shamanism

Shamanism:
Ancient Techniques
For A Modern World
by Julia Darnell,DDS & Cassandra Campbell,PhD.

It is dark and quiet. The shadows dance around the room to the soft rhythmic beat of the drum. Someone has come with a problem and must patiently wait as the shaman consults with the helping spirits to find the best way to assist him. As the client waits, he begins to feel strangely comforted by the soothing pulsation of the drum, the soft chanting of the shaman. He knows that he is surrounded by compassion. He begins to sense that he is not alone in his pain; that somewhere, somehow, help is on its way.

This same scenario has occurred for thousands of years all over the world, and continues today as shamanism. The word “shaman” comes from the Tungus tribe in Siberia and refers to a person who makes “journeys” to nonordinary reality in an altered state of consciousness in order to serve his or her community. Although the term is from Siberia, the practice of shamanism has existed on all inhabited continents. Shamans are known as “see-ers” or “people who know” because they are actively involved in a spiritual system of knowledge based on firsthand experience. For over 30,000 years, shamans have been conducting personal experiments, obtaining direct knowledge of the spirit world, or nonordinary reality and bringing this information and healing back to this reality.

Shamanism has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years. More and more people are rediscovering the self empowerment and community service that this practice offers, and are incorporating it into their daily lives. They are learning that it is a spiritual system, not a religion or medical practice; that it is based on a person’s direct experience, not his or her faith. As such, it complements both traditional religion and medical practice.

Traditionally, shamans were either chosen by the spirits, by tribal elders or family circumstances, or by deep spiritual initiations such as dreams, illnesses, or even what is known today as near death experiences. The chosen person would then be trained, either by the spirits themselves or by the village or family shaman. This training would take many years of intense study on the rituals, specific prayers, and ceremonies that the shaman would use in his or her practice. This type of “calling” still exists and is in practice in many tribal societies; Native American shamanism is one example that we are most familiar with in the United States. There are also Australian Aboriginal shamans, Siberian shamans, Korean and Tibetan shamans, Huichol shamans, Japanese shamans, etc. that all incorporate the same type of traditional training. This type of long term training in shamanism which involves learning specific prayers, ceremonies, and rituals, is referred to as cultural shamanism.

But there is another aspect of shamanism that is universal and is available to every human being, called visionary shamanism. This is direct experience of the spirit world, direct interaction with one’s helping or guardian spirits. These spirits may be in the form of animals, ancestors, great teachers, angels, saints, or the spiritual leaders of the world’s great religions. It is our inheritance: a gift from Spirit for each one of us should we decide to accept. Everyone has access to help from the Spirit world. Shamanism is a system based on experience, not faith. By working directly with the helping spirits, however, one’s faith is deepened and becomes more real.

As a spiritual technique or method, shamanism shares many aspects of other spiritual systems. In meditation, one enters into an altered state of consciousness, just as the shaman does during his work. In Reiki and Therapeutic Touch, a type of healing is used, a technique shared by shamans all over the world. Mediums and Spiritualists regularly speak with the spirits of the deceased; shamans are known as Healers of the living and the dead, through the practice of psychopomp in which the shaman visits with and helps those “lost souls” who have passed over; or, as in the case of coma, souls that are making the decision whether or not to leave this world for the spirit world. Prophets and Seers often foretell events or situations that one may be facing; shamans travel to the helping spirits to obtain useful information for others as an aid to making important decisions in their lives.

There is one item that distinguishes shamanism from other spiritual systems. The “journey” into the spirit world is an intensely focused, determined effort by the shaman to venture forth into the “Upper, Lower, and Middle Worlds” of nonordinary reality. Although plants and hallucinogens are frequently used in areas such as South America, the most universal method for taking the shamanic journey is through percussion, either through drumming (the most common way), rattling, click sticks, chanting, or other monotonous sounds like the didgeridoo (in Australia) or the Tibetan bowl.

One may ask, “Are we all shamans, capable of traveling to distant spiritual realms and performing miracles of healing?” the answer would be both yes and no. Just as we are all capable of speaking some of us are natural orators. We are all capable of writing, but some are natural storytellers and poets. We may all be able to draw stick figures, but there are some natural “Michaelangelos” roaming the Earth.

So, too, it is with shamanism. In traditional societies, there were different levels of power among the shamans. One might consult with the family shaman for a moderate illness or problem, visit the village shaman who was more “powerfilled” or had more helping spirits for a more serious problem; or, in extreme cases, travel great distances to visit with the truly powerful shamans who were well known for their work. Once the shaman contacts the spirits, there is a crossover of the power from nonordinary reality (the spirit world) to ordinary reality. The two realities may be conceptually discrete, but the shaman is able to move the power of one over to the other. When this is done successfully, direct, practical knowledge can be obtained and healing and miracles can occur.

