What is a Shaman? |
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| A Shaman is someone who is deeply aware that the world is alive with spirits and energy, and who does something with that knowledge. They acknowledge that the spirits who share our world are available to all of us. Shamans study the ways of their ancestors, and find ways to talk with the spirits around them. They enter into a trance state to travel among the spirits, and ask the spirits for help in healing, and to help them in their understanding of the "Circle of Life." The word Shaman comes from the ancient language of the Tungus Tribe of Siberia and literally means healer and magician. Shamanism itself, has been around for thousands of years. | |||
| No Book or Web site can turn you into a Shaman. Shamans dedicate their lives to be one. They sacrifice themselves for their people and spend years learning the skills that they take even longer to understand. But, hopefully in these pages I can give you a glimpse into the Shaman's world and show you some of the Shaman's ways, so you can become a more complete person. |
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| Walking With The Spirits | |||
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In a Shaman's world, wherever you are or whatever you are doing, you are surrounded by
Spirits. Everything has a Spirit, all living things like plants and animals, but also
inanimate things like rocks and rivers. Then there are the spirits of beings that do not
manifest themselves in the physical world. These include the Spirits of ancestors, totem
animals, illness, or the spirits of the four directions. In this world, we walk as part
of the "Sacred Dance" of all things. All beings walk in this world, but it is
the Shaman who learns to walk with the Spirits. The first step on a shamanic path is to learn that everything you do must be done with respect and gratitude. You can't just go and cut down a tree. you need to talk to it, and give it thanks, leaving a gift in exchange for what you take. The offering of a small token or sacred gift for what you take is an important part in Shamanic spirituality. When you visit a sacred place or perform a ritual on the land, or take a piece of wood, or a feather, you should always leave behind a gift. Life is precious, and we need to take from others in order to live, but remember, we too will one day die and be returned, it is the nature of things. So be grateful for the time we have, and use things with gratitude. Never take more than you need and always say thank you. |
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Gifts Gifts can vary greatly, according to which tradition is being followed. A small offering of Tobacco is tradition in Native America. In parts of Europe, milk, beer or small cakes are left. Gold, flowers and maize flour form part of a gift in Central America, and many cultures make an offering of light, by lighting a candle. |
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| The Wheel of Life | |||
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People from all over the world have held the circle sacred for thousands of years. It is
sacred as it occurs around us all the time. The Sun and Moon are circles, the stars
circle the Heavens, the year follows a circle from summer to winter, and back to summer
again. Birds nest are circular, Trees have a circular shape and even the rainbow is a
part circle. Stand in an open place where all around, you can see for a way, and you will soon see that you are in the center of a circle. Your place in this circle is the Sacred Center of the World. We are all in it all of the time, but most of us fail to notice. As you stand in your circle, there is always a front, a back and two sides. There is also ground below, and sky above. The sacred Circle is intersected by these points, and you can see yourself standing in the center of a cross whose arms stretch out to touch the circle around you. |
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As the sun rises in the East and sets in the West, along with North and South, they
become fixed points. With these in place they form the shape of the "Medicine
Wheel". The Medicine Wheel enhances physical, mental, emotional and spiritual understanding and acts as a guide in every aspect of life. Each sector of the wheel is associated with certain elements and therefore certain aspects of life. |
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| The Three Worlds | |||
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Just as you are in the center of a circle with the four directions around you, you also
have the sky above and the ground below. Humans inhabit a middle world between the Upper
and Lower worlds. The tradition of Heaven, Hell and earth is one believed by many, but
Shamanism does not see them this way. The three Shamanic Worlds are regions to which the
Shaman travels. The three worlds are said to be connected by a tree, known as the
"World Tree". In Norse Mythology it is the Ash Tree Yggdrasil that stands at the
center of the world, and other worlds can be reached by travelling up and down its
trunk. The main work of the Shaman is to travel between the three worlds to seek enlightenment on behalf of his people. Shamans travel to find healing for someone, to find a person, object or information, or to battle hostile Spirits. The Shaman often enters the other worlds by means of a drum and song induced trance, but just as often through the use of mind altering plants. The use of these plants is a sacred tradition. The plants are taken as spiritual aides and the spirit of the plant is highly respected. |
