The initiatory experiences of shamans the world over are remarkably similar, which we can now account for in the universal nature of magic itself . The proto-shaman falls into a trance or profoundly deathlike state, often as a result of an illness . While in this state, the candidate’s spirit leaves the body behind and travels or is taken into the other world . In this spirit world, the candidate’s spirit-self encounters and speaks with the various spirits dwelling there, learning certain secret words, names, and songs . The candidate’s spirit form is then torn apart or devoured by the spirits, reduced to nothing more than a skeleton . The spirits introduce something new to the shaman’s skeletal form, something symbolic of the shaman’s awakened magical talent, like a magic stone or bone . The spirit-body is then reconstructed better than ever before . This death/rebirth experience awakens the shaman’s magical potential and the candidate returns to the physical world with an awareness of the spirits and the power of the spirit world . This traditional form of shamanic initiation continues even into our modern magical age .