Shamanism is a universal practice that dates back 10,000+ years. The word “saman” originates from the indigenous culture of Siberia, it means “one who knows”, “one who sees in the dark”, and is used to refer to the medicine man/woman, the healer, of the tribe.
A shaman is one who dances between the worlds —
that of ours and that of spirit.
In all shamanic cultures around the world, shamans go into altered states of consciousness, where the veils between the tangible and intangible realms open up into a transcendent reality, a dimension that is different from the physical reality we live in. Shamans enter these altered states to gain visionary experiences in the transcendent realms, for guidance and healing for the benefit of the tribe. They do this using musical instruments — typically drums, rattles and chanting, or through the use of plant medicine. This is called shamanic journeying, and is a core part of shamanism.
The transcendent reality is filled with compassionate helping spirits who are willing to help and teach us, share their wisdom with us, and give us guidance on how to navigate our lives to bring more harmony into our lives. A variety of teachers are available through a shamanic journey — mystical beings, religious figures, helping ancestors, spirit guides — who offer their help and guidance on all matters of life.
In the shamanic perspective, everything is alive, everything has a spirit, everything can be our ally — the Sun, the Moon, the stars, the elements, the mountains, animals, plants, trees, rivers, insects, rocks… all have much to teach and offer us, if we remember how to speak to them.
Shamanism is more than a practice, it is a way of life.
Shamanism is a practice of direct revelation. The relationships we cultivate with Spirit, the experiences we have, the guidance we receive are all direct and personal. We have spiritual authority to work with our own spirit knowing, our own divine self. We have direct access to the helping compassionate spirits who volunteer to protect us, to keep us healthy and help us learn to grow into the best versions of ourselves, so we can bring forth our gifts to make the world we live in a better place.
Spirit does not take away the challenges or big life lessons we are presented with that help us grow and evolve, but when we are connected to Spirit, we feel a source of protection that is always there, like a light that shines in dark times, and we can go through our life experiences with tremendous amounts of love and support lighting our path.
Hilsue Wong 