What Is Shamanism?
Shamanism is the earliest form of healing known to humankind, dating back tens of thousands of years. Although the word "shaman" is a Siberian word for a spiritual healer, shamanism has also been practiced in parts of Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia, Greenland, and native North and South America throughout history. The fact that the practice has survived and thrived through millenia speaks to the potency of the work.
Shamanism is a spiritual methodology, and one of its most important techniques is that of the shamanic journey. In this journey, one is transported, through a change in consciousness, from ordinary reality into non-ordinary reality – that reality in which everything is alive spiritually. The shamanic journey allows one to part the veils between seen and unseen worlds to access information and healing that can help awaken us and restore us to wholeness.
Shamanism teaches us that everything that exists is alive and has a spirit and that we are joined with the earth and all of life via our spiritual interconnectedness. Just as quantum physics describes a field of energy that connects all of life, shamans also speak of a web of life that connects everything. In modern culture, many of us feel a deep longing to experience our unity with this web of life and to heal our sense of isolation. When we travel to non-ordinary reality in our shamanic journeys, we learn how to communicate with the spirit of plants, animals, ancestors, as well as the spirit of the elements of earth, air, water, and fire. We can find spiritual allies who can work with us compassionately and powerfully to help reduce human suffering in the world and provide insight and meaning to the issues of our lives, enriching us immeasurably.*
These shamanic trainings allow individuals to connect with and work with their own spiritual allies for personal growth and healing. Some of the trainings also allow interested individuals to pursue additional shamanic techniques for assisting others and for being in service to the planet.
(*adapted from Sandra Ingerman's book Shamanic Journeying: A Beginner's Guide, chapter 1)