Shamans Near Me

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FAQs:

What is Shamanism?

Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with the spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritual energies into the physical world for the purpose of healing, divination, or to aid human beings in some other way.

What is a Shaman?

Shamans are "community-assigned magico-religious professionals who deliberately alter their consciousness in order to obtain information from the 'spirit world.' They use this knowledge and power to help and heal members of their community, as well as the community as a whole.

What Is Shamanic Healing?

Shamanic healing is a ceremony performed by a shaman to receive information for healing purposes. In this process, also known as the shamanic journey, the shaman travels to the otherwordly realms to connect with helping spirits, who guide and assist them in healing individuals, communities, and the planet. These spirits come in the form of spirit guides (humanoid beings) or power animals (also plants and insectoids). They take on these familiar-looking forms to be more relatable to human perception.

What Does A Shaman Do?

Shamans perform multidisciplinary healing under shamanic traditions. You can think of them as doctors, mediums, mystics, and spiritual teachers all in one who:

- Restore and remove energetic pathways

- Find answers to life’s challenges

- Retrieve soul parts

- Discover the spiritual aspects of ailments and imbalances for healing

- Mediate between the worlds to bring the higher wisdom, articulate and teach it to the collective

Where is Shamanism Practiced Today?

Shamans are said to continue practicing prolifically in specific regions of Africa, Asia, and South America. Their services are also available in the West, but they are less sought after due to scientific and religious criticisms.

What is the Role of Shamans?

Shamans are notable religious or spiritual figures present in many traditional Indigenous faiths. They function as healers, prophets, diviners, and custodians of religious lore. They are also often the coordinators of religious and cultural ceremonies, including the Sun Dance (a world-renewal ceremony performed by First Nations on the Prairies) and the Winter Ceremony of the Kwakwaka’wakw, Nuu-chah-nulth and other Northwest Coast communities. (See also Northwest Coast Indigenous Peoples in Canada.) In some societies, all these functions are performed by the same person; in others, shamans are specialists. Healing practitioners may belong to various orders, such as the Midewiwin or Great Medicine Society of the Ojibwe, while other groups have secret or closed societies, such as the Kwakwaka’wakw and Siksika. Members of such societies were not necessarily shamans but did practice religious ceremonies and rituals.

How Powerful are Shamans?

Shamans have a unique understanding of life. They do things many of us can’t do. They’re powerful, but not in the dominating way that we view power in today’s world. Shamans are powerful in that they are continuing ancient traditions and beliefs, that work, and have worked for thousands of years. They’re powerful in their connection to the spiritual world, and their deep grounding with nature.

What are Shaman Beliefs?

Shamanism is a system of religious practice. Historically, it is often associated with Indigenous and tribal societies and involves the belief that shamans, with a connection to the otherworld, have the power to heal the sick, communicate with spirits, and escort souls of the dead to the afterlife. The origins of Shamanism stem from indigenous peoples of far northern Europe and Siberia.

There are many variations of shamanism throughout the world, but several common beliefs are shared by all forms of shamanism. Common beliefs identified by Eliade are the following:

- 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 trances 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 perform other varied forms of divination, scry, throw bones or runes, and sometimes foretell of future events

Shamanism is based on the premise that the visible world is pervaded by invisible forces or spirits which affect the lives of the living. Although the causes of disease lie in the spiritual realm, inspired by malicious spirits, both spiritual and physical methods are used to heal. Commonly, a shaman "enters the body" of the patient to confront the spiritual infirmity and heals by banishing the infectious spirit.

Many shamans have expert knowledge of medicinal plants native to their area, and herbal treatment is often prescribed. In many places shamans learn directly from the plants, harnessing their effects and healing properties, after obtaining permission from the indwelling or patron spirits. In the Peruvian Amazon Basin, shamans and curanderos use medicine songs called icaros to evoke spirits. Before a spirit can be summoned it must teach the shaman its song. The use of totemic items such as rocks with special powers and an animating spirit is common.

