What is Shamanism?
Shamanism is the practice of working directly with the spirits of various worlds through trance and dreams (ecstasy) and becoming a receptacle for the spirits energy to bring about an intended result.
Shamanism is a medico-religious experience found in many cultures throughout the world. From the beginning of time, its practitioners have served their communities with such skills as controlling the weather, protection, aiding in hunting, divination, healing, and spiritual counseling. Although shamanism is not a religion, it is a deeply spiritual profession, and an integral part of religious practice in some cultures.
Today the word shaman and shamanism defines any person using spiritual and primitive methods to heal, but the distinct difference that separates the shaman from other healers is that the shaman is an expert in the techniques of ecstasy. Ecstasy is the ability to enter into a trance or deep meditative states at will to communicate and work with spirits to heal illness or diseases caused by negative energy or individual spirit loss.
Shamanism is also defined by the word animism, (meaning all things have a spirit), the spirits that assists the shaman with healing are found in everything. A shaman knows that all things have a spirit such as plants, stones, trees, and even earth formations, and by using these spirits, and his or her personal spirit guides, is what gives the shaman his or her power.
Even in this age of technological and medical breakthroughs and discoveries, the shamanic methods of healing, although originating in primitive hunter-gatherer tribes and ancient pagan cultures over tens of thousands of years, are as effective today as they were in the past. This is because most practitioners of modern medicine treat the symptoms of illness or disease, but not necessarily the cause, which the shaman sees as caused by various social and spiritual problems.
Shamanism was first documented in Siberia, and is believed to originate with the Tungusic, who are said to be the original shamans. According to ancient Siberian shaman lore, the Supreme Being sent the First Shaman to earth to defend human beings from disease and protect them from evil spirits.
Although the Tungusic may have been the first indigenous tribe to be discovered using shamanism, this does not mean that the practice originated in Siberia.
Many archeological-religious studies have revealed that forms of shamanic practice have been found predating the Siberian shamans in ancient Southern and Central Asia, especially within the Chinese and Tibetan cultures and throughout the world.
What is a Shaman?
A shaman is a traveler between worlds, which he accomplishes by shifting his consciousness. It is within this altered state of consciousness that the shaman does his or her work combined with focused intention.
Using journeying the shaman can travel within the three realms of The Lower World, The Middle World, and The Upper World. This allows the shaman to heal, predict the future, receive knowledge, and take holiday in both the ordinary and non-ordinary reality.
However, before a shaman begins a journey through the other worlds of the Shaman he must first summon his Power Animal or Spirit Guide who acts as a guide, a protector, and a teacher.
Journeying is much like the practice of astral travel, conscious dreaming, and remote viewing and throughout history; the techniques that shamans have used to obtain a shift of consciousness have not varied too much from modern shamanic practice. Although the use of hallucinogenic plants such as ayahuasca and green tobacco leaves have been widely eliminated from western shamanic practitioners, however, references to present day shamans in other countries that use hallucinogenic plants are still common.
Present day shamans still incorporate the use of drumming, rattling, singing, and dancing to attain a shift in consciousness to journey.
Medicine Pipe Ceremonies
The Medicine Pipe ceremonies we use are based in the Lakota Sioux Native American Tradition. These ceremonies can be done both in person, or over in a distance.
The Medicine Pipe is a sacred tool representing man and his relationship with the earth and all creation. The smoke from the pipe carries our prayers of healing to the Great Spirit, while the act of blowing smoke over a person in need of healing is symbolic of the breath of the Great Spirit who assists in all healing matters.
Psychopomp Services
A psychopomp is a shaman who guides a spirit to the other world at the time of death, or he may lead a spirit that has become lost or refuses to leave the world of the living.
The word psychopomp originates from the Greek words pompos (conductor or guide) and psyche (breath, life, soul, or mind). In some cultures when a relative is near death, a family will call the shaman to assist in the departure or transition of the person who was dying.
The shaman would stay at the bedside of the dying relative, waiting for him or her to slip into the great sleep. When the person passes, the shaman would then enter an altered state of consciousness and guide and direct the newly departed spirit to the doorway of the spirit realm.
