the cause of vile and cruel behaviours. Scattered in various forms of retaliation or revenge, most often it hides behind the absurd argument of enforcing justice or imposing respect. Justice and respect are educational and rebalancing virtues, driven by love and wisdom, never to be confused with primitive instincts still dominated by wickedness. Not rarely, it hides in reactions of irritation, anxiety, and discontent. When not undone, hatred solidifies and remains stored with the label ‘resentment’ written on the bottle of poison. Without a valid argument to justify its existence, hatred is one of the deepest causes of suffering and of the consequent somatization of the soul’s misalignments into serious bodily illnesses”. The shaman asked for the word and concluded: “The fourth arrow is frustration. Its origin lies in the confused ideas of merits and natural rights that the individual believes themselves entitled to, without any harmony with the movements of the world, the Cosmic Laws, or the pedagogical guidelines of life. They believe themselves to be what they have not yet become. They gaze into the murky and deceptive mirrors of vanity, arrogance, greed, and selfishness. They think they are moored at the dock of reality when, in truth, they sail through the stormy seas of incomprehension”. He looked at the young people with tenderness, turned, and gestured with his hand for Nascha to finish the talk. The elder emphasized: “At the root of every suffering we will find the individual themself as the author of the pains they endure. By resorting to the vices and conditionings that imprison them and cause suffering, instead of the regenerative virtues that free and heal, they will continue to wrongly shape the experiences they live. In a painful vicious circle, they will go on directing life along paths that will never lead them to the desired destination. As a consequence, they will increase in intensity and volume their emotional pains when, after some time, they realize they are far from where they intended to arrive. They will remain so as long as they refuse to remove the absurd hindering conditions so that love may serve as the guide for their evolutionary process”.
Starry Song beat a melody of gratitude for the protection and illumination granted to that ceremony. The portal was shown to the young people. Crossing it would be up to each of them. We must help everyone, but no one is authorized to carry another along the road of evolution. No progress will be allowed to those who refuse learning and transformation. Gradually, the young people departed, not without first thanking the elder and the shaman for the knowledge shared. Nascha exchanged a hug with Starry Song and left as well.
Alone with the shaman, we went to sit on the porch to enjoy the gentle breeze that descends from the mountains in spring. As we rounded the house, we were surprised by the presence of John, the rock band’s guitarist, waiting on the porch. With teary eyes, he said he had arrived right at the start of the ceremony. He had heard everything that was said. He had the sensation that his soul had been dissected and his feelings laid bare in the light. Every word and idea served to show him the origin of his sufferings, without any accord with the blurred images and inaccurate narratives he maintained about past events. He had to admit that he had lost himself when he credited to himself the success of a band that already had a following of admirers and fans. By joining the group, he fancied himself greater than the group. Hence the fights and ruptures. He had lived the unrestrained desire to become a music star instead of working with joy and developing his gift, understanding that fame and fortune are effects that do not always depend on personal talent. He had moved through hatred and growing resentment as things failed to happen the way he wanted. He had frustrated himself with the conviction of having been wronged and abandoned, when, in truth, life had protected him from his own follies. For many years, it had counselled him to replace the dark, dramatic, and short-sighted lenses through which he saw everything and everyone, with clearer, wiser, and far-reaching ones. He had refused all along. He had poisoned himself with the four arrows he had shot against himself. As long as they remained stuck in his heart, he would continue to suffer from the narrow thoughts and clouded feelings he nourished. With a trembling voice, he confessed that he had been far from a sensible and balanced person. He had hurt some, mistreated others. By denying him his desires, life had saved him from becoming someone even worse. The time had come to pull out the arrows, stop the poison, correct the course, and free himself from pain.
Seated in his rocking chair, without saying a word, Starry Song listened attentively while lighting his unmistakable pipe with a red stone stummel. At the end of the guitarist’s confession, the shaman reflected: “Life works for the evolution of all. It is not interested in fulfilling anyone’s desires. Its efforts will always be directed at making us different and better people, nothing more. Its methods are almost never easy to understand, for, contrary to what we would like, it does not seek to satisfy shallow and immediate pleasures, but to refine perception and sensitivity so that achievements may be valuable and lasting. It will never deliver according to the measure of desires, but according to the exact measure of evolutionary needs. Difficulties work in service of the light. When we decode their reasons and motivations, we are enveloped by a wonderful feeling of enchantment with the truth, and, as a consequence, we will see emerge the love that frees from suffering”.
Nothing more was said… and it wasn’t needed.
Translated by: Cazmilian Zórdic
