From Slave to Shaman

Guarani Shaman

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. We live in a culture that has severed itself from nature and spirit. Humans have lost touch with the spirit world and the wisdom of inner knowing. The spirits, however, have not forgotten us. They are calling us to a path of environmental sanity, to rejoining the miraculous cycle of nature. Taking responsibility for our lives involves breaking out of this robotic existence and taking responsibility for Life as a whole; for the evolution of our societies into something vastly more meaningful, creative and joyous than the moribund system we have today. Read more.

The 7 Keys to Accessing Shamanic Consciousness

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. 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. Learn the fundamentals of this sacred ancient practice in this in-depth guide to shamanism.

Meet the Shamans of Siberia

Long suppressed by the government, Siberian shamanism has experienced an unprecedented revival following the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the number of shamans continues to rise. In a bewildering urban landscape where long traditions of nomadic lifestyles are things of the past, the ancient beliefs of shamanism serve to fill a spiritual void. Siberian shamans can cure illnesses, play a horse's fiddle and control the weather. Some of them can travel over long distances and even levitate by hovering over the birch trees. Meet the Shamans of Siberia.

Sending Out a Sound

Sound is regarded as one of the most effective ways of establishing connections with the spirit realm, since it travels through space, permeates visual and physical barriers, and conveys information from the unseen world. Sound, therefore, is a means of "relationship" as well as a "transformation" of energy.

Sound does not just travel out into oblivion. There is a call and then a response. When Iroquoian people of present-day central and upstate New York discuss "sending out a sound," they mention blowing on a conch shell and using the turtle rattle to attract attention, signaling the start of a ceremony, notifying the community, and drawing the Creator's participation. The conch is sounded at the beginning of important rituals because the sound is believed to have the ability to drown out any negative words or noises that might disturb or disrupt the harmonious atmosphere. The sound of the conch is understood as the source of all existence -- a cosmic womb, for when the conch is blown, it is said to emulate the primordial sound from which all else emanates.

According to the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), when the turtle rattle is shaken, "the earth stops to listen." The turtle rattle is a symbol of the world on the turtle's back, Turtle Island. The Creator is said to have loved snapping turtle best. When Mother Earth hears the sound of the turtle rattle, all of creation awakens and moves to its shaking beat. The crack of a turtle rattle, which shakes the earth, draws the attention of the spirits at the beginning of a ceremony or meeting. "To Shake the Earth" is a metaphor often used in Iroquoian communities to describe the purpose of the turtle rattle.

The Link Between Shamanism & Quantum Physics

The key to understanding the shaman's world is to realize that the universe is made of vibrational energy: that it is a single, flowing, rhythmic being. According to quantum physics, everything in the universe, from the smallest subatomic particle to the largest star, has an inherent vibrational pattern. The entire universe is created through vibration and can be influenced through the vibrations of shamanic drumming. The shaman's drum is a tool for altering the vibrational state of the shaman and/or the patient or a particular situation in the community.

The quantum theory of physics states that our material world is created over and over before our very eyes each instant we perceive it. We can change reality just by changing the ways we perceive it. Our world is not real. It is a fantastic illusion of genetic and cultural imprinting. There is only energy -- infinite and creative. We can't resist energy because we are energy. When we practice sacred drumming, we feel that primal energy. We become one with what we are made of. Read more.