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Overview
Widely recognized as one of the foremost teachers of Native American wisdom, Jamie Sams reveals the seven sacred paths of human spiritual development and explains how exploring each path leads to shifts in our personal relat
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780062515148 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | HarperCollins |
| Publication date: | 05/05/1999 |
| Edition description: | Reprint |
| Pages: | 288 |
| Sales rank: | 459,213 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.31(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.65(d) |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
Chapter One
The silver threads of the Dream Weave are fed by imagination and inspiration. They form the paths that take us safely to the heart of the invisible wonders that are ever-present in physical life. --Berta Broken Bow
DANCING THE DREAM
Where are the dances of oneness,
That I knew before my birth?
Did I surrender my wholeness
In order to walk the Earth?
Did I choose forgetting
In order to make life real?
Did I inhabit a human body
So I could learn how to feel?
I am here to dance the dream
In my sacred human form.
To celebrate my uniqueness
And ask no other to conform.
Dancing through life's lessons,
I will learn to move with grace,
While I dream of remembering
The potential of the human race.
--Jamie Sams
Each Life Is a Sacred Path
EVERY human being who walks the Earth Mother has an individual sacred path through life. That sacred path is created by the weaving of many tangible and intangible threads, which connect all of our emotions, dreams, thoughts, and experiences. The spirit's invisible thread of life force unfurls at birth and carries us through the twists and turns of growing up and learning about life on planet Earth. Our lives will change directions many times as experiences urge us to grow. Every decision we make and every shift in our perceptions can alter the course of our path through life and bring new experiences or expanded horizons. Every time we alter our priorities, we change our path. Every time we allow ourselves to use our imagination, we change our view of reality. Every time we decide to changedirection, we design and redesign our lifestyles, habits, priorities, personal needs, and goals.
If you are alive, you are on a sacred path. In your life you have followed a multitude of paths with different directions, and yet all those paths dovetail, creating the one life path that represents your unique journey through the physical world. Becoming aware that each of us also travels an intangible or spiritual path is the beginning of the awakening processes found on the seven sacred paths of human initiation and transformation.
Some people go through life believing that there is no scheme, no rhyme or reason, to the workings of the universe. They see no connections between themselves, other life forms, and the Creator-until some life event forces them to go beyond that unconscious condition. How and when life beckons us to change is different for every individual.
Many people grow and mature, endure heartache, experience personal breakthroughs, and still do not consciously embrace the paths of transformation.
BEGINNING THE SEVEN SACRED PATHS OF HUMAN TRANSFORMATION
The seven paths of transformation are never forced upon us; they present themselves as opportunities. We may feel that we are at the mercy of life's events, but even amid tragedy, fears, or loss, we are given choices and the opportunity to wake up. We can deny the existence of these alternate paths of understanding and remain safely unaware of them, or we can risk looking deeper. When the light goes on and we embrace the awakening process, we start to remember the things that our spirits have always known. As we become more conscious, we become aware of the divine significance or spiritual purpose that we carry within us. Doors begin to open, and we start to perceive the spirit or life force that animates our universe. Only then do we awaken and realize exactly how our lives are intricately woven within the whole.
The awakening process allows us to become aware of a bigger picture. Each part of the seven sacred paths of human transformation allows us to expand beyond our former tunnel vision. There are no lesser or greater paths through life. We have free will and are allowed either to look beyond the accepted horizons or to remain on a life path that suits our views of reality. The seen and unseen realms are of equal importance. Becoming aware of the intangible forces that shape the human experience adds innumerable possibilities to our life experiences. If we choose to explore the intangible realms of consciousness, what my teachers call the Dream Weave, we discover new layers of the life force found in spirit, thought, emotion, dreams, feelings, aspirations, creativity, and intent. Our budding awareness of the intangible aspects of human life adds new dimensions of understanding and wisdom, allowing us to see how divine consciousness intertwines with every aspect of physical life.
If you choose to embrace these paths, you will remember that before your birth your spirit, your spark of life, was exhaled from the Creator, the Great Mystery, God. That spark of life came from the Creator's Fire of Creation and was attached to an invisible thread of spiritual energy that sent you forth into the universe and animated the physical body you inhabit with life force. Embracing these paths, you will remember your purpose for being, your role in life, and how to transform any part of your human experience that keeps you from becoming your potential. The challenges that you face during the awakening process and transformation are your personal initiations, marking your passage of change.
On the first path, the East Direction on the Medicine Wheel, we become illuminated and begin to see clearly that there is a purpose for our lives. We embrace a new form of clarity, which takes us beyond our former "What is life offering me?" perspective. On the second path, the South Direction, we learn how to rise above childish human reactions, compulsions, and unhealthy emotions. The third path, the West Direction, teaches us how to heal our pasts, our bodies, and our self esteem. On the fourth path, the North Direction, we learn how to share the wisdom we have gained as well as how to live with compassionate, nonjudgmental, open hearts.
Dancing the Dream. Copyright © by Jamie Sams. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold.What People are Saying About This
A magnificent blueprint for transformation.