Shamanism is the oldest spiritual tradition and has been practiced all over the world for tens of thousands of years. To see shamanically, is to be an intermediary between the physical world and the hidden, mystical worlds – it is to have a foot in both the seen and the unseen realms of existence.
In traditional societies, the shaman was primarily a healer, and as such, was a revered member of the community. Things have changed and there are no longer many shamans around, at least not in urbanised, capitalist societies. We are fortunate, therefore, that it is possible to learn how to experience the hidden realms through shamanic practice for ourselves, and to use that ability for healing, both our own and other people’s. As with all authentic spiritual practice, the purpose of shamanic work is to expand awareness, so that we come closer to the realisation of our true nature.
When viewed shamanically, pain, illness, or any other physical, mental or emotional imbalance, is caused by a restriction of life force (energy). These restrictions may have their roots in past-life or present-life experiences and behaviour that have evolved into destructive present day unconscious habits and patterns. Or we may have inherited genetic imperfections from ancestors and family, or been presented with a struggle from the soul to assist with our healing and growth. An imbalance may also originate from something that we have picked up that doesn’t really belong to us and needs to be released. An example of this could be a habit that we have learnt from our parents, such as being racist or sexist. We could also pick something up by going into a place that’s full of negativity, which we absorb and are then unable to understand why we are feeling down or depressed. Someone could go to a place like Auschwitz, feel the pain of it, pick that pain up, and then find it hard to shake it off.
Shamanically, illness or suffering, in whatever form it takes, isn’t seen as a physical phenomenon. To work with the hidden energies, we have to look beyond the physical and see that everything is unfolding perfectly; that everything is being expressed in its own unique way and yet at the same time, in an interdependent and interrelated way. ‘Everything’ as it is expressed here, includes aspects of life that have an influence on our physical, mental and emotional well-being but are in realms of reality which are beyond the five senses of the physical body. Shamanic practices, such as journeying, enable us to access those other realms of existence and to heal that which originates there and is affecting us here. An example of this could be fear that was caused by a traumatic past life death, and which is still affecting us today.
During a shamanic journey, we are guided along the energetic threads of the web of life to the place that holds the most beneficial healing at that time. There are no limitations or constraints; it could be anything and anywhere. Everything is connected, including all realities, which permeate throughout this one and all others. There is no separation, all is one, and shamanism enables us to experience that for the healing of others and ourselves.
Living shamanically isn’t just confined to journeys to the other worlds. An awareness of those hidden realms can also be experienced here, together with how they are guiding, teaching, communicating, helping, and healing us. The hidden worlds are not separate from this one; they are all here now, we just have to open ourselves to their existence. This requires that we view the world not just from the logic of the mind, but from the deeper realities within ourselves – we cannot know the deeper realities of life without knowing the deeper realities of who we are.
The shaman of the indigenous peoples heard the cry of the birds and saw the movement of all animals, and they knew the message that Great Spirit was conveying through them. But we no longer live in a natural society and have no need to hunt or to have contact with the animal, plant or mineral kingdoms. Not many of us now live amongst nature, as all peoples once did, and when we do experience it, we don’t realise what it’s saying to us.
The world has changed, but life is still life and it continues to communicate and offer its guidance to us all. We can expand our awareness through the observation of life, whether we live in the country or the city. We are not excluded because of where we live or of the times that we live in; our exclusion from the wonder of life can only be self-imposed. Wherever we live, we can observe the sky and the weather. Cities and towns have trees, plants, animals and flowers, just as the countryside does. And life doesn’t just talk through nature, it talks through everything. It communicates to us through our fellow human beings and the circumstances of our daily lives. How we view life (our perception of it), whether we’re looking at a kestrel, a cow, a neighbour, a car, or a building, is a reflection of our own state of being – our level of awareness – the depth to which we know our true nature.
So try to be open to the moment and experience the healing and guidance that is inherent in all situations. “What is life showing me in this moment?” Practice and you will see.