Shamanism
Art of Ecstasy
Shamanism
• Shamanism is a range of traditional beliefs and practices
that involve the ability to diagnose, cure, and sometimes
cause human suffering by traversing the axis mundi and
forming a special relationship with, or gaining control over,
spirits. Shamans have been credited with the ability to
control the weather, divination, the interpretation of
dreams, astral projection, and traveling to upper and lower
worlds. Shamanistic traditions have existed throughout the
world since prehistoric times
• Shamanism is a practice that involves a practitioner
reaching altered states of consciousness in order to
encounter and interact with the spirit world
• Shamanism is based on the premise that the visible world is
pervaded by invisible forces or spirits that affect the lives of
the living
• Shamanism encompasses the premise that shamans are
intermediaries or messengers between the human world
and the spirit worlds.
• Shamans are said to treat ailments/illness by mending the
soul. Alleviating traumas affecting the soul/spirit restores
the physical body of the individual to balance and
wholeness.
• The shaman also enters supernatural realms or dimensions
to obtain solutions to problems afflicting the community.
• Shamans may visit other worlds/dimensions to bring
guidance to misguided souls and to ameliorate illnesses of
the human soul caused by foreign elements.
• The shaman operates primarily within the spiritual world,
which in turn affects the human world. The restoration of
balance results in the elimination of the ailment
Shaman
• Shaman are spiritual beings with the ability to
heal, work with energies and 'see' visions. The
essential characteristics of shaman are mastery of
energy and fire as a medium of transformation
• A shaman is a person regarded as having access
to, and influence in, the world of benevolent and
malevolent spirits, who typically enters into a
trance state during a ritual, and practices
divination and healing.
• “Shaman” is an umbrella term used by
anthropologists to describe a vast collection of
practices and beliefs, many of which have to do
with divination, spirit communication, and magic.
In most indigenous cultures, including but not
limited to Native American tribes, the shaman is a
highly trained individual, who has spent a lifetime
following their calling. One does not simply
declare oneself a shaman; instead it is a title
granted after many years of study.
The Anthropological History of
Shamanism
• It is the oldest form in which humanity has sought
connection with creation. It is the oldest way of healing the
individual, dating back as far as to the Stone Age.
• Aspects of shamanism were encountered in later, organised
religions, generally in their mystic and symbolic practices
• There is a strong shamanistic influence in the Bön religion
of central Asia, and in Tibetan Buddhism
• The term "shamanism" was first applied to the ancient
religion of the Turks and Mongols, as well as those of the
neighboring Tungusic and Samoyedic-speaking peoples
• Various archaeologists and historians of religion have also
suggested that shamanism may have been a dominant prereligious practice for humanity during the Palaeolithic
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According to an article by Dr. Frank Brownin the peer reviewed journal Nature (February
17, 2005) the modern human (homo sapiens sapiens) appeared on the planet at about
198,000 years ago. From that point until now there seem to have been very few changes
in the basic human design. In other words a human from that time, dressed in our type of
cloths would not warrant a second glance in any major city on the globe. In addition the
size of the brain remained constant over the last half a million years as well.
But there was one very important difference, our ancestor apparently had no
culture. This means essentially no writing, religion, music, or cultural story. That is at
least the theory as they left absolutely no evidence of such until over a hundred thousand
years had passed by. Our first evidence of any repute of culture is at about 77,000 years
ago when the first archeological evidence surfaced in Blombos cavern South Africa
showing “symbolic” art (as opposed to just tools and weapons). This indicated that homo
sapiens was finally starting to acquire one of the first elements of culture, art.
But the first evidence of actual widespread culture came at between 40,000 and 50,000
years ago. Here we have evidence on the caves in Southwest Europe and closely followed
by Africa. It was no coincidence that at this very time there was a mass exit or migration
of our ancestors out of Africa. Because as the so called symbolic nature of art began
showing, something major had happened to Homo sapiens at just this time.
It is highly unlikely that this “culture” just happened. It could have just as easily have
happened at anytime starting at about 200,000 years ago when our race emerged in its
modern form. Why did it wait until 40,000 or 50,000 years ago? I’ll give a simple
answer; shamanism. At this point or maybe a few years earlier, humans started to
practice the art of shamanism and so started leaving records of this major paradigm shift
in their evolution
The late ethnobotonist Terrance Mckenna had a theory that went like this; at some point
in our history (around 40,000 to 50,000 years ago as per above), a new leader appeared,
called the tribal shaman
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The shamanic practices of many cultures were virtually wiped out with the spread of
Christianity.
