Shamanism has been a vital “technology” somewhere between 60,000- 100,000, even with contemporary efforts to repress indigenous practices. It continues because of its adaptability to the time, place, culture, and it’s practical results. And I believe in part because of the mysterious nature of the spirit realm to continue to inspire and teach us. The term “shaman” which is now widely used, originated in Siberia and means “walker between worlds” or “one who sees in the dark”. A shaman essentially mediates between this and the spirit world on behalf of others for healing, guidance, and information (not unlike priests or minsters, but without doctrine). Shamans have been responsible for a host of practical matters as the counselors, ministers, doctors, peace makers, dream tenders, prophets, storytellers, seers, and earth keepers.
It’s important to note that shamanism isn’t a religion. I recall Michael Harner saying that he once taught a convent of nuns how to journey. The U.S. is a country of immigrants who were not so far removed from the roots of the shamanic practices from the region they came from, including Europe and the United Kingdom. My great grandparents shared stories from relatives in the old country that were full of undoing curses, the Wild Hunt and the like. Each culture has its unique ceremonies, rituals, stories and practices that have evolved in relationship to the land, nature, and the cosmos. And, as varied as each shamanic culture may be, anthropologist and those who have worked with shamans in different parts of the world have found that they have in common universal core practices. Michael Harner, Ph.D. refers to this as “core-shamanism”.
Today, shamans still continue to be a primary source of healing and assistance in many parts of the world. There is also a vital re-emergence of shamanism in the western world, as we wake up the memory in our DNA of our ancestral indigenous ways.
Shamans work the living, as well as tending those who have died and may need help finding peace in the afterlife, and when there is a need to help resolve unresolved business between the living and the dead.
At once ancient and contemporary, shamanism has much to offer our world at this time as we’ve created a world out of balance. As we heal, restoring balance and harmony within, we also effect healing and harmony without. Like the Butterfly Effect, where the flapping of a butterfly’s wings in Japan can effect the weather in Texas, so can the power of one person effect the whole. As we heal ourselves, we also contribute to healing the Web of Life, that which connects and influences everyone and everything.