Shamanism
(This is an excerpt from a University Of Metaphysical Sciences course at www.umsonline.org,
please feel free to visit the school website)
Introduction
The Roots Of Shamanism
Shamanic Cultural Practices
Q'ero
Ayahuasqueros
Tuvan
Tibetan
Hawai'i
African
Australian Aborigine
Shamanism Today
Exercises
Exercise 1: Contacting Your Power Animal
Exercise 2: Pachamama's Dream
Exercise 3: Ancestor Journey
Bibliography
Written by Devon Love
"In shamanism everyone is his or her own prophet, getting spiritual revelation directly from the highest sources... The shaman is not trying only or mainly to achieve self-enlightenment. Shamanism is people directly helping others. It is a kind of spiritual activism in which one works with the powers that connect human beings to the incredible power of the universe—a work that involves journeying back and forth between realities."
—Michael Harner
Introduction
Throughout time, humans have explored the boundaries of consciousness and beyond, and journeyed between the worlds of energy and form. Shamanism describes this practice, and the many forms it takes throughout the cultures of the world. Though originally a Siberian term describing "one who knows," in the English language, the term shaman (or shamanic practitioner) is used to describe a spiritual healer/practitioner who works with trance states. The shaman journeys through different realms of consciousness, working with energy on those levels, and returning to ordinary consciousness with information, energy or power.
Many different methods are used to facilitate the work of the shaman, some of which include drumming, rattling, chanting, singing, dancing, fasting, spending time alone in nature, meditating, and dreaming. Shamanism essentially involves mastering the techniques of dream, vision, and trance in order to enter into ecstatic states at will. Ecstasy is defined as reaching an altered state of consciousness in resonance with the energy of rapture. Through this state of oneness, the shaman connects with spirit energies, such as those of plants, stones, and animals, as well as ancestral and other beings, and forms alliances with these energies, sharing information and "power," or energy with them.
The power itself can be used in many ways, both positive and negative, but is most often used for healing, and bringing wholeness and balance to an individual, family, community, or other entity. The shaman presides over many different life transitions, such as birth, marriage, coming of age, and death. The shaman is also consulted in times of illness, famine, or social unrest. Some of the most common rituals undertaken, aside from cyclic rituals and blessings, are those to find water, to find plants with certain healing properties, to find herds of animals (in hunting cultures), to intercede with the spirits to bring rain for crops, to extract unwanted spirits or energies from a person, and to retrieve parts or all of the soul of a person. In any area of the community where there is an imbalance within the natural order, the shaman is consulted to bring people into resonance with the unseen world because the cause of disease, famine, and other misfortunes is considered to be an imbalance in relationship with the world of spirit.
In his Article at http://www.ladyoftheflame.co.uk, Robert Lohr gives a good description of shamans and their role in indigenous cultures;
"All over the world, there are literally thousands of documented cases of Shamans performing rituals and healing the sick, both the physically and mentally ill. Most shamans believe that they must have a close connection with nature because their guardian spirit usually is that of a plant or animal. Many say the guardian spirit takes the shaman to the other reality where they are given their needed knowledge and power through a "hole in the world." The shaman may also seek information to help their people and village. In various cultures, trances are induced by repetitive chanting, dancing and drumming. Some cultures also use natural psychedelic stimulants to actuate trances. The Shamans rely on alliances with spirits for their magic. They were believed to have the power to foresee the future, heal the sick and bring success to the hunting or fishing expedition. The Shaman was also thought to control the weather and affect what it does. Because of the close contact with spirits they were feared and lived away from the villages in the forests. The Shaman was responsible for traditional myths of death, rebirth, the connection between human and animals, and the connection between the natural and supernatural."
There are three basic "worlds," or levels of consciousness that the shaman explores in trance. These are virtually universal, though called by different names. They are:
The Lower World: A lower world journey will often involve moving through a known hole in the earth, such as a tree trunk, tree roots, a spring, a cave, a burrow, or some other kind of hole in the ground, and emerging into the lower world. This is the world most familiar to many of the shamanic practitioners working today. This world should be quite familiar before one attempts too much in the middle and upper worlds, although one who has done much personal work previously may be able to work easily in the other two worlds. The lower world is a place to meet and connect with power animals and other archetypal spirits who don't choose to incarnate in a physical body. It is the realm of the past and the unconscious, the oceanic realm, and the home of emotions, as well as the origin of healing earth energy.
The Middle World: The middle world includes the world of form, as well as a parallel world sometimes called the astral plane. The middle world contains the thought forms which create physical reality. A journey into the middle world will often involve seeking answers to questions about life in ordinary reality. This is the place one might journey to find a lost person or object, or to find a water or food source. It is associated with the future, and if one is looking for what the future may hold, this would be the place to go.
The Upper World: The upper world is the realm of ecstasy, the origin of rapture, the home of highly refined and purified energies. This is the home of Buddha, Christ, other ascended masters, angelic beings, and our higher self. It transcends time and space, and experiences of miraculous healing and enlightenment originate here. It can be accessed by climbing a tree, a rainbow, a mountain, or clouds.
Embarking on the shamanic journey could involve being in a shamanic bloodline, being chosen by elders because of certain qualities and eccentricities of personality which reveal an aptitude for shamanism, or by being chosen by the spirits, and willingly, or unwillingly, being called to the journey. In most cultures, the shamanic initiation is preceded by a near-death experience, often a seemingly fatal illness, but sometimes a traumatic accident, or even a dream of death. In Breaking Open The Head (2003), by Daniel Pinchbeck, the author describes the common content of visions and dreams shared by many Shamanic initiates:
"Traditionally, the evolution from ordinary human state to shaman is marked by a series of visions and dreams of the novice being killed, dismembered, eaten, regurgitated, and put back together by the spirits. His or her bones are replaced with quartz crystals, precious metals, or similar magical substances. For instance in Borneo, according to Eliade, the spirits of past shamans come to the initiate, they "cut his head open, take out his brains, wash and restore them... they plant barbed hooks on the tips of his fingers to enable him to seize the soul and hold it fast; and lastly they pierce his heart with an arrow to make him tender-hearted, and full of sympathy with the sick and suffering."
A great many tribal religious systems stem from the journeys and wisdom of shamans, and most religions can be seen, in their purest form, to have roots in shamanism. As well as being masters of multidimensionality, shamans are masters of energy processes, learning how to become clear channels, and connect with various flows of energy, directing these flows for the benefit of themselves and others.
In this course we will take a brief, introductory look at the history of shamanism, peek into some of the various cultures with shamanistic traditions, and explore the reemergence of shamanism as a modern spiritual/healing practice. We will also do several exercises to discover our own relationship to energies, including connecting with the earth as Pachamama, calling a power animal, speaking with plants to discover what they have to say, and connecting with an ancestral guide.
The Roots Of Shamanism
The roots of shamanism are the same as the roots of humanity itself, as humans have always had communications with alternate realities, even if only through dreams and visions. The development of the ability to journey to alternate realities at will, and communicate with spirit beings, is a most ancient practice. Many of the prophets of the world's great religions could be called shamans, as they received their revelations directly from spirit beings. Shamanism could be considered to be the oldest spiritual system or religion ever practiced. In The Way Of The Shaman (1980), Michael Harner tells us, "Shamanism represents the most widespread and ancient methodological system of mind-body healing known to humanity. Archaeological and methodological evidence suggests that Shamanic methods are at least twenty or thirty thousand years old." Evidence can be found of shamanistic practices as far back as the Neolithic period, and the esoteric forms of the world's great religions still echo these practices. In European traditions, this is seen in the Nature religions of the Celts, the Druids, and in the Great Goddess traditions. In Asia, the Tibetans, the Tuvas, the Mongols, and the Manchu peoples all practiced forms of shamanistic spirituality, and Tibetan Buddhism still maintains much of this flavor. In Hawaii, the Kahunas are masters of channeling energy, and though these sacred practices became highly secretive in order to be safely continued, the Kahunas are still a very vital part of Hawi'ian culture. In South America, the Ayahausqueros mediate between the worlds with the help of "Grandmother," the ancient spirit teacher embodied in the Ayahuasca plant. Similarly, in the deserts of Northern Mexico, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, indigenous people have been journeying with Peyote, "Grandfather," or simply "medicine," for untold generations. In Australia, the practices of "walkabout," and the entering of dreamtime are deeply powerful shamanic practices.
The roots of shamanism can be seen in early, nature based cultures all over the planet, just about anyplace where people still live close to nature. The reason for this has been debated, and some believe that these similarities can be traced back to the migrations of peoples, which spread these teachings. Others believe that these teachings are universal because they come from a source which is available to all beings who are open to this flow of information, and all on the planet who journey inward will eventually gain this knowledge and wisdom.