Our Psychopomp services can be performed either in person or from a distance. We also can perform memorial services, eulogies, grief counseling, counseling for the living and the dying, hospice and palliative counseling, and transition ceremonies. We can also perform paranormal investigations upon requests Shamanic Training Circle of the Sacred Drum also operates the CSD School of Shamanism, an online school which provides instruction in the shamanic arts.
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Shamanic Healing and other Services
A shaman has
many types of healing methods available from many sources and cultures around
the world at his disposal and he or she should not over look any method to
treat his client.
Shamanic Healing is not intended to replace professional medical treatment by a licensed medical provider, but it can be used in conjunction with medical care as complimentary therapy.
Power Animal Retrieval
The retrieval of a Power Animal is one the most common reasons a shaman uses journeying to heal a client. Each person has his or her own power animal or spirit guide that has been with him from the time of conception. These power animals normally stay with a person for his lifetime, but in some instances, they may leave due to neglect, trauma, or just from boredom. The client may have also blocked their connection to their power animal because of a personal tragedy, depression, or a serious life event.
Loss of a power animal causes the same symptoms as if one loses part of his soul, which can result in illness, feelings of detachment from society, weakness, emotional problems, forgetfulness, and spiritual unrest.
The method the shaman employs to retrieve a power animal for a client is to journey to the Lower World on the client’s behalf, and by using his own spirit guides and power animals, the shaman searches, locates, and brings back the clients power animal then reunites the client and his power animal through ceremony.
Soul Retrieval
The technique of soul retrieval is essentially the same as performing a journey to retrieve a power animal, and both can be done either in the presence of your client or through distance healing.
Soul retrieval is a form of healing that uses the practice of journeying for a client who has lost part or parts of their Lower Spirit due to a traumatic life event. When a person has become a victim of soul loss, he or she may not feel like their normal self, they may feel disconnected, confused, lack energy, have health issues both physical and mental.
Traumatic life events could range in severity from something as violent as an automobile accident, to something less like becoming lost in the mall as a child, or being involved in an embarrassing situation. Other situations or events that could cause a soul to split and become disconnected with its owner is illness, fear, poor relationships, and abuse whether it be mental, physical, or sexual, substance abuse, and mental illness such as depression in the mildest of forms to the advanced stages of dementia or schizophrenia.
Maintaining or ending an unbalanced or unhealthy personal relationship with another person or group of people can also result in losing part of the soul. Without realizing it, one can attach part of his or her soul to someone or lose his or her soul by becoming obsessed with another person or a group.
Reiki
Reiki (pronounced Rye-Key in traditional Japanese) is a form of energy healing that the practitioner channels through his hands from the Higher Spirit, or from the Universal Life Source.
Reiki is actually a combination of two words; Rei means Universal and Ki means Life Force. When combined with the shaman’s knowledge of the spirit world and aid from his sprit guides, the incorporation of the practice of Reiki in any treatment is a very effective healing tool.
Traditional Reiki healing methods include the following techniques; tapping, blowing, gazing, stoking, massaging, and sending energy to the affected area of disease or pain. Reiki energy can also be used for the treatment of emotional and psychological issues and be sent to a client from a distance.
Spirit Extraction
Spirit extraction is a method of removing blockages of negative spiritual energy that have built up over time, or may have been sent to an unsuspecting victim, that is the cause of an illnesses or disease. The process of removing these harmful blockages and intrusions that has caused blockages in a client’s body, whether they are physical or spiritual, is another method of healing the Shaman practices. Blockages of spiritual energy are responsible for very real and physical ailments.
House Blessings
House Blessings and Clearings are much like the shamanic spirit extraction ceremonies, but are performed on and in a place of residence. These ceremonies are best done in person, although we can give you instruction on how to perform these ceremonies yourself and assist you from a distance by journeying to your location through the Middle World.
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Cobb, David (2012) "Call of the Sacred Drum (Vol.1) An Introduction to Shamanism", CreateSpace Publishing
