Shamanic Artist Caroline Manière

"Sacred Drumming"

Born in 1968 in Dijon, France, Caroline Manière lives and works in Bourron-Marlotte (Paris region).

http://carolinemaniere.com/portfolio/femme-medecine/ 

https://www.facebook.com/caroline.maniere

SHAMAN’S DRUM

Oh! My many-colored drum

Ye who standeth in the forward corner!

Oh! My merry and painted drum,

Ye who standeth here!

Let thy shoulder and neck be strong.

Hark, oh hark my horse—ye female maral deer!

Hark, oh hark my horse—ye bear!

Hark, oh hark ye!

Oh, painted drum who standeth in the forward corner!

My mounts—male and female maral deer.

Be silent sonorous drum,

Skin-covered drum,

Fulfill my wishes.

Like flitting clouds, carry me

Through the lands of dusk

And below the leaden sky,

Sweep along like wind

Over the mountain peaks!

—Tuvas of Siberia

Joanne Shenandoah Transplant Drive

Joanne Shenandoah (born 1958, Oneida) is a singer, composer and acoustic guitarist based in the United States. She is a member of the Wolf Clan; the Oneida Nation is part of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Confederacy). Her music is a combination of traditional songs and melodies with a blend of instrumentation. She has recorded more than 15 albums and won numerous awards, including a Grammy Award for her part in the album Sacred Ground: A Tribute to Mother Earth (2005), which had tracks by numerous artists. Joanne has been diagnosed with non-alcohol cirrhosis of the liver due to her entire immune system shut down during her struggle for 10 days on life support. So now she is seeking the transplant and will have a host of expenses related. To donate, visit Joanne Shenandoah Transplant Drive.

Power Song

Buryat Shamanic Poles photo by Simon Matzinger

Power Song

Oh spirits awaken with light,

On wings of the Eagle take flight.

Soar between the Earth and Sky,

And in harmony unite with me.

From the Lower World you arise,

To bring me power and advise.

Ride the winds of the World’s Rim,

Then descend to me at the Center.

—Michael Drake

Spirit Horse Shamanic Journey

"Spirit Horse Shamanic Journey" was digitally recorded to support the listener in making shamanic journeys. As a spirit guide, Horse is a messenger to and from the spirit world and a psychopomp who leads departed souls into the afterlife. Horse represents personal power, stamina, endurance, freedom, independence, travel, adventure, and soul flight. Horse is a medicine or you could say a relationship with the spirit of Horse such that the Horse will let you (your spirit) ride him and will take you where you want to go. Do you need to get somewhere physical or spiritual? Horse will assist you and serve as your guardian spirit, giving safety in your physical and metaphysical journeys.

The shaman's horse, namely the single-headed frame drum, originated in Siberia, together with shamanism itself thousands of years ago. The repetitive, rhythmic cadence of shamanic drumming is evocative of a horse on a journey. Siberian shamans describe it as the buoyant, transcendent state that one mounts and rides from plane to plane. The wild, untamed spirit of Horse will teach you how to ride the drum into vast worlds of extraordinary richness and complexity. We can ride Spirit Horse on journeys through the inner realms of consciousness or call upon this power animal to be the courier of our prayers in remote or distant healing.

Beginning your Journey

The first seven tracks that you hear are an invocation, calling in the spiritual energies of the seven directions—East, South, West, North, Mother Earth, Father Sky, and Center (Self). Calling in the directions embeds you in the living web of life, yielding greater awareness and perspective.

When track eight begins, focus your attention on the sound of the drum, then close your eyes and feel yourself being carried away by the sound. Once you enter a trance state, you may experience a change in body temperature, feel energy flowing through your body, or find yourself twitching or rocking. It is not uncommon to hear sounds or voices. You may see colorful patterns, symbolic images, or dreamlike visions. The key is to observe whatever happens without trying to analyze the experience.

If for any reason you want to return, just retrace your steps back. You will hear a call back signal near the end of the track, followed by a short period of heartbeat drumming to assist you in refocusing your awareness back to your physical body. Sit quietly for a few moments, and then open your eyes. To learn more, look inside my book The Shamanic Drum: A Guide to Sacred Drumming.

Spirit Horse Shamanic Journey

1. East - Eagle Whistle, Apache Shaker and Native American Flute

2. South - Rainstick and Native American Flute

3. West - Ocarina, Frame Drum, Rainstick and Native American Flute

4. North - Rainstick and Native American Flute

5. Mother Earth - Conch, Frame Drum and Turtle Rattle

6. Father Sky - Long Horn and Tibetan Bell

7. Center - Singing Bowl

8. Spirit Horse Journey - Cajon Drum

9. Call Back Signal - Frame Drum

Sample and Download at CD Baby--Spirit Horse Shamanic Journey, mp3 download, 64 min., $8.99.

