– S H A M A N I S M –
(Shaman is a Siberian word.)
– A shaman will work with all things of nature. They will see life as a ceremony, something sacred and to be honored. The call of the shaman is one which cannot be taken lightly, for the well-being of all community is their path.
- Shamanism is the dedication of either a man or a woman whose life path is to assist others in achieving a better quality of life. A shaman will often be seen in a community functioning as the witch doctor, medicine person, doctor, priest, social worker, healer and/or mystic. Shamans use both mental and emotional adventures with a client. The intent of these adventures is to aid the client in being able to overcome physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual limitations. A shaman’s life is dedicated to assisting others, in their community. In performing the duties of a shaman, the shaman will move between the physical and ether worlds. The shaman is able to move between worlds with ease and often this is accomplished when the shaman enters an altered state of consciousnesses. The purpose for doing this is to improve the quality of life for the client, using and doing what is needed to make this happen.
- A client, or sitter, is defined as one who has come to the shaman for healing, guidance and with life questions. The client may need healing physically, emotionally, mentally and or spiritually. The shaman works with the client to heal all areas of their life and the shaman is open to aid and assist how they are lead while in the trance or altered state of awareness. In the practice of shamanism, the shaman will use a variety of natural tools such as drums, herbs, plants, meditation, rattles, and sweat lodges to assist them as they shift their level of awareness. These tools assist the shaman and open the way for the shaman to leave their physical body freely. Leaving their physical body is done when the shaman is on a soul flight, or on a soul journey. While on these journeys, or times away from their physical body, the shaman’s distinct purpose is to connect with universal energies in order to receive information and answers to assist in healing and growth. Shamans are natural healers. They just know what needs to be done.
- A shaman will see illness as the loss of one’s personal power. The shaman will, through the soul journey, aid their client in returning this personal power in order to recover. The shaman sees the loss of personal power as a loss of a part of the client. This is recognized as a part of the person being lost, almost as if the person has a splinter of themselves gone. It is then, through a shamanic journey, where the shaman leaves their body. The shaman goes to retrieve this lost part of the person or to retrieve the lost soul of their client. An example of this would be a person losing their power when they have suffered a trauma; this trauma may have taken place in the form of an accident, or event which caused a part of their soul to depart from the body. This departing happens when the soul and body have experienced an event so severe that had the soul remained, the physical body would have died; something causing the heart to jump, an extreme shock. The retrieval process can be a tedious adventure as the shaman must locate the lost or severed part of their client and they must then confirm for the lost part that it is safe to return. The retrieval process is then done through a ritual re-uniting where the shaman serves as the middle person assisting the soul and the client in a re-uniting ceremony.
- In shamanism, the shaman also works with the land, healing the land, bringing harmony and balance to the land. It is through the wisdom of the ages that a shaman is able to do this type of healing work, working with nature and the spirit of the animals: (four-legged, creepy crawlies, the winged ones, the swimming ones), elements: (earth, air, water, and fire), polar directions: (east, south, west, and north / above, below and within), plants, stones, sky, trees, vegetation, and the universe around them. It is with this assistance that they are able to tap into the healing energies of ancient wisdom. The essence of all that they work with is seen as alive and as a divine source connected to the higher source as the provider of life. A shaman will often refer to the ancestors as natural elements of nature, for example: stone people, the standing ones (trees). Through connecting with the energy and ancient wisdom and through drawing in help from natural energy, the shaman is then able to collect the power that is needed for them to perform for their client, for the land, community, bringing the healings and blessings that are sought out and needed.
- Dream time is another source of travel for a shaman. It is while in dream time that the shaman is then able to travel and to seek the answers needed. They then bring the answers back with them when they awaken. This is done through programming the conscious mind to remember and receive the information that the subconscious mind retrieves while asleep and while the shaman is in the dream state.
- The power of the shaman is recognized by the level of results they achieve from the work they perform. This can be recognized as work done for the individual, for the village, for the community, the environment and the good of the whole. The results depend on the shaman’s ability to travel and bring back to the land or the client that which it is they are seeking. A shaman who is unable to bring back from their travels the medicine needed, or the soul parts sought after, will bring shame to themselves and the client, community, and land.
- It is also believed that the shaman can control the weather. They travel between the worlds and bring to the community, for good or bad, what is needed for the community. Today, the modern shaman will bring personal power, spiritual enlightenment, and harmony with nature, psychological understanding and healing on all levels: physical, emotional, and spiritual.
- Shamans are also able to communicate with the animal kingdom, dead or alive. In this communication, they are able to know when an animal is trying to tell their owner something; or if an animal is not acting normal, the shaman is able to communicate to the owner what is wrong. They are then able to offer healing remedies for the animal.
Occult Aspects 