We Are All Shamans: Interview with Itzhak Beery By Jonathan Talat Phillips, author of "The Electric Jesus," It’s nearly impossible to talk about shamanism in New York City without bringing up the name Itzhak Beery. Born in Israel, Beery was initiated into the family tradition of a powerful Quechuan Yachak from Ecuador and has studied under the Brazilian elder Ipupiara and Peruvian curandera Cleicha. As a co-founding member of the NY Shamanic Circle and the NY Annual Shamanic Gathering in Central Park, he has spent the last ten years facilitating group healing practices and journeying work. He has a private healing practice and serves as the publisher of ShamanPortal, the “Craigslist for all things shaman." In this podcast, Beery discusses how a mid-life crisis leads him on an adventure with John Perkins to the wilds of Ecuador, where he begins his shamanic apprenticeship. He talks of opening his third eye, gaining confidence in his own abilities, and learning how to control a shaman’s biggest enemy — fear. He gives tricks of the trade, including the secrets of candle divinations, egg healing ceremonies, and protecting one’s energetic field from “bad energy.” Beery also discusses the many roles of the shaman, what it’s like to practice in the West, and what happens to us if we don’t “tune into our own powers” and spiritual calling. |