What is a Shaman?
A shaman is someone who uses the Dreamtime to journey to non-physical worlds in an altered state of consciousness and returns to normal waking consciousness. Connecting with divine spiritual forces and universal creative energy, a shaman communicates with the spirit world for the purpose of guidance and healing. The primary job of the shaman is to help his or her community stay in right alignment with the forces of nature and spirit.
“The Shaman’s Purpose is to Assist their Community with Guidance and Healing”
What Does a Shaman Do?
Shamans undergo a deliberate change in their state of consciousness in which they engage at will with the forces of the spirit world in an intentional and purposeful manner. Their communication with the spirit world is 2 way, and the change in consciousness is induced voluntarily by entraining to a repetitive drum rhythm (or through other techniques). The change in consciousness and the method used to induce it is intentional and replicable, not random. This is an important distinction between shamanism and other forms of communication with the spirit world.
“The Shaman Bridges the Human World and the Spirit World”
What are the Origins of Shamanism?
Shamanism is an ancient method of healing and spiritual practice has been an integral part of indigenous cultures around the world for tens of thousands of years. The origins of shamanism can be traced back to the Paleolithic era, where shamans were the first healers, teachers, and spiritual leaders of their communities. Shamans are responsible for maintaining the balance and harmony between the natural world and the human world.
“Shamanism has been Practiced by Indigenous Cultures Around the World for Over 50,000 Years”
The History of Shamanism
Shamanism has been practiced around the world in many different forms for tens of thousands of years. The practices and ceremonies of different Shamanic Societies vary according to the unique traditions of each culture and needs of each community. Although the variations between clans and cultures are numerous, the central principles and methods of applied shamanism are nearly universally consistent in their function.
During the colonial era, the practice of Shamanism was persecuted with the spread of organized religion that accompanied the colonizing powers in their attempts to break the spirit of the societies they were conquering.
Now that we are freeing ourselves from the oppression of spiritual prosecution, applied shamanism is once again acknowledged as a powerful and practical method of healing, personal growth and spiritual development.
“Shamanism is Humanity’s Original System of Healing and Spirituality”
What is Shamanic Healing?
Shamanic Healing mends the soul and spirit. Alleviating traumas affecting the soul & spirit restores the physical, mental, emotional and energetic body of the individual to balance and wholeness. Shamanic Healing occurs in a shamanic journey undertaken either by a shaman with for themselves or others. Often times, the healing effects of a single shamanic session will create positive reverberations in many aspects of a person’s life for years into the future.
“Shamanic Healing is the Oldest Healing System Known to Mankind”
What is a Shamanic Journey?
A Shamanic Journey is often described as the Dreamtime, a unique state of conscious awareness that is distinct from ordinary, waking consciousness. A Shamanic Journey is NOT guided visualization, hypnosis, hallucination, dream, psychosis or fantasy and should not be influenced by suggestive manipulation from the teacher or mentor.
“A Shaman Uses Their Spirit Mind to Travel Outside of Physical Space and Time”
How Does a Shamanic Journey Work?
When we enter into a shamanic journey, we are using a separate part of our conscious awareness that is distinct from our ordinary waking conscious awareness in order to perceive a world that is not perceivable with ordinary conscious awareness, This is why it is often said that the Dreamtime must be experienced in order to be understood, it cannot be explained. The Toltec distinguish the 2 states of awareness as Tonal (ordinary waking awareness of the logic mind) and Nagual (shamanic awareness of the spirit mind).
“The Shaman Operates Primarily Within the Spiritual World
Which In Turn Affects the Human World”
States of Awareness
Ordinary Reality: The reality we experience in the physical world while in a state of normal waking consciousness which is perceived with or Logic Mind
Non-Ordinary Reality: Alternate realities, not bound to the constraints of the physical world, that we experience in states of awareness that are not ordinary waking consciousness (including guided visualization, hypnosis, intuitive awareness, dreams, hallucinations, psychosis, etc).
Shamanic State of Awareness: A specific state of consciousness used to access NOR in an effective manner. The Shamanic State of Awareness is similar to a lucid dream sometimes known as the dreamtime.
“If a Person’s Spirit is Distorted he Should Simply Fix It, Purge It, Make It Perfect.
There is No Other Task In Our Lives Which Is More Worthwhile!”
Who Can Learn How To Journey?
Anyone Can Learn How to Safely Take a Shamanic Journey. It doesn’t matter your race, gender, age or what religion you follow.
Shamanism, the ability to connect directly to the world of spirit at will and return to normal waking reality at will, is the Birth Right of Every Human Being regardless of color, culture, race, religion, gender, etc.
You do not need to ingest psychotropic substances in order to be a Shaman (in my opinion it is best not to), and you do not have to be initiated in a specific cultural format to practice Shamanism.
Is it Hard to Learn How to Journey?
No! It is actually quite easy. In order to journey, you will learn how to consciously use a different part of your brain than you usually use in waking reality. When you use that part of your brain you will access what I call the Spirit Mind in order to attain shamanic awareness of the Spirit World.
The Shamanic Drum
For thousands of years in myriad cultures around the world, the shamanic drum has been used to assist people as they enter shamanic consciousness. Shamanic Spirit Medicine uses a repetitive drum beat to help induce and focus the shamanic journey state. As shamanism has become more broadly practiced in recent years, the use of Ayahuasca and other psychotropic substances to induce the shamanic journey state has grown exponentially. From my lens, these rituals, taken out of their cultural context, present an extremely limited view of shamanism and constrain the scope of how the shamanism can be effectively applied in the modern world.
Learn more about Shamanism Without Ayahuasca.