There is some confusion and dispute as to the use of the word shaman to describe the great variety of cultural traditions employing these methods. The word itself stems from the language of the Siberian Tungus tribe. Other terms which have been known to describe similar practices are "medicine man/woman," "witch/wizard," "conjurer," "brujo/bruja," "currandero/a," "geomancer," "alchemist," "magician," "nagual," "yogi/yogini," "sorcerer/ess." There are others as well, yet the word shaman has caught on as an all-encompassing term in the "new age," and gained popularity through the books and teachings of Mircea Eliade, Michael Harner, Carlos Castenada, Alberto Villoldo, Don Miguel Ruiz, Malidoma Some,' Kenneth Meadows, Lynn Andrews, and Angeles Arrien, among others. These various multicultural styles of healing and spiritual practice all have similar themes, threads of commonality, and we have come to call these cultural practices shamanism, as a broad term to describe this natural-law based original form of spirituality and healing. Not all of the traditional indigenous healing styles mentioned fit into this category, but if looked at closely, most do.
Some traditional peoples, including some culturally indigenous North American people, do not wish to have their practices labeled as shamanism. Despite the many similarities, some prefer to maintain an autonomous identity, particularly since their cultures have been "white washed" and assimilated to such a great degree by the dominant (European based) culture. These concerns are highly valid, yet for the purpose of this course, we will consider all practices which contain similar elements. Where there is another more culturally appropriate name for the practice or practitioner, it will be included.
The purpose of this course is to look at these universal practices, how they have benefited humanity, and their current applications. As humanity enters an age of enlightenment, and more and more people are becoming aware of alternate realities and spiritual truths, these ancient and timeless teachings and practices can greatly accelerate spiritual growth and realization of the underlying connectedness of all life.
Shamanic Cultural Practices:
Qero
Shamanism has been practiced widely throughout South America for many thousands of years. High in the Andean mountains of Peru, the Q'ero people are living as they have for untold generations. Many believe that they are the direct descendants of the Inca and that their spiritual practices originate with this ancient wisdom culture. They tend flocks of sheep at high elevations, and migrate down to lower elevations to grow corn and other foods. They spin and weave wool as their ancestors did, in the traditional Incan styles. Because of their isolated lifestyle, they have been able to preserve more of their original culture than other South American peoples, and the living spirit of ancient wisdom is still thriving there.
In Return Of The Children Of Light (2001) by Judith Bluestone Polich, the author discusses the Incan and Mayan cultures, their prophecies and world view. Here she tells us about the radical difference between the perceptions of western people as compared to the Q'ero;
"What we can learn from Andean mysticism is amazing. However, to grasp even the basics of their teachings we need to step outside the little box of limited perception that makes up what we call reality and learn to perceive our world—as they do—in terms of living energy fields. This involves learning to see the energy that exists behind all forms in the manner that Juan Nunez Del Prado instructs his students, not with our physical eyes, but with our spiritual or third eye. This avenue of perception is what the Indian people call gawag, an ability that leads to direct perception and interaction with the world of living energies."
This idea of seeing the energy behind form is central to shamanistic teachings. Quechua is the original language of the Inca, and it is the language the Q'ero speak. The Qechua speaking people call the energy universe "Kausay Pacha," (Pacha means cosmos or earth in Qechua) and, according to Polich, it is divided into three energetic worlds. Here we see the universal three tiered cosmology represented, the divisions fitting into the common themes of the upper, middle, and lower worlds of the shaman. For the Q'ero, the first world is called "ukhpacha," the interior, or underworld. This world exists within the earth as well as within the individual. It is considered the place of the heaviest energies. The second world is called the "kaypacha," and includes the ordinary world of form. Within the kaypacha is contained the "pachamama," Mother Earth as the Great Cosmic Mother. This world nourishes and maintains all physical life. The third world is called the "hanaqpacha," and is considered the higher realm of spiritually evolved beings and highly refined energies.
The Q'ero are commonly able to navigate these worlds, and experience a multidimensional reality. They can shift from one flow of consciousness to another, from linear time progression to the simultaneous flows of consciousness within other realms. Polich quotes an article from Magical Blend Magazine on the Q'ero Worldview, written by Joan Parsi Wilcox and discussing the teachings of Alberto Villoldo:
"...Culturally and certainly shamanically, they [the Q'ero people] tend not to make the Cartesian distinction between subject and object, between inner and outer, between the signified and the signifier, between the secular and the sacred. Thus they are able to slip the bounds of the causal and are able to literally step outside of linear, monochronic time into nonlinear polychronic time. They have not lost the sensory foundation of knowledge, and so they perceive synthesthetically—bridging the five senses, so that looking at a mountain they can feel its texture. They perceive totalities, which are by definition, nonlinear, rather than the fragmented, causal realities the West apprehends."
This ability to perceive totalities is a shamanic skill as well. It is intimately tied to the ability to see the energy behind form. On the energy level, the reality of interconnectedness is obvious, and the totalities of various energy systems are perceived clearly. The development of the abilities of perception and discernment, the ability to perceive outside the narrow perspective of consciousness that so limits Western perspective, is essential and central to the shamanic reality. Polich speaks to Westerners' limited perceptions, and the possibilities of breaking through these self-imposed barriers:
"To navigate in non-ordinary realities, we need to alter the concepts we have about ourselves and others. The conceptual framework we have been taught by our parents and our culture is based upon perception of ordinary reality. Not only are we taught to perceive primarily through our five senses, we are also taught to rely almost exclusively on our sense of sight. If we can't see it, we believe it does not exist. We are also stuck perceptually within the confines of linear time. But what if we could see the world energetically and multidimensionally? What if we to could step beyond linear time? To some extent, many of us already have had experiences that give us a glimpse of dimensions beyond ordinary perception experiences our rational mind has denied or minimized. Such experiences sometimes occur during meditation, through the discovery of gateways to a higher world; or through inspired writing, music, or artwork. On such occasions we experienced the central truths of existence, what the Q'ero and the Inca before them called the kausay pacha, the energy universe."
Polich discusses the ideas of Americo Yabar, as quoted in an interview by Hal Zina Bennett in Shamans Drum Magazine(1997), for ways that the teachings of the Q'ero can benefit the people of the world today by connecting with the great archetypal energies available to us.
"The message of the Q'ero is that people need to reconnect with the matrix of the cosmos—with the spirit of Pachamama, which is the Earth, with the spirit of the mountains, or apus, and the spirit of the stars. We know that the Andes is a source of tremendous spiritual light and that these filaments of light—or threads of energy—are part of a tapestry of spiritual awakening across the planet, the birthing of a new light on earth...there is already a network of a very strong spiritual energy happening on the planet now. But we need to meditate, to reflect on it. There are many kinds of meditation, but the form I am speaking of involves meditating on being in the lap of the Pachamama, the Mother Earth, the Cosmic Mother. This form starts with meditating on the simple but profound awareness that we are living on the lap of the Pachamama and we feed ourselves from her strength. Once you feel the Pachamama, you begin to have a very clear awareness of your place on the planet. This is why we work with the Pachamama, the Cosmic Mother, the mother of all mothers."
Because of the industrial world's blatant separation from, and disregard for, our origins and what sustains us, because we have chosen to enslave the Earth and the other beings upon the earth, instead of taking our place in the lap of our Mother, this meditation, and this awareness, are of utmost importance for humans to once again come into balance, and reap the benefits of the great wisdom, love, and abundance of Pachamama. This is the gift of the ancient Incan culture, passed on to us through the Q'ero, descendents of these wise ones, who have kept alive these truths by living them, and who, through these teachings, can help us find the pathway to our true nature.
Another Q'ero teaching Polich discusses is the concept of Ayni, which she describes as "reciprocity or exchange of energy." She tells us: "The goal of the practice is to walk in the perfect harmony (ayni) in all three levels of existence. The practice of ayni involves communicating and sending your love to another, whether it is the Earth, another person, a dog, or a tree. Although this is done without expectation, in the pure spirit of giving, each time you practice ayni, miraculously you do receive something back." She gives a description of ayni as quoted by Antonio Morales:
"The Sun is the Father and the Earth is the Mother and their parents are one—‘Illa Tici Viracocha'—neither male nor female, energy in its purest form...this is the basis of all Andean shamanism. It is the principle of reciprocity. You make ayni to the Pachamama, the Mother Earth, and she is pleased and returns your gift with fertility and abundance. You make ayni to the Sun, and he returns your gift with warmth and light. The Apus, the great mountain peaks, give you strength to endure your work; the heavens give you harmony. Make ayni to all people and they will honor you in return. It is a wonderful principle. They say that the Shaman lives in perfect ayni—the universe reciprocates every action, mirrors his intent back to him, as he is a mirror to others. That is why the Shaman lives in synchronicity with nature. The Shaman's world mirrors the shaman's will and intent and actions."
