For some, the word shaman conjures up a vision of “witch doctors” performing bizarre rituals in the jungle with feathers and potions.
The reality is though that this ancient tradition goes back many thousands of years in various cultures around the world and has been revered as a way to not only come to terms with the intricate workings of nature but also the underlying metaphysical principles that give rise to our physical reality here on the Earth.
To explore this fascinating topic, we’ve done a bit of research and summarised it all here for you with this quick guide to shamanism…
What is Shamanism?
The word shaman has ancient origins, coming from the Tungus tribe of Siberia, according to this short article on the shamanism.com website. Anthropologists, who use it to describe the spiritual leaders of indigenous cultures throughout the world, coined the word shamanism. Nowadays, the word is often used to describe some of the religious beliefs and practices of those in the West called New Age. The article concludes by stating,” shamanism is the universal spiritual wisdom inherent to all indigenous tribes. As all ancient spiritual practices are rooted in nature, shamanism is the method by which we as human beings can strengthen that natural connection.”
The Origins Of Shamanism
This article is from the gaia.com website. It details the fascinating origin and history of shamanism. It points out that shamanism originated in Siberia and is the world’s oldest spiritual practice. It is founded on animism, the belief that there is life and spirit in everything. The article points out that shamanism has lasted over the millennia, despite efforts by religions and governments to eradicate it.
In their cultures, shamans are seen as the link between the plane we live on and the higher planes where spirits, including those of our ancestors, live. Using these links, shamans are able to heal and perform miracles.
The article describes the important role of hallucinogenic substances such as mushrooms, peyote and ayahuasca in shamanism. The article ends by describing the shamans from some different parts of the world. Those covered are in North America, South America and Siberia.
This article is by Hank Wesselman, a modern shaman and is from the Conscious Lifestyle magazine and its website. He starts his article by pointing out that not only indigenous people practice shamanism and have shamans. We are all originally indigenous and the shamanic way of life is our birthright.
He describes a true shaman by,
All true shamans are distinguished by their ability to achieve visionary states of consciousness in which they can redirect their focused awareness away from everyday physical reality and into the hidden, inner worlds, all while very much awake. This conscious shifting of awareness is called shamanic journey work in the Western world, and it’s an ancient form of meditation that improves with practice. It has been my experience that most of us in the West can do this to some extent, and some of us are real naturals at it.“
This means shamans are able to link with the spirit world and using these links, shamans are can:
- Empower people who have lost control of their lives.
- Practice divination, which basically means receiving information from the spirit world.
- Practice psycho pump. Unlike divination, which is quite well known and understood, psycho pump is the ability to guide the souls of the recently deceased.
- Affect the weather. Some powerful shamans actually have this ability.
- Practice hunting magic. As the name implies, this practice is directed at making hunting successful.
- Heal the sick.
- Alter states of consciousness.
Finally the role of shamanism in our modern life is discussed. All in all, this is a very important article, which should be reviewed by all who are interested in this topic.
Shamanic Healing: What is Shamanism & How Can It Heal You?
In this article Donna Eden explores key questions relating to the the topic of shamanic healing…
What is shamanism?
In addition to the previous definitions of shamanism, shamans, in their cultures, have great responsibility as leaders, teachers and mediums.
How does a person become a Shaman?
There are a number of ways by which this can be done. Some become shamans by birth, others by initiation and others come to this role as the result of some life changing events. It is not possible to become a shaman without some special abilities and the blog details these. Shamans are able to go on what are called shamanic journeys.
What is a shamanic journey?
This is expressed in different ways, according to culture. For instance, in Celtic traditions, these journeys travel to the Other World, while the aborigines of Australia refer to Dreamtime. Basically, shamanic journeys can be seen as visits to a parallel universe.
There are different ways of proceeding on a shamanic journey. Those mentioned are by trance or plant medicine. On shamanic journeys, there are helping spirits, which may appear as humanoids or what are called power animals. A shaman is able to communicate with spirit guides.
