Shamanism is a practice, not a religion. It is not a curse but a journey, it is the inner art of traveling to the invisible worlds of the living and the dead, beyond ordinary reality to access information for change in various aspects of your life ranging from; relationships, work, and health. Not unless you face your own shadows, you will always see them in others, because your reflection is a reflection of the world inside you. That is where Shamans come in; they help you face your own shadows.
Who are Shamans?
By now you are probably asking yourself who are Shamans? A little knowledge on who are Shamans will help understand the spiritual beings.
Shamans are spiritual individuals who have the power to enter into a trance at their will, walk between different worlds of the living and the dead, with a sole purpose of receiving guidance from the ancestors, retrieving medicinal solutions and getting wisdom from the spirits in the past that will benefit the current modern society.
Shamans are often quoted referring to the path known as the web of life which connects the living with the spirits. Their belief is; everything in the world of the living is connected with the spirit world and it is an illusion to think the earth, wind, and stars are separated from humans. Shamans maintain a perfect balance between the forces of nature and mankind.
They are chosen at birth but have to wait until they turn to 20s for striking down to occur. Striking down is a Shamanism concept of dismembering the chosen one and to bring them back in another spiritual form. Shamans are stuck down by two main ways; the first is lightning and the second sickness. This is a very traumatizing and near death scenario for the chosen ones who suffer both physically and mentally.
The spirits use this process to get the attention of the elder Shaman. As they get sick, they are taken to the elder Shaman for healing. He in the process identifies the sickness and the chosen Shaman who is consequently mentored to become a Shaman.
The Historical Existence of Shamans
It is important that we understand the historical existence of these Spiritual beings to better understand the concept of Shamanisms.
Ever since mankind existed, Shamans have always existed in various societal settings in different civilization and culture. Their role is to travel through the various worlds; of the living and the dead and offer solutions to existing challenges to the living. They have existed under several names like; the Delphic Oracles, Hebrew prophets, Nostradamus to the high priest of Isis. The Welsh perceive Shamans as the inspired ones also known as Awenydd while the Scots view them as vision seers also known as Tailbshear.
What is Shamanism?
So what actually is Shamanism? Shamanism is a religious practice but definitely, it is not a religion. Shamanism is an old practice of healing that dates back to 100,000 years according to anthropologists. It is a traditional spiritual practice that is known to have started in Mongolia and Siberia. It is an invisible path of exploring the world of the spirits to find solutions that affect the living. According to Shamanism disharmony, diseases and illness are both a loss of essence through emotional or physical trauma. Shamanism believes that everything has a spirit including buildings, places, nature, technology, and communities. According to Shamanism, if you would love to create a change in your outside world you have to first consult and explore your inner side.
From the facts above it is obvious that Shamans are important members of the society. It is important that you clearly understand what a Shaman does.
What do Shaman’s Do?
Shamans in different parts of the world use rattles and drums to connect with the spirits for healing. They must focus to detach themselves from ego and some of the skills they should always portray are; empathy and compassion. Some of the roles of Shamans include; Sacred pipe, stone healing, spirit channeling and soul retrieval.
• Stone Healing – In this type of technique, they use stones to act as a shield by creating power bands that protect the victims.
• Soul Retrieval – With soul retrieval, Shamans travel in a dream with the sole objective of obtaining backs some of the missing pieces of the victim or client’s soul.
• Spirit Channel – In this type of technique, Shamans, make a direct connection with the spirits in the spiritual world and the client or victim’s body. Through various songs of compassion, healing is sent by the spirits to the affected victims. It is a common technique among Shamans across the world.
• Sacred Pipe – Is a Shaman’s technique that is not common in other parts of the world but common in North America.
How to become a Shaman?
You are probably asking yourself how to become a Shaman? If you would love to become a Shaman, you should follow the following guide.
1. Find the right teacher
This is the most direct way of becoming a Shaman, though finding a teacher can prove to be a bit difficult because it is an ancient and spiritual journey. You will need to devote time and through apprentice learn everything from your teacher.
2. Ignite your memory
Spend time remembering than learning, you should connect with your inner spirit by igniting your memory. The Shamanic trance journey allows you to travel between worlds to retrieve knowledge. Through near death experiences or sickness, your Shaman elder will guide you and help you connect, inspire and share the various actions that will ignite your memory.
3. You should master the Shaman’s way
You should master all roles of a Shaman. Your heart should be clean and pure and you should love the earth and portray a lot of humility. You as a Shaman will receive spiritual gifts by the spirits which will be bestowed unto you. You should not have ill intent and avoid harmful behavior that may displease the spirits.
4. You should respect the earth
As a Shaman, respect the earth for any technique to be granted as there is an intimate space of connection and honor between the earth and the Shaman.
5. Learn to perform ceremonies and rites
Spirits are appeased through the actions of the ancestors, ceremonial dancing, spaces and actions and various honoring rites. From your teacher learn all the rites you should perform to appease the spirits at different scenarios.
6. Shamanic Trance Journey
All human beings travel while sleeping, but only Shamans have the capability of traveling in Trance into the world beyond while sleeping and awakening within the dream to retrieve and bring back solutions, wisdom, and knowledge to the world of the living.
7. Learn how to build relationships with the spirit allies
From your teacher, you should learn how to build relationships with spirit allies like feeding with plants, Goddess, and Gods, animals, and ancestors. Through building positive allies, you will receive blessings from the spirits to assist your clients and those in need.
From the facts above, it is obvious that Shamans help us face our shadows; they are important spiritual beings in a society who not only maintain a balance between the forces of nature and mankind but also offer practical solutions to the current problems of the society. They should be consulted in healing problems, societal conflicts, and even technological challenges.
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I disagree with following the Shamans way. Therefore, it feels not realistic to me. For example, you must be perfect and pure. Recently I’ve watched a video of an elderly man who had near-death experience, he’s an atheist. I was interested in the wisdom he gave m, it’s not fake, there’s no science involved, it’s from his personal experience, what he saw was no evil, and darkness in all spirits on earth. The reasons why humanity is doomed. Because we brought evil and negativity ourselves.
So the reason I am reading this blog, or article. Because I was interested in spirituality, healing, and shadow work. Although, I’m Catholic and I don’t practice it often I’ve learned god was always with me or inside all of us humans regardless if other people don’t believe in god, or do believe in god.
After reading about how Shamans practice shamanism. I was interested in embracing my light and darkness. Because I no longer want to repress my feelings, emotions, and anything makes me feel heavy.