The concept of ayni is a highly valuable teaching for the Western mind. Combining meditating on Pachamama with practicing ayni, we can begin to understand this ancient legacy of wisdom of some of the first and greatest healers, teachers, and wise ones, the Andean Shamans.
Ayahuasqueros
Throughout Central and South America there can be found many villages in which the people partake of a special drink, commonly called Ayahuasca, but also known as Yage,' Caapi, Grandmother, El remidio, "the remedy" or simply "The Teacher." Evidence of this medicine's use goes back over 2,500 years, though the practice is likely much older. Ayahuasca is a Qechuan word, aya meaning spirit or ancestor, and huasca meaning vine, and so this magical plant is called vine of the souls. It is so named because those who drink it are said to have the ability to communicate with spirits, and many believe that the plant itself communicates and can teach many things, and reveal things which are hidden.
Ayahuasqueros are shamans who use the ayahuasca medicine to help others. The Shaman drinks the ayahuasca, and receives teachings and visions which help in the diagnosis of illness, as well as in obtaining information which helps the patient in other ways. The Aayahuasca is considered to help the Shaman connect with the plant teachers who give this information. Often these plant teachers teach power songs, or icaros, either during the ayahuasca session, or in dreams following the ingestion of the ayahuasca, and these icaros are later used by the shaman to access powers which aid in diagnosing illness and prescribing herbs for healing. These plant teachers are said to obtain their power from a "Spirit-Mother."
Charles Kidder, in his article, Vine Of The Souls, found at www.biopark.org/peru/kidder-vine.html, talks about what happens during a shamanic healing with ayahuasca: "When a person becomes sick, their energy pattern becomes distorted. Under the influence of ayahuasca, the shaman can see the distortion in the patient's energy pattern and attempt to restore a healthy pattern using suction, massage, medicinal plants, hydrotherapy, and restoration of the patient's soul. The similarities between these shamanic methods and techniques used in traditional Chinese chi-gong, or "energy directed" medicine, should be noted. Interestingly, a shaman usually chooses medicinal plants based on visible characteristics, like shape or color. For example, a plant which produces flowers shaped like an ear may be used to treat ear diseases. Part of the novice shaman's training involves scrutinizing nature to learn about the properties or ‘hidden virtues' within the surrounding plants and animals."
Ayahuasca acts as a powerful hallucinogen, and the native healers who use it say that it is in the altered state of consciousness caused by the drinking of the ayahuasca, that the plant teachers are able to communicate their wisdom. A fascinating aspect of the use of ayahuasca is that two or more plants with different chemical makeups are brought together to create the medicine. Any one of the plants alone do not provide the experience, and the different blends are used in different villages, depending on the knowledge and experience of the shaman. Martin A. Lee, in his article entitled "Shamanism versus Capitalism: The Politics of Ayahuasca," found at www.biopark.org/peru/vision-quest-metzner.html, describes the complexities of the chemical interactions involved: "Ayahuasca is unique in that its powerful psychopharmacological effect is dependent on a synergistic combination of active alkaloids from at least two plants—the Banisteriopsis caapi vine containing the crucial harmala alkaloids, along with the leafy plant psychotria viridis or some other hallucinogenic admixture that contains dimethyltryptamine (DMT) alkaloids. Most curious is the fact that when taken orally, DMT is metabolized and deactivated by a particular gastric enzyme. But certain chemicals in the yagé vine counter the action of this stomach enzyme, thereby allowing the DMT to circulate through the bloodstream and into the brain, where it triggers intense visions and supernatural experiences. Contemporary researchers marvel at what chemist J. C. Callaway describes as ‘one of the most sophisticated drug delivery systems in existence.' Just how the Amazon Indians managed to figure out this amazing bit of synergistic alchemy is one of the many mysteries of yagé."
Tuvan
In Southern Siberia, on the northern edge of Mongolia, is the remote country of Tuva. This country has the unique claim to fame of being the farthest from an ocean on the planet. This is a country of rugged mountains, alpine lakes and great rivers, high steppes, fierce deserts, and dense forestland. The people here are nomadic, tending herds of camels, goats, yaks, reindeer, and sheep. The ethnic heritage is Turkish with strong Mongolian influence, and this place is said to have been the center of the ancient Turkish civilization.
In the Tuvan culture, shamans have always played a vital role in the lives of the people. The people of Tuva hold the perception of the natural world as being alive with spiritual energies, and they strive to maintain a harmonious relationship with their environment. Here in this fluid and mystical world, all of the seen world is imbued with a stream of consciousness from the unseen world. Here spirit plays out great adventures and dramas, and the seen and the unseen are woven together in an unbroken fabric called the play of life. Spirits of ancestors, holy beings, and wily trickster spirits populate this living, breathing world. Central characters of significance are the nine sacred mountains, the nine sacred springs, and the nine sacred sky beings. Trees hold special significance, especially those that have more than one trunk growing from a central set of roots. One such tree is revered as a shaman's tree, as it has 12 trunks emerging from a single root system. These great nature beings are accorded generous respect by the people, are ritually fed, and offerings and prayer petitions are made to them. Trees are festooned with ribbons representing the prayers of the people, and these colorful ornaments attract the attention of the spirits. Everywhere are sacred places of power, often marked by piles of stones left as offerings to the spirits. Passing travelers continually add stones with their own prayers.
The shaman is the dancer between these worlds, the mediator between the people and spirit. ritual life is central to this keeping of the balance, and the shaman carries the knowledge and wisdom of how to conduct the ceremonies which allow life to continue in a harmonious way. There is an annual fire ceremony, as well as rituals to bless the land, and enhance fertility. Healing work includes extraction of harmful or non-resonant energies, exorcising unwanted spirits from a person or location, soul retrieval, and soul work around birth, death, and other life transitions.
Shamanism in Tuva is often, though not exclusively, hereditary, and a family lineage of shamans is common. Family members will watch for telltale signs of early awakenings, such as past life memories, vivid dream life, accurate predictions of the future, speaking different languages, spending a lot of time wandering alone in nature, communicating with animals, speaking spontaneous poetic verse, and other inherent mystical qualities. These are seen as initial contacts by spirits wishing to work with the person. The final sign preceding shamanic initiation is the "shaman's illness," the onset occurring early or later in life, and representing the invasion of the person by the spirit of a shaman. Common manifestations are dizziness, fainting, memory loss, convulsions, ringing in the ears, dramatic change in personality, fever, delirium, and excessive sleeping. When these symptoms show up, the local shaman is called in to diagnose and confirm that the person had indeed been inflicted with the shaman's illness. Though this is considered an honor, it is not always welcome. It represents a great responsibility to the people, and often a harrowing ordeal for the budding shaman, in the form of the shamanic initiation. Once the diagnosis is confirmed, if the person heeds the call of the spirits and begins the shaman's journey, with the guidance of the local shaman, the illness will most often quickly subside. If the call is ignored or rejected, the illness may intensify, and death may occur.
With the commencement of training, the initiate would require the tools of the trade. This includes; the customary tunic, decorated with long ribbons representing spirit helpers, as well as bells and other sacred metallic objects (aiding in the trance inducing sound effects of ritual and journey); as well as a feathered headdress to facilitate flight and spirit contact; and the all-important drum, or "shaman's horse," used to produce the trance inducing rhythm which facilitates the shamans "ride to the other side." The family would make these things for the initiate, and a public ritual would proclaim their sponsorship of him or her, during which the drum would be beaten to "wake up" the spirits and charge the drum with sacred power. The initiate would train under the local shaman, and, depending on the lineage, would either receive initiation from the elder shaman, or go through the initiation guided only by spirit helpers.
In addition to the above mentioned tools, the Tuvan shaman also commonly uses his voice as a tool. During ritual, the shaman often sings, chants, and recites epic verse, carrying the oral tradition of the culture in this way. Another unique form of vocal expression in Tuva is throat-singing, or "xoomei." The singer develops the ability to vocalize two distinct tracks with his/her voice, one primary one, and a secondary one which is high pitched and through which various distinct and separate sounds are produced. As can be imagined, this effect greatly enhances the trance inducing power of the shaman's voice, and also is considered to allow a direct link with the vibrational world of the unseen. Tuvans view all sound as expressions of spirit, especially sounds in nature, such as an echo, a bird's call, whistling wind, and thunder. These vibratory resonances are expressions of specific spirit energies, often sent as messages.
