Shamanism

The roots of shamanism are lost in antiquity. However, we do know, that given the similarities between shamanistic practices in the new world and Europe, that the fundamental elements of shamanism had been established as the first Paleo-Americans began to move across the Bering land bridge which connected Siberia to Alaska. This bridge disappeared about 12,000 years ago, as the Arctic glaciers melted.

Another source of the origins of shamanic practice lies in the study of psychotropic plants. The ethnobiologist R.G. Wasson proposed that all major world religions grew from psychotropic experiences, and most shamanic cultures have some form of psychotropic plant associated with them. Siberian shamans make use of Amanita Muscaria, which has been tentatively identified as the divine Soma of the Rig-Vedas. There are at least 80 different types of psychotropic plants the were, and continue to be used in North and South America, and American Indian shamans have made extensive use of both the red Mescal bean and peyote. An American researcher, R.K. Seigal, has also demonstrated a link between the psychotropic-induced visions of shamans and tribal pottery and weaving designs.

Of course drugs are not the only means of inducing ecstasy, and many shamanic techniques revolve around drumming, dancing, singing, fasting, sleeplessness, and physical feats of endurance.

## World-View

The term “shaman” is derived from the Siberian Tungusic root “saman”. The word Shaman usually refers to a male practitioner, whilst the word shamanka refers to a female. As a loose generalisation, it is possible to draw a composite picture of the worldview of the shaman. The universe is multi-layered, with both a celestial overworld and a chthonic underworld, with appropriate spirit rulers and other denizens. there are also rulers of the principal directions or quarters. The levels of the universe are connected by a central axis, the axis mundi which appears as a sky ladder or world tree. It is via this central axis that the shaman gains entry to all the levels of the universe.

Another central feature of the shaman’s world is that humanity, animals, and all other life is equal – the shaman is at one with nature. Such equality may be expressed for example, in terms of rituals to appease the souls of dead animals. The precise arrangement of the skulls of animals so that they face east (the place of rebirth) is found in many cultures. Both Finnish and American Plains Indians for example, perform such rites. A related concept is that of metamorphosis, being the belief that humans and animals are capable of assuming each others shape. In many genesis-stories, this ability was heldd by all, but it was lost, usually through taboo violation, and became the sole province of the shamanka. In South America, the most common doppelganger to the shaman is the Jaguar, so much so that the words for Jaguar and shaman are interchangeable.
The idea of a gateway between the worlds is also central to the shamanic vision. This is the entrance to other worlds, where dwell ancestral spirits and demons. The gateway is often represented as clashing rocks, the jaws of a monster, or icebergs.

## Traditions

The shaman, as the sole mediator between humanity and the universe of spirits and omens, originated in the very early stages of human cultural development. The hunter-gatherer stage of society endured for hundreds of thousands of years. As societies began to move towards settled agriculture (this being only about 10,000 years ago) then the shamans began to differentiate into a developing priesthood. The hunter-gatherer society is a closely-knit culture, geared towards the least possible change both within and across generations.

This is a stark contrast to modern society, where the pace of social change is seemingly outstripping our capacity to assimilate it. As Alvin Toffler put it, many of us are suffering from future shock. This naturally poses a problem for anyone seeking to emulate the shaman in our society. All lines of tradition have been broken, and in the West, we now have the ability to enter any world-view at will and imprint its symbolism on our minds. If you work at it long enough, then the deeper regions of the mind will ‘speak’ to you in terms of a particular set of symbols. There is a wide range of belief systems which we can adopt with varying degrees of success, and the criteria seems to be that you adopt something that fires your imagination to greater heights. Our idea of spiritual progress has become synonymous with the idea that as we change ourselves, we change our society as a whole. This idea is a direct antithesis to that of the hunter-gatherer, where any changes which threaten the continuity of tradition are viewed with great suspicion.