Such practices are presumably very ancient. Plato wrote in his Phaedrus that the "first prophecies were the words of an oak" and that those who lived at that time found it rewarding enough to "listen to an oak or a stone, so long as it was telling the truth". Belief in witchcraft and sorcery, known as brujería in Latin America, exists in many societies. Other societies assert all shamans have the power to both cure and kill. Those with shamanic knowledge usually enjoy great power and prestige in the community, but they may also be regarded suspiciously or fearfully as potentially harmful to others.

By engaging in their work, a shaman is exposed to significant personal risk as shamanic plant materials can be toxic or fatal if misused. Spells are commonly used in an attempt to protect against these dangers, and the use of more dangerous plants is often very highly ritualized.

What do Shamans Wear?

A shaman wears regalia, some part of which usually imitates an animal—most often a deer, a bird, or a bear. It may include a headdress made of antlers or a band into which feathers of birds have been pierced. The footwear is also symbolic—iron deer hooves, birds’ claws, or bears’ paws. The clothing of the shamans among the Tofalar (Karagasy), Soyet, and Darhat are decorated with representations of human bones—ribs, arms, and finger bones. The shamans of the Goldi-Ude tribe perform the ceremony in a singular shirt and in a front and back apron on which there are representations of snakes, lizards, frogs, and other animals.

An important device of the shaman is the drum, which always has only one membrane. It is usually oval but sometimes round. The outer side of the membrane, and the inside as well among some peoples, is decorated with drawings; e.g., the Tatars of Abakan mark the membrane with images of the Upper and Lower Worlds. The handle is usually in the shape of a cross, but sometimes there is only one handle. The drumstick is made of wood or horn, and the beating surface is covered with fur. In some cases, the drumstick is decorated with human and animal figures, and rattling rings often hang down from it.

What are the Practices in Shamanism?

Shamans perform a variety of functions depending upon their respective cultures, healing, leading a sacrifice, preserving traditions by storytelling and songs, fortune-telling, and acting as a psychopomp ("guide of souls"). A single shaman may fulfill several of these functions.The responsibilities of a shaman may include either guiding to their proper abode the souls of the dead (which may be guided either one at a time or in a group, depending on the culture) and the curing ailments. The ailments may be either purely physical afflictions—such as disease, which are claimed to be cured by gifting, flattering, threatening, or wrestling the disease spirit (sometimes trying all these, sequentially), and which may be completed by displaying a supposedly extracted token of the disease-spirit (displaying this, even if "fraudulent", is supposed to impress the disease-spirit that it has been, or is in the process of being, defeated so that it will retreat and stay out of the patient's body), or else mental (including psychosomatic) afflictions—such as persistent terror, which is likewise believed to be cured by similar methods. In most languages a different term other than the one translated "shaman" is usually applied to a religious official leading sacrificial rites ("priest"), or to a raconteur ("sage") of traditional lore; there may be more of an overlap in functions (with that of a shaman), however, in the case of an interpreter of omens or of dreams.

History of Shamanism

Shamanism has roots in almost every culture in existence, from the jungles of South America to the North American plains to the mountainous regions of Mongolia — traces of shamanism can be found in almost every culture, especially traditional, ‘native’ tribes. Shamanism has been around for centuries. Some even say that it’s the oldest spiritual practice in existence.

Though shamanism is now practiced all over the world, many people point to the herding tribes of Mongolia as the birthplace of this ancient practice. In these tribes, the shaman was considered to be one of the most influential and revered members. They were the ‘wise man/woman’…the ‘sage’ who had access to a whole host of powers. These powerful men and women were (and still are) able to perform miraculous feats for their tribespeople, including controlling the weather, communicating with animals for hunting purposes, and healing illness.

These days, many people will hear the word ‘shaman’ and instantly think of a tribesman in a headdress administering ayahuasca. Though plant medicines can be a very valuable tool in shamanism, it’s not the only way shamans connect to healing powers. Ancient shamans were able to reach transcendental states through methods like meditation, fasting, sleep deprivation, physical exhaustion, and isolation. Though plant medicines like peyote and ayahuasca were crucial to reaching higher states of consciousness, they were just one of many ways a shaman could connect to spirits.

