| Role of the Shaman | | | | between body, mind and spirit or between |
| The Shaman's role is to communicate with the spirit | | | | understanding and acceptance. |
| world, giving respect to the spirit of the ancestors, as | | | | The Shaman must negotiate a balance of body, mind |
| well as to live in harmony with nature. The ancestors | | | | and spirit within as well as help others find that balance. |
| are the spirits of the people who have gone before us. | | | | The body, mind, and spirit have the ability to stay |
| They have lived in this physical world and gained the | | | | healthy; when this ability stops working, spiritual and |
| knowledge and awareness that we are now here to | | | | energetic forms of healing can stimulate it again and |
| learn before out turn to pass into the invisible realms. | | | | restore the balance. |
| By tradition, Shamans study the ways of the animals | | | | Modern Shamans come from every social background |
| that live in their lands. Animals are thought to have a | | | | and culture. Their jobs, no matter how humble, seem to |
| purity of purpose that could help the humans to know | | | | give them the opportunity to serve other people or |
| much about their own spiritual potential. During trance | | | | serve the environment. Many modern Shamans |
| states induced by meditation or sacred rituals, the | | | | choose to remain invisible and they practice their skills |
| Shaman contacts his or her power animal and travels | | | | unnoticed. However, with experience and an increase |
| with it through the inner planes. This animal spirit literally | | | | in their awareness and skill, they tend to move to jobs |
| or symbolically gives the Shaman important insights into | | | | that will allow them more opportunities to better |
| his or her own nature, the nature of the person | | | | express their healing skills and creative abilities. |
| seeking healing or counsel as well as the needs of the | | | | Shamans should live in places where they are best |
| community. | | | | able to serve other people and facilitate their own |
| Shamans have many different roles but all serve | | | | spiritual growth. People who do their best to heal |
| greater purposes in building bridges between the | | | | themselves and follow their spiritual path naturally |
| physical and non-physical worlds, serving the earth and | | | | become spiritual teachers to others. |
| humanity and touching the Divine so that healing may | | | | The Call to Shamanic Spirituality |
| occur. | | | | "I feel the tug of the homing signal. |
| The Shaman is above all a healer and all cultures have | | | | I feel you calling in the song of the stream. |
| natural healing traditions; modern medicine grew from | | | | I feel you calling in the shadow cast before me as I |
| the skills of the herbalist, the medicine person, the white | | | | walkand by the Sun behind me warming my back. |
| witch, and the faith healer. The Chinese symbol of Yin | | | | I feel you calling in the wind that caresses my face. |
| and Yang is a powerful sign of balance. The areas of | | | | I feel you calling in the sound of my feetwalking on |
| black and white are evenly distributed and there is a | | | | Sacred Mother Earth. |
| little of each color that resides within the other. Chinese | | | | I feel you calling in the hummingbird-shaped |
| medicine has tried to maintain that balance of Yin and | | | | cloudhovering in the sky overhead. |
| Yang for thousands of years. Chinese doctors rely on | | | | What are you calling me to, asked I? |
| energetic meridians, or circuits of energy, that passes | | | | Life, answered you." |
| through and around the physical body. When there is | | | | - Black Elk |
| an imbalance, these meridians are blocked or distorted | | | | Shamanic Spirituality has evolved globally over the |
| and disease can take place. The original imbalance can | | | | centuries. Today, the Shamanic-Soul is no longer the |
| be physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual. | | | | soul of specific people only. It is an expression of the |
| A Shaman could also be the fool, the clown, or the | | | | collective spiritual yearning of countless seekers of |
| court jester using skill, ingenuity and humor to entertain | | | | truth. Transcending national boundaries and religious |
| or diffuse potentially dangerous situations or promote | | | | divisions, contemporary Shamanism is an experiential |
| spiritual learning and or healing. | | | | path of transformation that invites us into a deep, living |
| Many Shamans were the seers, visionaries and | | | | relationship with nature and the Divine Source of all |
| psychics whose knowledge of human nature, intuition, | | | | that is. |
| and power of divination are valued by others. These | | | | Contemporary Shamanism is a creation-centered, |
| Shamans developed natural skills of clairvoyance, | | | | pragmatic tradition that enables exploration of the |
| clairaudience and awareness that are latent within all | | | | lower, middle, and upper worlds and entering into deep |
| of us. | | | | relationship with the inner truth of one's heart; with the |
| The Shaman's capacity for clear sight often comes | | | | ancestors, stones, plants and animal allies; with the |
