Religions and Paths

What is alchemy? I've heard about it but I can't get a clear definition of what it is.

I would like to know more about shamanism....

Sorry it took me so long to resopond

Shamanism ,in the US usually refers to Native American Medicine men or Healers .The word actually actually incorperates a range of traditional beliefs and practices concerned with communication with the spirit world. A practitioner of shamanism is known as a Shaman. There are alot of variations of shamanism throughout the world and several common beliefs are shared by all forms of shamanism. Shamans are intermediaries between the human and spirit worlds. According to believers, they can treat illness and are capable of entering supernatural realms to provide answers for humans.. Common beliefs as identified by Eliade (1964) and Wikipedia give a pretty good discription of the role,beliefs and actions of a Shaman.

Spirits exist and they play important roles both in individual lives and in human society.
The shaman can communicate with the spirit world.
Spirits can be good or evil.
The shaman can treat sickness caused by evil spirits.
The shaman can employ trance inducing techniques to incite visionary ecstasy and go on "vision quests".
The shaman's spirit can leave the body to enter the supernatural world to search for answers.
The shaman evokes animal images as spirit guides, omens, and message-bearers.as well as being given Totems
In some cultures the shaman can tell the future, scry, throw bones,runes, and perform other varied forms of divination"
Shamanism is based on the belief that the visible world is pervaded by invisible forces or spirits which affect the lives of the living.The Shaman will also at times ask for help,guidance or borrow energy from these to achieve a certain goal.
In contrast to organized religions like animism or animatism(other closly related arts) which are led by priests and which all members of a society practice. Shamanism requires individualized knowledge and special abilities to be worked opn by the individual. Shamans operate outside established religions, and, traditionally they operate alone, although some take on an apprentice. Shamans can gather into associations, as Indian tantric practitioners have done,but its not nearly as common

Shamans perform a variety of functions depending upon the culture, healing, leading a sacrifice,preserving the tradition by storytelling and songs, fortune-telling, acting as a psychopomp (literaly meaning, “guide of souls”). In some cultures, a shaman may fulfill several functions in one person.

There may be different and varied things asked or required for one to reach the status of shaman depending on the location,the culture .etc
but one thing is fairly constant..that is the life of a shaman magickaly is done solitary or with few others at best.
This is not a path to choose if you must have or want instant gratification,because it just doesnt happen instantly.As with many other forms of magick the art of Shamanism takes many years at least and in some cases a lifetime to achieve.

Wow! Just wow, thanks Nodrk. I think I'm gonna look more into that soon. If not definately when I'm a little older with more life experience, magick experience, and patience. i LOVE being able to have these introductions to things like this. We really needed that.
TYVM!

awesome! thank you for posting up on this forum. sometime later i will look into it as well.

Alchemy is a precursor to modern chemistry which was widely practiced all over the world through the 1800s, when more modern chemistry began to displace it. This discipline involved a study of the chemical properties of various substances, with a mystical bent. Ancient alchemists laid the groundwork for the scientific field of chemistry, establishing some basic principles which continue to be used today. Alchemists also discovered a number of things with practical applications, from some of the elements to the chemical process used to tan leather.
The practice of alchemy appears to be quite ancient. The Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Chinese, and early Arab community all engaged in alchemical investigations, and some exchange of information between these groups seems to have occurred as well. Alchemists had a number of goals in their work. Many of them were looking for a process which would turn base metals like lead into gold or silver. They also pursued a panacea, also known as a cure-all, which would theoretically extend life indefinitely. Needless to say, none of these pursuits were successful, but alchemists did stumble upon a number of things along the way.
In Europe, alchemy experienced a resurgence during the medieval era, thanks to an interest in translating ancient texts which exposed people to the concepts of alchemy. In addition to being an exploration of chemistry, medieval alchemy was also about philosophy and metaphysics, and as chemistry began to emerge as a separate discipline, the exploration of alchemy turned metaphysical. People who view alchemy as metaphysical believe that alchemical terms are metaphors, rather than literal references to substances.
The word “alchemy” is Arabic in origin, being derived from al-kimya, which means “chemistry.” Alchemy is also sometimes called the spagyric art, in a reference to Greek words which mean “to separate” and “to join.” Many alchemists devoted themselves to separation and purification of various substances in pursuit of their goals, and in the medieval era, this took on a new level of complexity as people searched for the philosopher's stone, rather than trying to directly transform metals into gold and so forth. These alchemists believed that the philosopher's stone was the vital tool which would be needed to create a panacea or to transmute metals into gold, because the stone would somehow enhance their knowledge of alchemy.
Because alchemy uses a wide variety of esoteric terms and symbols, many people of a mystical bent have become intrigued by it. Alchemy is often studied along with astrology, another earlier version of a modern scientific discipline. Numerous examples of alchemical texts can be seen on display in museums, and some bookstores carry reproductions of such books, for people who are interested in this fascinating field of study.


I stole this from wisegeek.com and cross refferenced the definition a few times.

Thanks Healer!

Since most people will probably want this, do either of you two have introductor, beginner information on Wicca?

Unrelated: Anyone know anything about creating a sacred space o.o? I found this, but im not sure its legit: http://healing.about.com/cs/spirituality/a/sacredspace.htm

I can post some information on Necromancy if you like.

Sure, that'd be great! ^-^