01/18/2016
Shamanism
The oldest spiritual healing tradition of our species,
Shamanism is an ancient and ever unfolding wisdom tradition that may be up to 100, 000 years old.
Our Ancestors discovered a path into divine healing experience through a natural, mystical connection with the 'Unknown' or 'unknowable'.
Through this connection came a deep, inner awareness of something more than the ordinary busynesss of life. Through the practices of creating connection with the unseen,
the source of Life itself was revealed. This connection with 'life' allowed the 'shaman' to begin to work with the energy systems of the world and the great beyond.
The word “Shaman” has its roots in the Siberian Tungus, (“Cam” or “Saman”) which was used to identify the medicine man or woman who was a blend of healer/ priest(ess)/caretaker of the earth/wisdomkeeper/counsellor.
One of the meanings of the word “Saman” is “one who is on fire”, which indicates an even deeper root from the word “Sram”, an ancient Vedic Sanskrit term meaning “to heat oneself”. As we know through the ages and traditions, heightened consciousness and Spiritual strength have always been associated with light, fire and heat and the Healing Shaman cultivates this fire within fearlessly.
The Shaman was and is today regarded as one who ‘journeys’ back and forth successfully through territories of consciousness to retrieve insight into the true workings of energy, the currency of The Great Mystery. He/She holds the ability to bring harmony to the living energy systems of the individual human, their community, animals, plants and the greater world. These methods of healing, divining and problem-solving through sensitivity to energy and the ability to balance it, have become known as Shamanism.
The practice of Shamanism calls us to awaken our indigenous nature. It is the bedrock of almost all healing and spiritual-religious traditions. However it is not a faith, but a constantly evolving wisdom tradition in which we learn purely from our own, individual and collective, personal experience. Nor is it a religion and it is dogma-free, indeed it supports any existing spiritual practice a person may already hold. The healing shamanic practitioner follows practices that nourish the sacred in the Self and the world and comes to see, know and work with all energy as sacred.