In Europe, starting around 400 CE, the Christian church was instrumental in the
collapse of the Greek and Roman religions. Temples were systematically destroyed
and key ceremonies were outlawed. Beginning with the middle ages and continuing
into the Renaissance, remnants of European shamanism were wiped out by
campaigns against witches. These campaigns were often orchestrated by the Catholic
Inquisition.
The repression of shamanism continued as Christian influence spread with Spanish
colonisation. In the Caribbean, and Central and South America, Catholic priests
followed in the footsteps of the Conquistadors and were instrumental in the
destruction of the local traditions, denouncing practitioners as "devil worshippers"
and having them executed.
In North America, the English Puritans conducted periodic campaigns against
individuals perceived as witches. More recently, attacks on shamanic practitioners
have been carried out at the hands of Christian missionaries to third world countries.
As recently as the nineteen seventies, historic petroglyphs (prehistoric rock drawing)
were being defaced by missionaries in the Amazon.
It has been postulated that modern state campaigns against the use of psychedelic
substances are the offshoot of previous religious campaigns against shamanism.
Today, shamanism, once universal, survives primarily among indigenous peoples.
Shamanic practice continues today in the tundra’s, jungles, deserts, and other rural
areas, and also in cities, towns, suburbs and shantytowns all over the world. This is
especially widespread in Africa as well as South America, where "mestizo shamanism"
( combined ancestry) is widespread.
Decline in modern society.
• There are very small number of people who still practice
Shamanism today.
• Those that still do either feel rejected or ignored by there own
communities.
• Today, shamanism survives primarily among indigenous peoples. Ex:
Jungles, tundras, deserts and shanty towns.
• A unique approach to shamanism is that of Michael Harner, author
of The Jivaro, Hallucinogens and Shamanism, and The Way of the
Shaman. Dr. Harner is a former professor of anthropology at the
New School for Social Research, and is currently acting as the
director of the Center for Shamanic Studies.
Sam-an ‘The One Who Sees’
1785
Oshir
1905
2004
10
Shamanism around the world
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Several continents and countries within them practice shamanism.
Countries such as:
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Siberia
China
Korea
Japan
Cyprus
Panama
Brazil
Peru
Ecuador
Continents such as:
- Europe
- Asia
- Africa
- North America
- South America
Origins
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Shamanism was the first organized religion.
It was created in the paleolithic era.
There is no specific date to when it began.
The word Shaman is a Turkic word that
translates to practitioner.
• Origins of Shamanism:
– Stone Age
• Neanderthals
– Archaeological evidence
• The Celts, as a basic universal religion
Believe or not
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Shamanism is not a Belief System it is A technique not a religion
Shamanism is the about being connected with nature, understanding that we are
earth-based, the real and living knowledge which is then used for balance,
health, relationship as well as success in all that is that we do.
By understanding the word “shamanism” we would know that it is one of the
oldest tribal healing traditions of indigenous people, which can be found in many
different cultures worldwide. As well as many other methods, the one thing they
have in common is communication and interaction with the spirit world. It is the
oldest way in which human race has sought connection with Creation.
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Shamanism is the path to knowledge which is gained through experience of many
aspects of life, such as rituals, ceremonies, prayer and meditation, trials and tests.
It is the practise, or discipline of interconnectedness and unlimited potential;
which can create a total transformation of self.
Shamanism is not a religion, not unless you want to make it into one. It has been
and is being practiced by peoples of many religions, from Christianity, to Judaism,
to Hinduism. You will find shamanic practitioners of every faith
Mechanism
• The shaman's power essentially lies in mastering the ecstatic
techniques of dreams, visions, and trances. Ecstasy in its original
sense meant an altered state of consciousness with an awareness
of the single emotion rapture. The shaman also mastered the
traditional mythology, genealogy, belief system and secret language
of the tribe as well as its healing methods. The youth who are called
to be a shaman attracts attention through their love for solitude,
desire to roam in the woods or in unfrequented places, visions, and
spontaneous song-making. Sometimes they enter trance-like states
which make them unconscious. These signs are regarded with
pleasure and awe by the tribespeople who generally believe that
their soul is being carried away by spirits to a place where they are
instructed, sometimes by his shaman ancestors, in the secrets of
the profession.
