101 lines
4.7 KiB
Plaintext
101 lines
4.7 KiB
Plaintext
What is Shamanism? Where did it come from?
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The word shaman is from the Tungus; saman. Meaning a Priest
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of Shamanism; A Magician. (Webster)
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From "Occidental Mythology" by Joseph Campbell
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"The myths and rites of the roving tribesmen of the Great
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Hunt, for whom the animals, large and small, of the rolling
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plains manifestation of the powers and mysteries of nature,
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were based largely on the idea that between mankind and
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beasts a covenant existed. The food animals gave their
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bodies willingly to be slain, provided certain rites were
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enacted to insure rebirth and return. Animals appeared in
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vision, to become guardians, initiators, and vehicles of the
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shamans, bestowing upon them knowledge, power, and spiritual
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insight. And the people, in their rites, dressed as and
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imitated beasts."
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Some form of Shamanism is/has been practiced in Eastern
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Siberia - Manchuria (notably among the Tungus), Tibet, China,
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Japan & Korea to Mongoloid and Turkic tribes. The Finns,
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Lapps, Estonians & Hungarians form the western frontier of
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old world Shamanism.
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On this continent, the Eskimos, on the north pacific coast,
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the Plateau, California, Great Basin, Plains & Eastern
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Woodland tribes, and some (not all) of the S.W. tribes. In
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many communities in Middle America (Mexico to Panama) the
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traditions have been confused with Catholicism, however many
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tribes in South America still practice Shamanism.
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Mircea Eliade, chairman of the department of history of
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religions at the University of Chicago, is considered by many
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to be the ultimate source of information on archaic
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Shamanism. In his book "Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of
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Ecstasy" he credits an even wider range of the practice than
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the above information from the Britanica. He states that
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generally Shamanism coexists with other forms of magic and
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religion.
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Eliade also says that not all magicians are Shamans, although
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Shamans practice magic, and not all medicine men are Shamans,
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although Shamans heal. "It would be more correct to class
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shamanism among the mysticisms than with what is commonly
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called a religion. We shall find shamanism within a
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considerable number of religions, for shamanism always
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remains an ecstatic technique. A comparison at once come to
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mind - that of monks, mystics, and saints within Christian
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churches.
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"..a shaman is not recognized as such until after he has
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received two kinds of training: (1) ecstatic (dreams,
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trances, etc.) and (2) traditional (shamanic techniques,
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names and functions of the spirits, mythology and genealogy
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of the clan, secret language, etc.). It is only the
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initiatory death and resurrection that consecrates a shaman".
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A more modern interpretation is given in "Medicine Cards" by
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Jamie Sams.
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The basic idea of the ancient initiations was to break down
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all the former notions of "self or a ritualistic death of
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some way of life that no longer suits the growth pattern.
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Jose and Lena Stevens, in their book "The Secrets of
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Shamanism" offer this description of the modern Shaman.
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"While shamans have no fixed dogma or religion , they all
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believe in the universal web of power that supports all life.
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According to shamanism, all elements of the environment are
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alive and all have their source of power in the spirit world.
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Rocks, plants, animals, clouds, and wind are charged with
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life and must be paid due respect for the maintenance of
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harmony and health. Shamans consider all life-forms to be
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interconnected, and a mutually supportive balance among them
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is essential for humankinds survival. Our job is to
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understand this balance and to live in harmony with it,
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always taking nature into consideration in every endeavor.
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The web of power in nature is the life giver and the source
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of all successful activity."
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Many Native Americans resent having the ways of the "Red
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Road" taught to non Amerindians. Some, who have some trace
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of Amerindian blood, have found Native teachers and
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greatly resent what they often refer to as New Age/Neo/Urban
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shamans. Ed (Eagleman) McGaa, in his book "Mother Earth
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Spirituality", responds that "if we do not teach other two
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legs to love the Mother Earth, when they destroy it, ALL two
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legs will go with them."
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Suggested reading on more modern Shamanic practices,in
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addition to the books noted above:
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"In The Shadow of the Shaman" by Amber Wolfe
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"Urban Shaman" by Dr. Serge Kahili King
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And, when it is published, "The HuMat Ceremony" by Tandika
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Star
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