| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
 What
Is Shamanism?
History
Shamanism is the oldest and most widespread healing
method and spiritual practice that we know of today. It dates back at least
40.000 years and we find shamanic cultures in all five continents, which
includes the Pictish people of the Scottish Highlands.
Today shamanic knowledge survives primarily among
people who, until recently, had primitive cultures. This indigenous wisdom
was acquired over hundreds of generations. The ancestors of these people
painstakingly learned and used this knowledge in their efforts to maintain
health and strength, to cope with serious illness, and to deal with death. These custodians of the ancient methods are very
important to us, for almost none of their cultures have written records.
Thus it is only from their remaining representatives that we can learn the
shamanic principles.
Throughout thousands of years, the basic shamanic
knowledge worldwide did not seem to change significantly. Why was this? It
was obviously not due to lack of imagination on the part of tribal
communities, for there is great contrast and variation in their social
systems, art, economics, and many other aspects of their cultures. The
answer most probably is, simply, because it works. Over all those years,
through trial and error, people in diverse ecological and cultural
situations nonetheless came to the same conclusions as to the basic
principles and methods of shamanic power and healing.
The term ‘Shaman’ originates in Eastern Siberia amongst
the ‘Tungues tribe’ and literally translates into ‘the one who sees in the
dark’.
The revival of Shamanism in the Western world mainly
occurred in the 1960’s through two individuals: Michael Harner and Carlos
Castaneda. The time was right during the 60’s revolution where many people
in Western culture tried to find new ways of living. A calling for spiritual
democracy arose, people were seeking direct revelations and experiences with
the divine. Many were looking for an act of personal empowerment, rather
than the hierarchy of doctrinal religion. Shamanism provides it all and the
interest in these ancient ways continues to grow to the present day.
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
What Is Shamanism?
Unlike religion and science, Shamanism does not offer a
framework through which we must see the world. There are no gurus, spiritual
masters, or spiritual leaders. It rather demands that everyone learn to see
with his/her own eyes. It is a path of self-empowerment based on individual
experience and the interpretation of those experiences lies within the
individual and his immediate community.
Shamanism can be used simply as a spiritual practice.
It also is a philosophy, a way of life, and a method for healing.
Shamanism is dynamic and moves with time, it can be
adjusted to any life style and belief system. It can be used as a spiritual
practice or method of healing on its own, or merged with other existing
practices.
Three basic core-principals in Shamanism:
-
Shamanism is a spiritual practice that honours the earth as a living
conscious being and everything that exists upon it. This does not only
include our fellow human beings, animals, and the plant kingdom, but
everything that exists: the mountains and rivers, the oceans and the winds,
the stones and the clouds, the star nations. Everything is permeated by a
life force, the sacred energy of creation that gives consciousness to all
that exists. Therefore it is possible to communicate with everything and
shamanism provides methods that allow this communication to take place.
-
This physical reality that we are living in is often referred to as
the ‘ordinary reality’. Within and around this ordinary reality we find the
so-called ‘non-ordinary reality’, also referred to as the ‘parallel
universe’, which are the spiritual realms. This non-ordinary reality is
populated with beings and we are able to communicate with them through
shamanic methods.
-
The classic feature of the Shaman is the ‘shamanic journey’, a
cross-cultural core-shamanic method that identifies the Shaman, shamanic
cultures, and the shamanic practitioner.
|
|
|
| |
|
What Is The 'Shamanic Journey'?
The shamanic journey is a remarkable visionary
method employed by mankind to access other realms. Shamanic journeys are
used for healing purposes, problem solving and general well-being – either
for the self, another individual, the community, or the land and its
inhabitants.
The Shaman enters an
‘altered state of consciousness’ to contact ‘non-ordinary reality’, where
he/she has access to helping spirits that appear in different forms such as
animals or ancestral spirits. The role of the
spirits is to give the Shaman the necessary information to perform any kind
of healing work. It is important to note that the Shaman only acts as
an intermediary in the healing, as all instruction is given by spirit
helpers. The Shaman works outside the personal identity, effectively working
as a conduit to allow the healing process to manifest.
There are no limitations on
how we can use this method. For example many people are drawn to explore
shamanic journeying as a means to reconnect with nature. In our culture we
have largely removed ourselves from the natural world. In the journeys we
meet animals or perhaps the spirits of plants and trees, we are reminded of
our connection with the natural world and a sense of being part of the
whole.
The shamanic journey helps
us to realise that we can take back our own spiritual authority. It is an
opportunity for the individual to come forward with his/her own spiritual
wisdom and to remember our spiritual connections within the web of life.
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Looking at illness from a Shamanic
Point of
View
In shamanic cultures the cause for illness and
indeed for healing is fundamentally spiritual. The root of shamanic healing
is to ‘retrieve power’ in order to help restore balance and aid recovery.
Shamanic healing is not
restricted to individual human beings, but can be used for communities, for
animals, and for the land itself.
Amongst a wide variety of
shamanic healing methods, the most common ones are ‘Soul Retrieval’ and
‘Extraction Medicine’.
Soul Retrieval
Most people suffer from ‘soul loss’ through traumatic experiences at
some point in their lives. Through this loss we may feel incomplete,
fragmented, or disassociated from life and relationships with other people.
Many illnesses and self-destructive patterns can be caused by soul loss. In
order to help a person that has suffered soul loss, the Shaman undertakes a
shamanic journey in order to retrieve lost soul parts to the client and
allow healing to take place.
Extraction Medicine
This area of shamanic healing deals with the
removal of ‘localised spiritual illness’. Through the shamanic journey the
Shaman ‘sees’ any misplaced energy in a client’s body that does not belong
and, with the support of his/her helping spirits, extracts those
‘intrusions’ to restore balance and well-being in the client’s body and
energy field.
For any further information on Shamansim, please contact Twobirds.
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
