shamanism (partial DRAFT)

My definition of a shaman/shamaness (I have also come across someone who used the term "shamanka" for a female shaman) is someone who can access the energies and spirits of the world of Nature, including the etheric planes of reality. Other definitions (e.g., see here, here, here [note particularly the issue of cultural appropriation in that definition], here, here, and look up Michael  Harner and the controversial Carlos Castaneda, whose system of tensegrity [see here, here, here and here] I have found - well, some of it, at an rate - effective at stimulating the Earth Star chakra - although I dispute Castaneda's explanation of how this works) talk about use of altered states of consciousness, but that also applies to mediumship, trance, meditation, etc. The key difference, for me, is that the tools of shamanism lead to a different place – that of Nature, rather than the astral or higher frequency parts of reality … although drumming is also a key distinguishing tool (one that I quite enjoy - and shamanism was once my primary means of working, and still has a role in my spiritual and psychic practice).

No wonder I was so drawn to this way of working, given my love of Nature.

I understand shamanism to be probably the oldest form of religion or spirituality, one still practised in tribal societies.

Here are a few other thoughts I was going to put into a post of various paths, and have decided would be more appropriately placed here.

Most of the reading (and other research!) I've done suggests that shamanism is the root from which all other branches of religion have evolved. Unlike the polytheistic paganism, the monotheistic Christianity and spiritualism, and the somewhat non-theistic Buddhism, shamanism - in my understanding and practice of it - is based on the energies, "entities" and influences of the physical world. This is a system of working with the real world which, in its original forms, was based on survival: where are there animals to hunt? Is this or that plant safe to eat? If you haven't met that plant before, go into the Underworld and speak directly to the spirit of the plant.

It must have done reasonably well at either meeting these needs, or being emotionally satisfying, as it seems to have survived reasonably well until horticulture came along.

If you want to talk to a shaman/shamanka about gods, goddesses, "The Goddess", deity/deities in general, don't bother. There is no point saying "don't you consider all things are created by a single Goddess/Deity?", as that is irrelevant to the task of mapping the energies etc of the real world and working with those. This focus on the real world - which is something I admire and am attracted to about this path - is not so much a case of chalk and cheese, since both exist on the planet, but more a case of someone trying to discuss something (not astrological!) about Pluto with someone who is busy surviving on Earth.

It is a little bit like the situation on asking a Buddhist about Deity: they're answer may well be along the lines that they are so busy trying to be a good person that they don't have time to explore such a concept. I once watched a TV show where representatives of various religions were discussing various topics, one topic per week, and when they got to their conceptualisation of Deity, the Buddhists rocked the others when they said it was irrelevant: they would still try to be good whether Deity existed or didn't exist.

In terms of a view of reality, most shamans/shamankas talk about this world, and an Underworld, often accessed through a vision of a cave or other entry point into the ground (e.g., a burrow, perhaps going in under a tree's roots). There is no conception of "up" being associated with Divinity or goodness: the focus is power, in the sense of "what works?" In terms of the levels of reality from other traditions, I consider that much of shamanism is exploring the world of the etheric, with some astral travel.

As a variation to this, some shamans/shamankas I have spoken to do also include an Overworld in their cosmology. By the way, I've not ever come across a good description of the notion of survival of personal consciousness after death in the world of shamanism. That may exist, but I haven't come across it yet. There are some descriptions of this (e.g. an ancestor being considered to have become a star), but nothing I would consider compelling evidence that most shamans/shamankas accepted this notion.

You should keep in mind that this section of the introductions is not to a single, clearly defined path (even the paths that claim to have a clearly defined dogma, such as neo-Christianity, have various sects and divisions such as Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, etc), it is a group of pathways that evolved in different cultures, landscapes and climatic/environmental circumstances.

A key part of this group of pathways is acquiring "Power Animals" - protective, beneficial spirits. This is, in the strict sense, done through sacrificing oneself to the Power Animal - for instance, I met my wolf spirit on a journey where the wolf ate me. This aspect has been softened by many modern practitioners - too much so, in my opinion: Power Animals are not friendly guides, they are powerful, energetic principles which should be respected, treated with a bit of awe (in the original sense of the word) and cultivated. Then again, I would probably still be waiting if my Giraffe Power Animal (which helps me with family matters) had to devour me before we could start working together ... but at least I continue to show this Power Animal respect, awe and consideration [1].

Shamans/shamankas would dance their Power Animal, which gave the Power Animal an experience of physical reality, and was the pay off for them helping the shaman/shamanka. (Someone I knew years ago and taught a little about shamanism once went on a walking tour through the Himalayas, during which she was invited to dance her Power Animal by a local shaman.) I think this is one of the strengths of shamanism: it does not take "deity", or the relationship with "deity", for granted.

Going on from this dancing of the power animal, shamans/shamankas go on journeys to the underworld as one of their key practices - these days, generally by means of repetitive drumming to induce a trance (note: the drumming for this purpose is meant to be a background, not something which grabs your attention, or makes you want to dance!), although in older times hallucinogens and psychotropic drugs were used. Such usage was for a purpose, and under the direction of an experienced teacher - it is NOT comparable with the modern world's "recreational drugs" abuses ... Needless to say, I do NOT recommend such practices. I will say that again: don't use drugs. They ARE dangerous, and there are better ways (e.g. using the Assemblage Point described by the very controversial Carlos Castenada, which I have posted about elsewhere).

This path evolved from a time when people had to hunt in order to survive. New Age people and Buddhists may be shocked by the shameless use of animals for food or tokens: traditional shamanism does not lend itself to vegetarianism, but there is nothing preventing modern practitioners being vegan or vegetarian if they wish (although they may encounter some disapproval from more traditionally oriented practitioners, who also point out that many people who object to this attitude towards animals will thoughtlessly eat meat from a supermarket: shamans/shamankas at least pay their respects to the animal which has died to provide food, or a token - by which I mean, as an example, recovering a wing from a crow killed accidentally by a car).

Acquiring tokens of power (amulets or talismans or charms) are also a key part of this path. Such devices are, in a sense, a radio tuned to the frequency of the place they came from, which gives the practitioner a chance to connect to that place's energy. These are tools, not objects of worship. The respect shown to them is for their ability to achieve results - including he result of a feeling of peace.

My understanding of the traditional training of a shaman/shamanka was that it was more or less an apprenticeship, rather than a formal training system for certain people as in Christianity and spiritualism. This is probably like the guru system found in some Buddhist systems (such as Lamaism, probably more generally known now as Tibetan Buddhism). The initiation lineage of the Wiccan path is not quite the same: that is more about establishing credibility/history than personal transmission of power.

Most people know about shamanic use of psychotropic plants - and I personally consider there are better ways of achieving an altered state of consciousness, including the drumming used by shamans/shamankas. Plants were also used for healing.

As of the time this definition was written, I’ve touched on this idea in the following posts:

     Post No. TBC