Sample and Download at Amazon--Spirit Horse Shamanic Journey--mp3 download, 64 min., $8.99.

Sample and Download at iTunes--Spirit Horse Shamanic Journey--mp3 download, 64 min., $9.99.

Buy the CD at Amazon--Spirit Horse Shamanic Journey, audio CD, 64 minutes, $12.99.

https://youtu.be/LK2fCfDuxEg--YouTube 15 Minute Spirit Horse Journey

Female Shamanism in Tuva

Photo by Anastasia Ivanova

In the remote Siberian wilderness of Tuva, female shamanism is alive and well -- and visiting the local healer is as commonplace as a day out at the beach. Located in southern Siberia on the border with Mongolia, the Russian republic of Tuva is home to ancient shamanic traditions practiced by women as well as men. Being a shaman in Tuva is open to both men and women. Tuva is regarded as the birthplace of shamanism. It is one of the few places in the world where the shamanic heritage has remained unbroken. Through the millennia, shamans have been very important in Tuva. Rituals play an important role in people's everyday lives, and shamans are integral to life of the community. Tuva is a unique place where no-one questions if spirits actually exist. They exist; the question is how to communicate with them. Russian photographer Anastasia Ivanova has published a photographic essay exploring female shamanism in Tuva.

10 Signs that You are a Shaman

Because contemporary culture doesn't have a role for the shamanic archetype, many people who grow up outside indigenous traditions may be shamans and not realize it. Many naturally gravitate towards mainstream healing professions, such as medicine, psychology, or life coaching. Others wind up in professions where they may feel like they don't fit in at all. Even those who enter the healing professions may feel out of place, because the systems of Western medicine and psychology leave little room for a shaman to practice their innate healing art. Many others will wind up in various forms of sacred activism, healing the planet, for example, rather than healing people.

Are you a shaman and don't know it? Here are some telltale signs that you might fit the archetype. Read more. 

Shamanic Artist Collin Elder

Heliopause

Collin Elder began painting after leaving the realm of ecological conservation, which, along with a degree in wildlife biology, has focused his artwork on our deep and often mysterious connections with the natural world.  Collin sees his work as being a transition from conservation and how we relate to the past, into the redesigning of reality, inspiring a shift in our anthropocentric vantage-point. His paintings reflect a yearning to further pursue the depths of our links with the non-human, and hopefully connect their remembering with the health of our human community. In an effort to evoke a vivid sense of direct experience, Collin paints stories of re-inspiring our reciprocity with the fluid and ever-changing natural landscape. These stories are a reflection of an ancient desire to re-unite our mental concepts with our bodily awareness, grounding them in the living world. The paintings play with the idea of looking through our investigations, classifications, sciences and technologies, into active, subjective participation with an integral, holistic and mysterious ecosystem. You can view his art online at Collinelder.com.

David Bowie: Mystic, Magician, Shaman, Shapeshifter

David Bowie: Mystic, Magician, Shaman, Shape-Shifter. It's stunning to behold the widespread grief and admiration being expressed across social media regarding the death of one of popular music's most beloved icons. David Bowie was a shapeshifter of the highest order, creating unusual and glamorous personae decades before theatrical costumes became the norm in popular music. Bowie was making music videos in 1969, before anyone had a name for the art form. He wrote entire concept albums based upon the stories of his flamboyant, often troubled, characters: Ziggy Stardust (whose third eye made him a mystic), Aladdin Sane (his lightning bolt echoed in Harry Potter's wizard birthmark), The Thin White Duke, and others. It is impossible to imagine what music would have been without this man's bold and brilliant vision, his unique talent, his courage. His influence cannot be exaggerated. 

The Shamanic Themes in 'Star Wars'

Flag of the Galactic Empire

Apart from one of the biggest theatre successes of all time, the Star Wars movies are also one of the largest on-screen renditions of ancient shamanic themes, set against a deep space background and a war between good and evil. The first installment corresponds closely to a shamanic struggle, with Luke Skywalker as the apprentice shaman, Obi-Wan Kenobi as his master, Darth Vader as lord of the evil realm and Princess Leia Organa as the soul to be rescued. One obstacle after another is placed in the way of the heroes by the forces of evil, only to be removed by the heroic shaman and his helpers. The powerful weapons used reveal a continuity with shamanism in their blend of advanced technology and ancient magic. The ability to engage The Force for good or bad becomes the story we're all drawn into. Read more.

The Language of Nature

Have you ever wondered what "telepathy" really means? Have you ever experienced it? Have you ever wanted to experience it? Well you can, and you should. The mythology and creation stories of all Earth peoples speak of a primordial, but now lost paradise -- a "Garden of Eden" in which humanity lived in harmony with all that existed. The cosmos had total access to itself. There was but one language for all creatures and elements. Humans were able to converse with animals, birds, minerals, and all living things using "empathic telepathy," which is natural and organic to living beings. Nature has a language that communicates itself through its sounds, scents and colors, textures and more. Read more.

