Whether traveling to other realities through different states of consciousness or merging with spirits in order to help and heal people; shamanism is an age-old practice with enough controversy to match its overwhelmingly different approach to understanding reality.
Shamanism is prevalent in most indigenous cultures around the world with an estimated age of about 30,000 years, depending on different scholarly circles.
Shamans, more commonly known today as medicine women or men, have the ability and technology to merge with spirits and gain knowledge outside the realm of books, schools or the internet.
Even though many people criticize the practice for being unscientific and archaic, it doesn’t negate the validity of shamans and their cultural community’s belief systems. Ethnographic work done by many anthropologists gives different views on the practice, but the underlying similarities are always present.
These similarities include the belief of another plane of existence beyond ours and spirits that live within those worlds. In this context, a spirit is “an animate essence that has intelligence and different degrees of power, that is seen most easily in complete darkness and much less frequently in bright light,” according to retired UC Berkeley anthropology professor Michael Harner in his book “Cave and Cosmos.”
Drumming is key to the practice and mild to heroic doses of hallucinogenic plants such as ayahuasca are also used to induce the same altered state of consciousness.
The change in consciousness follows a logical sequence of events that is extremely fascinating in regards to understanding ourselves and what lies outside our observable reality. Entertaining the idea that my ancestors are somehow still alive and have the ability to interact with me if I seek their help is comforting. Outside a religious context, shamanism offers a new perspective on things, which in itself is rejuvenating.
Though most commonly associated with healing, shamans may also cause suffering if they have a lapse in moral judgment. Such suffering includes using spirits to harm people mentally or emotionally. Once shamans harm people they consequently lose all power and the spirits no longer assist them anymore. They also lose all trust from their community, which is also comforting to know.
Overall, the practice of shamanism is rich in symbolism and meaningful experiences, which can challenge the fundamental assumption that our observable reality is the only reality. This type of challenge to any belief system need not be threating or negative. It’s healthy to have your foundation rattled from time to time. It keeps one young and alive at heart.