Day ClassCurrent moon phase Friday, 30-Jul-2010 13:27:43 CDT
Shamanism
To the uninitiated and inexperienced the wind is the wind, a rock a rock, and tree is just a source of lumber or shade; water is for drinking and washing, animals are fleshed-covered bones, and humans are flesh, blood, thoughts and feelings. Take them apart and all you find is smaller pieces of them. Take them down to the atomic level and, voila, they are mostly space (or spirit). They are particles that are really waves or vise versa. At this level, chaos begins to reign for the physicist, but not for the Shaman. From the Shamanic point of view, there is spirit within all wind, within all rocks and earth, within all plants and trees, water, animals, humans, and every other form of life both animate and inanimate.
Shamanism is one of the oldest forms of mans desire to relate to his environment. Shamanism is the ability to communicate with nature and the spirit world. It is the foundation of all religions. But Shamanism is not a religion, rather a spiritual journey.
The Shaman is medicine-person, priest, and spiritual guide: that is to say (s)he cures sickness, directs ceremonies, and communicates with nature and spirits for the betterment of the community.
There are three ways of becoming a Shaman: first by "receiving the call"; second, being hand picked by the current Shaman, or hereditary; third, by "personal quest." All of the above entail a long arduous apprenticeship of training, testing and personal growth, followed by a rite of passage. This rite involves a a vision quest.
Becoming a Shaman is difficult and demanding. There is little glory and fun and a great deal of personal danger to both body and spirit. The unskilled or careless can do great harm to themselves or to the balance between the worlds. Shamans deal with power and power/magic acts swiftly and without mercy to those who misuse or abuse it.
Shamanism is a two-fold practice: first is ecstatic; dreams, visions, trances and astral projection. The Second is traditional, animistic and polytheistic, and the use of nature and spirits for the betterment of the community. This two-fold approach allows the Shaman to understand that there is no division between nature, spirits and the world that we inhabit.
The Shamans spiritual attitudes are animistic and polytheistic. Everything that is natural is considered to have a spirit: rocks, gems, trees, tools, plants, animals, and so on. In most Shamanic cultures, however, the main deity is the Great Spirit, which is neither man nor animal, male or female, but all things.
Shamans use herbs in healing the sick and wounded. They also perform rituals to extract the illness from the person; such as praying, chanting, and using healing spells. Nature is also very important to the Shaman. Shamans believe that their spirit or animal guide (Totems), along with their third eye aid them in life, vision quests, and in healing. Herbs are very important to the healing process as trees are to gaining wisdom and knowledge. Gems, stones, or even normal rocks, are credited with power also.
The use of the Scared Circle is important to the Celtic Shaman as well to all Shamans. The circle is used for protection, healing and praying. It represents life and death, the cycle that never ends.
Shamans are protectors, healers, teachers, and spirit guides. They communicate with the Gods and Goddesses for the betterment of the clan, community, and the world. The Shaman dedicates his/her life to seeking knowledge and wisdom, walking the paths between worlds. The Shaman works towards maintaining harmony between man and nature; man and the spirit world. Shamans strive for balance: spiritual and mental, physical and emotional. By achieving this balance the Shaman will be able to perform his/her duties to the community.
Online Shamanic Resources
Essays and Articles
- What is Shamanism?, excerpted from North Star Road by Kenneth Johnson
- Manitou Bluffs, reprinted from Missouri Folklore Society Journal, Volumes 18-19 (1996-1997) 1-2, pages 1-12.
- Shamanism in 25 Easy Steps, excerpted from By Oak, Ash and Thorn: Modern Celtic Shamanism by D. J. Conway
Web Sites
- Church of Earth Healing, [http://www.frognet.net/~healing/]
- Core Shamanism, [http://www.snail.dircon.co.uk/]
- Dance of the Deer Foundation, [http://www.shamanism.com/index.html]
- Eagle's Wing, [http://www.shamanism.co.uk/]
- Herbal Shaman, [http://www.herbal-shaman.com/]
- The Buryat Home Page, [http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Oracle/8226/]
- The Foundation for Shamanic Studies, [http://www.shamanism.org/]
- Three Worlds, [http://indigo.ie/~imago/3worlds/shaman1.html]
Email Lists
- SHAMAN-L, [http://groups.yahoo.com/group/shaman-l], exists as a free-form conference for discussion, debate and discourse on Shamanism and shamanic practices. It is not intended to be a forum for the proselytization of a particular religion and/or its dogma.
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