African Shamanism

Shamanism in Africa encompasses a broad spectrum of beliefs, ideologies, and methods of healing that have been practiced on the vast continent for thousands of years. Traditional African healing is deeply rooted in the shamanic belief that ancestral spirits coexist with the living and intervene in their activities. When spiritual intervention results in illness and affliction, the shaman intercedes between the spiritual and human realms on behalf of the local community. This mediation usually comes in ritual form unique to each culture, including drumming, singing, clapping, dance, trance, and a variety of other shamanic performances. African shamans use different drums and rhythms for different purposes. Read more.

Shamanic Integrity

What is shamanic integrity? Simply put, it is the accountability inherent in authentic shamanic practice--a covenant with the spirits to be in your highest level of integrity. An authentic shamanic practitioner makes a commitment to intercede between the spiritual and human realms on behalf of the local community. Though the practitioner is always consulting with their spirit helpers, there are many matters, such as those of human ethics, for which helping spirits are unable to assist. To help illuminate a code of shamanic ethics, Dr. Steve Serr, Ph.D. published a series of principles to guide practitioners in this remarkable period of shamanic resurgence. Dr. Serr holds a master’s of divinity in sacred naturalism, a doctorate in clinical psychology, and teaches shamanism at Ocean Seminary College. Read Shamanic Integrity. 

Secrets of the White Shaman

In the May 2012 issue of Discover Magazine, Will Hunt writes the story of archaeologist and artist Carolyn Boyd's quest to decipher the meaning behind one of the truly iconic panels of rock art in the Lower Pecos region of southwest Texas. As an artist, Boyd visited the ancient rock art sites 20 years ago and was moved by the symbolism of these enigmatic residents. As director of SHUMLA (Studying Human Use of Materials, Land, and Art), Dr. Boyd "discovered a symbolic code that reveals narratives in the paintings, which she believes can be read, almost like an ancient language." The rock art, Boyd says, depicts archetypal shamanic journey themes dating back over 4000 years. Read Secrets of the White Shaman.

Sámi Shamanic Drums

The Sámi peoples of northern Scandinavia and the Kola Peninsula in Russia were renowned for their drum divination skills. They used divination to determine the future, luck or misfortune, location of game, diagnosis, and remedies. The Sámi practiced an indigenous form of shamanism until the religious repression of shamanic practices in the mid 17th century. The runebomme, an oval frame or bowl drum, was an important trance and divination tool of the noaidi, or Sámi shaman. The reindeer, which was central to Sámi culture and livelihood, provided the hide for the drumhead, the sinew to lace it together, and the antler bone for the drumstick or hammer. The Sámi believed that the reindeer’s antlers were conduits to the Upper World. Read more.

Shamanic Drumming: Calling the Spirits

Shamanism has achieved a dramatic modern resurgence. Recent studies by some of the world's foremost scholars on shamanism reveal that the contemporary world still hungers for transcendent experiences because the shamanic narrative is hard-wired in us all. Study results demonstrate that the cross-cultural manifestations of shamanism and its contemporary appeal are rooted in innate functions of the brain, mind, and consciousness. 

The revival of shamanism can, in large part, be attributed to the fact that shamanic drumming offers a relatively easy means of controlled transcendence. Researchers have found that if a drum beat frequency of around three to four beats per second is sustained for at least fifteen minutes, it will induce significant trance states in most people, even on their first attempt. Shamanic drumming continues to offer today what it has offered for thousands of years: namely, a simple and effective technique of ecstasy. 

The American Journal of Public Health reviewed shamanic drumming in its April 2003 edition, concluding that drumming activities induce holistic modes of consciousness through synchronous brain activity and provide a vital connection with the spiritual dimensions of human health that have been lacking in modern societies. Research reviews indicate that drumming accelerates physical healing, boosts the immune system and produces feelings of well-being, a release of emotional trauma, and reintegration of self. 

Many people in today's world are being called by spirit to become shamans. A yearning exists deep within many of us to reconnect to the natural world. It is a call to a life lived in balance with awareness of nature, of spirit, and of self. In my third drum guide, Shamanic Drumming: Calling the Spirits, I recount my journey into shamanic practice and explore what someone should do if they feel the call to become a shaman. I have written a guide to becoming a shamanic healer that encompasses the power of the drum, of community, and of the accountability inherent in authentic shamanic practice. Read the "The Calling," an excerpt from my newly released book.