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Some Shamans only travel to the Lower World, and some only travel to the Upper World. It depends upon the individual and the tradition that they follow. A Shaman travelling to the Lower World may slip down the trunk of the World Tree and travel along its roots. Others may simply enter a cave, and descend until they reach the bottom. A Shamanic journey to the Lower World is a landscape of light and form, inhabited by animals, and not unlike the world we know. It is a place of Power Animals. Power Animals, or Totem Animals, are spirits who do not manifest themselves in a physical body.They dwell in this spirit world, and the Shaman will visit to seek information and to enlist them as personal helpers. A Shaman often has more than one spirit animal helper, and will have a close relationship with the animal in the real world as well. | ||
| Shamans who travel to the Upper world might climb a rainbow, climb the World Tree, or rise up on a cloud and be carried back by a giant bird. Sometimes a Shaman would shape shift into the animal, and the Shaman's spirit then becomes the animal for the duration of the journey. | |||
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The Upper World is seen as a cloud scape or at other times a series of levels. A Shaman
usually travels to the Upper World to receive teachings, such as how to perform a
particular kind of healing. Although we live between the Lower and Upper Worlds, we do not live in the Shamanic Middle World. This is a parallel spirit world, a shadow version of our own world. The Shaman travels there when they wish to work with the spirit of the land. This is where he makes contact with the spirit of the elements of our physical world. All things in this world have spirits, and they can all be encountered in the Middle World. |
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| The Sacred Journey | |||
| The shaman will begin by gathering all the items he need, and will cleanse them with the sweet smelling smoke of burning herbs, known as "Smudge". These can be cleansing herbs such as Sage, Rosemary, Cedar, Juniper, Wormwood and Lavender, or sweet herbs such as Tobacco, Woodruff, Frankincense, Copal. Sweet grass and Mugwort. Cleansing herbs are burnt to dispel unwanted spirits, while sweet herbs are used to call upon the spirits. | |||
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A Shaman's drum is a "Horse" on which the Shaman rides to the other worlds, carried by its sound. The drum is the most commonly found sacred object in Shamanic cultures. It is made from raw animal skin stretched over a wooden hoop. Often a Shaman will have a dream instructing them in the construction of their drum. They will be told which animal skin to choose, which wood and even from which tree to cut it from. The drum can be plain, or highly decorated with things that have meaning to the Shaman. When the drum is made, it is blessed and awakened. It is rubbed in fat, blood, milk or perfume, prayers are said and it is smudged. | ||
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The second most important tool for the Shaman is the rattle. Its function is similar to
that of the drums. They are made from skins and wood also. The filling of a rattle is a
sacred affair. It usually includes sacred or special stones, and quite often a specific
number will be put in the rattle. Rattles may be painted or have charms tied to them.
Some are hung with bells or feathers and animal hair. They become a sacred tool and may
be passed on to another Shaman, accumulating sacredness and power as they pass through
the generations. Some Shamanic traditions have a relationship with certain plants, which they call upon for guidance. These are plants whose properties affect the chemistry of Humans in a way that alters their perception of the world. The use of plants in Shamanism is ritualized by the enactment of special ceremonies. songs are sung, and the spirits are called upon for help. The Chief or leader has great knowledge of the effects of plants. |
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| Tools of Healing | |||
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Cultures throughout the World make healing Objects for their Shaman use. These include
whistles, bells, masks, costumes, dolls charms, spirit catchers, wands, pipes and fans
made from feathers. The Shaman uses these sacred tools to assess the nature of the
illness and to call the spirits to address the lack of balance between the sick person
and the world. The Shaman learns to diagnose the energy body of a sick person, dowsing them with a rattle or feather. For example: he will determine where the body energy has been intruded and remove it with a sucking tube made from bone or hooked eagle claw. |
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| Medicine Bundle |
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| A Shamans personal medicine bag contains items that reflect who truly is. The bag will contain parts of the Shaman, like hair or nail clippings. It will also hold parts of animals that are sacred to him, like feathers or claws. There may be reminders of spirit powers with which the Shaman works, like the four colours that are associated with the four directions on his Medicine Wheel. | |||