Another aspect of Tuvan culture is a great emphasis on the stars and astrology, with special importance given to the Bear constellation, the place of origin of the people in Tuvan mythology. The shaman's astrological chart is carefully examined early on in his/her life, and he/she is trained in star wisdom. He/she sets up horoscopes for people commonly in the beginning of the year, along with an annual house blessing and purification. If there is an imbalance in the horoscope between family members, the shaman will initiate a healing to bring balance and harmony. He/she also does readings for people, with the help of a set of 41 helper stones, collected from river power spots. These stones are imbued with spiritual power, and help the shaman to communicate with the spirits in the places the stones were collected. The shaman uses the stones in order to find information and answer questions to help a person or family. If he/she finds that the person receiving the reading is out of balance, or has a lack of power or life force, a ceremony will be done, and through drumming, chanting, and petitioning the spirit helpers, strength and healing are imparted to the patient. Beside the drum, a small silver mirror, a small silver axe, and the leg of an owl, among other tools of personal significance, may be used.
The Tuvan shaman is continuously in a state of awareness of all the blessings that are bestowed on the world of form by the unseen spirit beings. Many rituals are performed throughout the year to give thanks for the spirit of nature, and for the life-sustaining spirits in fire, water, mountains, and stars. In this culture, the Shaman plays a central role in the life of the people, even now, despite many years during which, when Tuva was under Soviet rule, Shamans were persecuted and even killed. Shamanism and Buddhism existed peacefully, side by side, for many years, and both Buddhist monks and Shamans suffered greatly under communist Russian rule. Now, once again, both Buddhism and Shamanism are peacefully coexisting, and the Tuvan people are once again benefiting from these teachings and practices.
Tibetan
"Only when you are in the flow of your dreaming can you experience real power."
—Tibetan Proverb
The root of the practice of shamanism by the people of Siberia, including the Tuvans, is most likely Asian shamanism. Tibetan shamanism predates Buddhism in Asia, and Buddhism has in fact absorbed, or lived side by side with, much of this older spiritual system, especially in Tibet. At one time, the Asian culture was continuous throughout Russia, China, India, Nepal, Tibet, and the Middle East, and shamanism was the major spiritual and healing practice throughout the entire region. Actually, to call shamanism a spiritual practice is misleading, for it is actually part of a greater worldview, or evolved way of life, for the people of this time and place, and includes esoteric forms of healing and spirituality.
According to Tibetan mythology, the first kings of Tibet were the sons of Gods. This is common in many indigenous mythologies all over the world. The first King of Tibet was said to descend on a ladder of rope from the sky. When a king died, he returned to source by the means of the "sky-cord," and the priests, or Mu (Masters of the Rope) were responsible for guiding the dead back to the abode of the spirits. The Bon Shamans of Tibet understood reality as consisting of a three tiered universe, connected by a ladder of rope. This is similar to the mythology and beliefs in root cultures all over the world, though quite often, it is a tree which connects the worlds, the roots being in the lower world, the trunk being in the middle world, and the branches, leaves and fruit being in the upper world. The Guruhg Shamans of Nepal travel down 9 levels, or ladders, to arrive in Kroh-nasa, or the underworld. They also traverse 9 ladders to reach the sky-world, or Mu. The middle, or human world is connected to the upper world by a tree located in a sacred grove, as well as by a rock dome called Oble, in the Gurung land of the dead.
The universal tree growing at the center of the universe, connecting the three levels of reality is common throughout Asian shamanism, and is seen as well in European shamanism. It is impossible, in studying these root spiritual systems, not to see the similarities, the commonalities consistent throughout human consciousness creation. One has to wonder what the reason for this is, whether we all come from common ancestors who developed these complex spiritual systems, or whether we have a common teacher whose origins are not of this earth, but who has visited all the cultures of the planet, or is it that there are other levels of reality which people, such as the shamans, have been visiting for thousands of years, and that, as stated earlier in the course, all those who journey in these realms share this knowledge, and have spread it over the earth? It is interesting to ponder these questions. As for the people of the remote country of Tibet, they developed a very complex spiritual system, based on an ancient worldview at the center of which were many spirits, most notably, as with the Tuvans,' spirits of the landscape, especially mountains (like the Q'ero Apus) lakes, rivers, trees, and stones, as well as animals, plants, and insects. In addition to these earth based spirits were the spirits of the dead, many who still are attached to the earth plane.
A very important responsibility of the Bon shamans of Tibet is to escort the dead through the astral worlds to return safely to the upper worlds. The Tibetan Book of the Dead describes the journey in which the Tibetan lama leads the dying soul through the bardo worlds to the clear light, or higher world, the source of life. This Tibetan Buddhist practice strongly parallels that of shamanic practices of escorting the dead on their final journey. The bardo worlds, comparable to the astral worlds in European traditions, are filled with lost souls, ones who had no one to show them the way, and became lost in illusion, or who were carrying great pain or other negative energies at the time of death, which kept them from finding their way home. Common to all shamanic cultures is the work of helping these lost souls to find their way, as they often attach to living people, causing disease and other unwanted manifestations.
The Tibetan Buddhist tradition carries many of the active ritual responsibilities of the Bon Shamans, and has absorbed many of the older symbols and traditions as it's own, such as the Buddhist Saint Padmasambhava, who flies through the air on his tiger, and dances a mystic dance on the roof of his house, clad in seven ornaments of bone. As well, the cloud spirit language of the Dakinis of Tantric Buddhism is much like the secret spirit language of shamanism. There is, as well, a Tibetan Mystery play which involves the ritual destruction of a clay figure, looking much like the Bon exorcism, in which an offensive entity is trapped in a dough effigy, and ritually destroyed or buried. In Tantric Buddhism, perfected by the Tibetans as the "Diamond Vehicle," a direct route to ascension, there are strong parallels, again, with the shamanistic worlview, as we can see in looking at the chakra system. The central rope or tree is the spine, with the chakras, the levels or worlds to be traveled, and the kundalini awakening and movement upward representative of the shamanic journey. Here we can see the connections with the Jewish Qabalah as well, the tree of life with its spheres, or realms to be traversed by the initiate.
Hawaii
Hawai'ian spirituality has its roots in ancient Polynesia. The ancestors of the people of Hawai'i were Polynesian explorers, considered to be the greatest explorers and navigators of the ancient world. They came to the Hawai'ian islands some 2000 years ago by boat, guided by Makani, the life-giving spirit of the air, in what we call the trade winds. Wind is the source of life in Polynesian spirituality, associated with the breath, also called Ha, and bringing the god Lono, the god of fertility and healing, as well as the spirit of aloha, the foundation of Hawai'ian culture. Aloha means "with breath," and is commonly translated as "love."
Kahuna is a Hawai'ian term used to indicate a person who is a master of their craft, usually someone who embodies knowledge of the old ways, whether it be canoe building, playing music, hula dancing, healing, soul work, or any other valued skill passed down through generations. Some of the kahuna who are masters in the art of healing are shaman, who work with mana, or life force energy, and who use chant, music and dance to reach altered states of consciousness in order to travel between the worlds, retrieving souls, helping spirits cross over, and doing healing work. The chanting, dancing, and drumming, which is central to Hawai'ian spirituality, is an expression of the intention and desire to blend energy with, and express oneness with, the natural world, the wind, the rhythm of the ocean waves, Pele's voice in the rumbling volcano, and the sounds of birds and other animals. Through this practice, the Kahuna can connect with the underlying energies of the islands, the spiritual energies, and from these sources, draw mana to help others.
Some of the concepts central to Hawai'ian spirituality are:
Aloha: The true root meaning of this word is very similar to "Namaste," a Sanskrit word translated as I bow before the god within you. Alo means "in the presence of," and ha means "breath of life," so an aloha greeting acknowledges the presence of the creator within both people, and the oneness and love that exists within and between them.
Ohana: This word refers to family, as in extended family, mother, father, children, brothers and sisters, cousins, aunts and uncles, grandparents and all ancestors, as well as all things in creation, on earth, in the sea, and in the sky.
Amakua: The source, or origin spirit. Each family began as an Amakua, the original spirit of the family line. The Amakua is ritually fed and nurtured by the family, and prayed to daily. The Amakua connection is considered vital to the health and well-being of the family. The Amakua is present at birth and death, and guides the soul through these transitions. Every family has an Amakua spirit, which connects all family members as one.
I'AO: Infinite Light, the Eternal Creator. The original parent of Hawai'ian gods and goddesses.
Mana: Subtle life force energy emanating from all things in creation, same as chi, or prana. Kahuna healers store and direct mana to establish balance and help others.