Our modern-day shamans are not so different from these native tribesmen and women. These days, you can find shamans practicing out of natural healing clinics as well as their own homes. People continue to look to shamans for help on ‘soul retrieval’, life advice, hands-on healing and to communicate with their loved ones who are on the other side, and yes…there are lots of shamans who continue to use plants like ayahuasca in special healing ceremonies.

The 4 Pillars of Shamanism

To the Shaman, there are 4 Pillars we uphold in developing our own Spiritual discipline, each deepening a personal commitment to their own wisdom and to the enhancement of their community.  In all ways, the Shaman is led by Spirit, not ego and their only concern is to strengthen the communication between “Self and Source.” The benefit of this individual work is the healing of others, the harmony of the community, and the building of a sustainable society.

The first Pillar of Shamanism is INTENTION. Without intention, nothing would happen in the world. Whether you want to go into business or date the cutest guy or girl in school, you have to set an intention. The cornerstone of Intention for the Shaman is to “do only that which is for the Highest Good.” The intention is setting a goal, consciously and purposefully, for this greater good to take place. It’s not a fantasy or dream. It is an energetic contract between the Universe and the Shaman to make the desired end result. The Shaman works with the Universe as an emissary of the Great Spirit and takes steps only as guided by Great Spirit.

The second Pillar of Shamanism follows the goal of Intention by using a trained source of INTUITION. If Intention is the “end result,” then Intuition is the road by which the Shaman travels to achieve its mission. Developing Intuition is a life-long process involving trust, confidence, and willingness to practice every day. This practice may involve meditation, contemplation, retreats, and the ability to see the Sacredness in all things. Humility is the cornerstone of Intuition which rest on the shoulders of forgiveness and non-judgment. The shaman lives by Intuition in their work and in their lives. It is the commodity by which all things happen.

The third Pillar of Shamanism builds upon the second by taking a vow of COMPASSION. It was Mother Teresa who said; “We cannot do great things on this earth, only small things with great love.” Compassion is the “concern for and the reduction of the sufferings or misfortunes of others” and is always at the forefront of the Shaman's thoughts. Compassion takes empathy to the next level of understanding the suffering of another and the desire to give assistance to alleviate that suffering, even if it’s through silent prayer. Compassion is for every sentient being, not just a family member or friend, but for everyone, including those who oppose us.

The fourth Pillar of Shamanism ties it all together with ACTION. As a Shaman, it is imperative to “Be” a Spiritual Being who communicates with the Great Spirit and the Spirits of all Beings, but it’s just as important to “Do” something with it. Shamans are adept in the process of wisdom and then taking that wisdom into Action to make it happen.

The 5 Elements in Shamanism

The Divine reveals the glories of this universe to mankind through Prakriti or Nature. No one can comprehend nature. It presides over the destinies of all creatures. Continual change is the very nature of creation. It is impermanent and immutable. The Creator is the only Unchanging eternal entity amongst this changing world.

The entire cosmic creation begins from the point of the Pancha Bhutas or the 5 elements. They are Earth or Prithvi, Water or Jal, Fire or Agni, Air or Vayu, Ether or Akash. These five elements contain five characteristics. They account for the five faculties of Shabda(sound),Sparsha(touch),Roopa(sight),Rasa(taste),Gandha (smell).Thus every individual has these distinct five faculties as each of these faculties has emanated from one particular element.

Akash or Ether is the first element and accounts for the emergence of the organ of hearing-the ear and is represented by sound. It represents the space in which everything takes place

The second element is Vayu or Air and the skin is the product of the principle represented by touch. It represents the gaseous state of matter and is responsible for the respiratory system.

The third element is Agni or Fire and the eye is the organ representing sight. It represents form without substance and is responsible for digestion and perception.

The fourth element is Jal or Water and is represented by the organ tongue which is used for the dual function of taste and speech. It represents the liquid state of matter and is responsible for fluid metabolism in the body. Blood, lymph and other fluids are considered as water elements.

