Her voyage is not one of personal discovery, but serves an expressed need within the community. For the shaman, the community embraces the idea of the individual soul combining with a cyclical view of natural processes. The shaman unites areas such as religion, psychology, medicine and theology, which in Western life have become separate. Through her experience, she heals and maintains the community. Shamans are not limited by the ordinary reality constructs of time and space in their quest for ways to help and heal.
All matter has spirit.
Everything that exists has spirit or soul and can therefore be communicated with and influenced. The shaman functions as a mediator between the community and the inhabitants of the spirit world. By bridging the worlds for her people, a shaman negotiates to restore balance within the individual and the community. In order to successfully perform these tasks, shamans everywhere must acquire substantial spiritual power. Through discipline, diligence, hard work and sheer stubbornness, shamans develop relationships with spirit allies.