“The black road on which the medicine man is destined to walk alone is the
journey through spiritual darkness while seeking the higher light.” (Chockecherry Gall Eagle)
I believe the Red Road and the Black Road are the same; they arrive at the same destination, the same truth, from two different directions, from two different ways. The Red Road is the path most people follow. As we journey along the path chosen for us we grow in light and harmony, our spiritual abilities honed to razor Sharpe perfection, until in old age we acquire the wisdom and spirituality of our Grandfathers. The formalized Black Road is the path of the mystic practitioner, or medicine man. “The Black Road on which the medicine man is destined to walk alone is the journey through spiritual darkness while seeking the higher light.” It is the path of the mystic seeking enlightenment, seeking Wakan. No one makes an arbitrary choice to walk the Black Road it is not a career move, you do not choose the Black Road, you are chosen for it. We are all people of medicine but some are called upon to demonstrate greater use of this medicine, Wakan or magic. This is the thing it is all the same power it is the inherent ability to generate light, and to live in harmony. The Native American mystics who walk the Black Road speak of Wakan, an understanding of the true nature of magic, time, spirit and substance in their fire teachings. Aleister Crowley defined magic or Wakan as, "The science and art of causing change to occur in conformity with will." He goes on to elaborate on this, "Any required change may be effected by the application of the proper kind and degree of force in the proper manner, through the proper medium to the proper object." He goes on further to state: “Magic is the Science of understanding oneself and one's conditions. It is the art of applying that understanding in action.” “I believe I took my first steps along the Black Road, the road chosen for me on Sunday 25th January 1981, as yet, I do not have the exact time. On the rare occasions my journey along the Black Road is not “Obscured by Shadows“ and the sun is shining, I like to wear a pair of silly sunglasses and then even if only for a very brief moment I walk the Rainbow Road.” (Stewart Stonedancer) Aug 2013
“Shamanism is a path of knowledge, not of faith, and that knowledge cannot come from me or anyone else in this reality, to acquire that knowledge, including the knowledge of the reality of the spirits, it is necessary to step through the shaman's doorway and acquire empirical evidence.� (Michael Harner)