The fifth element is Prithvi or Earth and the nose is the organ representing smell. It represents the solid state of matter and is responsible for the physical constitution of the body. Bones, tissues and teeth are considered as earth elements.

Earth or Akash is the most subtle element, each element in turn is used to create the next element, each less subtle than the next. The basest element earth can be perceived by all five senses sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. The next higher element water has no smell but can be heard, felt, seen and tasted. Next comes fire which can be heard, felt and seen. After that comes air which can be heard and felt. Last comes Akash which can only be heard.

How Shamanic Healing Works

When it comes to shamanic healing, the shaman essentially works in tandem with spirits, often called 'helper spirits', in the spiritual realms. They will 'summon' these spirits to repair a soul, who may then experience real, physical healing in the earthly realm. In order to contact these spirits, the shaman will have to go on a journey by entering a trance state. The more practice and training a shaman has, the easier it will be for them to enter this powerful state.

The shaman might ask their helper spirits to invoke shamanic healing by pulling 'power' from the sufferer’s oversoul as well as retrieving lost spirit guides and animals. People who have been through a life-altering trauma, whether mental or physical, may have lost a part of their soul or damaged their 'spiritual force field'. This makes them vulnerable to illness, bad luck, and depression. These are the kinds of people who would most benefit from a shamanic healing session. A shaman will go into the spirit world and heal their soul, either through their own efforts or by talking to spirit guides/animals.

Spiritual Rituals that a Shamanic Practitioner Performs

There are a wide variety of healing rituals and ceremonies shamanic practitioners might choose from depending on the client's needs. The shamanic practitioner may use drumming, chanting, dancing, and healing practices to help the client feel better. A shamanic practitioner will always do a journey to diagnose or assess the spiritual roots of illness. Anyone practicing shamanism to heal others has undergone a long period of shamanic training. A few of the ceremonies a shamanic healer might perform rituals include power animal retrieval, extraction, or soul retrieval. These address the client's spirit to aid in their natural healing process.  With physical illness, a shaman may undo spiritual blockages to a person's healing ability. A shaman is a spiritual healer and not usually a licensed medical provider.  

POWER ANIMAL RETRIEVAL

A power animal retrieval is a type of healing journey to connect the client to their power animal. Power animals are spirits that guide and protect humans in many aspects of life. These are individual spirits with whom a client can develop a relationship. Shamans often perform power animal retrieval to restore a client's power or protect them before surgery or childbirth.

SHAMANIC EXTRACTION CEREMONY

Shamanic extraction is a healing ceremony in which a shaman removes a blockage from the client's energy system. These blockages are called intrusions. Intrusive energy get's stuck in the client's energy body and should be removed to restore proper function. Shamans perform this ceremony to heal a client by re-establishing balance in their energy system.

SOUL RETRIEVAL

Soul retrieval is a healing journey in which a shaman journeys into the spirit world to retrieve a lost part of a person's soul body. This part, or essence, is often lost via trauma or shock. The shamanic healer performs this journey to aid in the healing process by helping clients regain lost essence. Soul retrieval requires specialized training and is one of the most common ceremonies performed.

Shamanic Initiation Process 

The meaning of the word initiate is “to start,” and there will be many ongoing initiations on the path to shamanism. To provide a practical view of the shamanic initiation process, we will detail the three main steps that a person will experience. We’ve summarized these stages below.

Separation or Severance

This involves a type of crisis that rattles you to your core. It can be the death of a loved one, a serious injury or illness, the dismantling of a belief system, or the loss of a meaningful relationship. As you navigate this process, something will shift in your worldview that cannot be put back together again. This is the process of letting go of old feelings and beliefs that no longer serve you. It forges a stronger connection to yourself and the life path you are on. This process will inevitably lead you to greater awareness and appreciation for life’s challenges. You will see that these challenges are here to help you level up to your fullest potential.

