Shamanism

Seems like an interesting subject, and a cool "career".
I was always curious about it.
But does a shaman have to do drugs?
Are there any shamans today?
How does one become a shaman?
discuss

 

i guess i did meet a shaman once , an old old man of
the Ozarks . he healed some spider bites i had , and
then he made me cry one tear . his mother , he said ,
had been his teacher .

 

I've read some of Carlos Castaneda's books, that's what got me interested.

 

A shaman does not have to do drugs, there are many shamans throughout the world today.

I'm not really sure on how one gets appointed to the shaman position, I'm sure it varies between cultures. My guess are some of them are hereditary (passed down), some complete some sort of traditional challenge and some are chosen/voted. Possibly even some who just simply aspire to be one train under the wing of a current shaman and earn their title.

 

I think if your doing entheogens for spiritual growth, healing etc essentially we are being our own shamen, i suppose anyone that know and love entheogens are more in tune to the shamanic way of doing things, i dont think its a merit we are appointed at anytime but more of an understanding or a quality we can have by building constructive relationships with the plants psychoactive or otherwise.

 

has any shaman ever used alcohol? or is it only psychedelics?

 

how do you differ between shaman and psychonaut ?

 

Shamans utilize whats in their enviornment, I'm not sure about alcohol specifically but tobacco is often added to ayahuasca and many deliriants (belladonna, angel trumpets, datura) are used as well.

 

Shaman knows nature

 

well im no expert for a start but what i would say from my understanding is psychonauts are explorers whereas shamen are medicine men, what bout yourself GB how would you differ them ? i actually had to think about that for a bit lol

 

I agree with you, although I'm not sure where most of us lie in those definitions. Most of us don't really take psychedelics to go heal others and alot here don't even really believe in the alternate dimensions/realms they perceive so I hesitate to call us shamans and I do view it as a privledged position but there is certainly an element of spiritual growth with alot of us and personal healing.

 

i'll be intrigued by shaman and the communal mind . a shaman does something useful , right ?

 

a shaman to me is basically half doctor, half priest so yes I would say they do something useful.

 

You don't have to be into the spirit world, you can confine your practice to herbal remedies and inducing relaxed states, a little auto-suggestion to help guide people toward a more balanced state. Maybe that doesn't make you a shaman, maybe more of a traditional healer.

 

Shamans are hunters of power.

 

An etymological search of the word shaman shows it to be russian from sanskrit, meaning "religious exercise", and by common definition is a shaman is a spiritual leader who is believed to have special powers such as prophecy and the ability to heal.

 

so it seems the shaman life has been choosing me-sneaking right up on me.
difficult to explain....
i've been exploring with psychoactives including kava, mugwort, lion's tail, etc.
i've been reading, writing, painting, drawing constantly, working through things and expanding my mind.
and i do indeed feel my mind, my consciousness expanding.
i practice yoga and i'm starting to lucid dream.

 

Shamanism as a term was first applied to old world traditions (specifically in Eurasia/Asia) in very specific contexts, but later came to be applied very liberally to a very wide range of practices, many of which have little or nothing to do with each other.

Throughout history, shamans, depending on how one defines the term, have often used various drugs, but by no means has that been a primary or driving feature of shamanism, and I think that it could be justifiably argued (again, depending upon how one defines one's terms) that perhaps most shamans have not widely used drugs in order to achieve their various ecstatic states.

Shamanism is one of the three (or four or five, definition dependent, of course - Confucianism is also a possible contender, as is the DPRK's personality cult of the Kim dynasty) main religions in the Korean peninsula today, along with Christianity and Buddhism. There is an interesting documentary on the subject of Korean shamanism called Mudang: Reconciliation Between the Living and Dead which is worth watching if you can find a copy. An older Korean friend tells me that shamanism is extremely common, and coexists quite comfortably with Buddhism and even, though to a lesser extent for obvious reasons, Christianity. She was born into a Catholic family, but they still interacted with shamans for various purposes. At any rate, in Korea the shamans do not use any psychedelics or such in their rituals. I don't know much about it, and forget much of what little I have learned, though, and it's possible some small amount of alcohol or tobacco is used ritually.

Much of historic shamanic practice has taken place in contexts where there is no evidence of centralized religious authority, and with some material archeological evidence but no written records as the only clues as to the details of praxis. As such, if there aren't remains of various substances found in archeological sites, there is no evidence of it.

There is every reason to believe that tobacco was used extensively by the shamans of the Americas, but no reason to believe alcohol was. While psychedelic substances such as peyote and other mescaline bearing cacti, ayahuasca, a plant related to morning glories, and psilocybian mushrooms were common in much of the Americas, for a large portion of temperate and arctic regions in North America especially these commodities would have been very scarce. There is evidence at least that peyote reached very far northern areas through trade, but there is no reason to believe that this indicates that its use was central or even common throughout most of the temperate or cold regions, especially as regards the more eastern part of the continent. As white settlement dislocated many nations, pushing them ever westward, there were likely great clashes of cultural values as well as extensive cultural exchange, and as such there is good reason to believe that most of these groups at some point encountered peyote at least, but this does not mean that prior to this point they had any regular access to it. As such, there is good reason to believe that at least a large portion of American shamanism, especially during pre-colonial and early-colonial periods, were conducted without chemical assistance from anything beyond tobacco.

