about Shamanism

First off, let me provide the caveat that I'm writing this from my own perspective and experience, AND off the top of my head.

Shamanism, in modern times, has two seperate camps..the traditional (tribal), and the Western (core).

My training and experience is tribal, but due to the lack of access, I study and incorporate core methodology as well.

Essentially, shamanism is (duh) the spiritual practice of the shaman who serves the community as a spiritual guide, healer, warrior, and sometimes leader...although this last title is not often one the shaman holds.

The shamans primary purpose, skill, and practice, is to travel beyond time and space to the "other worlds" to gain knowledge of many kinds, retrieve lost souls or parts of them, and to defend the tribe against spiritual attacks.

This is accomplished by consciously entering an altered state of mind, known as an "ecstacy", often via dancing, drumming, deep meditation, visualization, etc.

The "other worlds" consist of the Lower, Middle, & Upper...the middle being consistent with our mundane world, but made up of all that is around us and yet unseen.

While in ecstacy, the shaman communicates with spirits and guides of a wide variety to gain knowledge and favor, which they then bring back for the benefit of themselves, their "client", and/or their people.

This is the primary purpose of a tribal shaman, however, Western (core) shamanism is more centrally focused on the spiritual growth, development, and evolution of the individual and, occasionally, a specific "client".

Suggested reading for more "basic" information is "The Way of the Shaman" by Dr. Michael Harner, who is perhaps the foundational academic responsible for the growth of "Western (core) Shamanism".

One would do well to also study the writings of Dr. Carl Gustav Jung, psychologist, as he quite clearly connects "ecstatic" states of shamanism with the subconscious aspects of the human mind.

As I stated at the beginning, this is off the top of my head, so I'm sure that I've only skimmed items of interest. If you have questions, ask them.

i know next to nothing about shamanism. i hope you can flesh out this thread some more for us :) i would like to understand the three worlds a bit more.

I'm sure the three worlds are seen as a tree and are all linked in ways *sorry been awhile since I studied it*
The three inner planes of consciousness being discovered through inner senses in ecstatic trance, upper being ascended masters higher self, angelic beings and such. Middle being earth and thought forms which create physical reality. Lower being where one would connect with their power animals, earth energy for healing, past and emotions...im am sure Stonicus will elaborate on this for me.. like I said it's been awhile since I studied it.

Blessings
Ginny :)

Wonderful post, I dont know anything about shamanism but Just that they were/ are very powerful and could even do shape shifting.

Shamanism is a new topic for me too :), looking forward to seeing more

The 3 worlds

Shamanic journeys involve both going within oneself AND opening up other realms simultaneously. I personally use the world popular "Tree of Life" symbology in my practice.

The LOWER WORLD is a the place of power, representative of one's subconscious, and generally is the place to find your "power animal" and "travel guide". It is the place of connective energy for solving problems that are seemingly "just beyond your reach" when in a waking state. The vibrational energies of the lower world also allow a "soul interaction" for healing others, as certain energies in our ethereal selves run on a fairly common scale. It is also the place to communicate with ancestors and other significant "beings" that we have "lost" in this life.

The MIDDLE WORLD is representative of our daily consciousness, but with the unseen entities & energies being visible when journeying there. It is the place to seek knowledge and direction with issues of our mundane life, and the various issues it presents. You can also find dream interpretations here if you look carefully.

The UPPER WORLD is connected to our higher self and the mind/spirit connection. A place of universal knowledge, here you would seek your "spiritual guide" and information regarding hurdles and roadblocks to your eternal growth and improvement. One would journey here to find a mentor, access akashic records, and commune with the divine more directly.

Journeying, known as "ecstasy" is usually accomplished via a very high meditative state brought on by drumming a specific rhythm and note. Often, the Shaman will also incorporate rattles, a flute, sacred fire, and sometimes even pain. While it's true that many tribal Shamans (and quite a few idiot wanna-be's) use drugs to induce a state of ecstasy, such as ayuhuasca or mescal or peyote, it's a dangerous route to take and unless the Shaman is highly highly experienced, it shouldn't be attempted, and the info gained is questionable.

I hope this helps a little. Since I'm writing off the top of my head rather than cut-n-paste, the knowledge here is of my own experience and interpretations. Ask any questions you like, and I'll try to answer in a way that makes sense. =)

that helps me understand a lot, and i am very familiar with the tree of life. i was wondering if there was a parallel there(there usually is!) so it seems you could relate the three worlds to the 3 triads of the tree of life, supernal,ethical,and astral.

One thing I'd really like to emphasize about Shamanism is that it is a spiritual methodology, not a religion, although it's been incorporated into many religious systems.

The basic faith of tribal shamans around the world is that things are as they are, regardless of some "master spirit" or god.

The religious aspect of shamanistic tribes would be, in most cases, animism or belief that all things have a spirit and are connected.

This is a critical understanding that many students don't grasp and therefore fail in their attempts at shamanistic enlightenment.

Amazing post, seems that this is another one of those topics we would all like to know more about. Keep up the good work :)

Will