The Great Drum

The circle of the Earth

is the head of a great drum.
With the day,

it moves upward—booming.
With the night,

it moves downward—booming.
The day and the night are its song.

I am very small,

as I dance upon the drumhead.
I am like a particle of dust,

as I dance upon the drumhead.
Above me in the sky

is the shining ball of the drumstick.

I dance upward with the day.
I dance downward with the night.
Some day I shall dance afar

into space like a particle of dust.

Who is the Drummer who

beats upon the Earth-drum?
Who is the Drummer who

makes me to dance his song?

—Ojibwa

Solstice Blessings to Everyone

Solstice Blessings to Everyone - thank you for your friendship and support over the past year.

The Shamanic Origins of Christmas

Have you ever wondered about the origins of modern Christmas traditions? What is the origin of the Christmas tree, with the star on top, decorations about, and all the brightly wrapped presents beneath? This Christmas, as it's been done for generations, stories of Santa and his reindeer will be told around the world, including tales of how Mr. Claus flies around on his sleigh in the middle of the night delivering presents to all the good children while they sleep snug in their beds. Where do these stories come from – and better yet: what are we actually celebrating on Christmas morning?

Although most people see Christmas as a Christian holiday, many of the symbols and icons we associate with Christmas celebrations are actually derived from the shamanic traditions of the tribal peoples of pre-Christian Northern Europe. The story of Santa and his flying reindeer can be traced to shamans in the Siberian and Arctic regions. Santa is a modern counterpart of a shaman, who consumed mind-altering mushrooms to commune with the spirit world, according to one theory. Read more.

Cycling with Spirit Animals

2001 Oregon Bike Tour

Bicycling is possibly the greatest and most enjoyable form of transport ever invented. I've been cycling ever since I was a five years old. One of the most important days of my life was when I learned to ride a bicycle. After 56 years of cycling, I still get a thrill every time I coast down a hill. I ride virtually every day of the year. Nothing lifts my spirits more than mounting a bicycle and going for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride I am taking.

Cycling is the closest thing I know to the flight of birds. While I am riding, I often call upon my winged power animals, inviting them into my body and consciousness. I take on their feelings, embody their spirit, and enjoy their identity throughout the ride. On level terrain, I may pedal with a steady rhythm like a raven flapping. I might plunge downhill like a diving osprey, or soar like an eagle with the wind at my back. It is such an empowering and freeing experience.

As much as I love the flight of birds, when I need great power and stamina, I invite the wild, untamed energy of horse into my body and awareness. I open myself to the experience and emotions of Spirit Horse, that exalted, buoyant state that shamans mount and ride from plane to plane. When I connect with Spirit Horse, my bicycle becomes a flying horse that carries me to where I want to go. I am able to power up hills or into the wind like a fiery steed. I ride a bike... not because it is green transportation or good exercise, but because it provides my spirit with a sense of freedom and helps me develop a kinship with my animal relatives!

American Indian Poet John Trudell Walks On

John Trudell (February 15, 1946 – December 8, 2015), an American Indian poet, actor, spoken word artist and political activist passed away on December 8, 2015, at his home, surrounded by his family and friends. John Trudell was the spokesperson for the United Indians of All Tribes' takeover of Alcatraz beginning in 1969, broadcasting as Radio Free Alcatraz. During most of the 1970s, he served as the chairman of the American Indian Movement, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. John Trudell led a life dedicated to indigenous human rights, land and language issues. He helped spark a spoken word movement that is a continuation of Native American oral traditions. His last big media success was the book, Lines from a Mined Mind: The Words of John Trudell, a collection of 25 years of poetry, lyrics and essays from Fulcrum Publishing, 2008. This collection is a tribute to the man, his legend and legacy.

"We must go beyond the arrogance of human rights. We must go beyond the ignorance of civil rights. We must step into the reality of natural rights because all the natural world has a right to existence. We are only a small part of it. There can be no trade-off. We are the people." -- From "We Are Power" speech by John Trudell (July 18, 1980)

Music for the Shamanic Journey

Music for the Shamanic Journey. The Shamanic Journey is a powerful technique used by shamans and shamanic practitioners worldwide. Music -- often drumming -- is a favorite vehicle for the journey, helping to focus the mind and invite the spirit body into the non-ordinary reality. Shamanic music awakens your innate ability to commune with your inner self and retrieve information. Your inner self is in constant communication with all aspects of your environment, seen and unseen. You need only journey within to find answers to your questions. You should have a question or objective in mind from the start. Shamanic journeying may be undertaken for purposes of divination, for personal healing, to meet one's power animal or spirit guide, or for any number of other reasons. I have created a playlist of music to support your shamanic journey at: YouTube Music Playlist. 

