What is Shamanism?
So, what is Shamanism?
Well, despite having an "ism" on the end of it - it is NOT a "religion". Nor could you say it is a philosophy. So what is it? The answer will probably depend on where you learn about it and who you learn about it from - cryptic or what! I like to think of Shamanism as a "way of knowing" - a way to know the truth.
Traditionally the Shaman was the "medicine man or woman" of an Animist tribe of hunter gatherers. He or she was "the wise one" - the healer, the teacher, the guide, the prophet and the one who could "talk" to the unseen spirit world.
So to start with we have to look at Animism. For maybe 200,000 years all humans on planet Earth were Animists - they knew they were part of the natural world and they knew that all "things" had a certain level of consciousness. Stones, trees, animals, rivers, mountains, insects, clouds, fish, plants - everything was "conscious", everything was part of Great Spirit, including us weird and curious humans. And they were all, without exception, hunter gatherers. There was respect for Mother Earth and ALL her children.
Then two things happened. Around 11,000 years ago humans discovered agriculture and animal "herding". This was the beginning of the end of natural balance on planet earth. Humans began to feel a little "superior" to some of the other non human people and they began to "use" them. They took away the freedom to roam from certain types of animal and they cleared patches of natural plant life to grow edible "crops". The people were still "animist" in their attitude to the Universe and they still needed the Shaman to guide and heal them - only now he was responsible for a good harvest and a healthy herd or flock as well. The Shaman had to learn how to be a politician and to find "good lies" for the tribe if things went wrong. This was the beginning of politics and the end of "truth".
Then around 6,000 years ago, seemingly from nowhere (but because of the success of totalitarian agriculture), the city states started to appear in the Mediterranean, Middle East, India and China. And with the city states came Kings and Queens and Emperors and serfs and peasants and slaves. And terrible inequality. And the bloody Sky Gods mythology. This was the beginning of "religion" - a very clever political tactic which allowed the "Few" to control the "Many". The kings created armies of soldiers to keep the people in check and to invade other city states and steal all their stuff. And kill all the men and rape all the women of course - this is a tradition that is still alive and well in the present day.
The shamans could see that this was all wrong. They could see that it was insanity. But the people were afraid of the Kings and their soldiers so they had lost all their power and all of their freedom - they dare not listen to the wisdom of the Shaman any more. They had to "believe" in some sky god - whoever the King decreed was "God". Truth and sanity were no longer available to the people. The Kings knew that the Shamans could be dangerous rabble rousers so they had their soldiers hunt them down and kill them. This has been a successful ploy that has been used right up to the present day.
So,what is Shamanism today? It is a "remembering" of the ways of Nature - of a time when people were free to think for themselves. It is learning how to be a true and real human being. It is about finding your "soul" and regaining your "power". It is learning to gain control of your life. It is about knowing the truth. Obviously the Shamanism of today cannot be the same as that of 11,000 years ago, nor can Shamanism in an urban environment be the same as that of an indigenous tribe but we humans can still learn how to be human again. This is what shamanism has to offer people today and this is what I am learning from people (and non human people) who are wiser than myself.
Well, despite having an "ism" on the end of it - it is NOT a "religion". Nor could you say it is a philosophy. So what is it? The answer will probably depend on where you learn about it and who you learn about it from - cryptic or what! I like to think of Shamanism as a "way of knowing" - a way to know the truth.
Traditionally the Shaman was the "medicine man or woman" of an Animist tribe of hunter gatherers. He or she was "the wise one" - the healer, the teacher, the guide, the prophet and the one who could "talk" to the unseen spirit world.
So to start with we have to look at Animism. For maybe 200,000 years all humans on planet Earth were Animists - they knew they were part of the natural world and they knew that all "things" had a certain level of consciousness. Stones, trees, animals, rivers, mountains, insects, clouds, fish, plants - everything was "conscious", everything was part of Great Spirit, including us weird and curious humans. And they were all, without exception, hunter gatherers. There was respect for Mother Earth and ALL her children.
Then two things happened. Around 11,000 years ago humans discovered agriculture and animal "herding". This was the beginning of the end of natural balance on planet earth. Humans began to feel a little "superior" to some of the other non human people and they began to "use" them. They took away the freedom to roam from certain types of animal and they cleared patches of natural plant life to grow edible "crops". The people were still "animist" in their attitude to the Universe and they still needed the Shaman to guide and heal them - only now he was responsible for a good harvest and a healthy herd or flock as well. The Shaman had to learn how to be a politician and to find "good lies" for the tribe if things went wrong. This was the beginning of politics and the end of "truth".
Then around 6,000 years ago, seemingly from nowhere (but because of the success of totalitarian agriculture), the city states started to appear in the Mediterranean, Middle East, India and China. And with the city states came Kings and Queens and Emperors and serfs and peasants and slaves. And terrible inequality. And the bloody Sky Gods mythology. This was the beginning of "religion" - a very clever political tactic which allowed the "Few" to control the "Many". The kings created armies of soldiers to keep the people in check and to invade other city states and steal all their stuff. And kill all the men and rape all the women of course - this is a tradition that is still alive and well in the present day.
The shamans could see that this was all wrong. They could see that it was insanity. But the people were afraid of the Kings and their soldiers so they had lost all their power and all of their freedom - they dare not listen to the wisdom of the Shaman any more. They had to "believe" in some sky god - whoever the King decreed was "God". Truth and sanity were no longer available to the people. The Kings knew that the Shamans could be dangerous rabble rousers so they had their soldiers hunt them down and kill them. This has been a successful ploy that has been used right up to the present day.
So,what is Shamanism today? It is a "remembering" of the ways of Nature - of a time when people were free to think for themselves. It is learning how to be a true and real human being. It is about finding your "soul" and regaining your "power". It is learning to gain control of your life. It is about knowing the truth. Obviously the Shamanism of today cannot be the same as that of 11,000 years ago, nor can Shamanism in an urban environment be the same as that of an indigenous tribe but we humans can still learn how to be human again. This is what shamanism has to offer people today and this is what I am learning from people (and non human people) who are wiser than myself.
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