There are quite a few (probably thousands) of shamans from various cultures around the world today, and many times more whose needs are attended to by these shamans. There are very few shamans in North America, though, once again depending on how you define the term. While the term has been co-opted by many people in an effort to legitimize their ingestion of various substances, it could be argued that to be a "legitimate" shaman you need to receive some form of tutelage from within an established tradition. This would be a difficult argument to make coherently and convincingly here, but I think it would be a fair claim - just not one that necessarily is indisputable.

I would be willing to wager the number of "legitimate" shamans present in the USA an Canada, under the above way of thinking, would number probably less than two hundred or so, maybe even less than one hundred, and almost exclusively dwelling in areas with high percentages of native peoples, such as reservations. There may also be shamans present in expat communities, such as in places with very high Korean populations, but I'd be skeptical of any claims that their numbers would be very significant. My guess would be that they are fairly uncommon in Mexico, too, but probably more than in the USA or Canada.

I'd be willing to wager that if using the generalized, stereotypical understanding of what a shaman is, most people would say the largest concentration of shamans in the world live in South America, at least in terms of sheer numbers. If traditional, local African practices are considered shamanic, then quite a lot probably exist there as well. Far Northern European shamanism is a dying breed, and much of West Asia and Central Asia is now rather hostile to anything which may run counter to Abrahamic monotheism, so my guess would be that it's all but disappeared in many of these locations. Some exceptions may occur in places like the Himalayan region, if some of these traditions can be considered shamanic.

As to how one becomes a shaman, it of course depends entirely on tradition. I believe in many instances, it may be a family occupation of sorts.

Generally speaking, most traditional shamans and believers in their skills are not going to consider a self-taught shaman to be legitimate. That is, an American or Western European with a taste for exotic mushrooms and a personal library filled with Carlos Castaneda (who is widely considered a charlatan) and Terence McKenna is not likely to be considered a "real" shaman. I am not making this claim, but I think it would be one very likely to be espoused by many people from cultures in which shamanic practice is considered important.

 

A true shaman is a specific type of healer among the Tungus people of Siberia. The word is Tungusic. The anthropologist, Eliade suggested (or he may have quoted the suggestion of another) that the word was connected to a Sanskrit term, but based on the idea that both words are evolved from a much older root. Indeed, there are many similarities between Ural-Altaic languages (such as Tungus) and Indo-European languages (such as Sanskrit and Russian) that point to a much older proto-language that they both evolved from. The Russian word is borrowed from Tungusic.

Eliade researched the Tungusic practice, and then used the term in a more general sense to refer to the healers and medicine people in all cultures that go on spirit journeys---in other words, have rituals through which they enter the spirit world. This is different than a medium, or a many kinds of healers, and so forth. It all depends on how one heals or uses spirit.

The New Age Movement has taken the term and inappropriately applied it to all kinds of indigenous spiritual people and healers. Many Native people take offense at the term because it is not part of their language and in their eyes, lessens the value of their own healers and spiritual leaders by lumping them together with all sorts of other traditions. More seriously, it lumps their traditions together with the New Age Movement which is really a hodge podge of spiritual traditions lumped together, each one, for the most part, largely stripped of a lot of cultural (and therefore spiritual) context. Siberians take offense for similar reasons of lumping their traditions with others and the New Age.

Carlos Castaneda and the anthropologist, Michael Harner are largely responsible for the New Age fascination with shamanism. Carlos, as the story goes, started his books as his Doctorate thesis in Anthropology, after supposedly taking a sabbatical, or at least a summer to spend time with a Yaqui Medicine Man. His professor was so impressed that he suggested that he publish his story. The problem is, Carlos never visited any Yaqui Medicine man, he just knew enough to be able to fake it. Michael Harner was turned onto these ways in the jungles of South America while studying a tribe there. He is bona fide---but the complaint against him by Native people is that he teaches people technique without the spiritual background and he too has a problem of lumping traditions together.