| from their ability to attain altered states of awareness | | | | earth, sky, moon, sun and stars; with the One Source |
| that give them a bigger picture of the world and to | | | | of all that is. |
| see beyond the daily events of community life. | | | | The methods of Shamanism may have changed over |
| Can Anyone Be A Shaman? | | | | time but the goals are still the same: to love and |
| Some people are born a Shaman and others become | | | | accept self and others unconditionally, to live fully, |
| a Shaman through training that brings their Shamanic | | | | joyfully, passionately and creatively; to grow in wisdom |
| potential to life. For most people, the path of being a | | | | by studying the living book of nature; and to enter |
| Shaman is a slow process that does not always | | | | deeply into the reverent awareness that everything is |
| involve personal trauma. In becoming a Shaman one | | | | alive, conscious, and interconnected. |
| has to find a balance between the logical, reasonable, | | | | The Shamans of the International School of |
| and rational side of their personality and their instinctive, | | | | Shamanism believe: |
| intuitive, and irrational personal characteristics. Shamans | | | | Supreme Creator or Great Spirit is the Source of |
| must be aware of the full range of human emotions - | | | | everything that is, everything that was and everything |
| to feel them, live with them, and draw motivation from | | | | that will be. |
| them and at the same time have the wisdom to know | | | | Great Spirit is in all and all is a part of Great Spirit. |
| when to simply acknowledge their own emotions yet | | | | In the concept of sacred reciprocity: Today for you, |
| overlook them. To regain touch with the natural world | | | | tomorrow for me. |
| and find places of stillness and truth that will enhance | | | | The Sun is our symbolic father and the Earth is our |
| their power of vision, many would-be Shamans retreat | | | | symbolic mother. |
| from community life for a period of time. | | | | We embrace and emphasize the highest good of all, a |
| Fasting, meditation, prayer and journeying generally | | | | view grounded in the concept of unconditional love and |
| facilitate visions during which spirits of the natural world | | | | acceptance for self and others. |
| may visit the seeker, bringing protection, wisdom, and | | | | Everything is interconnected in a living energy field. |
| awareness. During a vision, the Shaman sometimes | | | | Everything is alive and conscious. |
| connects, or reconnects, to special guides (an | | | | Everything is related. We are all sisters and brothers. |
| ancestor, animal, plant, stone or any other aspect of | | | | Life is a sacred ritual. Life is in this moment. Life is the |
| nature). Awakening the Shaman within often comes | | | | path and the teacher. |
| with increased creative power and ability, reversing the | | | | We are a divine spark in essence. Each person is a |
| natural instinct to belittle our own qualities in these | | | | spirit within a body. |
| areas. Creativity opens up other dimensions and | | | | That the secret to wisdom is not in looking for the right |
| expands awareness. Those who feel that their | | | | answer but asking the right questions. |
| Shamanic nature is awakening following a period of | | | | That no one has all the answers but together we all |
| crisis in their life would do better to fully accept it rather | | | | can learn from each other. |
| than fight it. Many people discover that their intuition | | | | That on this sacred journey, the experience of others |
| expands when they focus upon their own spiritual | | | | serves as a guide for all. |
| growth, self-healing, and personal development. All | | | | Those who answer the spiritual call within must |
| people have a range of psychic senses as real and as | | | | rediscover for themselves the trails leading to the path |
| important as their five physical senses. Not all of us | | | | and begin their ascent to the highest good of all into a |
| have the same gifts and abilities in all areas, but we all | | | | deeper communion with Great Spirit. |
| have psychic abilities that can be expanded. | | | | Each spiritual seeker must make their own way to the |
| Being A Shaman Of Today | | | | truth of their heart. Here in this holy place the spirit of |
| Shamans have always been described as wounded | | | | wisdom, the inner Shaman, awaits a joyful discovery |
| healers - one who brings healing to others as a way | | | | and blissful reunion. |
| to heal their own similar wounds. Being a wounded | | | | With unconditional love and acceptance, joy and |
| healer does not require one to damage their own life in | | | | anticipation, we eagerly await your yearning to deeper |
| order to understand another's problems or help | | | | study, prayer, meditation, shamanic journeying, fasting |
| another heal. All that is required is a willingness to heal | | | | and above all selfless service. |
| one's self while following a Shamanic path and draw | | | | We honor all spiritual expressions of the Great Path. |
| wisdom from one's personal experiences. Disharmony | | | | We acknowledge that ours is but one way and surely |
| and disease often are the result of an inner conflict | | | | not the only way. |