What is Shamanism, Shamanic Healing, and Shamanic Work?

[Chandler Stephon Armstrong]

What is shamanism? Share Here?

[Janis]

Good questions.
I have been instructed by several powerful medicine people that a Shaman can only be a Shaman if they have a Siberian place of origin, otherwise, another name is used, like "medicine person". I have also been read the riot act by newly minted "I-took-the-entire-week-long-course-so-don't-mess-with-me-I-know-what-I-am-talking-about" shaman who argued that point. The point? Shaman don't tend to need to argue anything. That's one way to recognize a real-deal.
The work of a shaman is as individual as the shaman/medicine person. So, at this point, I will stop and ask that someone else who feels they have appropriate information to add,continue.
I like the idea of sharing, rather than trying to instruct, in this forum. Thanks, Chandler.

[Melody]

I agree with you Chandler and I am surprised that no-one has spoken up and made any comments as of yet. In regards to the "I took the entire week long course so don't mess wtih me I know what I am talking about" "Shaman, those are the people who have put me off of Shamanism. I have met a fair share of these people and it saddens me. I have joined this group in hopes to raise my interest again. I am an avid book reader (and I practice a great deal of what I learn) and for some time now I see the Shaman section. Stop for about a nanno-second and then move on to places like the yoga area or the eastern philosophy area....I have met a sumber of real Shamans. Mostly Aboriginal. They have helped heal me at times and they are very powerful and what they do works and is amazing! None of these people EVER took courses for their art. They grew up around it and were taught, in part, by the elders as well as using their own intuition. I believe that some of the Shamanistic workshops are very useful and helpful but I do not believe a certificate gives anyone the right to voice much of an opinion or qualifies them to play with other human beings energy. If I took a Shaman course, I would do it for my own personal reasons. I would not advertise it like a business. I would not tell people much. I would continue my journey of private learning. I would try to connect with authentic Shamans to learn more from them and I would offer help at times of need. I would never preach or brag. I believe there is a Shaman within all of us and that it is a personal journey for us all (if we want to tap into it). We all carry ancient ancestry that likely has some form of Shaman roots and I believe it is in many cultures and in many parts of the world. My hope is that there are some kindly written words regarding Shamanism that are grounded, genuine and real.

[Samantha Hussey]

Hello my friends,

Here is a thought on what is a Shaman:

Besides what we label as a Shaman/Medicine Person/Earthkeeper/Sangoma....what Shaman means to me comes from Alberto Villoldo:

"The Shaman is the self-realized person, she discovers the ways of Spirit thorough her inner awakening, my mentor would remind me that the Buddha was not a Buddhist, that Christ was not a Christian, one sat under a bodhi tree until illumination, and the other went into the desert for 40 days. In the sixth chakra (that is clear) we experience our own awakening, we shed the ponchos, the rattles, the feathers, and all of the external markings of the Shaman, and it is the Shaman within that matters."

Just a thought! I honor all of my elders, traditional medicine men and women from the Cree, Chippewa Ojibway and Navaho, and the "non-traditional" urban shamans, and the South African Sangomas, the Celtic Shamanka, and all of nature. If you ask a Shaman, what their lineage is, they should tell you in integrity. We are shaman/Earthkeepers/Divine all of us! Some may be called to work as Healers, Diviners, Facilitators, Makers, Farmers, Laborers, Teachers, etc. and all are valid!!!

Anyway, all answers are right from the perspective of the one who gives it!

Love and Light,
Samantha

[Magda]

hi there,
I will share little article about shamanic healing I wrote for local spiritual paper.

Shamanic healing and energy medicine – what is it…?

