In ancient cosmologies, the core of animist and shamanic teachings was the law of sacred reciprocity. This law, unbreakable like the foundations of physics, biology, chemistry, and magic, stipulates that all energy in the universe is constant and changes are only from one form to another.
So, when it comes to bringing new things into our lives and shifting paradoxes, the notion of sacrifice (the origin of the name is "to make sacred") involves giving and receiving.
We will often need to sacrifice (as surrender to the greater cosmos) a relationship, a job, a belief, patterns, habits, connections, etc., in order to receive something back.
In ancient cosmologies, sacrifices could also include offerings of food, animals, or even human lives to appease the gods or seek their favor. It could also be time, energy, or presence, especially if those are very precious to you.
Because of the law of energies, the size of the gift is proportional to the sacrifice. My teacher often jokes that if you give $1, you will receive a $1 gift. Taking a Western accountability metric like money to make me understand, but elaborating that in all ancient stories, myths, and cosmologies, the spirits, guardians of doors, and magicians of the invisible will request something from us first to gift us some powerful transformation, healing, and wisdom. In fact, you never endeavor to go to some of the "other worlds" without bringing gifts with you (I was joking about that with Matthew Wood when we talked about meeting the fairies).
Because we read this from a Western perspective, we often misunderstand it as a material transaction when, in fact, it is an energetic one. In material transactions, you give something physical and receive something physical in return. In energetic transactions, you give something of your essence, your being, and receive a transformation in return. Many heroes, gods, goddesses, and mystical beings often made big sacrifices to access wisdom.
Prometheus defied Zeus as a sacrifice to steal fire from the gods and give it to mankind. The gift of fire brought wisdom, technology, and warmth to humanity, enabling progress and civilization. As punishment, Zeus bound Prometheus to a rock where an eagle would eat his liver daily, which would then regenerate each night.
Odin sacrificed his eye at Mimir's well to gain the wisdom of the ages. This immense wisdom and knowledge allowed him to guide and lead the Aesir gods and to gift us the knowledge of the Runes. His sacrifice resulted in Odin walking with only one eye for the rest of his immortal life, a testament to the profound wisdom that can be gained through sacrifice.
Pele, the goddess of volcanoes, sacrificed her home and peace in Tahiti to escape conflict with her sister. This led her to create the Hawaiian Islands, thus giving the inhabitants new land and fertile soil. The consequence was an ongoing rivalry with her sister, resulting in Pele continuously moving and reshaping the land through volcanic activity.
In many shamanic traditions, shamans undergo a symbolic death and rebirth during their initiation rituals. This process often involves enduring intense physical and spiritual trials and sacrificing their former selves to gain spiritual healing and wisdom. The consequence of this sacrifice is the shaman's transformation into a powerful mediator between the spiritual and physical worlds, equipped with knowledge to heal and guide their community.
The act of sacrifice is not without its consequences. Regarding this process, we cannot separate sacrifice, gifts, and consequences. Understanding and considering the potential outcomes is crucial before making a sacrifice. But if that is what the soul is calling for, what the world needs, the sacrifice must often be made.
So, I often ask people I work with, when they are calling a big gift, what are you ready to sacrifice? What needs to be sacrificed? When it comes to stepping into our sacred purpose, sacrifice is always present in the process, and refusing it can lead to illness or close-to-death experiences.
When we call for a significant transformation, it is essential to always inquire about the direction of the sacrifice (as in "making sacred"). To understand deeply what this means and how to act upon it. In fact, some of the most gifted healers, elders, medicine people, and sages I have ever met all had to make some quite dramatic, extreme, and very difficult sacrifices and choices to be able to receive those gifts and serve some of the most potent medicines to the world.
In a world that often sacrifices Nature, well-being, peace, morals, and the defenseless for the "gifts" of power, greed, and supremacy, we often have a hard time acknowledging the consequences of such sacrifices. The law that works there, too, is indeed never aligned with life and wisdom and has some of the most dramatic consequences on us all.
But for those ready for some holy sacrifice, it will open the flow to some of the greatest wisdom humanity has ever received.
To "make sacred",
Angell Deer
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