by Al D

Throughout early 2006, Al D posted a series of accounts on alt.religion.shamanism documenting his relationship with an unusual woodland in Dorset — a place with no birdsong, faces in the trees, and an inexplicable atmosphere of power that he found continued to work on him from fifty miles away. Those accounts are preserved elsewhere in this archive. In this companion piece, posted 10 February 2006, he situates those experiences within two frameworks he has recently encountered: the shamanic concept of "power spots" (from José and Lena Stevens' book, and from J.A. Rosa and N. Altman's "Power Spots"), and the Afro-Brazilian Candomblé tradition's teaching that each person has a father and a mother orisha whose earthly home is a personal power place. It is a practitioner's attempt to name what happened to him — with appropriate tentativeness.

I was recently given, by a user of this newsgroup, a book called Secrets of Shamanism by José and Lena Stevens. I have not read the book apart from skimming through the chapters this morning. When doing so I stumbled across something that really got my attention: it contains a section about "power spots," which it describes as "places in nature that energise one and reduce one's need for rest and recuperation."

I have read about power spots before, but the description I read today closely fits my own experience of these places.

It says: "Power spots raise your frequency level, making you less vulnerable to illness, discouragement and depression."

And: "They naturally balance and heal you so that you can increase your productivity and enjoyment of life."

A year or two ago, I would have classified this as new-age wishful thinking — stuff for easily-suggestible people with a vivid imagination. Today, however, I think very differently, because it recently occurred to me that the description explains experiences I have had with places I am familiar with.

Two Power Places

The first is an island near where I live. I have been aware of its effects on me ever since I was a kid. When I go there (and this has always been the case), I feel uplifted and inspired. But there is more to it than that. One can feel uplifted and inspired in all sorts of situations. This place is different. I feel almost like a different person when I go there. Sometimes I feel like I'm glimpsing life through the eyes of a much happier person who I could be, given the right circumstances.

Now I realise that the enchanted wood (the first one I posted about here) is also a "power spot" for me. When I go there, I feel completely transported into a different state of mind; I am lifted above any worldly troubles, up to the threshold of something altogether higher and more promising than the mundane world. Now, after a few weeks of reflection, I know what the elder gent meant when he referred to the wood as "a power place."

The above-mentioned book goes on to say something else that reflects my own experience: "You need not always be physically present at a power spot to benefit from its special properties. Once you know where the spot is, you can journey there shamanically or re-create it in your mind's eye."

That is exactly what I mentioned in a recent post regarding the way I was receiving power from the wood, even though it is located fifty miles from my home.

Candomblé and the Orishas

A book called Power Spots by J.A. Rosa and N. Altman mentions a tradition called Candomblé, which can be found even today in Brazil, but which originated in Western Africa, from where it was brought to South America by black slaves shipped across in the 16th century. The tradition believes in an all-powerful and all-encompassing God called Olorun, who created Heaven and Earth. Being a benign but impersonal force, Olorun created an army of unseen helpers in the spirit world to assist the human members of his vast family. These beings, who never take on physical form, are called orishas.

The Candomblé tradition holds that we all receive a "father" and a "mother" orisha at birth. These provide us with protection and guidance throughout our evolutionary journey in life. Each orisha is connected with a specific element in nature. In order to discover our father and mother orishas, we must discover the elements with which we best resonate. The places where these elements predominate — and where we feel the strongest resonance — are called our personal power spots. The spots are the earthly home of our orishas, according to the belief. It is at these places that we receive the fullest measure of our orishas' benign healing, strength and wisdom.

This really interested me, for I am now contemplating the idea of my two discovered power places as being my places of contact with my maternal and paternal orishas. I like to keep an open mind to such concepts.

If anyone else here is using power spots to your benefit, and would care to share your experiences and observations, I for one would be very interested.

Colophon

Written by Al D and posted to alt.religion.shamanism on 10 February 2006. The other posts in Al D's enchanted wood series — "An Enchanted Wood in Dorset," "Developing Connection with the Enchanted Wood," and "Another Mysterious Wood — Ancient Stones and a Rune" — are also preserved in this archive. Secrets of Shamanism by José and Lena Stevens was published by Avon Books in 1988. Candomblé is a syncretic Afro-Brazilian religion practiced primarily in Bahia, combining Yoruba, Fon, and Bantu traditions with elements of Catholicism and indigenous Brazilian religion; its practice of identifying personal patron orishas through consultation with a pai-de-santo (priest) is well-attested in the tradition, though Al D's account of it here is from a secondary source. Original Message-ID: [email protected].

Preserved from the Usenet archive for the Good Works Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.

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