The Chamber of Treasures

Tools for Change

In times of transformation and change, upheaval and disturbance, we have the opportunity to discover treasures, gifts and tools that will help us not only manage and thrive during these times but contribute to the dream that longs to emerge.

From the shaman’s point of view, every one of us has gifts that we can bring up from the depths of the Lower World that will lead us to our purpose, even our destiny for the times we are living in.

Our soul will gather whatever implements it needs to express its mission and purpose. These tools might be called “medicine gifts” because they carry the power to bring into our lives the gifts that are ours to share with our families, communities and in some cases the world. These tools come in many shapes and forms. They are metaphors. One might come as a paintbrush. Another as a feather and another as a walking stick, while another shows up as a quill pen. These medicine gifts are never only what they seem to be. They have a mythical, symbolic and mysterious quality that we must discover for ourselves.

In some shamanic teachings, we have to journey deep into the soul realm or the Lower World and into what is sometimes referred to as the Chamber of Treasures to find these tools and gifts. These tools are not the hammers and screwdrivers or rakes and shovels of everyday life, although they may appear as such. In other words, the shovel is not to be used to dig a hole in your yard to plant a tree but energy to be used to dig deep within and find your own wisdom. They are the materials of the mythic, the sage, the artist and the scientist.

The treasure given to us is always the right tool for the time. When we respond to life with the tool given us, the unexpected and the unthought of happens. The gift holds an energy field that vibrates with its very essence, which includes its capacity to accomplish its purpose. When we accept the gift, we take that energy into our luminous field and begin to vibrate with the gift’s frequency. That frequency informs our blueprint and starts manifesting in our lives. Soon, we find ourselves doing and accomplishing things we never dreamed we could do. We become co-creators with the gift’s spirit.

In a journey to my own Chamber of Treasures in late 2023, I received the gift of a quill pen. This is a writing implement made from the feather of a large bird. For almost 1,500 years, people used quill pens to write letters and documents. By the middle of the nineteenth century, however, steel nibs were well on their way to ousting the trusty quill. Then, in the twentieth century, along came the fountain pen, the ballpoint, the fiber-point, the rollerball, the gel-point, and other kinds of pens.

For the shaman, the feather is alive, conscious, and connected and responds to his intentions. So, I engaged the quill in conversation to learn more about its purpose.

Sheldon: Quill, I am honored to receive you as a tool for my path. What gift do you bring for me?

Quill: The gift of writing.

Sheldon: I am curious. Of all the ways to write, why do you come to me in the form of a quill?

Quill: In ancient times—from where I come—people made their inks and tinctures from berries, herbs, and things of nature and the natural world. You are the tincture from which to write. Dip me deep into your energies as a shaman and tell the stories of healing that have come through the path of the feather given to you at the beginning of this journey.

Sheldon: I accept your invitation. It was only after you came to me in my journey to the Chamber of Treasures that I saw what was, perhaps, the real meaning of the painting of the man gifting me a feather in a bowl. Perhaps even then it was a quill in an inkwell. I just didn’t recognize it at the time. I now notice that the bowl is so large. There must be a lot to write.

Quill: Write the stories.

At the time of this interaction, I had no idea how this would all unfold. I simply agreed to connect to the energy of the quill, follow its path, and see where the quill took me and what we would create. Since the quill told me to write the stories of healing and transformation that had come through my work as a shamanic practitioner, I contacted clients and people who had taken my classes on shamanism and energy medicine and who had participated in shamanic healing. I told them of my journey to the Chamber of Gifts and asked them if they would be willing to share some of their experiences with shamanic healing for a book that I would write on the healing and transforming power of shamanism and energy healing. That book, The Power of Shamanism and Energy Medicine: Personal Stories of Healing and Transformation, is scheduled to be published later this Spring.

The treasure or tool that you find on your journey may change your life, making you realize your calling. The tools that we find in the Chamber of Treasures are sometimes difficult to understand and put to use. It may take some reflection or contemplation, or as in my case a dialog with the tool to discover exactly how to use it, to uncover its intended purpose in our lives. After finding a tool we must transform it from a symbol to a practical instrument.

Below is a guided journey to the Chamber of Treasures in the Lower World where you will find your own tool. Ask for an instrument to bring back with you, something you can use in your daily life. It may turn out to be a creative tool, a healing tool or a tool that helps you grow or find your purpose. When you find your tool, you will carry it back from the lower world of potential and possibility and into the physical world of action and expression. Your own tool from the Chamber of Treasures is sacred medicine that will propel you toward the creative expression for this time.

I invite you to share your gift and any meaning that it has for you in the comments.

Disclaimer

The content provided in this newsletter and any accompanying blogs or articles, including ideas, suggestions, techniques, and other materials, is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any condition or disease. The content is provided only as general information and is not medical or psychological advice. You understand that this newsletter is not intended as a substitute for consultation with a licensed professional. Please consult with your own physician, mental health specialist, or spiritual advisor for matters related to emotional health, mental health, or spiritual concerns.

Any information, stories, examples, or testimonials presented in this newsletter do not constitute a warranty, guarantee, or prediction regarding the outcome of an individual using such material contained herein for any particular purpose or issue. On occasion I may include links to other resources. While these are posted in good faith, the accuracy, validity, effectiveness, completeness, or usefulness of any information herein, as with any publication, cannot be guaranteed. The use of this newsletter implies your acceptance of this disclaimer.