Dealing With the Unknown

With great awareness comes deeper lines of thinking. This is where you begin to question the truths you’ve been fed and further dismantle linear thinking. The universe is opening you up to a vast array of possibilities. Because of this, you might feel as though you are going mad or losing your mind as you circle through thought patterns looking for something to latch on to. Questions will arise that you cannot answer right away, and this signals that it’s time to surrender. This is when the healing begins.

Integration or Rebirth

The third and final phase is perhaps the most uncomfortable. After you’ve been wandering in the void of the unknown, now you must integrate these lessons into your daily life. It might feel overwhelming to see all of the flaws and imperfections of the world that still exist, especially since you have just trudged through experiences and realizations that have had a deep impact on you. It might feel like things should be easier somehow. And they are. There will continue to be challenges and struggles and pain. But now you will have the tools to navigate the world with more grace and compassion. And so, this is where you come into your power and charge through life with calm confidence.

The Difference Between a Priest, Prophet, and Shaman

A religious leader who is part of an organized religion is considered to be a priest or priestess. Priests are authorized by a priesthood, or some other religious organization, to perform religious rituals designed to influence the supernatural world and to guide the believers in their religious practices.

A shaman is a person who is not part of an organized religion and is in direct contact with the spirit world, usually through a trance state.  A shaman has spirit helpers at his or her command to carry out curing, divining click this icon to hear the preceding term pronounced, and bewitching click this icon to hear the preceding term pronounced.  Shamanistic power is acquired individually, usually in physical and/or mental solitude and isolation from other humans.  Spirits or some other supernatural entities are revealed to the shaman and he or she learns how to control them.

A prophet is an individual who receives divine revelation concerning a restructuring of religion and usually of society as well.  They call for dramatic change while priesthoods usually act as conservative forces in preserving long-standing traditions.  Not surprisingly, prophets are usually outside of the priesthood and are seen by priests as irritating, disruptive trouble-makers.  It is not unusual for prophets to come from humble or unknown origins.

What to Expect in A Shamanic Healing Session

If you're considering seeking out a shamanic healing session, you might be wondering what to expect. While every session will be unique and tailored to the individual's needs and circumstances, some common elements are typically present in a shamanic healing session. Here's a general overview of what you might experience.

An initial consultation: Before diving into the healing work, a good shamanic healer will typically spend some time getting to know you and learning about your specific goals and needs. This might involve a discussion of your medical history, any current physical or emotional challenges you're facing, and your overall approach to health and well-being. The healer will use this information to tailor the session to your specific needs.

Setting intentions: Once the initial consultation is complete, the healer will likely spend some time helping you set clear intentions for the session. This might involve discussing what you hope to accomplish or achieve through the healing work, as well as any specific areas you'd like to focus on. Setting clear intentions can help to focus the session and ensure that you get the most out of the experience.

Journeying or other spiritual practices: Depending on the specific approach of the healer, the session might involve several different spiritual practices. One common technique is journeying, in which the healer helps the client enter into an altered state of consciousness through the use of drumming, chanting, or other techniques. This can allow the client to access deeper levels of consciousness and connect with spirit guides, ancestors, or other aspects of the spiritual realm. Other practices might include using sacred objects or performing ceremonial rituals.

Healing work: Once the necessary spiritual practices have been completed, the healer will typically begin the actual healing work. This can involve anything from hands-on energy work to the use of herbs or other natural remedies. The specific techniques used will depend on the healer's training and the needs of the client. The goal of the healing work is to address any physical, emotional, or spiritual imbalances or blockages and facilitate the body's natural healing process.

Integration and follow-up: After the healing work is complete, the healer will typically spend some time helping the client integrate the experience and ground themselves back in the present moment. This might involve discussing any insights or revelations that arose during the session and helping the client develop a plan for incorporating any new insights into their daily life. The healer might also provide recommendations for follow-up care, such as continuing certain practices or incorporating certain herbs or supplements into the client's routine.