Today, many shamanic practitioners use their own methods to consult with the helping spirits in matters of daily living, and may, on occasion, solicit help from other practitioners in more serious matters. Shamanism traditionally has been a method of both self-empowerment and interdependence or interaction with the community. It recognizes the paradox of the importance of developing a strong self and then, on occasion, submitting the self to work as a “team member” with others in ordinary and nonordinary reality.

The client continues to sit quietly, listening to the shaman’s gentle drum. After singing his power song, the shaman picks up his rattle. He slowly sways back and forth, eyes closed, as he sits and rattles next to the client. He has gone into the spirit world to consult with the spirits, seeking the most appropriate way to help. The client has told him about his recent diagnosis of cancer and the upcoming treatment he will be facing soon. The shaman knows that the client is in shock, is terrified and desperately lonely.

Shamanism has always been a complimentary spiritual system or method, working with and adapting to the latest technology of medicine and/or a person’s own spiritual beliefs or religion. The shaman is concerned with the spiritual side of illness; and in teamwork with the helping spirits, seeks to relieve suffering and bring spiritual healing to those in need.

After a short while, the shaman stops rattling and slowly opens his eyes. He asks the client for permission to blow Power in the form of a grizzly bear into the client’s heart and crown areas. The client agree; and, as the shaman blows forcefully into these areas, the client feels a great emotion welling up from deep inside; he can almost see the huge grizzly as it enters his body. The shaman gently rattles all around him, “sealing the energy,” then quietly sits back. He smiles at the client, and begins to share what he experienced in the spirit world.

“We have brought you back your Power as Grizzly Bear,” he states. “I saw you as a young child, dancing in the spirit world with the grizzly. He told me that as a child, you would call on him to chase away the monsters in the dark. But when you grew older, you forgot about him and he left. He has returned to you in your time of need to give you courage and ferocity and strength to battle the monsters of the dark once again.”

With this, the client burst into unrestrained tears. He recalled a favorite “teddy bear” he had as a small boy that he would clutch tightly to his chest at night whenever his mother turned out the light and left him in the dark. Together he and his grizzly bear would “roar” at the monsters and chase them away. Feeling big and powerful, he would then drift off to sleep. Deep inside his heart, the client feels the return of an old friend, a return of his childlike trust and faith in a Power greater than himself. He smiles back at the shaman and thanks him and the helping spirits. He leaves feeling a deep peacefulness settling into his spirit. Later that week, a good friend, whom he had not heard from in a long time, sends him a get-well card. He laughs, delighted at the picture. It is of a great big grizzly bear, stealing honey from a tree.

Because of the revival of shamanism, classes are now offered as weekend workshops through several organizations in the United States. These workshops focus on various aspects of shamanism, such as the death-&-dying process, extracting unwanted energy and spirits, communicating with the nature spirits, divination, soul retrieval, shamanic counseling, etc. Workshop participants have included many from the healing professions: physicians, nurses, therapists, social workers, teachers, massage therapists, ministers, priests, and nuns, to name a few. Many artists, dancers, singers, writers, and poets have felt the power and potential of these ancient techniques, and many participants with scientific backgrounds find that the approach of direct observation and testing of information coincides with their own daily methods of obtaining knowledge about the universe in which we live.

Informal drumming groups or “circles” are forming in many communities to practice journeying and/or to serve in the community. The members may assist other members with personal issues or they may join together to work on a community or world-wide problem. Some drumming circles focus on healing the planet or the global community. Other circles may come together simply for the rejuvenating experience of drumming with like-minded friends. Because of the nature of the shamanic journey, the participants are typically uplifted through their contact with the spirit world and spirit helpers.

Shamanism is not for everyone. Not everyone feels called to pursue a lifetime of intense study of the shamanic method. However, everyone that learns even a small amount of shamanism comes away impressed with an expanded view of reality and a deeper respect for a spiritual technique that has lasted thousands of years.

As anthropologist, Dr. Michael Harner, who has studied shamanism all around the world, stated in a recent interview, “When you start shamanic journeying, if you’re the kind of person the spirits feel compassion for and want to help, you’re going to get lots of teachings you never asked for and never expected. Because once you go through those doors – whatever those doors are – the spirits will teach you according to your preparation, and your life will change. Even one journey may start changing your life.”