Pono: Balance and harmony, alignment with source. Right actions, right thoughts, and right words maintain pono. When all things maintain proper interaction, balance and harmony are realized through the free flow of mana.
Serge Kahili is a Hawaiian healer who practices Huna, a modern healing system based on ancient Hawaiian spirituality. Huna means hidden, and refers to esoteric, highly protected Hawaiian practices of spirituality and healing. Kahili is the founder of Aloha International, a group dedicated to teaching these powerful practices, and sharing the highly effective methods of healing and good living, in pono, and with the aloha spirit.
According to Serge Kahili, http://www.alohainternational.org, there are seven basic principles or assumptions of Huna, and they are:
- The World Is What You Think It Is
- There are no limits.
- Energy Flows Where Attention Goes
- Now Is The Moment Of Power
- To Love Is To Be Happy With
- All Power Comes From Within
- Effectiveness Is The Measure Of Truth
Kahili also describes the four aspects of the self, essentially archetypes, that effect human behavior and experience, and through which healing and balance can be maintained. They are described below, along with their functions.
- The High Self (Kane, Aumakua), inspires.
- The Conscious Self (Lono) imagines.
- The Subconscious Self (Ku) remembers.
- The Core Self (Kanaloa) wills.
These can be seen to correspond with the lower, middle, and upper worlds so widespread in shamanism, and adds an inner world as well.
He goes on to describe how the Huna practitioner learns to navigate these different selves, in order to align and balance them. He also describes four different dimensions or levels of reality which are mastered by the Huna practitioner in order to effectively help others. These are:
- Everything is objective (Scientific reality).
- Everything is subjective (Psychic reality).
- Everything is symbolic (Shamanic reality).
- Everything is holistic (Mystical reality).
The ability to switch views between these four levels allows the Huna practitioner to integrate all experiences, and be flexible and fluid in all realms, with all beings. In this way the shaman is like a bridge between the worlds, and can relate to all viewpoints, maximizing the ability to help others.
Kahili describes a powerful technique of working with mana to maintain pono, and live joyfully, with the Aloha spirit. This technique is one that is inherent in many indigenous cultures, and here is presented in simple, direct, Western terms. From www.alohainternational.org: "The way to tune into this Power [mana] and have it work for you is so simple that you might be tempted to pass it off as being too easy to be true. Please don't let yourself be fooled by appearances. Take the time to try it out. This is the most powerful technique in the world, and although it is extremely simple it may not prove easy, because you must remember to do it and you have to do it a lot. It is a secret which has been given to humanity over and over again, and here it is once more in another form. The secret is this: Bless everyone and everything that represents what you want!"
Now that is a very simple idea, yet revolutionary and infinitely powerful. It directly corresponds to the idea that Energy flows where attention goes. Kahili goes on to describe this process, defining the process of blessing as; "To bless something means to give recognition or emphasis to a positive quality, characteristic or condition, with the intent that what is recognized or emphasized will increase, endure or come into being." He describes three reasons why this is highly effective. 1. Positive focus of the mind generates positive creative force from the universe 2. When your energy moves outward you become open to more power flowing through you 3. When you bless for the benefit of others you tend to bypass subconscious fears about what you want, yet the act of blessing and energizing for the benefit of another automatically increases the same good in your life, for you are affirming the energy of this good thing, which effectively increases it, because Energy flows where attention goes (repeated intentionally in order to emphasize the importance of this statement). He gives a list of things to acknowledge and bless in order to bring all the things you want into your life:
Health: Bless healthy people, animals, and even plants; everything which is well made or well constructed; and everything that expresses abundant energy.
Happiness: Bless all that is good, or the good that is in all people and all things; all the signs of happiness that you see, hear or feel in people or animals; and all potentials for happiness that you notice around you.
Prosperity: Bless all the signs of prosperity in your environment, including everything that money helped to make or do; all the money that you have in any form; and all the money that circulates in the world.
Success: Bless all signs of achievement and completion (such as buildings, bridges, and sports events); all arrivals at destinations (of ships, planes, trains, cars and people); all signs of forward movement or persistence; and all signs of enjoyment or fun.
Confidence: Bless all signs of confidence in people and animals; all signs of strength in people, animals and objects (including steel and concrete); all signs of stability (like mountains and tall trees); and all signs of purposeful power (including big machines, power lines).
Love and Friendship: Bless all signs of caring and nurturing, compassion and support; all harmonious relationships in nature and architecture; everything that is connected to or gently touching something else; all signs of cooperation, as in games or work; and all signs of laughter and fun.
Inner Peace: Bless all signs of quietness, calmness, tranquility, and serenity (such as quiet water or still air); all distant views (horizons, stars, the moon); all signs of beauty of sight, sound or touch; clear colors and shapes; the details of natural or human-made objects.
Spiritual Growth: Bless all signs of growth, development and change in Nature; the transitions of dawn and twilight; the movement of sun, moon, planets and stars; the flight of birds in the sky; and the movement of wind and sea. Living with this kind of awareness, with this attitude of blessing and gratitude, corresponds to the Mayan concept of Ayni, as discussed earlier, meaning reciprocity or exchange of energy. These ideas are presented here in a modern format, yet they are based on ancient Hawai'ian spirituality, bringing us this timeless wisdom in a fresh way. The Aloha spirit is a laid-back approach to life, one that is in harmony with the rhythms of nature, and in sync with all of life, and we can learn much from these ways.
African
"You always carry within yourself the very thing that you need for the fulfillment of your life purpose."
—Malidoma Some
The Dagara, a tribe indigenous to Burkina Fosa in West Africa, believe that every child is born with a life purpose. In the village, that purpose is revealed by the elders before the child is born through a process of divination. The community then supports each person throughout life in order to keep that person on a clear path, aligned with his or her purpose.
People in many other parts of the world are fortunate enough to have the opportunity to receive the wisdom of the Dagara people through the teachings of Malidoma Some', who lives in his village part of the year but travels much of the time, bringing these teachings to share with the world, writing books, lecturing and creating global community. Malidoma has several degrees from universities in France, and has written several books, including Healing Wisdom Of Africa, Of Water And Spirit, and Ritual: Power, Healing, And Community (1998). He is also an initiated tribal elder and shaman, whose life purpose was divined to be that of sharing the well preserved Dagara wisdom with the world. The elders predicted, "The village will be reborn in the heart and soul of the culture that is destroying the village." And Malidoma was preordained as the bridge between the different cultures. He has a vision of a new global tribe, of people all over the planet awakening to what indigenous peoples have never forgotten: "community" includes all beings, plants and trees, earth and stones, rivers and oceans, stars and planets, animals and birds, and the unseen ones as well, the ancestors.
In his teachings, Malidoma speaks eloquently about community, and what it really means to be connected deeply and intimately to your environment and the beings around you. He also communicates about the desire for home, and what this means at a deep level. He compares our hunger for land and resources in the west with our great desire for home, and our unguided, unconscious expression of this longing. A major part of his teaching is the importance of ritual in community and personal life. He teaches the language and flow of ritual, as well as the underlying purpose and energy of ritual. He tells us that there are basically two kinds of ritual, and he calls them "radical ritual," and "maintenance ritual." Radical ritual is enacted for life passages, including birth, death, illness, grief, depression, or other major times of change. Maintenance ritual is often more private, and reinforces direction, life purpose, and the changes implemented through radical ritual.
At http://www.malidoma.com/Malidoma/ritual.html, there is an excerpt from a workshop given by Malidoma and Sobonfu Some', in which they describe the difference between radical and maintenance ritual: "A radical ritual is a ritual that has something in it that is extremely demanding emotionally, physically, and you name it. The purpose of a radical ritual is to replace one state of the self with another state. For instance, a person who is suffering from a major emotional problem or disorder requires a radical ritual. How you can give a radical ritual is to put that person into a massive emotional experience. What that does is momentarily disconnect the person from the problem he or she has. The issue is to take that moment, to fill that space that is left because of the disconnection between the person and the problem and fill that space with something else. That way when that problem returns to the familiar place it will find it occupied, and so it is going to have to fight. After a radical ritual I have heard people saying things like, ‘I notice something new is happening to me. My life has changed. I don't know what is going on, but something is new.' Yes, of course! That's what radical ritual does. It is for a person who is in need of reconciliation with a big issue such as "can't enter into a relationship. It's a pain in the neck; it's scary. First of all, that person needs to be confronted with the reconciling element, like water, in a radical way. What is radical water, for instance?"
"Sobbing is a result of radical water. If you dump that person into very cold water... Like in the snow. Lay her down in snow and cover her up with snow for two days or something. Or at least a few hours. Whatever is going to come out of there will feel really weird. At that time, if there is a whole circle of people to hold that person and then lift that person out, sing lullabies, tell that person that she or he is the best in the whole world...
