Shamanism
What does it mean to be a Shaman?.
Origins
Much of what is known in contemporary language about the Shaman has been taken from the writings of anthropologists like Mircea Eliade (Shamanism: Techniques of Ecstasy) and Michael Harner (The Way of the Shaman). They have explored various cultures on the fringes of civilisation and wrote about the spiritual way of life they discovered. Michael Harner took this further by distilling the techniques common to all cultures into what is called 'Core Shamanism' and founded the Faculty of Shamanic Studies to teach these to us all.
Interestingly, the word Shaman is taken from the Evenk, Siberian reindeer herders, and is used to refer to both male and female practitioners equally in the local language. The expression of Shamanka is used in the west to refer to a female shaman though this word is an invention of the Russian language, which has to have a gender definition for every word. I will use the word Shaman to refer to both, as in the original language.
However, the above does not imply in any way that shamanism or its spiritual beliefs are in any way dead or dying. In Korea it is extremely easy to find a shaman, even in such a technological and industrial society their teachings and methods remain and thrive. The reindeer herders of Lapland follow these beliefs and have their own shaman, in Europe many folk traditions that remain had their origins in the Celtic and Nordic cultures, which passed over to America with the colonists. Shinto beliefs and mythic stories are surprisingly shamanic in their style and emphasis.
That being said, what then IS a shaman?
In a traditional environment the Shaman is a healer, priest and social worker to the tribal community in which he resides. The role is to enhance the survival opportunities of the group by whatever means available and will include improving the tribe’s foodstocks and healing the sick. The Shaman provides a service as a go-between for the tribe and the universe as a whole. The Shaman therefore keeps the tribal group in a spiritual framework, reminding them of their own spirituality.
Central to this approach is the idea that the world consists of not only the mundane world that we perceive and interact with everyday but also a spiritual realm that infuses within and around our own. This spiritual world is the real cause of everything that happens here in the mundane. Problems are caused by a lack of spiritual balance or harmony and it is the role of the Shaman to find the cause of the imbalance and restore harmony.
This is normally achieved by entering a trance state and seeking the answers from the spiritual realm. In modern psychotherapy we would recognise this instantly as entering a hypnotic state and seeking answers from one’s own unconscious mind.
Shamanism Today
The shaman is usually an expert psychologist, herbalist and healer, thus you can see their modern urban equivalents in many complementary therapies. The hypnotherapist, the herbalist, aromatherapist and massage therapist are all doing their part of the traditional role of the tribal healer. In terms of the spiritual realm we find the faith healers, Reiki therapists, Traditional Chinese Medicine in terms of the Chi specialist, acupuncturist and herbalists. They all attempt to gain a spiritual understanding of the client’s issues and then act to restore balance.
How do shamanic techniques help today? The shaman traditionally will take two views into account, the spiritual and the mundane. He knows that an illness is caused by an imbalance in the person’s energies and that this needs to be addressed however the person needs practical help too. Therefore in following shamanic techniques and wisdom we are facing the truth that both need to be in balance for the client to find results.
Shamanic techniques tend to act on the subconscious in a way that creates lasting change. This can be very therapeutic when used appropriately and is a tried and tested method of clearing away the negative programming that life events may have given.
We have a natural yearning to connect with what is around us and we instinctively know that there is something beyond our initial understanding. As children we find it easy to believe in the supernatural, in spite of what our parents may advise us. Inadvertently we are attempting to grasp our spiritual side, buried deep within ourselves. Shamanic approaches can help us to get in touch with that side and explore and understand our own nature and deeper humanity.