Many of my clients ask me how different is shamanic healing from Reiki or Quantum Touch? I take they don’t mean shamanic session…
Reiki and other Energy Medicine modalities are scheduled sessions where we work with intention to channel energy that client needs. Shamanic healing is a way of living. It is the art of walking the path towards self-growth and self mastery. Shamanic healing includes shamanic or Reiki session as part of the process.
Modern Spirituality is based on the principle of good healthy balance between mind, body, and spirit. Here we understand that if one of the parts is unhealthy, the whole being is unhealthy. I am a shaman who happened to be also Registered Massage Therapist, and have seen many clients who detox their spirit through various practices but not the physical body, and vice versa. It is a fact that we are energetic beings having physical experience. If you like yourself as the energy, your challenge might be the physical form. It was mine challenge until I started paying attention to my body, after all, my body must be strong and healthy to house my spirit. If you are concerned about physical health only, please read on, there might be something to trigger your curiosity. Along with fear, challenge, and spontaneity, curiosity is a great teacher.
Energy Medicine is any healing modality that deals with energy as a main healing power. Some forms of Energy Medicine include: magnet, light, electromagnetic, and cymatic (sound waves) therapies, as well as acupuncture, Qi-gong, Reiki, homeopathy, Therapeutic Touch, shamanic, and distant healing. One of the principles of Energy Medicine is that imbalances in the body’s energy field result in illness, and that by rebalancing the body’s energy field health can be restored. To be more tangible, the energetic imbalances are and are caused by our thoughts and emotions. Thoughts turn into emotions, emotions turn into discomfort, discomfort turns into disease. Healing thought patterns and affected emotions brings well being to the physical body.
So, what is illness or disease? It is being in dis-ease with specific aspects of life: emotions, patterns, beliefs, processes, etc. The truth about healing is that no matter who you see, and what that person will do for you, you are the one who heals yourself. We choose not to heal because we may fear the responsibility of self-healing, the change it will bring, and the unknown that we will have to face. We may fear loosing social status. Have you ever heard yourself think or say: “this is better than the unknown…”, or “other people got it way worst…”. Maybe you don’t know where to start, have fear to trust someone, or can’t find the right therapist. The reasons are different for every person, but fear is the common factor for all.
Self healing is about getting to know yourself, getting in touch with your intuition, and knowing what works for you and what doesn’t. It is to understand why you choose what you live, and why it is not working for you. Every one of us was born with inner power to know those things but we have learned very quickly or were conditioned to give this power away to doctors, teachers, systems, and/or family patterns. Self healing requires one to be responsible, to live and dream consciously (messages are coming to us in many forms), and to know our opposites, the happy and not so happy aspects, light and darkness. In the darkness is the opportunity to heal and grow.
At first, as we start self-healing journey we may feel without direction, inner compass. We may not know who to see, what to do first, how to start. Often this brings general depression followed by fear of change, stagnation, and finally sabotaging actions. Now you know the symptoms, have courage to seek solution. After all, this is all about you, about your life, happiness, growth, and freedom. This is the journey to embrace your highest potential, to choose consciously, to be balanced and whole. It requires courage to go into issues that have charge and cause pain, to trust someone, and to seek transformation. Our brain wants to understand, but our heart wants to heal. Who is your boss? Why?
Healing is not curing, healing is a journey. Carl Jung said: “issue solved is a loss” – no more learning and growing form it. In healing we transform wounds into power. This power is wisdom. If you want to see Energy Medicine practitioner, interview that person. You don’t have any contraindications for shamanic healing session, however the shaman may have. Here are few: shaman who wants to heal others (wounded healer), he or she may want to make someone feel better (I have sinned here…), shaman who is practicing sorcery - that is working with someone for good or not good reason without having consent, permission to work.
Shamanic healing is about living in harmony with the world around us - the world outside always reflects what’s within; it is about not interfering with anyone’s growth and journey – difficult for everyone to have no judgment, release control and manipulation; it is about recognizing and accepting all parts of our psyche – the good and the not so good that get us in trouble; it is about becoming self-regulated - shamanism has no rules, besides what you believe in, and how that may expand or limit you; shamanic healing requires one to be mindful, conscious, impeccable with thoughts, words, and actions. And remember that integrity is the highest form of spiritual practice.
So I will say to you two things: project and judge others as much as you can, but do it wisely! Know that what comes from you is what lives inside of you – “you spot it, you got it!”. The other thing is to observe yourself and exercise your ability to choose wisely. We have only one real choice and that is how we want to experience every minute of our day, and our life. Choose wisely in times of challenge.
Last but not least, free yourself from planning. John Lennon wrote: “life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans”. Plan mindfully, and remember that we plan when we feel abundant, lonely, unsupported, and forgotten by God (God is my favorite name for the Great Spirit, Rei, Higher Consciousness, or the One that carries your and mine names).
Happy journey!


Magda studied Inca Shamanism with The Four Winds Society/Alberto Villoldo, and other Spiritual Teachers and Masters. She is practicing Energy Medicine in the form of Shamanic Healing, Reiki, Cranio-Sacral Therapy, Shiatsu, and Registered Massage Therapy. Magda has private practice in Ottawa and Gatineau, and can be reached by e-mail at [e-mail]. You can visit her web page at the Healing Tree site: http://healingtree.ca/index.php?act=profile&id=12194980880142

[Kerri]

Here is the definition of a Shaman as It was taught to me...
A Shaman is a man or woman who enters an altered state to contact and utilize an ordinarily hidden reality in order to acquire knowledge and power to help others. We walk in the world and cast no shadow. We walk in the path of knowledge and power. We do not create Peace, we are Peace. We are travelers between worlds. We are mediators between Spirit, Nature and Community. We are Caretakers of Mother Earth. We make allies with the Rock people, Plant people and Animals because they always tell the truth. We are self referencing (not buying into the collective consciousness). We need no external reinforcement. We are a tradition of the precept - when we Change our Perception, we Change our World.

[Kerri]

I love what you said about our wounds being powerful and this power is wisdom.. So true that you can not come to this realization until you take responsibility for yourself, your words, your thoughts, your actions. I find I am thankful for every situation I find myself in as there is always a reason that something happens...it is for higher learning and growth through these experiences. Be in Anyi (balance) and amazing coincidences will become the "norm"

Magda said:

hi there,
I will share little article about shamanic healing I wrote for local spiritual paper.

Shamanic healing and energy medicine – what is it…?

