Why Study Shamanism?

[Guest guest]

Why Study Shamanism?

 

 

 

This is probably the most common question asked today. And you know

why so many people ask it? Because we are brought up in a society

that does not have Shamanism. Worse than that we are brought up

without community.

 

In the old days we were raised with a strong community around us. We

lived together, played together, grew up together and sometimes even

died together. We had elders and doctors and teachers and medical

advisors right within this strong close knit community. Think of the

Klingit tribes of Indians who live in Alaska. Although they may seem

isolated from the outside, they are completely self contained with a

very strong sense of communal identity.

 

But today, we are lucky to have a strong family or church community

and in many ways we are less fortunate than long ago.

 

In the old days, the elders would watch the children and find what

each child was strong in and had a knack for. Then that gift or

gifts were encouraged and the child grew into whatever came

naturally to him or her. If a child seemed good with numbers, that

talent was grown and the child might become the treasurer for the

community. If the child was given to visions he or she may be

groomed to be the community's visionary. If the child could speak to

the animals, perhaps the child would become the communicator to the

spirit world. Each child would have one or more gifts he or she was

born with. It was the community, the elders, the teachers, and the

parents who realized the blessings and were happy to help the child

be what he or she was meant to be in life.

 

Today we have no such possibility for ourselves or for our children.

For the most part, we are raised to fit into a box; to learn what

everyone else learns and to ignore or abandon anything that does not

fit into society's box. If our parents see us talking to the birds

we are taken to a psychologist and told not to do that. In fact

there is very little encouragement to develop the gifts and talents

that we were born into. And so our society is losing out on the

largest talent bank ever assembled on this planet today.

 

This is the problem. Shamanism could disappear from the face of the

earth because children of today are not allowed to study it and to

grow their own special gifts of healing for themselves and for

society. It doesn't have to be this way. We have a choice. It is not

too late to look inside and find those special gifts we were born

with. We may have pushed them down and buried them deep inside

because our parents, our family, our society said they were wrong or

worthless or should not be used. But they are still within us.

 

What are these gifts?

Healing the spirit is the primary function of a Shaman.

This includes

Soul-extraction,

Soul-retrieval,

Soul-restoration

Herbal healing

Hands on healing

Divination

Dream Work

Soul Leading

 

Soul extraction involves the Shaman extracting psychic darts or

chords that have intruded upon the soul or etheric body of the

patient. This is sometimes an attack from someone who has attempted

to harm, maim, or kill the patient. The classic dart attack will

often manifest as pains where no wounds exist. This involves,

according to Michael Harner, author of The Way of the Shaman, a

literal " sucking out " of the intrusion. This sucking out of the

intrusions is done both psychically and mentally. There are other

methods of soul extraction as well.

 

Soul-retrieval is the process by which the Shaman retrieves pieces

of the person lost soul. This is often accomplished by journeying to

the spirit world and requesting assistance from the spirits,

ancestors, and guides that dwell in Other Realities or Worlds. These

beings assist the Shaman in discovering what is wrong with the

person and often help the Shaman fight a battle with the being now

possessing those parts to win them back and bring them to the

patient. Some of the classic symptoms of a person in need of soul

retrieval would perhaps include those suffering from a mental

illness; those abused as children, or those who sense that something

is missing in their lives.

This is a dangerous act and often the Shaman if he or she is not

trained well enough can fall into physical or mental traps laid by

the possessing entities that may cause illness or psychosis for the

Shaman.

 

Soul restoration is the literally restoring of one's soul. This

occurs when a person is near death and his/her soul seeks to move

on. This " death " could be the result of a psychic attack or an

accident from which the body has recovered physically, but not

spiritually. Again the Shaman will journey to the place where the

patient has lost his or her soul and barter for that soul to bring

it back and restore it to the patient. It takes much strength and

power by the Shaman to deal with these otherworld entities and the

Shaman must know how and where to wield that power for the good of

all. Shamans are not in the business of destruction but rather

healing. I cannot emphasize the role of personal power and education

for the Shaman enough.

 

Hands- on healing or bodywork is most certainly a part of what a

Shaman does. This technique is still widely used today by Reiki

masters, massage therapists, chiropractors and Shamans. Shamanistic

hands-on healing involves the energy or spirit of the Shaman working

with the energy or spirit of the patient.