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Shamans work with the spirit or the soul. They heal illness at the soul level. They gain knowledge
and insight from working with the spirits of nature such as rocks and trees, the land, and they gain
knowledge from working with spirits of animals and humans such as their ancestors. For the
shaman everything is alive and carries information, you can call this spirit, energy, or consciousness
In order to communicate with the spirit or consciousness of these things, the shaman will shift his
or her own state of awareness. Shamans can do this through various means, such as meditation,
repetitive sounds such as that of the drum or rattle, or through the help of plants. The shaman will
then "see" through a new set of eyes, they will see what is going on with you on a spiritual
level. The shaman's practice is also characterized by the soul flight. The shift of consciousness that
the shaman makes, which allows the free part of his or her soul to leave the body. The shaman can
then go retrieve information for your healing and growth. They can retrieve healing power, or
things that you have lost along the way in living your life. During the soul flight the shaman is both
in the room, and going on this "journey" so that he or she has an awareness of both at the same
time. More about the soul flight or journey.
The shaman sees illness as a lack of power because it was lost somewhere in your life. In order to
heal you the shaman returns your power to you. She or he may perform a power animal retrieval,
see link for more details. A power animal is a protector, similar to a guardian angel, which protects
you from harm and helps you with your spiritual growth by lending its power to you.
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The shaman also removes misplaced energy. The negative emotions you may feel, or the negative emotions
that another can send at you are seen by the shaman to be stuck or stored in various parts of the body. This
can be seen with the example such as how stress causes ulcers or back pains. The shaman will re-empower
you by removing the energy that does not belong within your body. This is called a shamanic extraction,
other healing modalities in addition to shamanism practice this in various forms. This energy is not bad, it is
just misplaced. Because it does not belong in your body, it is seen as causing illness that then shows itself in a
physical way through pain, sickness or emotional difficulties.
In the shamanic system part of the soul is free to leave the body, so therefore it is also believed that soul
parts of each individual will leave the body in order to protect itself from trauma. This is considered a
positive protection mechanism. For instance, if someone were to be in a car accident, part of the soul would
leave the body to protect itself from the trauma of the impact. The soul does not always know how to return,
however, and if it has not returned for whatever reason this is referred to as soul loss. That is when the
shaman would become involved, in order to assist with returning this missing piece of yourself. The healer
would perform a soul retrieval, see link for more information. In indigenous cultures this was performed
quite regularly. In these modern times, a person may go a long time feeling like a part of him or herself has
been missing.
Most of the techniques of a shaman are particular to the individual or culture. Whether a rattle or a drum is
used is not considered an essential difference for effectiveness. The shaman must do what ever he or she
finds effective to call forth the energy for healing. Whatever the shaman does to shift his consciousness,
must only achieve the results of shifting consciousness. The trappings of what the shaman does is
comparable to how a star athlete prepares for a game, whether they do calisthenics to prepare, or simply rub
their lucky sock, these preparations are just the trappings around the work itself. Once again it is the results
that measure the skill level. Therefore there can be a wide variety of tools and techniques used by shamans,
although certain tools/techniques appear frequently.
The Shamanic Cosmos
Upper World
Middle World
Lower World
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Practice and method
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The shaman plays the role of healer in shamanic societies; shamans gain knowledge
and power by traversing the axis mundi and bringing back knowledge from the
heavens
Oftentimes the shaman has, or acquires, one or more familiar helping entities in the
spirit world; these are often spirits in animal form, spirits of healing plants, or
(sometimes) those of departed shamans
While the causes of disease are considered to lie in the realm of the spiritual, being
effected by malicious spirits or Witchcraft, spiritual methods as well as what we
would consider physical methods are used to heal. The shaman often will enter the
body of their patient to find the spirit making the patient sick, and heal by removing
the infectious spirit by the patient.
