What is shamanism?
Shamanism is thought to be one of the oldest spiritual systems of mankind. Although the archaeological proof is not fully clear, we know that shamanism is very old, probably several thousands of years. Shamanism holds the key to better understand where we come from, our common spiritual beliefs, our deep connection to nature and our search for the meaning of life. If you ever met a shaman or medicine woman, you read about them or watched a video, you probably experienced a sense of deep understanding and wisdom that radiates from these people.
The often eccentric and unorthodox appearance of shamans – at least by Western standards and the big religions - and their so-called trance has been the base for many mystic, romantic, and outride futile ideas of what shamans do and what shamanism is. Actually, it is not that difficult to be described although more difficult to get. The easy part is what shamans do: they basically heal and divine for their society. The more difficult part is to describe how they do it. Shamans know how to alter their consciousness to get connected with their spiritual helpers, with the help of drumming or rattling. This specific shamanic consciousness, facilitated by ancient practices, is what distinguishes a shaman from other healers, mediums and religious practitioners.
Shamanism is based on an animistic world view, which means that everything has a soul, i.e. animals, plant, rocks, rivers, mountains, the wind, the rain and even daily objects. Shamans are experts in communicating with these diverse groups of spirits on behalf of their clients, family, tribe or society.
The American anthropologist, prof. dr. Michael Harner (1929 – 2018) worked with many different shamans around the world. Based on his experience, he developed the so-called core shamanism. Harner also founded the Foundation for Shamanic Studies – FSS, which authorizes trainers to teach the methods of core shamanism.
In the basic workshop you will learn about the shamanic worldview and how you can use traditional shamanic methods. Read more!