Riding Spirit Horse

My drum can connect me to the earth or carry me like a flying horse. Sometimes I send my spirits out, but other times I must go myself, alone or with the spirits.

―Tania Kobezhikova, Khakass shaman

As a spirit guide, Horse is a messenger to and from the spirit world and a psychopomp who leads departed souls into the afterlife. Horse represents personal power, stamina, endurance, freedom, independence, travel, adventure, and soul flight. Horse is a medicine or you could say a relationship with the spirit of Horse such that the Horse will let you (your spirit) ride him and will take you where you want to go. Do you need to get somewhere physical or spiritual? Horse will assist you and serve as your guardian spirit, giving safety in your physical and metaphysical journeys.

The shaman's horse, namely the single-headed frame drum, originated in Siberia, together with shamanism itself thousands of years ago. The repetitive, rhythmic cadence of shamanic drumming is evocative of a horse on a journey. Siberian shamans describe it as the buoyant, transcendent state that one mounts and rides from plane to plane. The wild, untamed spirit of Horse will teach you how to ride the drum into vast worlds of extraordinary richness and complexity. We can ride Spirit Horse on journeys through the inner realms of consciousness or call upon this power animal to be the courier of our prayers in remote or distant healing.

Shaman's Journey

Take a fractal journey into the realm of the Shaman. A fractal is a natural phenomenon or a mathematical set that exhibits a repeating pattern. Fractals are infinitely complex patterns that are self-similar across different scales. They are created by repeating a simple process over and over in an ongoing feedback loop. Driven by recursion, fractals are images of dynamic systems -- the pictures of Chaos. Geometrically, they exist in between our familiar dimensions. Fractal patterns are extremely familiar, since nature is full of fractals. For instance: trees, rivers, coastlines, mountains, clouds, seashells, hurricanes, etc.

Shamanism represents a universal conceptual framework found among indigenous tribal humans. It includes the belief that the natural world has two aspects: ordinary everyday awareness, formed by our habitual behaviors, patterns of belief, social norms, and cultural conditioning, and a second non-ordinary awareness accessed through altered states, or ecstatic trance, induced by shamanic practices such as repetitive drumming. The act of entering an ecstatic trance state is called the soul flight or shamanic journey, and it allows the journeyer to view life and life's problems from a detached, spiritual perspective, not easily achieved in a state of ordinary consciousness.

Global Indigenous Wisdom Summit 2015

The second annual Global Indigenous Wisdom Summit 2015 (GIWS) is a powerful 3-day no-cost event taking place November 17-19 -- online and on the phone -- where thousands of Indigenous brothers and sisters and their kindred relations from around the world are gathering to learn how the human family can overcome our challenges and walk a unified path of healing and sacred action.

Some of the world's most esteemed Indigenous voices will share prayers, sacred songs, prophecies, spiritual teachings and pathways to healing. They'll also highlight concrete examples for birthing a new era -- one in which ALL beings are treated with respect, understanding, compassion and justice.

On Day 3, the summit will be hosting an exciting "Festival of the Americas" Video Day, featuring interviews conducted at The Indigenous Summit of the Americas in Panama. Through these powerful interviews, Indigenous leaders are able to share their sacred wisdom with our global community and ignite entire generations to launch a culturally and spiritually-based movement of unprecedented, unified action.

When you sign up for The Global Indigenous Wisdom Summit, you'll be inspired by the many positive and constructive aspects that are coming to fruition based upon sacred Indigenous principles. You'll also discover why NOW is the time to start co-creating a harmonious world that can fully realize the unlimited potential of the human family -- both individually and collectively. And it's all absolutely FREE! Get all the details, and sign up here: www.indigenouswisdomsummit.com.

Ritual Healing and Spiritual Experiences

Dr. Michael Winkelman, a leader in neurotheological perspectives on shamanism, traditional healing practices, and altered states of consciousness, will give a presentation at the University of Oregon on Monday, November 16, 2015, 3:30 pm in the Browsing Room, Knight Library. In this presentation, Dr. Winkelman examines the cross-cultural features of shamanism involving specific healing rituals and alterations of consciousness that reveal an underlying biological basis. He explores how these features reflect adaptations that occurred in the course of hominine evolution that enhanced our capacity for social bonding, extra personal cognition and symbolic modulation of emotions. Shamanism reflects aspects of our evolved social psychology that still has relevance for understanding healing processes, spiritual experiences and our propensity for seeking to alter consciousness in community rituals. These perspectives bring new approaches to the treatment of current health conditions, especially contemporary problems involving addictive behaviors. His books include Shamanism: A Biopsychosocial Paradigm of Consciousness and Healing; Supernatural as Natural (with John Baker), Pilgrimage and Healing (with Jill Dubisch), and Altering Consciousness (with Etzel Cardena).