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Why Study Shamanism?
What Can Shamanism Do For Me?
This is probably the most common question I hear today. And
you know why so many people ask it? Because we are brought up
in a society that does not have Shamanism. Worse than that we
are brought up without community.
In the old days you were raised with a strong community around
you. We lived together, played together, grew up together and
sometimes even died together. We had elders and doctors and teachers
and medical advisors right within this strong close knit community.
Think of the klingit tribes of Indians who live in Alaska. Although
they may seem isolated from the outside, they are completely
self contained with a very strong sense of communal identity.
But today, we are lucky to have a strong family or church community
and in many ways we are less fortunate than long ago.
In the old days, the elders would watch the children and find
what each child was strong in and had a knack for. Then that
gift or gifts were encouraged and the child grew into whatever
came naturally to him or her. If a child seemed good with numbers,
that talent was grown and the child might become the treasurer
for the community. If the child was given to visions he or she
may be groomed to be the community’s visionary. If the
child could speak to the animals, perhaps the child would become
the communicator to the spirit world. Each child would have one
or more gifts he or she was born with. It was the community,
the elders, the teachers, and the parents who realized the blessings
and were happy to help the child be what he or she was meant
to be in life.
Today we have no such possibility for ourselves or for our children.
For the most part, we are raised to fit into a box; to learn
what everyone else learns and to ignore or abandon anything that
does not fit into society’s box. If our parents see us
talking to the birds we are taken to a psychologist and told
not to do that. In fact there is very little encouragement to
develop the gifts and talents that we were born into. And so
our society is losing out on the largest talent bank ever assembled
on this planet today.
I see the problem. I see that Shamanism could disappear from
the face of the earth because children of today are not allowed
to study it and to grow their own special gifts of healing for
themselves and for society. It doesn't’t have to be this
way. So I offer you the choice. It is not too late to look inside
and find those special gifts you were born with. You may have
pushed them down and buried them deep inside because your parents,
your family, your society said they were wrong or worthless or
should not be used. But they are still within you.
What are these gifts?
Healing the spirit is the primary function of a Shaman.
This includes
Soul-extraction,
Soul-retrieval,
Soul-restoration
Herbal healing
Hands on healing
Divination
Dream Work
Soul Leading
Soul extraction involves the Shaman extracting psychic darts
or chords that have intruded upon the soul or etheric body of
the patient. This is sometimes an attack from someone who has
attempted to harm, maim, or kill the patient. The classic dart
attack will often manifest as pains where no wounds exist. This
involves, according to Michael Harner, author of The Way of the
Shaman, a literal "sucking out" of the intrusion. This
sucking out of the intrusions is done both psychically and mentally.
There are other methods of soul extraction as well.
Soul-retrieval is the process by which the Shaman retrieves
pieces of the person lost soul. This is often accomplished by
journeying to the spirit world and requesting assistance from
the spirits, ancestors, and guides that dwell in Other Realities
or Worlds. These beings assist the Shaman in discovering what
is wrong with the person and often help the Shaman fight a battle
with the being now possessing those parts to win them back and
bring them to the patient. Some of the classic symptoms of a
person in need of soul retrieval would perhaps include those
suffering from a mental illness; those abused as children, or
those who sense that something is missing in their lives.
This is a dangerous act and often the Shaman if he or she is
not trained well enough can fall into physical or mental traps
laid by the possessing entities that may cause illness or psychosis
for the Shaman.
Soul restoration is the literally restoring of one’s soul.
This occurs when a person is near death and his/her soul seeks
to move on. This "death" could be the result of a psychic
attack or an accident from which the body has recovered physically,
but not spiritually. Again the Shaman will journey to the place
where the patient has lost his or her soul and barter for that
soul to bring it back and restore it to the patient. It takes
much strength and power by the Shaman to deal with these other
world entities and the Shaman must know how and where to wield
that power for the good of all. Shamans are not in the business
of destruction but rather healing. I cannot emphasize the role
of personal power and education for the Shaman enough.
Hands- on healing or bodywork is most certainly a part of what
a Shaman does. This technique is still widely used today by Reiki
masters, massage therapists, chiropractors and Shamans. Shamanistic
hands-on healing involves the energy or spirit of the Shaman
working with the energy or spirit of the patient.
Divination is the means by which a Shaman can foretell the future,
describe the illnesses of people and find their cure. Divination
shows the path to the Shaman; which direction the patient should
walk to receive healing. This is accomplished in varying ways
and the method used often depends on the teaching the Shaman
received from his particular tribe or elder. The most common
shamanic method is journeying to the Other world and requesting
information from elders, guides and spirits who live there. It
is been said that Genghis Khan used his shamans that way. There
are many other beings who are greatly involved in your life and
wish to see you whole and happy. A Shaman has intimate relationship
with these wise ones and uses this gift on the patient’s
behalf.
Herbal healing gives credence to the true belief that the Shaman
is a medicine man or witch doctor. Herbal healing began with
the beginning of the earth. Many of the hunting and gathering
tribes had the ability to heal with plants indigenous to their
area. Today this knowledge is fast disappearing and Shamans everywhere
try to support the preservation of indigenous plant life and
the lore surrounding them. Many Shamans spend their entire careers
discovering and recording these plants for the future of us all.
Herbalism is used in conjunction with spirit healing to facilitate
recovery. All Shamans are herbalists.
Dreamwork or dream interpretation is another Shamanic tool to
assist with healing. Shamans will listen to the dreamer's dream,
sometimes for several days, until they fully connect with it.
Then they will dream the dream themselves and resolve the conflict
to the highest good of the dreamer. This again is a difficult
task and requires rigorous training by the Shaman in his or her
apprenticeship to accomplish.
Soul leading is another important function of a Shaman. This
is the process in which the Shaman will escort the newly dead
to their place in the Other world. This is done because the Shaman
who is familiar and a frequent visitor to the Other world will
be able to find the "soul" its proper place.
Not all Shamans are all of the above but a good Shaman is all
this and more. What a Shaman is according to Eliade is a "Master
of the Ecstatic." This is true for it is in the mastery
of the ecstatic that the Shaman garners his or her power.
Each of us has one or more of these gifts buried somewhere inside
our spirits. It is your gift, your right, actually your calling
to find the gift, study the gift, gain power over the gift or
gifts and use the gift to heal yourself and others. Can you imagine
how beautiful this world would be if each of us took responsibility
for the gifts we were given? Who would be left sick? Or poor?
Aho!
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