Shamanism is based on the premise that the visible world is pervaded by invisible
forces or spirits which affect the lives of the living. Although the causes of disease lie
in the spiritual realm, inspired by malicious spirits, both spiritual and physical
methods are used to heal. Commonly, a shaman "enters the body" of the patient to
confront the spiritual infirmity and heals by banishing the infectious spirit
• However, many shamans have expert knowledge of the
plant life in their area, and an herbal regimine is often
perscribed as treatment. In many places, the shamans
claim to learn from the plants directly, only being able to
determine the effects of a plant and use it to heal after
meeting the spirit of the plant and getting permission
• The use of totem items such as rocks is common; these
items are believed to have special powers and an animating
spirit
• In engaging in this work the shaman exposes himself to
significant personal risk, from the spirit world, from any
enemy shamans, as well as from the means employed to
alter his state of consciousness. Certain of the plant
materials used can kill, and the out-of-body journey itself
can lead to non-returning and physical death; spells of
protection are common, and the use of more dangerous
plants is usually very highly ritualized
• Shamans gain knowledge and the power to heal by entering into
the spiritual world or dimension. Most shamans have dreams or
visions that tell them certain things. The shaman may have or
acquire many spirit guides, who often guide and direct the shaman
in his/her travels in the spirit world. These spirit guides are always
present within the shaman though others only encounter them
when the shaman is in a trance. The spirit guide energizes the
shaman, enabling him/her to enter the spiritual dimension. The
shaman heals within the spiritual dimension by returning 'lost' parts
of the human soul from wherever they have gone. The shaman also
cleanses excess negative energies which confuse or pollute the soul.
• Shamans act as mediators in their culture. The shaman
communicates with the spirits on behalf of the community,
including the spirits of the deceased. The shaman communicates
with both living and dead to alleviate unrest, unsettled issues, and
to deliver gifts to the spirits. Shamans assist in soul retrieval. In
shamanism it is believed that part of the human soul is free to leave
the body. The soul is the axis mundi, the center of the shamanic
healing arts. Shamans change their state of consciousness allowing
their free soul to travel and retrieve ancient wisdom and lost power.
Some of the methods for effecting such altered states of consciousness are:
• Drumming
• Singing
• Fasting
• Sweat lodge
• Vision quests /or vigils,
• Dancing or Spinning Games
Power Plants
• Tobacco
• Fly Agaric
• Psychedelic Mushrooms
• Peyote
• San Pedro
• Ayahuasca Quechua for "Vine of the Dead"
• Iboga
• Cannabis
• Opium
Paraphernalia
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Shamans use several different objects such as:
A drum
Feathers
Rattle
Gong
Pipe
Sword
Long Table
Shake
Rooster
Illness treated by shaman
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Shamanic Healing addresses the spiritual aspect of illness. That is to say, it addresses the part of the
illness that is in your spirit, soul, or energy body. Shamans believe that illness/injury appears in this
spirit before it shows up in the physical body, and that if the body is injured the injury will also exist
on the level of the spirit. Shamans believe that healing on the spiritual level can prevent conditions
from appearing in the body, and also that healing the spirit helps or allows the body to heal once a
condition has appeared.
Unlike western medicine, the way the spiritual illness effects the body is not always the same. The
way to address the same condition may be totally different from one client to the next. The "one
method/one pill cures all" idea doesn’t work in shamanism. There is a mysterious element to how
the shaman effects a cure. The shaman cannot say in advance whether the healing will work or
not.
Shamanic healing has effected cures on many different types of conditions. It is capable of
addressing any illness. However, there is a difference between healing and cure. Healing occurs on
many levels: in the emotions, in the body, in relationships with others, and in relationship to the
planet. A cure is one dimensional, you have an illness and a cure eliminates it. Cures do not
address your sense of well being, or whether your life is rich and full of power.
Shamans seek to perform healing which may also result in cures
• So a percentage of the people in the placebo group will improve even
though they have not been given “real” medicine. This is called the
placebo effect. Scientists are not sure why the placebo effect works. Is it
the power of belief? Is it because of the medical attention the patient
receives when they partake in a study? A shaman’s explanation for this
would be that belief in the placebo helped the individual engaged with her
own power to heal herself. In other words the patient recovers on the
placebo because he is connected with his own power of self healing.
Your body, your spirit, your soul can heal itself.
• What is going to engage that healing action within you?
• That is in part what shaman’s are trying to engage, your own healing
abilities. Shaman’s certainly do work on the spiritual level, clearing out
blockages and returning lost power, but one of the aims of healing is to
connect clients with the power that is inside themselves.
