Shaman...What’s that?
The word Shaman comes from the language of a tribe in Northern Siberia the Tungus. It is a word that has many meanings the easiest of which is the generic ‘healer’ but the more interesting and probably closer translation is like the tag line, ‘The one with eyes to see in the dark’.
There are as many different types of Shamanism as there are peoples on this Earth and each one has their own unique way of dealing with their people’s dis-ease, problems and queries.
The most interesting thing about this is that it is the oldest belief system on Earth; perhaps even in the Universe (I’ll have to get back to you on that one!)
Cave paintings that have been found dating back about 100,000 years show the primitive lives that were led at that time and the mainstay of that life was the hunt, for without food there could be no tribe.
Across the world there were tribes in the same situations and at the same stage of evolution. The other thing they all had in common was their Shamans, and what they had in common was a central or core belief system.
Shamanism is an animistic belief system. It has all to do with how the animals lived and hunted and fought and survived on this great planet of ours. The Shamans drew parallels and observed closely the animals’ behaviour and their connection with their environment, this also set apart from the others of the tribe because they could do, see and know things that others did not.
An eminent anthropologist called Le Barre once said that there were Shamans before there were Gods.
One story which explains this well is the story of the arrival of the first ships on the coast of what is now the America’s. No-one could see the ships because they had no knowledge of what they were – they could not conceive of a vessel such as a galleon. However, one Shaman noticed a disturbance on the water and he drew from his experience of observing the water for fishing and the strange disturbance grew in size and shape before him and then he saw the new thing and went off to tell his tale to the chiefs of the people.
So it is more a lack of limitation of knowledge. An understanding that perhaps we have not yet seen all there is to see in the world and therefore some of us notice things a little differently.
This way of seeing things comes at a price. The Shaman is called in one of three ways:-
Near death experience
Mental trauma (mental breakdown)
Hereditary calling
The first two are really self-explanatory, the other way the Tungus describe a Shaman is as ‘the one with the mad eyes’. They say that the eyes of the Shaman burn bright in the dark. I suspect that is also when they are in trance. A severe shock or mental breakdown or a near death experience is going to give you a reasonably different outlook and it also is the way of being touched by Spirit. This is why the Native American Indians are very respectful of the mentally wounded and will almost revere them, some likening them to Heyoka medicine men/women whose medicine is to do everything backwards. These are called by the thunder spirits and are equally feared and blessed by their neighbours.
The hereditary Shaman: well you would think would you not that these guys would have a choice in this matter and to an extent you would be correct but not really. In order to refuse the office of Shaman they must take themselves off and be separated from their family and friends until the calling leaves them this separation can result in a mental breakdown so Hobson’s choice really.
So how does all this come to be happening in this neck of the woods?
The modern day Western Shamanic practitioner has experienced some of the above too. Spirit calls and when it does it kind of grabs you by the scruff of the neck and gives you a good shake...at least that was how it was for me.
There are just as many different Shamanic cultures here. Some of us follow Celtic ways or the Norse system, some are more Native American, and then there are the Peruvian/South American devotees and some are a little bit eclectic because the central – core belief is what really counts.
Why are there so many different ways to do this? Because there are so many different people with different needs and it is like choosing your doctor you want someone who ‘gets’ you as much as you ‘get them’.
The Shaman goes on what is called a Journey; this is done in what is called an ecstatic trance, which is a light to medium trance. It is not like meditation, for meditation the focus is inward the Journey trance is outward hence the word ecstatic which comes from the Greek ekstasis meaning outside. The journey is done to the beat of a drum. A particular kind of drum which will enable the Shaman to travel to one of the three worlds, these comprise of the Upper (Angelic, Divine realm), the Middle (the reality ‘next door’ the land of the Fae, healing and other change work takes place here) and the Lower World (where the Power Animals are found, a place of teaching, connection and healing).
The journey is usually made to the beat of a drum, but trance can be achieved in dance or by connecting to nature, stones, the Sami culture Joiks themselves into a journey that is a song with no words but that is another story. We do love our stories, and we use them for healing also. The faerie tales of old are the telling of journeys. They tell of quests and lessons, healings and challenges, rites of passage that we do not honour so much these days.
Also known as Shadow Walkers the Shaman’s task is to traverse the veils of these realities in order to bring back healing or messages for the seeker or client. In the beginning it would have been to find out where the herds would be for hunting, where the best water and shelter would be found and when it was time to move. They will talk to the ancestors and the other peoples who share this world with us. The Stone people, the Standing People, the winged ones and the beasts that crawl and swim. For everything has a Spirit and everything is of Spirit and therefore deserves and demands respect.
This is the dipping of a toe into a vast ocean; this subject spans the Universe, not just the globe.
Our path has taken us as far as Canada where we are part of the Wolven Clan and I have been ordained and initiated within that community. And really that is what it is all about, community. Respecting oneself and ones neighbours, being aware of the consequences of ones actions. Being responsible for one’s own lessons in life and understanding that dis-ease has a spiritual root as well as an emotional and physical root.
It really is all about connection, and a world wide web that is not the internet.
There is so much to tell and so much still to learn. For further reading I can recommend ‘The Sacred Hoop’ which comes out quarterly. There is so much information out there, it is all happening and these days we have no excuse to miss any of it. From the resurgence of the 13 Grandmothers to the exponents of Huna, Shamanic practice from Hawaii, (that is where the term ‘the Big Kahuna’ is taken from).
We at Spiral Heart are happy to provide information and help with enquiries should anyone want to know more. See our website for more info on some of the things Shamanic practitioners can do for you.
+ Leslie Marsh Spiral Heart Healing
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