Lynn Smythe
What is Shamanism
October 22nd 2007 19:21
Three of the author's drums
-Norman Cousins, Anatomy of an Illness
Shamanism is a type of illumination which penetrates barriers of the mundane everyday world by visiting the under-world of spirits or the upper-world of deities in order to understand the mysteries of these other-worlds. The shaman applies the knowledge gained during their visits to the other-world to problems and situations encountered as part of everyday living. Shamanism is practiced to help illuminate probable future events that will effect the shaman, their patients, and members of their immediate community.
Shamans communicate with the spirits and deities in order to control natural phenomena such as wind, rain, and the sun. Shamans also utilize a variety of divinatory methods to facilitate healing, eliminate evil influences and malign spirits, and to help bring good luck and positive energy to their patients.
“Shamanism begins as a personal revelation and inner healing, then evolves into a striving to bring balance and healing into the immediate surrounding and to the Earth herself.”
- D. J. Conway, By Oak, Ash & Thorn
Shamans place themselves into a trance like state in order to visit the spirit world. This ecstatic trance, also known as the shamanistic state of consciousness, allows them to seek advice from the deities of the sky and spirits of the underworld. The trances are induced through a variety of methods including the ingestion of hallucinogenic herbal potions or the inhalation of the smoke from burning plants.
Dance and monotonous sounds, such as drumming or chanting, can also be used to induce the trance-like ecstatic states that the shaman puts himself into before visiting the spirit world. Chanting is a form of rhythmic sound that can help induce a trance-like state prior to conducting to your shamanic rituals. Drum song can also be used as a tool of liberation, community building, healing, and personal joy.
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