Shamanic Journey
from
to
Normal Reality
with
→
←
Extraordinary
Realities
questions
→
←
for
Answers
but…
what about the
journey itself?
The Journey
• http://www.shamanlinks.net/Journey.htm
• leave ordinary reality to travel to
extraordinary realities
• return with knowledge
Roles
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Shamans have two main roles in there societies. They are:
- Healer
Always present within a shaman.
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They use there powers to heal those in need.
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They cleanse souls
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- Mediator
They comunicate with the spirts of the deceased.
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The spirits are seen as different beasts.
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Shaman use there power to fix unresolved issues.
Roles and functions the traditional
shaman
• divining information, wisdom, and knowledge from the ordinary and
nonordinary worlds leading ceremonies
• acting as an intermediary between the invisible spirit world and the
people to restore health, drive out evil spirits, and ensure success in the
hunting, gathering, and agricultural endeavors
• preparing the people for hunting, gathering, and agriculturalefforts
• communicating with the spirits and divining guidance about hunting,
gathering, and agricultural matters foreseeing the future recognizing and
reading signs and omens
• officiating rites of passage, training, and ceremonies locating and bringing
back wandering souls
• retrieving lost power and soul parts
• communicating with the dead
• influencing the weather
• channeling life-force, spiritual, elemental, and personal energy through
their hands-on healing
• removing possessing spirits, evil spirits, and souls who have not crossed over
from a person, family, group of people or place
• performing sacrifices to appease the spirits and the gods
• using plants, plant energies, and plant spirits for healing purposes
• talking to nature spirits, such as the helping spirits of plants, animals, rocks,
water, and weather elements
• singing songs to invoke, connect with, and honor helping spirits
• singing healing songs
• diagnosing illnesses
• learning and exploring universal laws and the ways of energy and power
• teaching apprentices and the people certain spiritual ways
• setting bones, pulling teeth, treating wounds
• adjusting the physical body using techniques such as massage and
manipulation (similar to adjustments done by an osteopath or chiropractor)
• interpreting dreams
Initiation
• However it is precisely because they succeed in curing
themselves that these individuals become shamans. Often
a crisis bordering on madness is provoked in the future
shamans by the sudden announcement to others in the
tribe that they have been chosen by the spirits for this
profession. In other cases this initiatory sickness is induced
by the use of drugs or fasting and other austerities.
Regardless of the means, the symbolic pattern of death and
rebirth common to all initiation rites will be reenacted.
• The initiatory rituals peculiar to Siberian and central Asian
shamanism include a ritual series of waking dreams. During
this ritual Siberian shamans maintain that they "die" and lie
inanimate for from three to seven days in a tent or other
solitary place:
• Turner and colleagues mention a phenomenon called shamanistic
initiatory crisis, a rite of passage for shamans-to-be, commonly
involving physical illness and/or psychological crisis. The significant
role of initiatory illnesses in the calling of a shaman can be found in
the detailed case history of Chuonnasuan, the last master shaman
among the Tungus peoples in Northeast China.
• The wounded healer is an archetype for a shamanic trail and
journey. This process is important to the young shaman. S/he
undergoes a type of sickness that pushes her or him to the brink of
death. This happens for two reasons:
1) The shaman crosses over to the under world. This happens so
the shaman can venture to its depths to bring back vital
information for the sick, and the tribe.
2) The shaman must become sick to understand sickness. When
the shaman overcomes her or his own sickness s/he will hold the
cure to heal all that suffer. This is the uncanny mark of the
wounded healer
• One does not simply choose to be a shaman. In many cultures, a
person is only trained to be a shaman after experiencing a specific
event which indicates their connection with the spirit world. In some
cases, the prerequisites are certain types of dreams. These cultures
place a lot of value on dreams as a connection between the spirit
world in general, and much of a shaman's connection with the spirit
world is through dreaming.
• Another indication of a shaman's abilities is surviving a deeply
traumatic,( near-death experience), something that would change
the person's behavior and outlook throughout his life. It is
understood that such a person would have gained a glimpse of the
spirit world and perhaps that it the spirits who allowed him to return.
