“Shamanism is not a path of personal growth or personal healing… Primarily a shaman’s job is to help their community… But walking an animistic lifepath, seeing the beauty in all of your relations, seeing it in every being you meet, from a raven to a rainbow, a starfish to a star, will make your life richer, and make you feel more connected – because we truly are all related.” [1]
Nicholas Breeze Wood, editor of Sacred Hoop Magazine, an online publication focusing on shamanistic and animistic traditions, fiercely defends shamanism from cultural appropriation. Mircea Eliade states, “Shamanism in the strict sense is pre-eminently a religious phenomenon of Siberia and Inner Asia,” [2] but acknowledges that similarities occur in other parts of the world. The term ‘shaman’ comes from the Tungus word ‘samaan,’ introduced to Russian by early Siberian explorers. It eventually became a general term for Siberian tribal healers and spread worldwide in the 19th and 20th centuries through anthropologists.
Eliade views shamanism as centered on mastering the technique of ecstasy, which involves the ability to voluntarily enter a deep trance. In this state, the shaman’s soul may leave their body and journey to unseen spirit worlds, either ascending to the sky or descending to the underworld. They may also be partially possessed by spirits of ancestors, gods, or other entities. These practices are dangerous, sometimes deadly, and becoming a shaman is not a choice; one must be chosen by the spirits.
In the early 1980s, “Core Shamanism” emerged, largely through the work of Michael Harner. It focuses on trance and spirit world journeys but is not connected to a specific tradition or lineage, which is a crucial aspect of traditional shamanism. Shamanic practitioner Sandra Ingerman believes it is our birthright to receive direct guidance from helping spirits. She strongly feels that we can access spiritual information through shamanic journeying, connecting with nature, and observing omens and signs to guide us.
Traditional shamanism operates from an animistic worldview, where everything in creation is considered alive and possesses a spirit. People, animals, plants, rocks, rivers, mountains, stars, and even concepts and illnesses are believed to have souls. This understanding of a deeply interconnected universe is common to all animistic and shamanic cultures. While all shamanic cultures are animistic, not all animistic cultures are shamanic; the latter includes many indigenous and traditional healers.
Shamanic cultures exist in only a few places worldwide, whereas animistic cultures can be found globally. Therefore, while animism is universal, shamanism is not. The commodification of spirituality attempts to market everything as Shamanism, potentially misleading people in their search for wisdom, meaning, connection, and belonging. How can we engage with the shaman archetype while being mindful of the controversy surrounding Shamanism?
Written by Denise Grobbelaar, @denisedreamshaman, Jungian Analyst & Clinical Psychologist
Image credit: Art by Colombian artist, photographer & visual researcher, Jeisson Castillo (@jeissoncastilloart)
References:
[1] Nicholas Breeze Wood (2017) 𝘚𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘏𝘰𝘰𝘱. 𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘎𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘮, Special issue, p. 13, https://www.sacredhoop.org/
[2] Mircea Eliade (1987) 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘮: 𝘈𝘯 𝘖𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸. In M. Eliade (ed.) 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘯𝘤𝘺𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢 𝘰𝘧 𝘙𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘰𝘯, vol. 13. New York, NY: Macmillan.1987, p. 202