In a shamanic journey, the shaman travels between what are called lower, middle and upper worlds. The article describes these in very straightforward terms that any layperson can understand.
How do shamans perceive illness?
Shamans see the diseases, which affect us as the effects of something spiritual, which could be disharmony, power loss, fear or soul loss [worst of all].
What is shamanic healing?
Shamans see a spiritual origin for our earthly disease. Consequently, shamanic healing involves the triggering of self-healing. Two types of self-healing practices are described. These are shamanic healing sessions; these involve the shaman invoking helping spirits and this process is described in the article.
The other type of shamanic healing practice is a shamanic plant medicine ceremony. In such a ceremony, some special plants, such as ayahuasca, peyote and psychedelic mushrooms are used to help produce a shamanic journey.
Are Shamans The New Therapists?
In this post, Jennifer Keishin Armstrong, a distinguished freelance writer, relates her experience, with a pair of modern American shamans, John Leto and Eden Clark. In the article, she describes not only her experiences, but those of other people in America who are resolving personal problems with the help of modern shamans.
In the modern world, riven by hatred and politics, more and more people are finding their anxieties allayed and problems resolved by those who have embraced the ancient practices of shamanism. These modern shamans learn to work with souls in order to resolve the problems that others encounter.
In the past, society was far more village oriented than it is today and modern shamans have to recognize this, and in order to be fully effective embrace the social media tools of communication. The article describes this in the following way, ” That’s the challenge of modern shamanism: adapting ancient practices to an overstressed, technology-laden, cynicism-soaked world.“
For anyone curious about the place of the ancient practice of shamanism in our modern world, reading this full article is a must!
What is Shamanic Energy Medicine?
The author of this compelling blog on the fourwinds.com the website is Dr. Alberto Villoldo. He begins by stating that shamans devoted much effort to upgrading the LEF. This is the foundation of shamanic energy medicine.
“What is the LEF ?”, you may ask. The LEF is the light energy field or aura that surrounds all of us. This LEF is a blueprint for all that we have inherited from our ancestors. If the LEF is not upgraded then we are destined to repeat the same errors that our ancestors made and endure all the same hurts that they experienced. These are programmed into our genes.
By upgrading the LEF, we dispel illness. Science is now agreeing with this ancient wisdom. In many ways, we can positively affect our lives by what we eat, drink, do and dream. The article concludes with this inspiring sentence,
Through shamanic energy medicine we can create a new human that ages and dies and heals courageously and brilliantly.“
Trauma Healing with Shamanic Plant Medicines & BBTRS
The article begins by pointing out that there is a great deal of interest in and realization of the healing potential of altered consciousness. This interest is paralleled with official acceptance that psychedelic substances may be of great use in dealing with those suffering from trauma.
Shamans have been aware of the importance of altered consciousness for millennia. Long ago, they learned that the only way people can cope with extreme crises is for the soul to leave the body.
Kat Langer, the author, who has used various shamanic healing techniques, including plant medicine journeys reports that she has had success in treating her own trauma.
Shamanism & Dance Music Culture
This fascinating article from djbroadcast.net points out that shamans often use repetitive rhythmical beating to induce the trances, which they use in many important ways. The article says,
Shamanism has used sound as a tool for thousands of years in order to alter individual consciousness. It allows one to experience a different sort of reality to the normal operating state that categorizes our waking hours. Some call it a trance or dream state but in this regard, we will categorize it as being meditative. The shamans utilize this for various purposes, such as healing and problem solving within the community. Just like meditation it seems to have a grounding, peaceful and ecstatic effect upon those who step into its realm.”
Modern Science, with its analysis of brain waves, has shown that shamanic drumming moves the brain’s waves to theta waves, which normally occur only when someone is asleep.
In modern society, we find the widespread and popular beat music is comparable to shamanic drumming. A very compelling comparison is drawn in the article between the actions of shamans and modern DJs. Comparisons are also drawn between the effects of the plant medicines such as ayahuasca and peyote and the drugs favored by attendees at dance parties such as MDMA.