• After displaying one of these experiences, a shaman is generally
trained under a more experienced shaman for many years to
understand the lore and rituals, as well as how to more safely travel
the spirit world. In some cases, the training comes first, without a
specific experience marking the potential shaman. In this case, at
some point the trainee will still need to have such an experience,
although it might be brought on by ecstatic trance work or through
chemical means
Becoming a Shaman
• shamanic call
• study and initiation
• learning to journey
• death of the old person,
and rebirth as a new person
So You Want to be a Shaman
• be prepared to “die”
• be willing to serve
others
• be open to experiences
that most people do not
want to face
• In some societies shamanic powers are
considered to be inherited whereas in others
shamans are considered to have been "called“
• Shamans are normally "called" by dreams or
signs which require lengthy training. However,
shamanic powers may be "inherited," as the
capacity for lucid spirit-world connection runs
more strongly in some families
Gender
• Most shamans are men, but there are
societies in which women may be shamans
• Both male and female shamans can be found
throughout the world. However, each tribe
has its own understandings of who is an
appropriate shaman. Some allow both
genders, while some have only one or the
other. Some allow both but tend most often to
have one or the other
Shaman in the community
• Position in the Community Some shamans are well
integrated into the community, living among them day-today. Some even participate in other community roles, such
as hunting, particularly in areas where the tribe needs
everyone to contribute to basic physical survival.
• Other shamans, however, are viewed as outsiders, living
outside the main camp on his own, although often having
as assistant or shaman-in-training with him. His contact
with the spirit world makes him unlike the rest of the tribe.
He is more a part of the wilderness, in many ways more
animal than human. These isolated shamans survive on
what they can forage as well as the payments received for
their services.
• Some shamans are seen as primarily beneficial,
with their powers focused on bringing blessings
to the community. Shamans in other cultures are
viewed as having powers to both hurt and heal.
This is particularly the case when shamans live
more isolated from the community. In these
cases, shamans often offer protection from the
possible curses of other shamans. If the tribe can
be convinced of a shaman's magical actions
against the community, he can be exiled or
executed
Believes
• Spirits exist and they play important roles both in individual
lives and in human society.
• The shaman can communicate with the spirit world.
• Spirits can be benevolent or malevolent.
• The shaman can treat sickness caused by malevolent spirits.
• The shaman can employ trance inducing techniques to incite
visionary ecstasy and go on vision quests.
• The shaman's spirit can leave the body to enter the
supernatural world to search for answers.
• The shaman evokes animal images as spirit guides, omens,
and message-bearers.
• The shaman can tell the future, scry, throw bones/runes, and
perform other varied forms of divination
A female shaman leading an initiation for novices outside
Ulaanbaatar holds up the heart she has just removed from a sheep.
She sees this sacrificial offering as a symbol of her power over life
and death
animal spirit painted rock
Drums
At night in her tepee-like ortz, Sain Tsetseg (Good Flower), of the
Tsaatan ethnic group, beats a drum to enter a trance while an
assistant burns juniper twigs, whose fragrant smoke draws in the
spirits
Symbol of eternity, this “mother tree,” a pine in
northern Mongolia, draws pilgrims from all over. It gave
out under the weight of cloth offerings, the blue ones
representing everlasting heaven and peace
Shamanic meeting
hollow bone tool for extraction work
Pilgrims from throughout Mongolia come to mother trees like
the one near Selenge Aymag, in the north, to offer tea, milk,
symbolizing their prayers and the blessings they seek
Archaeologists have unearthed nearly 5,000-year-old shaman's stones in a rock
shelter in Panama. The stone collection may be the earliest evidence of shamanic
rituals in that region of Central America.
Remains of Ancient Feast to Honor Dead Shaman Discovered
In a cave above a creek in the Galilee region of northern Israel, scientists discovered the
body of a petite, elderly, disabled woman, most probably a shaman, and also discovered
seashells, beads, stone tools and bone tools
Israel: Oldest Shaman Grave Found; Includes Foot, Animal Parts
A 12,000-year-old burial site in Israel contains offerings that include 50 tortoise shells
and a human foot, and appears to be one of the earliest known graves of a female
shaman.
Deep in the Amazon jungle, writer Kira Salak tests ayahuasca, a shamanistic
medicinal ritual, and finds a terrifying but enlightening world within. or centuries,
Amazonian shamans have used ayahuasca as a window into the soul. The
sacrament, they claim, can cure any illness. The author joins in this ancient ritual
and finds the worlds within more terrifying - and enlightening - than ever
imagined.
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Stone age