## The Shamanic Survival

The Shaman is one of the most ancient and one of the most enduring figures in human evolution. Shamanism is the source of both Magic and Religion, and as Mircea Eliade put it, is “an archaic technique of ecstasy”. Its structural elements can be traced well back into the Upper Palaeolithic era, and these elements are essentially similar throughout many different cultures, in different frames of time. Even though the surface details of the shamanic world-view tend to differ even within particular cultures, the underlying principles remain similar, supplying some elemental requirement of the human psyche which has remained constant over a period of hundreds of thousands of years

Shamanism shows a remarkable survival, and there are many examples of shamans co-existing with other religious or magical systems in a given culture. Most of the world’s healers are shamans, for example. As societies evolve into more complex forms than that of the hunter-gatherer, the roles that the shaman fulfils is taken up by others. From shamanism arises theatre, religion, magic, art, dance, music and perhaps even writing and language. traces of shamanism remain, in folklore, customs and myth – deference to those who can manipulate the hidden forces of the world as tricksters and healers. Westerners are increasingly turning to shamanism in a search to revitalise and reintegrate themselves into a world-view which is beyond that offered by our culture

## Are you Shamanic

Do you sense that you’re meant to participate in the global shift in consciousness that is currently underway.

We can all feel it, this impending shift that New Agers have talked about for decades. But those with the shamanic archetype don’t just feel it, they feel it pulling them, like a magnet, towards leadership positions that help facilitate this transformation of human consciousness and evolution of the species.

You’ve been through a difficult initiation, which has prepared you for this leadership role.

In indigenous cultures, the village knew who the shaman was because he or she was struck by lightning and survived. In modern culture, you may not literally be struck by lightning, but you may have survived some other life or heart-threatening ordeal. You may have experienced childhood abuse, sexual violence, a near-death experience, or some other trauma that put you through the crucible and forged you into the healing earth shaman you are becoming.

You are an introvert.

Shamans are multi-dimensional beings who dance between the realms of the seen and unseen worlds, so if you’re of the shamanic archetype, you may have a hard time navigating the 3D realms of this dimension, which may cause you to withdraw into yourself so you can visit the realms of consciousness where you feel most at home.

You feel most at home in nature.

The shamans of a culture are the bridges between nature and humans, serving as translators between the mountains, oceans, rivers, animals, and people. You may sense that nature is talking to you or that you get your most tuned in downloads when you are surrounded by the natural world.

You’re very sensitive.

You may feels things others don’t feel, see things others don’t see, hear things others don’t hear, smell things others don’t smell, and sense things others don’t sense. This may make it hard for you to be out in public, where you may feel accosted by over-stimulation of your senses. If you embody the shamanic archetype, it’s likely that you’re the kind of person others may feel is “too sensitive.” But this sensitivity is a blessing. It’s part of your gift.

You feel a sort of spiritual calling to ease the suffering of people, animals, and nature.

Many health care providers are called to medicine the way priests are called to the priesthood. But you don’t have to be a health care provider to have the shamanic archetype. It may transmute itself into healing service to animals, sacred activist causes, or conservation of Mother Earth.

Physical ailments that fall under the category of “shaman sickness.”

In the indigenous cultures, shamans who have been called to service but haven’t yet said “yes” to the call often wind up struck with physical ailments. In modern culture, these shamanic sicknesses may fall into difficult to treat categories like chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, chronic Lyme disease, chronic pain disorders, and autoimmune disorders. Acceptance of the call to shamanic service often resolves the symptoms of shaman sickness. If you’re suffering from one of these illnesses, ask yourself, “Am I a shaman who hasn’t said yes to my calling yet?”

You tend to have vivid dreams.

The unseen realm may be communicating with you through your dreams, so try analyzing your dreams. Pay particular attention to any animal totems that may appear in your dreams. Google search the animal and “spirit totem” and see if you can find any messages from the animals in your dreams. Or try a Jungian analysis, like the one described here.

You may discover unusual spiritual superpowers, or what the yogis call “siddhis.”

You might be psychic. You might realize that you can heal people with your hands or that you can telepathically communicate with animals, people, or even inanimate objects.

You’ve always felt like you don’t quite belong anywhere, because you are a bridge.

Shamans tend to live on the outskirts of the village for a reason. They are not like the others – and this is a blessing! In village life, this is understood and recognized. But in the modern world, it may leave those with the shamanic archetype feeling like they don’t ever fit in. But don’t despair. You DO fit in. Your role is essential. You may find that you fit in best with others who share this shamanic archetype. Among your fellow shamans, you will feel like you are with family.