"A maintenance ritual is where you make sure that whatever you have, for instance a car, is subject to the three months or 3,000 miles regular revision change of oil, filters and so forth. You recognize the fact that something is going on in you, and with water you just cleanse yourself again. It is not the same as radical cold water. It's maintenance water or regular water. Splash yourself with it or something like that. That will do. These two rituals are different but related in a way. They are related because maintenance rituals are a derivative of radical rituals. They are appropriate only after a radical ritual has happened. Maintenance rituals can be done individually as opposed to a radical ritual that is done in community. More often than not, a community that gets together should be mostly concerned with radical ritual."
The power and importance of ritual is central to the teachings of Malidoma, and he tries to communicate how ritual weaves the people of his village together, and how there is no distinction between everyday life and spirituality. All activities are approached with intention and care. The ancestors are always considered, as are all life forms. He emphasizes that most of the time, the people are engaged in some phase of ritual, and this is why this culture is so resilient. Here is another excerpt from his workshop on ritual, found at http://www.malidoma.com/Malidoma/ritual.html: "In tribal communities and in villages, what supports life is not the economy. It is not the mass production or lack thereof. It is basically rituals. How can rituals support a community? That's a big question. To comprehend it you have to get out of the economic thinking that is common to capitalistic cultures. Ritual can support a community because it nourishes a part of the self that is very important for the nourishment of the physical body. There is something in us that if it is not nourished; no matter what you eat you are not going to be full. What you need in order for your body to be feeling full even with the lightest meal or the smallest dish is something that you can find in ritual. If it is well done, whatever you eat thereafter is only a completion of the nourishment cycle. This is one of the reasons why 70% of village time is spent either preparing for or doing or recovering from ritual. This large amount of time says something quite interesting. It has something to do with the fact that maybe they are placing a very large importance on feeding the soul as a condition to feeding the body. This is also why they can survive in the middle of tremendous, serious scarcity. In a context in which you have no supermarket and no grocery stores, and you have to wait every five days for a market day to occur so that you can buy something (if you do have some coins in your pocket), how do you conceive of filling up your refrigerator which you don't have over there because there is no electricity, no running water, no nothing? What happens is that the whole idea of nourishment is conceived totally differently. There is a certain meal that the body and the soul can share together which is not available in supermarkets or grocery stores or department stores or catalogs or in anybody's house. I have come to notice that it feels to me that maybe the consumer society has replaced soul nourishment with the spread of chains [franchises] or supermarkets. It feels to me that any person who is interested in matters that have spiritual content to it should therefore reconsider seriously the whole business of ritual."
Malidoma teaches that when people are born into the village, they are considered to be a fire person, a water person, an earth person, a mineral person, or a nature person. The year of birth (specifically the last digit) indicates the predisposition toward one of the types, and which type you are tells how you how will relate to and contribute to the community, and helps indicate what your purpose might be. This is part of the teaching from the Dagara wheel, which contains all these elements. The different types of people are described as follows;
"The formation of any village, at least that we know of, is always based on some kind of cosmology, cosmologies that help people find out where they came from and where they're going. This is all based on the quest for people's identity, because without it it's very hard to live a life that is focused and motivated. What you have here is a Dagara model of building identity, or building community and creating a viable relationship with the spirit world.
"That's why people in the tribes or in villages are divided into these five different categories, which are based on the understanding that the universe is made of five essential elements. Those elements are intertwined in such a way that it makes it possible for people like us to live in it. Our daily challenges are based on how we dance with these elements. Pain is the result of ignoring one or several of them, and the feeling of groundedness and focus is more connected to a balancing or a proximity to balancing these elements all together. But the most important thing in it is the possibilities or the availabilities in this so-called Wheel of giving us some very substantial knowledge about ourselves. When you know who you are, you know how to dance, and then everything else perhaps becomes not as threatening as it looks. We are finding out what your essence is, the kind of place from which you are contributing to this world. Then you need the other four elements in order to help you do that. That is also important to know. These elements in their order start with Fire, and then go as Water, and then move on to Earth, then to Mineral, and then Nature."
Fire: Fire is associated with spirit, and fire people are often the ones who connect the community with the ancestors. Fire is the primal energy, associated with the emotional self, the intuitive self, the dream self. Fire people are the dreamers and channelers of ancestral wisdom for the community. Fire people are born in years ending with 2 or 7. For instance, if you were born in 1962 or 1967, you are a fire person.
Water: Water is associated with equality, and with enhancing connection and flow between people. Water people are the peacemakers, cooling the fires of conflict. Water is about soul, and reflections of truth. Water people can show others what their truth is, can help guide them toward their purpose. Water people are born in years ending with 1 or 6.
Earth: Earth is nurturance, sustenance. It is the womb, the ground, the anchor. It is the feminine spirit incarnate. Earth people take care of everyone, and create sacred space, protecting the community. They are often strong personalities, who are practical, dependable, and unconditionally loving. These ones are the "salt of the earth." Earth people are born in years ending with 0 or 5.
Mineral: Mineral is truth, and communicating truth. It is translating and connecting, in order to build and create reality. Mineral people are the communicators, with powerful cellular memories. They are the storytellers, the oral historians, the ones who pass on wisdom to the people through story. Mineral people are born in years ending with 4 or 9.
Nature: Nature is magic and transformation. It is inevitable change. It is about birth, growth, life, and death. It is cycles, seasons, and mystery. It is the creation of life from the void. It is the trickster, the coyote, the unpredictable. Nature people are the magicians, the witches and wizards. Nature people are born in years ending with 3 or 8.
In his village, there would be opportunities for people of each group to get together, work together, and share ideas. They would be a clan. Each clan focuses on their area of expertise, and this helps to create a very strong community structure. Within this structure, people feel secure to express themselves. Everyone has their place, and everyone knows who to go to if they need some specific help. Children come in knowing who they are, and they feel very relaxed and comfortable. Although someone may be a certain type of person, this does not mean that the other elements are not important in their life. The other elements help to bring balance and harmony to the life of the person. A fire person might choose to live close to the water, or to marry a water person, to balance the fire energy. Whatever your type, it is good to think of ways to use the other elements to compliment your life. Ritual is a great tool for balancing all these aspects personally, and in community.
The teachings of Malidoma Some' are very hard to contain in this small section of the course. They are so profound and practical at the same time. It is also very hard to paraphrase his words and teachings, for they are so unique. His work is highly recommended for further study. I am sure the ancestors would agree.
Australian Aborigine
The Australian Aborigines are well-known for their shamanistic practices, but no one knows anything about them. White people have not been able to record their practices because whites have not been able to witness such things unless they have become part of the tribe and have been sworn to secrecy. In Aborigine tribes, outsiders don't even have a name until it is given to them. One thing that is known about Aborigine belief systems is that they believe that life is a dream of the soul, and that it is all illusion. They know they are dreaming themselves as humans. Other than this, there is no other information on their practices. There are no books, minimal internet resources, and for the most part, they have kept their practices a secret. However, they should be mentioned in any course on shamanism, for they are, perhaps, the only people who are still somewhat untouched by the civilized world and are happy to remain so. Their shamanistic practices are quite pure and unadulterated, even to this day!
Shamanism Today
"Once the spirit awakens us we have less and less power of choice,but to transform.
The fruit is getting ripe and it will struggle to becomewhat it is meant to be.
We are to love, serve and be a stabilizing light wherever we find ourselves.
Those who know, know.
To seek and ye shall find is a timeless message."
—Carol E. Parrish
Recently, the practice of Shamanism has gained power and prestige, and many people are drawn to train for and practice this ancient art. Traditionally, a shaman would receive powers through bloodlines, or be chosen by spirit entities, often unwillingly. Today, many people train to be shamanic practitioners, yet some believe that traditional shamans are much more powerful than one who chooses to pursue the path. Some might make the distinction between a shaman, who would be a master of shamanic flight, journeying, and other shamanic practices, and who would probably have had fairly extensive training by an elder or elders of their tradition, versus a shamanic practitioner, one who practices shamanic journeying, as well as other shamanic practices, but who has not reached a high degree of mastery or done an extensive apprenticeship with a master shaman. At www.shamanlinks.net, this issue is addressed;
"Some have wondered if the experience of shamanic ecstasy or flight makes a person a shaman. Generally speaking, most would say no. A shaman is more than someone with an experience. First, he or she is a trained initiate. Usually years of enculturalization and training under a mentor precede becoming a functioning shaman. Second, a shaman is not just an initiate who has received inner and outer training, but is a master of shamanic journeying and techniques (shamanic ecstasy). This is not a casual acquaintance with such abilities; there is some degree of mastery of them. Finally, a shaman is a link or bridge between this world and the next. This is a sacred trust and a service to the community. Sometimes a community that a shaman serves in is rather small. In other instances it may be an entire nation. A lot of that depends on social and cultural factors."
