| of the ancient cultures of the world adhered to | | | | larger sense of the word, is thus perhaps the |
| one or the other form of Shamanism. This is a | | | | oldest form of healing. It is a form of religious |
| tribal healing tradition where a Shaman is said to | | | | medicine that originated more than 25,000 years |
| transcend the boundaries of the conscious world | | | | ago. The healing practices of most of the ancient |
| and travel to a world unbeknown to the ordinary | | | | cultures stem from a shamanic tradition. |
| man. Here, the Shaman converses with spirits and | | | | The Shaman is often credited with magical healing |
| come back with secrets that allows him to heal | | | | powers and is crowned as the religious or spiritual |
| others, foretell the future, control the weather | | | | head of a tribe. He is called upon to treat the sick |
| and even ward off attacks. | | | | and to drive away demons. It is important to |
| The word ‘Saman’ is defined as a | | | | remember that in most ancient cultures, sickness |
| technique of ecstasy. A Shaman is a practitioner | | | | was considered to be the result of demoniac |
| who is able to enter an altered state of | | | | forces acting on the individual. The difference |
| consciousness where he can communicate with | | | | between the ordinary man and the Shaman is |
| the supernatural. He acts as an intermediary | | | | that while the man is possessed by spirits, the |
| between the world of man and the world of | | | | Shaman controls the spirits. |
| Gods and often has the power to descend to the | | | | All this may lead one to believe that Shamanism is |
| realm of the dead. He leaves his body when he is | | | | an occult practice that is buried in the past and |
| in trance. This trance is induced by chanting, | | | | that it has no significance to the modern man. But |
| beating of the drum or passionate dancing. In the | | | | Shamanism is still practiced all over the world, |
| more unsophisticated cultures, Shamans even | | | | although it has evolved into different forms. |
| used to take to fasting, ingesting psychotropic | | | | Native Americans are said to perform Soul Flights |
| drugs or even undergo torture to achieve the | | | | to heal. In Tibet, the Shamans use a drum to help |
| trance. | | | | them in soul retrieval. In Kerala, Shamans are |
| As seen from the practices, Shamanism is based | | | | closely tied to the temple and use amulets and |
| on the principle that the world is divided into 2 | | | | music to contact the spirits of the nether world. |
| distinct parts – that visible to the ordinary | | | | Shamans in Africa often use hallucinogenic plans to |
| man, and that visible only to the man with | | | | induce trance. |
| powers. In the second part, there is a miraculous | | | | Shamanism has found a place in modern day |
| world populated by the spirits who influence the | | | | healing because of the importance it places on the |
| world of the living and who are always willing to | | | | soul, mind and spirit. Shamanic healing includes |
| help. The Shaman acts as a link between the two | | | | relief from pain, anxiety, stress and emotional |
| worlds and works for the benefit of his society. | | | | healing. It is believed that there is an inner Shaman |
| Shamans are therefore experts employed by | | | | in everyone – a force that can be released |
| animistic societies. | | | | if one is able o concentrate hard enough. |
| Healing is the most important function of the | | | | Unleashing the power of this inner Shaman will |
| Shaman followed by prophecy. Shamanism, in the | | | | help cure maladies that afflict us. |