The Shaman’s Gate

Back Story

The journey of The Shaman's Gate began years ago, not as a novel, but as a screenplay with the logline: "To end the 2000 year war against Nature, a Shaman invokes the Second Coming—but not for mankind." Ironically, after pitching the script many times to producers at "pitchfests" in LA, several gave—hopefully—sage advice: "Hey, interesting story. Turn it into a novel and if it's successful, maybe we will make it into a movie."

So, a decade later, here we are. While the medium has changed, the core question driving the story has only become more urgent: How do we stand at the edge of a collapsing world without losing our humanity?

In these pages, the climate crisis is not just an ecological event, but a spiritual initiation—a Shaman’s Gate–a journey from life to death and back again to heal the world wound. It is my hope that as you follow these characters through trauma and hope towards rebirth, you find a reflection of a grounded courage within yourself. We are all shamans, if we dare.

This story is heavily indebted to the ideals and writings of many poets, philosophers, and eco-warrriors as listed in Inspirations. It also contains the essence of the concept of "Wise Hope," a term beautifully explored by Roshi Joan Halifax, who is also a teacher of shamantic history. Unlike ordinary optimism, which waits for a better future, Wise Hope is a "grit" that enables us to be fully present in the "fruitful darkness" of the unknown. Thank you Roshi.

Inspirations

“What is to be done with our species?
Because We know we’re going to die, to be submitted
To that tingling dance of atoms once again, It’s easy for us to feel that our lives are a dream…”
…Because the Earth needs a dream of restoration
She dances and the birds just keep arriving,
Thousands of them, immense Arctic flocks, her teeming life.” - Robert Hass

Man is the most insane species. He worships an invisible God  and slaughters a visible Nature...  without realizing that this Nature  he slaughters is this invisible God he worships. — Hubert Reeves

"The temple of the animals has fallen into disrepair, the pad of feet has faded." - Roshi Halifax

The pain of the work of wrecking the world — Gary Snyder

The heartbreaking beauty will remain, when there is no heart to break for it. - Robinson Jeffers

Although we have developed a moral teaching concerned with suicide, homicide, and genocide, we have developed no effective teachings concerned with biocide, the killing of life systems, or geocide, the killing of the Earth itself. - Thomas Berry

Domination, it turns out, has not given humans dominion. Immense power has not given humans control. - Dianne Dumanoski

Separating ourselves from that which appears outside us is like trying to separate color and light, waves and water, our breath and the atmosphere. - Roshi Halifax

Tens of thousands of years of history, yet alive, yet predictably to die — and this century is the threshold of its passing. And so we turned our heads to regard our living heritage, perhaps for the last time, to explore the life-ways transmitted to us from healer-priests of the Paleolithic, to know their traditions and to be introduced to the lineage of primordial visionaries that is perhaps coming to an end — or perhaps is to be renewed in a form not yet fully known. 
— Roshi Halifax

The Answer
Then what is the answer? - Not to be deluded by dreams. 
To know that great civilizations have broken down into violence,  and their tyrants come, many times before. 
When open violence appears, to avoid it with honor or choose  the least ugly faction; these evils are essential. 
To keep one's own integrity, be merciful and uncorrupted and not wish for evil; and not be duped 
By dreams of universal justice or happiness. These dreams will  not be fulfilled. 
To know this, and know that however ugly the parts appear the whole remains beautiful. A severed hand 
Is an ugly thing and man dissevered from the earth and stars  and his history... for contemplation or in fact... 
Often appears atrociously ugly. Integrity is wholeness,  the greatest beauty is 
Organic wholeness, the wholeness of life and things, the divine beauty  of the universe. Love that, not man 
Apart from that, or else you will share man's pitiful confusions, 
or drown in despair when his days darken.
— Robison Jeffers

Animals don’t Know. They Feel. It’s a different reality than what we perceive. — Shaman Gabriella