In this place and time, the ways that many indigenous people relate to life and the planet, these often sparse but strong threads of wisdom which are still available to the people of this age, are becoming increasingly important to restore balance, health and well-being to the people of the earth. The reemergence of shamanism as a cultural practice is blossoming, and many people are realizing that it will be the shamans who lead humanity back to equilibrium with nature and the planet, as well as with the world of spirit.
At http://www.folklore.ee/folklore/w/z, in an article entitled Shamanism In A Postmodern Age, Mihaly Hoppal writes about the cultural/technological revolution of the last 150 years, and the impact on life on the planet;
"The concept of modern has been one of the most frequently repeated keywords of the 20th century and consequently had almost magical power. It was imbued with positive content, in part because it was associated with development—mainly technical development—and in part because it meant rejection of the tradition of earlier periods: the repudiation, denial and destruction of tradition of all kinds. The 20th century has often been called the age of revolutions and revolutionary change. But this label hid what was one of the very characteristic features of the process: modernity was always accompanied by destruction. In most cases, transformation meant the destruction of the earlier structures. Parallel with the technical development, the social structures changed, especially in those cases where the transformation was urged or even directed by political and ideological forces. It was perhaps folk culture that was most strongly affected by these changes. In the eyes of the militants of modernity, cultural traditions were the most hated enemy."
When Malidoma Some talks about a longing for home, he is referring to these ways of life that were banished in the name of "progress." The new tribal order that he sees as awakening consists of people all over the planet who are realizing that they can cycle back around, bringing the time-tested natural ways back into conscious reality on this planet. People from many places, though isolated by the limitations of modern culture, are awakening to their deeper nature, despite the fact that they don't have the support and guidance from their culture to embark on this powerful journey of consciousness. People are learning to connect and journey with spirits through new pathways, as well as through pathways which have been preserved by indigenous cultures, and even by people who are outside these cultures, but have studied them. The ancestors don't discriminate; they will work with and assist whoever can find the pathway to connect with them.
Part of the vital importance of ritual and structure as a support for shamanic awakening, especially within the context of community, is to provide the safety and stability of a predictable environment in which to experience great movement, change, and otherwordly processes. This way, madness and other forms of traumatic response to these experiences are minimized. Indigenous cultures often had (or have) ingenious systems of ritual and process which facilitated the communities ability to live comfortably between the worlds. So the great challenge for the many people who are spontaneously awakening, and connecting with spirit beings or journeying to other realms, is to be able to stabilize and anchor these energies in their everyday experiences, and to be able to integrate in order to be of service to others. In some ways it is much more difficult to become a shaman in these times than it once was, despite the ordeals the initiates once endured. The separation from community and indwelling spiritual knowing is a great ordeal in itself. This is why Malidoma's focus on teaching community building and weaving connections through ritual are immensely valuable.
That said, there is a great emergence of shamanic awakening happening all over the planet. The basic ritual structures in place in indigenous cultures which guided and defined shamanistic practices are not readily available to all who are experiencing this process. New pathways are being created, new processes are being accessed, to support the more culturally isolated nature of these experiences. Yet the value of the indigenous knowledge is immense, and the coming together of shamans and lightworkers from all realms would be of greatest value to all beings. The time for sharing of knowledge is here and now, and fear of exploitation should not stop the sharing and community building.
There are many who are teaching about shamanism on a large scale, and exposing people to these experiences, facilitating for many the process of awakening. One of the most prominent is Michael Harner, author of "The Way Of The Shaman" (Harper And Row, 1980), and founder of The Institute For Shamanic Studies. Michael coined the term "Core Shamanism," which describes the practices common to all shamanic cultures, which can easily be removed from cultural context and utilized as techniques for shamans today. Michael teaches workshops on shamanism all over the world, and is highly sought after as a teacher and lecturer. Then there is the already covered Malidoma Some, who, through his organization "Echoes Of The Ancestors," teaches and lectures and gives workshops and training on Dagara wisdom, and gives much of the profits back to his village of Dano, providing clean drinking water among other means of support to his community. Another well known teacher is don Miguel Ruiz, author of "The Four Agreements," and teacher of Toltec wisdom, founder of The Sixth Sun Foundation Center For Toltec Wisdom. There are others as well, and for those interested in further study, a list of resources is included.
In conclusion, the ability to access alternate states of consciousness, and to journey to other realities, as well as the ability to connect with unseen beings, is reemerging as people begin to awaken to deeper realities than those which are currently acknowledged by "modern" culture. Creating community and offering support to this process is key to our successful future as a species. To shamans everywhere, we welcome your awakening!
"We know ourselves to be made from this earth
We know this earth to be made from our bodies
For we see ourselves. And we are nature.
We are nature seeing nature. We are nature with aconcept of nature. Nature weeping.
Nature speaking of nature to nature."
—Susan Griffin, Woman And Nature
Exercises
The following exercises are examples of typical shamanic journeys. Traveling into the earth, into the sky, or into the nature kingdoms is common in shamanic practices, since tribal societies live so close to the Earth as opposed to those in Western types of societies. If you were to lead others on these journeys around a fire, in a sweat lodge or in a one on one personal consultation, you could use these journeys as ideas. Write some of your own too. Your imagination is limitless and you could come up with dozens of these types of journeys for different purposes.
The following are some notes about shamanic drumming from Christine Breese, D.D., Ph.D.
There are shamanic drumming CDs, and if you would like to experience some of the journeys listed below, either have a friend drum for you or use a CD you like with drumming. Read the scripts below onto a tape recorder so you can listen to it, and use it with the drumming sounds.
If you lead others on shamanic journeys, you would need to have a drum and a rattle, and perhaps a few other percussion instruments to add flair. Traditionally only a drum or a rattle is used, but there is no rule that says you can't use more. The rhythm is what is important. The rhythm is meant to carry the listener, something that the soul can ride on as it travels. Sometimes the sound of the drum would become faint and distant while the soul has experiences, but if it were missing, it would be as if the "engine" stalled or the air that the person was flying on suddenly let them fall. Of course, if the journey is in a profound moment and there isn't the sense of "traveling," silence is alright.
Some tips on drumming:
When you first start drumming, a good fast pace might be in order for the first 5 minutes, encouraging the listener to listen only to the rhythm and nothing else, focusing the mind on the drumbeat. After the person or group has become settled, the drum beat would slow down a little and the journey deepens. Then it gets slower and slower and the journey deepens, until sometimes the drum beat is only there once in a while. This is the place where a hushed rattle might be included, or a rain-stick, perhaps even a soft high pitched bell or a gong. There might be silence as the journey is in its deepest, most profound moment, after the traveling has happened and the destination has been reached. Once the experience is over and the journey back is to begin, the drum begins again and gradually faster and faster, not racing, just back to a steady beat, until the person or group has returned from the journey.
Exercise 1: Contacting Your Power Animal
Get comfortable, and do some deep breathing to clear your mind and center yourself. Listen to the drum, and allow the rhythm to penetrate your body and mind. Feel how the drum beat resonates with the very center of your being, transporting you into a deep state of relaxed consciousness. Just take some time with this, allowing yourself to go deep.
Find yourself walking along a path. Your surroundings are your favorite place in nature, either someplace you have been before, or someplace that you are drawn to. It is peaceful here, and you feel very relaxed. Just walk for a bit, noticing your surroundings. What is this place? What are the sights, the sounds, the smells? Immerse yourself in this sacred place. Take some time with this.
After awhile, the path opens up on a clearing of some sort. Again, just notice the details.
In the center of the clearing, you notice a small pile of stones. Pick them up, one at a time. Notice their colors and textures. Place one in each of the four directions, intuiting which one goes where. As you place each directional stone, give thanks for your life, and for the energies in that direction which sustain you. Ask for the protection of the energies of that direction. Now, with your intention, state out loud, "All energies and forms that enter this space enter it for the highest good of myself and all beings." After you have done this, go around to three of the four quarters of the circle, and place 4 more stones, creating a ring around you, all the while, carrying the intention and energy of your statement. Leave a doorway in one direction, which ever one feels appropriate to you.
Now, sit in the middle of your circle, and close your eyes. Call on your own inner strength and wisdom to give you courage and fortitude as you make this journey. You will sit here in silence until twilight. You must call on all your strength to keep from looking around you. Just be still and face any fears that come up. You are preparing yourself to call on your power animal, to guide you in future journeys, and to give you strength and help you to connect with your own wild, natural self. State this intention in your own words at this time. Now you will sit and wait.
