What Is Shamanism

Shamanism is a practice that involves a practitioner reaching altered states of consciousness in order to encounter and interact with the spirit world. A shaman is a person regarded as having access to, and influence in, the world of benevolent and malevolent spirits, who typically enters into a trance state during a ritual, and practices divination and healing.

Shamanic Beliefs
There are many variations of shamanism throughout the world, but several common beliefs are shared by all forms of shamanism;
-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 benevolent or malevolent.
-The shaman can treat sickness caused by malevolent 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.
-The shaman can tell the future, scry, throw bones/runes, and perform other varied forms of divination.

What is Shamanism by Judy Hoaglund:
Shamanism is an ancient body of spiritual wisdom that is tens of thousands of years old. It acknowledges that all that exists has consciousness and spirit as its source. Shamanism includes traditions that have arisen worldwide, encompassing many techniques, practices and knowledge that connect humans to all of creation.

In all shamanic cultures, the universe is known to be sentient. Everything is alive, conscious and able to interact with every other animate being. The shaman is one who develops a personal relationship with our animate universe. This relationship is for the purpose of bringing balance and harmony, to all worlds, through coming into right relationship and sacred communion with both seen and unseen beings. A shaman always serves a community, and works on their behalf, both individually and collectively.

Shamans work with a cosmology of three worlds: upper, middle and lower. These worlds are inhabited by countless seen and unseen beings, who are all part of the Great Web of Life. It is primarily through ceremony and sacred ritual, addressing the Spirit Realm, that shamans facilitate our coming into right relationship with Pachamama (Mother Earth) and all her inhabitants.

Shamanic Healing
Using ancient shamanic wisdom, we can access profound levels of healing. This healing encompasses our four levels of being: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. This healing also extends to our animate planet, to the myriad beings who inhabit it with us, as well as to Pachamama (Mother Earth) herself.

A shamanic healer works by engaging both the seen and unseen worlds on behalf of a client or community. Shamans see the universe as vibrational, interconnected and energetic in nature. When we live in ways that are out of balance with the natural, harmonious pattern, heavy, dense and dark energies are produced. If these energies become excessive, or are not removed in a timely fashion, illness can result. In some cases, damaging energies can be directed by a person, consciously or unconsciously, to create harm.

Shamanic healing engages natural energies, elements and forces to remove excess or blockages of stagnant, stuck and impeding energies. These blockages prevent the optimal functioning of a person in his or her physical or energetic bodies. Animal, plant, mineral and spirit allies may assist the healer. As undesirable energetic accumulations are removed, they are replaced with balanced, harmonious and life giving energies. These may be infused into the physical or energetic bodies of the person. This process allows one to access his or her “spiritual blueprint” of radiant good health.