~ The Shaman ~ 

 

I am he who puts together,

he who speaks he who searches,

I am he who looks for the spirit of the day, 

He who dwells where there is fright and terror.

I am he who fixes, he who cures the sad and the sick,

Who brings medicine, remedy of the spirit,

remedy of the atmosphere of the day, 

I am he who resolves.

I am he who resolves truth,

I am he who finds light for the day,

he who dissolves terror.​

Inspired by Joan Halifax - Shamanic Voices

 

The shaman is the proto-healer and is thus set apart from other doctors and modern healers because s/he must 'journeys to a metaphysical dimension' to acquire the 'necessary medicine'. Put another way, the shaman is a master of ecstasy, who alters the mental-scape of the patient, to bring about healing or to conjure ceremony, to indelibly mark the psyche.

In this sense, shamanism is a mental business, not a supernatural practice or spiritual schism. We should move beyond the typical perception that 'shamanic healing', is reserved for indigenous people and simply superstitious sorcery. After all, we are all indigenous to someplace and shamanism was once our only repository for mental well-being. It remains at some deep level, within our DNA, and therefore within our cellular memory. The shaman is the original mind 'alterer' of the patient or community. If successful at invoking the required effect, often utilizing a placebo, the shaman heals the patients or society on a holistic level by changing the perception of, ' I am sick" or 'we are cursed.' 

Since shamanic healing is far less invasive (albeit drastically exotic) its treatment may require prolonged or repetitive sessions and follow-ups and often require lifestyle changes to sustain the effect/s.

For centuries, shamanism was the only effective psychotherapy available.

​

Medicine people the world over, taught us about concepts like DNA, calling it 'the ancestors' and 'the bone seed', centuries before Watson and Crick confirmed these discoveries through science. The 'witch doctor' made us aware of germs and introduced germ clearing remedies from sage or Imphepo to concepts such as clapping and tossing 'confetti' (or the macho version- the 21 gun salute) which we still perform today, without the foggiest clue why. Speaking of confetti, the shaman introduced us to ritual, one of the most vital preventative practices, because it enhances the sense of acknowledgment of an individual as a valuable component of a group. Thus affirming a sense of well-being in days long past as well as in the present.

Whether it be a baptism, a marriage, a funeral, or a graduation, we all feel loved and special when we are acknowledged through rituals and rites of passage. As the Native American Lakota say: A'keilah Mitakuye Oyasin 

(This is good for our relations)

​

Since the dawn of mankind, shamanism has been at the root of the ceremony, healing, and our psycho-spiritual conscience, 

Shamans have been the original advisors to chieftains and kings. From their folklore came law and order, concepts of justice, facilitation for bereavement, initiation, and council. Ultimately a repository for a community to form a worldview. The shaman that the 18th and 19th-century anthropologists introduced us to were often tribal and superstitious, backward we may even say, but in truth, the shaman has always been streets ahead, as this short story illustrates.

​

A Danish explorer and missionary named Knud Rasmussen once came upon two Inuit shamen, trying to light a fire with Yak dung as their only fuel, deep within the Arctic circle, around the turn of the 19th century. Having some whale blubber, Rasmussen offered them some and took the opportunity to enlighten them about the Gospels. He told them about 'salvation' and the Holy Trinity and Heaven and Hell. As he explained the great fires of hell, one shaman looked at his brother and said, "Yo! that sounds wonderful. How do we get there? They both began laughing hysterically. 

​

Shamanism has been around for more than 65000 years, possibly practiced by Neanderthals.

Yoga, which imbues many shamanic concepts, has similarly been around for thousands of years before being formalized and penned by Patanjali around 550 BCE

These ancient schools of wisdom have stood the test of time.

So before you judge, seek first to understand the secrets of the ancients.

............................

I am hardly a shaman, for I am still alive. 

The shaman's path is unending

I am an old old man, but I am still a baby,

standing before the mysteries of life 

with great awe.

- Matsuwa - Huichol shaman