Fake Shaman - Nabeel Asfar @ House of Intuition in Los Angeles, CA

[onlytruthremains]

Here is another popular faux-shaman in my area, Nabeel Asfar.

He appears to be of East Asian descent and teaches 6 week "Shamanic Initiation" classes for a mere $320 to anyone willing to pay:

http://www.meetup.com/templeofintuition/events/228178726/

Like many Hollywood Shamans, Nabeel also does private sessions, can read your Tarot cards, and plays in an indie rock band on the side.

He practices out of a very well known and popular metaphysical store in Los Angeles called House of Intuition.

His bio states:

As a healer and shaman, Nabeel practices shamanic energy healing in the Incan medicine tradition to treat a variety of physical and psychological conditions. In addition to being initiated in the Incan medicine tradition, Nabeel has also been initiated into the Buddhist tradition of Vipassana (insight meditation). Nabeel combines shamanism, divination and Eastern Mysticism to help people heal, re­connect with Nature, and grow closer to the Great Spirit.

Who initiated him and exactly how he came to be initiated is never stated. But then, most never think to ask. In LA, all anyone has to do is call themselves a "shaman" and they will more than likely have people lining up around the block for their services.

[onlytruthremains]

http://www.houseofintuitionla.com/#!nabeel/cwx8

[onlytruthremains]

Again, what is disconcerting is that more and more you see people who are not just Anglo, but of other cultures and ancestry, claiming knowledge of a heritage and tradition, which is not theirs to claim. Somehow NOT being white seems to lend them an extra facade of credibility to the average gullible new ager.

[Ingeborg]

This is his intro at the site linked above:

http://www.houseofintuitionla.com/#!nabeel/cwx8

A natural­born intuitive & empath and a trained shaman, Nabeel is a skilled Tarot reader, energy healer and spiritual teacher. Using the Tarot to hone his intuitive gift, Nabeel offers in­-depth readings geared toward offering practical advice. His main focus is to empower clients to understand how they can make positive changes in their lives. As a healer and shaman, Nabeel practices shamanic energy healing in the Incan medicine tradition to treat a variety of physical and psychological conditions. In addition to being initiated in the Incan medicine tradition, Nabeel has also been initiated into the Buddhist tradition of Vipassana (insight meditation). Nabeel combines shamanism, divination and Eastern Mysticism to help people heal, re­connect with Nature, and grow closer to the Great Spirit.

I agree to your assumption, OTR, that Asfar most probably is of East Asian descent.

Both his first and family name is of Arab origin, so this means he will also have a Muslim background, and very probably is a Muslim himself. Islam does not favour its believers to engage in fortune telling (Tarot) and divination, and certainly does not welcome Muslims to take up practices used by other religions (Incan medicine tradition, Buddhist tradition). So Asfar is selling stuff he either grew up seeing as not in accordance with his own religion, or if he still is a Muslim himself (quite probable, since apostasy is not viewed lightly by Islam), still views these practices as sinful and inferior. So it seems we can add 'hypocrite' to his description, too.