Shamanism: My lecture at Armstrong-Atlantic State University

[Guest]

The origin of the word ‘shaman’ comes from the language of the Tungus Region of Russia.
The author Leo Rutherford describes a five step process to becoming a shaman that in my opinion is universal:
1. “Erasing personal history”
2. “Facing your death and making death your ally”
3. “Stopping the world”
4. “Controlling the dream and finding new vision and purpose”
5. Being an “Impeccable warrior of the Spirit”

“A shaman, then, is someone who has fully walked this path of transformation and chosen to become a healer, helper, seer, prophet, in service to the people.”
Shamanism is a blanket term for all indigenous spirituality. “Western anthropologists… have applied the term shaman to indigenous healers, visionaries, seers, prophets and their ways. Hence, what we know today as shamanism. (Rutherford, p.2)”

Rutherford also describes shamanism as “…the oldest way in which humanity has sought connection with Creation. The origins of shamanism go back at least 40,000 – 50,000 years to Stone Age times. (p.1)”

With the roots of shamanism being buried so far in history, it is difficult to trace the roots of shamanic practice. My presentation does not paint a complete picture of shamanism’s effect on the world. I will, however, attempt to illustrate that shamanism is part of many continents in the world and that people practice the art in our modern culture. From cave paintings to mask making, shamanism has influenced world cultures more than most people realize.

Do we all need to feel complete?
The concept that humans are separate from God runs through myth and religion worldwide. It is a human condition to feel disconnected from the divine. This drives us to pursue a personal connection to the divine, or at least, we need to feel complete. People world wide are re-discovering Shamanism as an effective way to connect with the divine and receive that necessary sense of wholeness. The shaman serves the community through ceremonies, mentoring, forecasting and healing by connecting the common to the divine.

Where did Anthropologists first explore shamanism?
Arctic & Siberia
I believe one of the earliest written accounts of shamanism was documented by Knud Rasmussen, a Danish explorer and anthropologist. He journeyed the arctic with close contact with the shamanic people and recorded their spiritual lives. The shamans of the arctic and Siberia enter spiritual awareness through drumming, as do several Native American tribes.

Does anyone know about “ayahuasca” ?
Ayahuasceros of the Amazon Region“
Ayahuasca, meaning “Vine of the Soul” in it’s original tongue, is the jungle medicine of the upper Amazon. It is made from the ayahuasca vine (Banisteriopsis Caapi) and the leaf of the Chacruna plant (Psychotria Viridis). The two together make a potent visionary medicine. (Rutherford, p.132)”

“Most Amazonian shamanic traditions teach that the ayahuasca spirits will transmit their power and knowledge only to those willing to undergo a long and stringent initiation process involving a strict diet and sexual abstinence. (Rutherford, p. 134)”
Such practices of taking hallucinogens to enter an altered state of consciousness is shared by shamanic societies throughout the world, as far south as Argentina, across the ocean to the Australian Aborigines, to the monks of Japan and China until we return to the indigenous people of North and Central America. Although this practice is indicative of traditional shamanism, it is frowned upon in the practice of Western (American) modern shamanism.

Is shamanism is a holistic practice?
Today’s Shamanism targets personal growth, not just accessing other realms. Shamanism can empower people to grow into mature community-conscious adults. People want the power to change their lives. They are searching for the life changing events that sacred rituals and spiritual rites of passage provide. They are discovering that Shamanism provides the sacred space and personal divine connection necessary for completeness.

Are Shamans Public or private?
Shamanism has survived through time because it is very adaptable. It shapes itself around the culture and religion of the practitioner. In this way, it survives through public and private shamanic leaders. Most shamans contain their practice within their own communities. These “private shamans” are often solitary practitioners that have ordinary careers and practice their faith upon request during evenings and weekends. Private shamans tend to focus on healing, especially their communities. They avoid too much public exposure, volunteer for community service, they may advertise a little in the local media. Private shamans are available to most people in their community, and few outside of it.
Some shamans make their work very public. Public shamans focus on teaching. They are usually authors who offer workshops, apprenticeships, and worldwide programs. They are usually available to a few people in their community, yet influence a larger group throughout the world. For example, Don Miguel Ruiz is the author of The Four Agreements Series1, in which he invites the seeker into the world of the Toltec warrior. Shamanic warriors challenge perceptual reality and create new realities with thought, word and action. Mircea Eliade's Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy2 provides a foundation for shamanic study. Eliade’s in-depth research into the origins of Shamanism and shamanic cultures can validate personal shamanic experiences. The similarities between research and experiences can add value to journeys and a sense of pride to their lessons. Dr. Michael Harner’s Foundation for Shamanic Studies3 is taking measures to preserve tribal Shamanism while teaching non-cultural Shamanism in workshops worldwide. Through the research and educational programs of public shamans, and the personal healing attention of private shamans, we are learning to recreate our lives with paradigms that modern life does not provide.

What is the keynote of shamanism?
Balance: between the self and the world
To this end, a Shaman practices healing, divination or soul retrieval through focusing awareness. To achieve this awareness, he may use storytelling, drumming, meditation, masks, journeying and totems. The art of storytelling comes to us from prehistoric oral culture. Creation stories, fables & myths are some of our modern remnants of this culture. Storytelling can build cohesion, empathy and understanding in the community.
Drumming energizes the participants, providing a sense of renewal, enlightenment and healing. Drumming also helps the Shaman to enter a spiritual awareness, shaping the emotional and psychic landscape in which he works.
Shamanic meditation is a trance in which the practitioner is more aware of the spiritual world than the physical. Journeying in this mysterious landscape, the Shaman retrieves vital information he would not otherwise know. Arnold Mindell's The Shaman's Body4 reveals that meditations and inner journeys involve using the dream-body, which is an acute awareness of self, to enter a new reality; yet, a reality no less real than the one in which we consciously live.
Shamanic masks can be actual masks that the practitioner or patient wear, or they can be personalities or roles temporarily assumed for their work. Masks provide a sense of protection for both the shaman and the client, serve to focus spiritual energies and contribute to the myth or story of a particular initiation or ritual. They can represent the entire inner world or just one aspect of the shaman’s work.
Totems are spiritual guides and archetypes that provide protection, healing and information. They are an inner-world tool for shamanic work and shamans usually have several spirit guides and totems.