It is actually difficult to not lump traditions together----because there is certainly a universal aspect to animistic beliefs. They all tie directly back to the primal spirituality of mankind, and they are more closely related to each other than the world's various religious traditions are related to each other. This is also unlike religious traditions which have evolved much further from man's primal beliefs (and were far more influenced by the group ethics of our ancestral planter cultures). Shamanism, as used by Eliade, is most certainly a part of this primal spirituality. The same motifs and rituals used across Siberia, were part of the ancient Indo-European traditions----the horse sacrifice is a good example----Sanskrit texts tell of such rituals, archeological evidence in Europe and elsewhere point to it, done in a manner very similar to the way it is still done by tribes in Siberia. All religions and myths carry evidence of a long lost shamanistic past. The I-Ching and Taoism tie directly back to ancient Ural-Altaic shamanism. The World Tree, Tree of Life, Axis Mundi, World Cave, World Mountain, are all the same Shamanistic motif that served as a portal to the other side for the Shaman. The Christian cross, ankh, medicine wheel, swastika, the structure of the mandala, the stupa, pagoda, and steeple, torii gate, and so forth are all modern manifestations of this primal concept.

Myths and stories of travelling into hell and back, people turning into animals (even werewolves), animals that talk and teach, spirit and totemic animals, the psychopomp motifs of the Angels of Death, banshees, and so forth, are all passed down from our ancient shamanistic roots.

Alcohol was used in some traditions---the Dionysian traditions for example, which had lost certain aspects of the older shamanistic traditions----but were certainly much closer to them than religions today. The Dionysian traditions represented a longing for a return to the shamanistic traditions of old-----especially as evidenced through its proto-human motif: the Satyr. Beer, in its older form, often included various psychoactive ingredients. But alcohol and drugs are not the only ways of achieving a Shamanistic State of Consciousness-----drumming, rattling, and other methods of a fast-tempoed monotonous beat achieve the same state. The didgeridoo is used in Australia.

Anyone can experience this shamanistic state of consciousness. Anyone can have some amazing experiences and heal and do many other things with this. But to actually become a shaman----one must go through a death and rebirth experience, which depending on the culture, is accompanied by a mental breakdown, or is something that happens in the spirit world, or in many cultures could also happen by a Near Death Experience brought on by a serious injury, illness, or often by a lightning strike. In many traditions the position is hereditary, while in others it is not. There are plenty of traditions that allow both forms though the ones that are not hereditary are usually considered to be not as strong.

I would say that the best book out there (and there is now tons of New Age crap) is the book, Shamanism, Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy, by Mircea Eliade---this is the classic academic study on it. If you want to learn how to induce the Shamanistic State of Consciousness, and even be able to use the spirit journey to help yourself and others, I would suggest Michael Harner's book, The Way of the Shaman.

But I would certainly suggest learning more about indigenous traditions in your area and try to participate and learn from their ceremonies. Don't ask them about shamanism, and don't ask about such things as spirit journeys and so forth---you will offend them, and either, a.) talk about something that they do not see as a connection within their own culture (even if it is), or b.) talk about something they will not discuss with you, especially as an outsider first entering their traditions, because it involves something that requires spiritual and/or even physical danger for a novice.

 

Also I might add:

I can understand this------it was the same for me. For years I have written and talked about the spirits trying to reconnect with man. Terence Mckenna, as I am often reminded when I talk about such things, agrees.

But neither Terrence McKenna nor Carlos Castaneda would be considered shamans indigenous people.

In my own linguistic research I haven't found a strong etymological connection to the word shaman. Sa~ is a common Altaic root, to think, wonder, and so forth. (This is the one that was suggested as a possible link to Sanskrit). I have wondered if there was a possible link between shaman and the Chinese shen, shin, etc (god, spirit) (shen is Mandarin). tin~ is proto-Altaic for breathe, life, etc.

Among the Native Americans of North America, there are certainly far more than 200 Medicine Men. And I am talking about the kind that work with spirits, not the herbal Medicine Men who work with plants and other healing things---taught by spirit but they do not work with spirit in the same way that a yuwipi man, for example, does (a yuwipi is a Lakota spirit calling ceremony).

There are still many shamans in Central Asia and Siberia. Khadak is a fictional tale of shamanism struggling to stay alive in the face of Modern progress----it is a really good movie if you understand the motifs and a bit of the Mongollian shamanic tradition. There aren’t many around----I bought a copy when it first came to DVD.

Here is the theme song to the movie---the poem that is spoken is a good existential statement for most indigenous communities around the world. The young man with the goggles, is not really present at this makeshift concert----he is locked up in a mental ward---but his soul or spirit is there:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ily9fLb-pnU"]Khadak - Something is wrong here! - YouTube



Here is an excerpt from the movie---a shamanic ritual. It cuts back and forth between two realities---the physical and the spiritual. There is a lot of symbolic significance just in this short scene, such as the stand of trees:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiOrKwB5Dn4"]Shamanic ritual, evocation - Şaman ayini, ruh çağırma (episode from mongolian film Khadak) - YouTube


Here in the states there are a number of Hmong shamans. You can still find shamans hidden here and their in South East Asia. My stepdaughter was healed by a Filipino shaman---not a healer---a shaman in the Philippines, I have written about it elsewhere in the forums. It was very quick and very amazing.

It was after a lifetime of a spiritual search for meaning. I had grown fairly agnostic by this time. Even finding this shaman was a weird synchronicity, but witnessing that put me back on the path.