Many of my clients ask me how different is shamanic healing from Reiki or Quantum Touch? I take they don’t mean shamanic session…
Reiki and other Energy Medicine modalities are scheduled sessions where we work with intention to channel energy that client needs. Shamanic healing is a way of living. It is the art of walking the path towards self-growth and self mastery. Shamanic healing includes shamanic or Reiki session as part of the process.
Modern Spirituality is based on the principle of good healthy balance between mind, body, and spirit. Here we understand that if one of the parts is unhealthy, the whole being is unhealthy. I am a shaman who happened to be also Registered Massage Therapist, and have seen many clients who detox their spirit through various practices but not the physical body, and vice versa. It is a fact that we are energetic beings having physical experience. If you like yourself as the energy, your challenge might be the physical form. It was mine challenge until I started paying attention to my body, after all, my body must be strong and healthy to house my spirit. If you are concerned about physical health only, please read on, there might be something to trigger your curiosity. Along with fear, challenge, and spontaneity, curiosity is a great teacher.
Energy Medicine is any healing modality that deals with energy as a main healing power. Some forms of Energy Medicine include: magnet, light, electromagnetic, and cymatic (sound waves) therapies, as well as acupuncture, Qi-gong, Reiki, homeopathy, Therapeutic Touch, shamanic, and distant healing. One of the principles of Energy Medicine is that imbalances in the body’s energy field result in illness, and that by rebalancing the body’s energy field health can be restored. To be more tangible, the energetic imbalances are and are caused by our thoughts and emotions. Thoughts turn into emotions, emotions turn into discomfort, discomfort turns into disease. Healing thought patterns and affected emotions brings well being to the physical body.
So, what is illness or disease? It is being in dis-ease with specific aspects of life: emotions, patterns, beliefs, processes, etc. The truth about healing is that no matter who you see, and what that person will do for you, you are the one who heals yourself. We choose not to heal because we may fear the responsibility of self-healing, the change it will bring, and the unknown that we will have to face. We may fear loosing social status. Have you ever heard yourself think or say: “this is better than the unknown…”, or “other people got it way worst…”. Maybe you don’t know where to start, have fear to trust someone, or can’t find the right therapist. The reasons are different for every person, but fear is the common factor for all.
Self healing is about getting to know yourself, getting in touch with your intuition, and knowing what works for you and what doesn’t. It is to understand why you choose what you live, and why it is not working for you. Every one of us was born with inner power to know those things but we have learned very quickly or were conditioned to give this power away to doctors, teachers, systems, and/or family patterns. Self healing requires one to be responsible, to live and dream consciously (messages are coming to us in many forms), and to know our opposites, the happy and not so happy aspects, light and darkness. In the darkness is the opportunity to heal and grow.
At first, as we start self-healing journey we may feel without direction, inner compass. We may not know who to see, what to do first, how to start. Often this brings general depression followed by fear of change, stagnation, and finally sabotaging actions. Now you know the symptoms, have courage to seek solution. After all, this is all about you, about your life, happiness, growth, and freedom. This is the journey to embrace your highest potential, to choose consciously, to be balanced and whole. It requires courage to go into issues that have charge and cause pain, to trust someone, and to seek transformation. Our brain wants to understand, but our heart wants to heal. Who is your boss? Why?
Healing is not curing, healing is a journey. Carl Jung said: “issue solved is a loss” – no more learning and growing form it. In healing we transform wounds into power. This power is wisdom. If you want to see Energy Medicine practitioner, interview that person. You don’t have any contraindications for shamanic healing session, however the shaman may have. Here are few: shaman who wants to heal others (wounded healer), he or she may want to make someone feel better (I have sinned here…), shaman who is practicing sorcery - that is working with someone for good or not good reason without having consent, permission to work.
Shamanic healing is about living in harmony with the world around us - the world outside always reflects what’s within; it is about not interfering with anyone’s growth and journey – difficult for everyone to have no judgment, release control and manipulation; it is about recognizing and accepting all parts of our psyche – the good and the not so good that get us in trouble; it is about becoming self-regulated - shamanism has no rules, besides what you believe in, and how that may expand or limit you; shamanic healing requires one to be mindful, conscious, impeccable with thoughts, words, and actions. And remember that integrity is the highest form of spiritual practice.
So I will say to you two things: project and judge others as much as you can, but do it wisely! Know that what comes from you is what lives inside of you – “you spot it, you got it!”. The other thing is to observe yourself and exercise your ability to choose wisely. We have only one real choice and that is how we want to experience every minute of our day, and our life. Choose wisely in times of challenge.
Last but not least, free yourself from planning. John Lennon wrote: “life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans”. Plan mindfully, and remember that we plan when we feel abundant, lonely, unsupported, and forgotten by God (God is my favorite name for the Great Spirit, Rei, Higher Consciousness, or the One that carries your and mine names).
Happy journey!


Magda studied Inca Shamanism with The Four Winds Society/Alberto Villoldo, and other Spiritual Teachers and Masters. She is practicing Energy Medicine in the form of Shamanic Healing, Reiki, Cranio-Sacral Therapy, Shiatsu, and Registered Massage Therapy. Magda has private practice in Ottawa and Gatineau, and can be reached by e-mail at [e-mail]. You can visit her web page at the Healing Tree site: http://healingtree.ca/index.php?act=profile&id=12194980880142