In conclusion, a shamanic healing session might involve a combination of initial consultation, setting intentions, spiritual practices, healing work, and integration and follow-up. The specific elements and techniques used will vary depending on the healer's training and the needs of the client. The overall goal is to address any imbalances or blockages and facilitate the body's natural healing process, ultimately helping the client achieve greater physical, emotional, and spiritual balance and well-being.

What Happens During a Shamanic Healing Session

A shamanic healing session has three main parts: preparation, shamanic journey, and after-journey (return). A typical healing session can take place inside or outdoors in a quiet, safe, and relaxing environment. It’s a ‘sacred space’ dedicated to opening, releasing, and healing. The centerpiece of the sacred space is an altar adorned with crystals, candles, burning incense, and flowers. 

Here’s what happens during the session in detail:

1. Open conversation with a shaman

The session starts with an open discussion between you and the shaman about your history and current state of things in a safe, nurturing space, where you can be as transparent as possible. This preparation part alone can reap numerous benefits as you are encouraged to be entirely about your background and present challenges and dig deep to go beyond your habitual narratives. It can bring about greater self-awareness and resolution of old emotional traumas. So the more open you are, the bigger your healing potential is. 

2. Energy work

This is the beginning of the ceremonial work where the shaman prepares your system for the journey. As you lie on your back, the shaman assesses your energy centers (usually found along the seven chakras of the body) to release any stagnant or foreign energy. They can use reiki or sound healing to clear energy blockages. This energy work is healing in itself as it clears and balances your vital energy centers. If any of these centers are blocked, it can manifest as a physical ailment or disease. So when the blockages are removed, it restores your energy flow and improves vitality.

3. The Shamanic Journey

When the energy work is complete, the shaman explains what you will experience during the shamanic journey:

- tingling and warming sensations

-meditative-like states of consciousness

- an emotional release

- the energy of the spiritual communion

Then the shaman accesses non-ordinary reality, inducing a trance (theta brainwave state) via rhythmic percussion (generally using a drum or a rattle).

When the shaman embarks on the journey, they connect with their spirit helpers and travel through spirit realms in search of wisdom and healing. Their non-physical journey may translate into shaman’s hands-on or hands-off energy work — this is how they channel energy from the spirit world and move it throughout your body. The journey part of the ceremony lasts about an hour. The shamanic journey expands your perception of what you’ve known to be the physical reality. Even though you aren’t accessing non-physical realms alongside the shaman, you are an indispensable part of the shamanic journey into the spirit world. This expanded perception will inevitably lead to higher awareness and a deeper understanding of your past experiences, traumas, and spiritual essence. 

4. The Return

Once the shaman returns from their journey, they hold space for the after-journey discussion, where you share your experience. They also articulate wisdom and advice gifted to them from the spirit realm and discuss what you can implement in your physical reality to integrate your shamanic healing.

Find a Shamanic Practitioner

For individuals who live within an indigenous culture, shamanic practitioners are readily known and easily accessible. But for the majority of contemporary westerners, shamanic practitioners are not known. As shamans are called to their practices through direct spiritual initiation, there is no certifying body to register practitioners. That said, the Foundation for Shamanic Studies does post a registry of Certified Shamanic Counselors who have completed a training program in Core Shamanism through the foundation.

If you find a practitioner in your local community, ask friends and colleagues about their reputation. Then meet with the practitioner and ask how they were initiated and trained, as well as how they practice. One critical question is whether the practitioner would be available after shamanic healing (especially a soul retrieval), to help with issues of integration and processing (or if they at least refer to a colleague to assist in that work).

Sources:

Wikipedia

Taking Charge

Mind Valley

Palomar

Centre Of Excellence

Maine Shaman

Study

Reality Sandwich

The Canadian Encyclopedia

Ideapod

Britannica

The Shamans Path

Hindu Scriptures

Rami Abu-Sitta

 

The content herein is provided for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Medical information changes constantly, and therefore the content on this website should not be assumed to be current, complete or exhaustive. Always seek the advice of your doctor before starting or changing treatment. If you think you may have a medical emergency, please call your doctor or 9-1-1 (in the United States) immediately.