Is Shamanic path work difficult?
To walk the shamanic path, consulting a private shaman or guide is recommended, but isn’t absolutely necessary. As a path walker, you maintain a life of balance, walking between the physical and spiritual worlds. You gently, yet persistently, uncover what is within your soul. Walking the path means diligently hunting within and owning your self-discoveries, healing the self and learning to heal others. To walk a shamanic path is to discover the nature of the soul, live in balanced harmony, and to express your soul as a means of being one with the self and the universe.
There are several roles to learn on the shamanic path: the hunter, warrior, healer, seer and finally the shaman. As you master elements of each, you begin to understand the shaman’s role as the simultaneous awareness and effective management of all other roles. The hunter engages in self-awareness to seek inner balance. The warrior fights to overcome challenges in the physical world by creating balance between his self and spirit. The healer begins to lead others into balance along the hunter and warrior paths, which lead to healing. The seer perceives the balance between actions and consequences. The Shaman balances all the other roles throughout her daily activities to benefit her community, though most of her work is silent and goes unseen and even unrecognizable as out of the ordinary.
To practice Shamanism is to commit to a way of life. It takes desire and determination. Initially, the path walker is unsure of her purpose and is like an explorer. Eventually he discovers her inner shaman and releases to the world the product of her soul. The shaman, being one with the universe, knows that all her actions benefit the world in some way. He is a willing channel for the universe to benefit the world. He honors her being and perceptions, giving them to the world to benefit those who find benefit from them. He may give her gifts to the world through spiritual service, crafts, music and art. The shaman’s message can be as vast as the imagination.
The path work begins with some kind of initiation. It is simply a method of consciously dedicating oneself to the work of seeking balance with all. It can be as simple as sitting under a tree to connect with the universe, or as complex as a three-day ritual. Simply investigating Shamanism can be a self-initiatory process. Record your thoughts, questions and experiences in a journal. You may find balance and insights after reviewing and comparing your notes to modern shamanic research.
There are so many different ways to explore Shamanism, because it is all about you and your relationship with yourself, the world and spirit. The best teacher is within you, but I recommend consulting a Shaman to help you discover that inner guide. From there, your guide will show you the lessons to learn and a consulting Shaman can help clarify their meanings. It takes time to learn to meditate, journey, focus awareness, and manifest that awareness. There is no holy book or manual for Shamanic practice, because it is an experiential path. It’s about your personal connection and balance with the universe.

How many resources are available?
The internet has many sites from individual practitioners, shamanic foundations and web groups. A general search engine will provide several leads. Your local library will have more titles that you can read in a short time. Beginning with just a few sources, you can gain a broad and diverse picture of the shaman's world. Shamanism is mysterious and practical, ingenious and simple, elegant and chaotic. Full of extreme and paradox, you can comprehend the shaman's world through reading and study, but ultimately, Shamanism is an experiential path to self-awareness.

List of Sources
1. The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom, don Miguel Ruiz. Amber-Allen Publishing. November 1997.
2. Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy, Mircea Eliade. Translated by Willard Trask. Princeton University Press. 1972.
3. The Way of the Shaman, Michael Harner, PhD. Foundation for Shamanic Studies. Harper SanFrancisco. October 1990.
4. The Shaman's Body : A New Shamanism for Transforming Health, Relationships, and Community, Arnold Mindell. Harper San Francisco. November 1, 1993.
5. Thorson’s Principles of Shamanism, Leo Rutherford. Thorsons. 1996

Copyright 2004 by Shaman Perry
http://shamanperry.home.comcast.net

[cryptic dragon tamer]

[Jezabel]

[Guest]

[Jezabel]

[quote="Shaman Perry"]Wolf Moondance? Can't say I have. Please share with us some of her titles and, especially, what you've gained from reading her work.

It's always great to talk to someone who practices by way of a family heritage. This, too, would be a wonderful topic of discussion if you can share some childhood memories with us.


Wolf Moondance has a wonderfl book series. I own her Bone Medicine book, and I am still on the look out for the others. http://www.wolfmoondance.com/
For me it was kind of odd, from what I was told my great grandmother ranted and raved since literally the day of my birth that I was two spirited and had the calling. It is hard retianing what she taught me because I was only 6 at her passing, but I have found a few mentors along the way who have helped. However, I do recall some of my great grandmother's teachings. She was a descendant of Sitting Bull and very upset that no one else in the family was interested in the "old ways." My mother was actually against her teaching me, she didn't want her filling my head up with "crazy things, so naturally, like any other stubborn old woman, she didn't listen and taught me anyway.
One of her first lessons and probably one of the ones I value most is about life's medicine wheel. She also taught me about the totems aka guardian spirits. And, that while some choose the path, there are some who are chosen. Of course when I was little I really didn't understand what all she meant, but as I grew and matured, I did. Shamanism first I thought was just a duty I had to do when I was little, but as I got older I knew it was truely my great grandmother's best gift. Some of my best friends and teachers have been my totems.
If you have any specific questions, I will try my best to answer them for you.