After some time, you begin to hear a noise, something is approaching you. Without opening your eyes, see if you can identify it. Listen carefully. It is coming closer. Breathe deeply, and allow yourself to trust in the protection of the sacred space you have created for yourself.
You feel the touch of this other presence, a light, inquiring touch. You open your eyes, and find yourself looking into the eyes of your power animal. Pay very close attention now. The meeting may be long, and it may be brief. This can tell you a lot about this creature's nature. Pay attention to any sounds, movements, actions, or communications that you notice. This is a very personal experience. Take some time. Your animal guide may have communication for you in words, or possibly just in actions or expression. Just allow it to be what it is, and try to get a feeling about what is being shown to you.
After awhile, it will be time for you to find out what you have to offer this creature in return for its guidance. Sit with this for a bit, and it may come to you. You can also ask the animal, and see what response you get. When you have discerned what this is, you will enter into a pact with this creature, promising what you have to give, in return for this one becoming your faithful guide and mentor, your liaison with the natural world. Again, this is very personal. Pay close attention to all that occurs.
When the meeting seems finished, thank your animal guide, and ask if it chooses to reveal its name to you. If not, this is okay, it might another time. Go to your circle, and place the stones back in a pile, giving thanks for all the help you received and blessing the stones as you place them. Now it is time to walk back down the path, slowly returning to normal consciousness.
Exercise 2: Pachamama's Dream
Now, get in a comfortable position, standing, sitting or lying down. Take some deep, slow, clear breaths, and become aware of your body. Just notice how it feels. As you listen to the rhythmic sounds of the drum, allow this vibration to open your consciousness. Feel how the drum resonates with a very deep place within you...
Now, as if you were a tree...
Notice your roots, deeply connected in the earth, your toes, your feet, your legs, your knees, your thighs.
Notice your trunk, your reproductive triangle, your belly, your center, your creative fire, feeling the sap flow through you.
Notice your heart, your chest, where your spirit resides, your deva-center.
Notice your branches, your arms, reaching, giving, receiving.
Notice your crown, your head, reaching up toward the sky, receiving the sun-spirit.
Now just sit with this awareness for a few moments. Just breathe in this consciousness of your physical self, your tree-self.
Now become aware of Mother Earth. Notice all her parts, from the atmosphere, with it's clouds, rain, thunder, wind, and spherical, cyclic form, to all the life forms on her surface, the mountains, the volcanoes, streams, rivers, lakes, and oceans. Notice the plants, the trees, the four-legged creatures, the crawling ones, the bugs and worms, the fish and whales and dolphins, the winged ones, and the two-leggeds, relative to the trees. Notice the soil, the rock, the caves and crystal layers, the underground springs, lakes, and rivers. Notice all this diverse life, coexisting harmoniously. Just breathe in this awareness for a bit.
Now, notice an opening somewhere on the surface of the earth. What does the opening look like? There seems to be a gentle light glowing from the opening, and you feel drawn to enter. You notice that your power animal is at your side, eager to enter with you. You enter the opening, and as your body moves fully into the hole, you feel a great energy, which seems to pull you at a very fast speed into the earth. You feel as if you are flying, and it takes a few minutes to acclimate yourself to the speed and sensation, but then you begin to enjoy it and feel very comfortable. After awhile, you find yourself in a great crystal cavern, and you instantly realize that you are deep inside Mother Earth, within her heart. You begin to notice another energy here, a glowing, living being in the middle of all this life. She is the dreamer of this world. As you become aware of this being, notice her form... She is walking toward you now. Look at her. What does she look like? What color is she? What do you notice about her shape? Watch her carefully as she slowly approaches you. This is Pachamama, the great mother of life.
Soon she is standing right in front of you. Look into her eyes, and notice the unconditional love and kindness there. Just allow yourself to receive this for a few moments. Allow yourself to fully absorb this gaze of love.
Now notice that she is communicating with you. She may not be speaking out loud, but her thoughts are communicated directly to you. She has a message for you, a special message, meant only for you. Give yourself some time to receive this message.
Now, notice once again her loving gaze. As you look deep into her luminous, infinite eyes, feel how very much love she holds for you, how much she validates and blesses your life. You now begin to notice colors swirling around her in a peaceful, rhythmic, flowing way. These colors begin to surround you, and you become swathed in her beautiful, radiant cloak of energy. The feeling is indescribably wonderful, and you feel a sense of fulfillment, clarity, and peace. Breathe this in.
Now you feel her arms embrace you. She holds you in a relaxed, loving embrace, and your body seems to fit perfectly in contour with hers. You feel like a small child, being held by the one who loves you most in all the world. Just take a few moments to fully receive this blessing from Pachamama.
Now, Pachamama takes a step back, and, still gazing at you with infinite love, she holds out her hand to you. You take her hand, and with your power animal still faithfully at your side, you follow her. She leads you back to the hole you came through, and pulls you up inside. Quite suddenly, you are flying again, but this time, with Pachmama! You notice around you a quickly changing landscape. You see underground rivers, and lakes, crystal caves, and layers of molten hot rock. As you move, you notice how Pachamama is emanating her sublime colorful energy to everything around you. You notice that you are traveling through a vast network of caves, and that everywhere you travel, Pachamama is spreading her divine love and nurturance. You begin to notice that you are moving closer to the surface of the earth, and you begin to see roots of trees, and springs bubbling up to the surface. You notice how the energy coming from Pachamama is rising up to the surface in great waves, and that it flows in concentrated streams in certain places. Your gaze follows one of these streams, and you notice the roots of what appears to be a particularly beautiful big tree. As you look at this magnificent root system, pulling up and receiving all this energy, you feel yourself entering the flow of the energy. You are rising up, through the roots, into the tree itself. You experience Pachamama's loving energy fill this being. You notice how the tree is very conscious of this energy, and how it stands straight and tall, and stretches its limbs to the sky. As you look around at the center of the tree, you begin to notice a face looking back at you. As you look closely, you realize that it is Pachamama! She smiles at you gently, as she shares her secret with you, that she exists in all life forms, that her energy rises up to create all life. From her deep Divine stillness in the heart of the planet, she dreams all things, and dances in each being. You feel how she stretches herself out through the tree, manifesting herself as this great being who, though it might appear still, is also a dreamer and traveler, and a giver of life. And yes, she says, I am you too. I dream you and give you my life sustaining energy, and I dance your life. And so you are like me as well, a dreamer, a dancer, and a giver of life. Whenever you feel lost or alone, remember this. I am you, and you are me. Now go, and dance well!
You feel your self pulled out of the tree, and you find yourself on the ground in front of it. You look up, and see its beauty, and you realize that you can sense into it's dreaming mind. You see, rising from each of its branches, streams of beautiful, colorful energy, which radiates out into the world. Then you look down at your own hands, and you see this same energy streaming out of them as well. Suddenly, you realize you will never see things in the same way again. You know the secret of Pachamama, and you smile gently, and slowly, slowly return to normal consciousness, bringing this awareness with you... ready to dream, ready to dance...
Exercise 3: Ancestor Journey
Get comfortable, and tune in to the rhythm of the drum. Let the vibration carry you into a deep, peaceful state. This time, you are going to go very deep, with the drumbeat. Take some time with this.
When you are ready, you will want to choose a small but meaningful gift to take to your ancestral guide. Put this into your pocket. Next, return to the hole in the earth that you traveled through to journey to Pachamama. Enter the hole, and find yourself in a small space, crawling on your hands and knees. There is plenty of room to breathe and move freely, but you find you do have to crawl. Continue on for awhile, going deeper into the earth. You may have to crawl for a long time, and you may, at some point, begin to move very quickly in some way. Just let this be what it is, either way is fine. Travel until the tunnel ends in an opening of some sort.
When you emerge, you are in the land of the ancestors.
From here, you will notice what is around you. You will take careful note of your surroundings. Are there other beings present? What is the landscape like?
You may have someone there to meet you, and you may need to walk for awhile. It is up to you to read the signs, and find out how to go about meeting your ancestral guide.
This is a most personal journey, and you will experience it in way unique to you. The ancestors are always ready to connect with us, we just need to be open and available to meet with them.
When you have connected with this one, the two of you together will direct the experience. You may have questions to ask, and your guide may have things to share with you. Spend as much time together as feels right. Ask your guide for his/her name, and ask if he/she might have a special name for you. Promise to honor the ancestors with offerings and ask for their guidance in your waking life. When you feel complete with this meeting, offer your thanks and your gift. Then return through the opening, making your way slowly back to normal consciousness.
Bibliography
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