A Shaman is a man or woman who enters an altered state of consciousness at will to contact and utilize an ordinarily hidden reality in order to acquire knowledge and power with which to help others. Shamans are a type of medicine man or woman especially distinguished by the use of journeys to hidden worlds otherwise mainly known through myth, dream, and near-death experiences. Most commonly they do this by entering an altered state of consciousness using monotonous percussion sound. Shamanism has been practiced on every inhabited continent in the world since Paleolithic times. Shamanic techniques are practiced around the globe in very diverse cultures that have no physical contact, despite widely varied languages and lifestyles.
Shamanism is one of the most ancient and unifying practices within our human heritage.
All this has been a brief over-simplification meant as an introduction to the subject at hand, and should be taken as such. For further information on the intricate and complex world of the Shaman, please refer to the bibliography at the end of this article. The Tarot decks I use the most, with one exception, are not ones confined to any particular culture or people, but are rather those that supersede cultural divisions in pursuit of universal shamanic concepts and practices. They are just decks that work well for the modern Shaman, who likewise, extends beyond cultural labels and divisions. I have characterized each of my favorite decks with a key phrase which describes the specific shamanic concept that particular deck reinforces.