Shamanism

Shamanism is an ancient healing tradition and moreover, a way of life. It is a way to connect with nature and all of creation. The word shaman originates from the Tungus tribe in Siberia. Anthropologists coined this term and have used it to refer to the spiritual and ceremonial leaders among indigenous cultures worldwide. The word shamanism can be used to describe the ancient spiritual practices of these indigenous cultures. Clearly, the countless similarities between various ancient traditions played a role in the continual generalization of the word.Over the past few decades, the term “shamanism” has been popularized throughout the western world, especially in new-age circles. Today, it can be difficult to distinguish between traditional forms of shamanism and modernized, often esoteric practices that utilize the term. One could view shamanism as the universal spiritual wisdom inherent to all indigenous tribes. As all ancient spiritual practices are rooted in nature, shamanism is the method by which we as human beings can strengthen that natural connection.The Ancients:In talking with the Ancients, I was told a Shaman believed in miracles and protected and healed his tribe. You may wonder from what did he protect his tribe? That question is answered in spiritual awareness of the worlds within and the worlds without. A shaman is a Spiritual leader in ancient tribes, respected and honored. The shamanic way was taught and passed on to the oldest family member. Can you be a shaman? The answer to that question is do you believe and are you ready for change?

Connection with nature:

These are seven names for Mother Earth from around the world.

Maya – Akna Akna appears as a fertility and mother goddess of the Maya, a Meso-American civilization. Meaning “Our mother,” Akna is recorded as a very general title applied, among others, to goddesses of fertility and childbirth. Lepcha – It Bunoo The Lepcha are among the indigenous peoples of Sikkim, a state in India, and are found close by in parts of Bhutan, Tibet, Darjeeling, Nepal, and West Bengal. Mun is their traditional polytheistic, animist, shamanistic, and syncretic religion. The majority of the Lepcha consider themselves Buddhists. However, they practice both Lamaism, derived from Buddhism, and Mun, a folk religion. While the chief goddess of the Lepcha religion is Nozyongnyu, the mother-creator is a female earth deity, It Bunoo (also Itbu-moo). Maori – Papatūānuku The Māori are indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand. The Encyclopedia of New Zealand states that in Māori tradition, Papatūānuku is the land. She is a mother earth figure who gives birth to all things, including people, trees, and birds and then nourishes them. Traditional Māori culture aligns women with the land, because the land gives birth to humankind just as women do. As the world was born from Papatūānuku, so humankind is born from women. The Maori word for a woman’s womb, translates to mean “the house of humanity”, and is regarded as the same as the womb of earth. Native Hawaiian – Papa This is one time where Papa does not equal Father or anyone male. Perhaps because Hawaii is included in Polynesia along with New Zealand, the name of the Hawaiian Mother Nature figure also is close to the Maori name, Papa vs Papatuanuku, respectively. Papa is their Earth Mother. She is also called Haumea and Ka-luahine. And she is also goddess of fertility and childbirth. Huichol – Tatei Yurianaka The Huichol (or Wixarika) reside mostly in the state of Jalisco, Mexico. Gabriel Pacheco Salvador, researcher at the University of Guadalajara, says Mother Earth has a central role in their culture. Their earth mother has traditionally been Tatéi Yurianaka… “To carry out a sowing, which the Wixárika community does annually, it must always be with the consent of Mother Earth, that is, one has to make a series of offerings, bring offerings, prayers or even do some ceremony,” he said. “…for all activities, there is Mother Earth present: in the sowing, in the preparations from the earth itself, in the harvest, in the ceremonies, in the hunt, in the pilgrimages.” Honoring her, he says “…is not confined to a specific day, “but always, for all activities there is Mother Earth present,” says Pacheco Salvador. In other words, for the Huichol, every day is Earth Day. Saami –Máttaráhkká The Saami, a Finno-Ugric people, historically known in English as Laplanders, live today in four countries: Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. Folklorist and storyteller Niina Niskanen tell us “Mattarahkka was the primal mother, the goddess of earth. She was the beginner of all life. Her job was to receive the soul and the spirit of the child from the sky god Radien and give the breath of life to the child in the womb. Women turned to her during childbirth. She had three daughters…. Saami´s believed that these three goddesses lived in the ground with their mother just below the…house.”Neopagan – Great Goddess The Mother Goddess, or Great Goddess, is a composite of various feminine deities from past and present world cultures, worshiped by modern Wicca and others broadly known as Neopagans. She is sometimes identified as a Triple Goddess, who takes the form of Maiden, Mother, and Crone archetypes. She is described as Mother Earth, Mother Nature, or the Creatrix of all life. She is associated with the full moon and stars, the Earth, and the sea. In Wicca, the Earth Goddess is sometimes called Gaia. In the King James Bible under the book of Wisdom we find Mother Earth as the consort of God with all the powers that God has but she is here on Earth.Shamanism stems from nature itself. Shamanic practices tap into the power Mother Earth has to offer and the ancient indigenous teachings are derived from the simple truths of nature, as simplicity is the ground force of magic. Can you believe in miracles? Healing of Self and Communities: Shamanism is not only concerned with the health of the individual, but also with the health of the entire community. This includes all people, plants, animals, and all of life. As all life is sacred and honored. Pilgrimage to sacred places: Nature is not just the grass under one’s foot. When you learn to approach and connect with the time-honored sacred places in nature, you are learning an intrinsic part of Shamanism. By honoring the rivers, caves, lakes and trees everything to do with nature you unfold more and more of your new world. Vision and Ceremonies: The path of a shaman like that of a Shihan is never ending. There are always ways to improve and

grow on one’s path. Being human error is oft the case, but one can always correct it and get back onto one’s path as it never changes. Our ceremonies help to promote Harmony and balance. They help someone stay grounded and focused.Ceremonies to honor the spirits of nature help promote harmony and balance. The path of shamanism never ends. It is believed that so long as these ceremonies continue, the world will go on.Shamanism is and amazing experience if you find its not for you there is no loose. What you experience by trying will be amazing.