The Shamanic World
Shamanism is one of humankind’s oldest and perhaps original form of spirituality. Early in human evolution, we began to look to the spirits of ancestors, animals, plants, elements and deities for help, guidance and sustenance. These compassionate beings assisted us by teaching humankind about how to live in the world and by offering protection. The spirits taught ceremonies and rituals for hunting, agriculture, fertility and healing. The spirits provided a framework and sense of continuity that helped people to feel safer and to function well within their world. The spirits offered relationship, thus spirituality in a shamanistic sense means having relationship with Spirit or spirits.
Certain people were observed to have strong affinities for communicating with these spirits and they became known as the shamans, the seers and the mediators. The shamans served their community in many capacities. Some shamans were healers, seers or masters of ritual to ensure the success of various endeavors. Shamans were the ones whose job was to ensure that balance be kept between the seen and unseen worlds. Shamanism exists today as the substratum of most if not all cultures and it exists because the relationships between the helping and compassionate spirits and people continue to exist.
Modern shamanism is alive and thriving. There is a wonderful blending of ancestral and ancient knowledge with new experience. Many people are discovering that connecting to and relating with the Helping Spirits is not confined to shamans, but is available to all of us. There is a resurgence of interest in shamanism as well as a remarkable rise in classes on many different types and aspects of shamanic healing and practices. (Please see
Classes and
Links for shamanic workshop opportunities.)