Feeling Good

The slenderest knowledge that may be obtained of the highest things is more desirable than the most certain knowledge obtained of lesser things. - Thomas Aquinas

I recently attended a basic shamanism workshop put on by the Foundation for Shamanic Studies.  The course was designed to impart the knowledge needed to take the “shamanic journey” that’s often associated with healing among indigenous cultures all over the world.  I plan to make several posts detailing my experiences in the workshop but it seems appropriate to begin with a few definitions and some background information regarding shamanism. 

First of all, let’s address a few definitions and some basic concepts.

• An internet search of the term shaman seems to indicate that the term was “…derived from the Tungas language of Siberia, it is a generic term for healers and spiritual leaders in tribal societies. Traditional shamans induced trance states through drums, dancing, ingesting hallucinogens, self-mutilation and deprivation and virtually any means by which one might achieve an altered state of consciousness. While in such a trance, the shaman crosses over into another world to get information for his people such as the cause of illnesses and other misfortunes. The shaman is the peoples’ link to the spirit world.”
• Considering the preceding definition, the concept of shamanism can be considered the practice of the shaman as he or she carries out the work brought to them by the tribe.
• The shamanic journey is the activity which takes place while the shaman is in an altered state of consciousness
• The shaman will journey to one of three spirit worlds depending on the work or information the shaman is seeking.
  • The Lower World is where a shaman will go to meet power animals or other spirit guides.  The Lower World is accessed via a hole in the earth such as a hole created by a burrowing animal or a natural hole like a spring or cave.  It’s important to note that the shamanic Lower World cannot be equated to the concept of Hell as eternal damnation is not the purpose of the Lower World.
  • The Middle World is the world that is most like what we know as the physical world.  This world is accessed by the shaman for the purposes of obtaining information needed in our physical existence, like the location of lost items.
  • The Upper World is where a shaman will travel to meet teachers and other helping spirits.  The Upper World is accessed via an upward movement such as a stairway, escalator, or elevator.  During the upward journey a barrier, like clouds, is usually encountered and must be passed through to enter the Upper World.  Additionally, just as the Lower World cannot be equated to Hell, the Upper World cannot be viewed as Heaven.  The concepts of Heaven and Hell belong to modern religion and are not part of the shamanic traditions.

Moving on to the workshop, I was, first of all, quite surprised at the size and makeup of the class.  I had been expecting a small handful of mature gentlemen with more grey hair on their faces than on top of their heads.  I was shocked to find that of the 20 individuals in attendance, I was the one with the least amount of hair!  Further, both genders were adequately represented and the ages ranged from 22 on up.  This was a very diverse and interesting group covering occupations from computer programmer to teacher.

The weekend workshop was an absolute blast and when all was said and done we experienced several wondrous shamanic journeys.  Stay tuned for the continuing story of how this workshop unfolded in future posts.