 

Divination is the means by which a Shaman can foretell the future,

describe the illnesses of people and find their cure. Divination

shows the path to the Shaman; which direction the patient should

walk to receive healing. This is accomplished in varying ways and

the method used often depends on the teaching the Shaman received

from his particular tribe or elder. The most common shamanic method

is journeying to the Otherworld and requesting information from

elders, guides and spirits who live there. It is been said that

Genghis Khan used his shamans that way. There are many other beings

who are greatly involved in your life and wish to see you whole and

happy. A Shaman has intimate relationship with these wise ones and

uses this gift on the patient's behalf.

 

Herbal healing gives credence to the true belief that the Shaman is

a medicine man or witch doctor. Herbal healing began with the

beginning of the earth. Many of the hunting and gathering tribes had

the ability to heal with plants indigenous to their area. Today this

knowledge is fast disappearing and Shamans everywhere try to support

the preservation of indigenous plantlife and the lore surrounding

them. Many Shamans spend their entire careers discovering and

recording these plants for the future of us all.

Herbalism is used in conjunction with spirit healing to facilitate

recovery. All Shamans are herbalists.

 

Dreamwork or dream interpretation is another Shamanic tool to assist

with healing. Shamans will listen to the dreamer's dream, sometimes

for several days, until they fully connect with it. Then they will

dream the dream themselves and resolve the conflict to the highest

good of the dreamer. This again is a difficult task and requires

rigorous training by the Shaman in his or her apprenticeship to

accomplish.

 

Soul leading is another important function of a Shaman. This is the

process in which the Shaman will escort the newly dead to their

place in the Otherworld. This is done because the Shaman who is

familiar and a frequent visitor to the Otherworld will be able to

find the " soul " its proper place.

 

Not all Shamans are all of the above but a good Shaman is all this

and more. What a Shaman is according to Eliade is a " Master of the

Ecstatic. " This is true for it is in the mastery of the ecstatic

that the Shaman garners his or her power.

 

Each of us had one or more of these gifts buried somewhere inside

our spirits. It is our gift, our right, actually our duty to find

the gift, study the gift, gain power over the gift or gifts and use

the gift to heal ourselves and others. Can you imagine how beautiful

this world would be if each of us took responsibility for the gifts

we were given? Who would be left sick? Or poor?

 

There is a course available called Shaman Apprenticeship 101 to help

unlock those gifts and re-member the skills and the power to make

one's life everything it is meant to be! Studying Shamanism will

bring back the harmony in one's life and create a strong connection

to spirit. Come Home! Allow yourself to be who you truly are! Find

your personal power. Take charge of your situation. Find your sense

of purpose in this world. Give that gift that is uniquely yours to

give.

 

You can find out more about this course by going to

http://www.shamanelder.com

As a Shaman Elder, Maggie Wahls has spent years working with

children, observing them in constructive and purposeful play

activities designed to discover those gifts and talents within each

child. As a community we can then encourage and nurture those gifts

into the powerful skills that they can be for happiness, self-

fulfillment, motivation, excellence, achievement and success. And

so, she is also creating an experiential self-discovery course for

children. Maggie is available for counseling in this area and would

be happy to offer assistance in helping your child find his or her

own true potential. It is the job of a Shaman

Aho!

Shaman Elder Maggie Wahls

Shaman

Copyright 2004

 

 

Shaman Elder Maggie Wahls

PO Box 64

Pismo Beach, CA 93449

shaman

 

 

 

Visit Shaman Elder Maggie Wahls at: www.shamanelder.com

 

Born into a long lineage of Shamans from Europe, Shaman Maggie has

been practicing Shamanism since the age of three. She has spent the

last fifty years studying with Shamans from all over the world and

teaching what she has learned in an effort to keep Shamanism alive

and viable as an alternative method to health and happiness. She

feels that Shamanism is not some mysterious practice for a special

few but that we are all united in Shamanism as it is the paste that

connects us to ourselves and to each other. Her classes are very

interactive, fun, uplifting and learning new skills through her

lectures keeps people coming back for more.

 

Maggie is one of America's most loved teachers of Shamanism for

today's modern society. Her classes are ongoing online and in 5 day

intensives in New Mexico. She is currently writing a book on the art

of Shamanism and also offers free counseling to anyone who wishes

it. Learn more at http://www.shamanelder.com

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