A STUDY IN SHAMANISM
Shaman (pronounced SHAH-maan) is a word from the language
of the Tungus people of Siberia. A Shaman is a man or woman who
enters an altered state of consciousness at will. The Shaman
does this to contact and utilize an ordinarily hidden reality
to acquire knowledge, power and to help others. The Shaman usually
has at least one or more spirits in his or her personal service.
The trance or "ecstatic" state of consciousness the
Shaman enters can be termed as the Shamanistic State of Consciousness
(SSC). The Shaman does not enter this state for play, but only
for serious purposes. The Shaman must also know the basic methods
of accomplishing the work in the SSC before entering such a state.
For example, if the Shaman wishes to recover a patient's guardian
animal, he must know the techniques for reaching the Lowerworld,
entering it, finding the spirit animal and bringing it back safely.
Subsequently, he must know what instructions to give the patient
in the Ordinary State of Consciousness (OSC). The Shaman is an
accomplished see-er who works in the dark, or at least with the
eyes covered, in order to see clearly. For this reason, the Shaman
usually engages in such practises at night. Some kind of Shamanistic
seeing can be done with the eyes open, but that kind of perception
is usually less profound. In darkness, the distractions of ordinary
reality are less, making it possible for the Shaman to concentrate
on aspects of non-ordinary reality essential for the Shaman's
work. The SSC must also be entered with the assistance of drumming,
singing, dancing and the use of rattles. Shamanistic Enlightenment
is the literal ability to lighten the darkness and see what others
cannot perceive. THE FIRST JOURNEY This is a simple exploration
down through the tunnel into the Lowerworld. The only mission
is to travel the tunnel and perhaps see what lies beyond. Make
sure you thoroughly understand the instructions before beginning
the journey. To carry out the exercise, you will need a second
person to act as a drummer, or a cassette recording of Shamanistic
drumming. Wait until you are calm and relaxed before undertaking
any Shamanistic journey. Avoid alcohol or any psychedelic substances
for at least four hours before the exercise. Eat only lightly,
or not at all during the preceding four hours. Choose a dark
and quite room. Loosen or remove your clothing and lie comfortably
on the floor without a pillow. Take a few deep breaths and relax
your arms and legs. Lie there and contemplate your forth coming
mission. Then close your eyes, placing a hand or forearm over
them to keep out any light. Now visualize an opening into the
earth that you remember from sometime in your life. It can be
one you remember from childhood, or one you saw yesterday. Any
kind of entry into the ground will do. It may be a hole made
by a burrowed animal, a hollow tree stump, a spring or even a
swamp. It can even be man-made. The right opening is one that
feels comfortable to you, and one which you can visualize. Spend
a couple of minutes seeing the hole, without going into it. Note
it's details clearly. Now either start the cassette recording,
or instruct your companion to begin drumming. The drumming should
be a strong, monotonous, unvarying, rapid beat. There should
be no contrast in the intensity of the drum beats, or the intervals
between them. A drumming tempo of about 205 to 220 beats per
minute is usually effective for this kind of journey. Allow yourself
ten minutes for the journey. At the end of that time, the drummer
should indicate that your time is up by striking four sharp beats
to signal that it is time for your return. The drummer should
then beat the drum very rapidly for about half a minute to accompany
you on the return journey, concluding with four more sharp beats
to signal the end of the journey. When the drumming begins, enter
your opening into the earth. Go down through the opening and
enter the tunnel. At first the tunnel might be dark and dim.
It might go underground at a slight angle, or it might descend
steeply. Sometimes the tunnel appears ribbed, and often it bends.
Occasionally one passes through the tunnel so fast that it is
not even seen. In following the tunnel, you may run right up
against a natural wall of stone, or some other obstacle. If this
happens, just go around it, or through a crack in it. If this
fails, simply come back and try again. At the end of the tunnel,
you will emerge out of doors. Examine the landscape in detail.
Travel through it and remember it's features. Explore until you
are signaled to come back, and then return through the tunnel
the same way you went down. DO NOT BRING ANYTHING BACK WITH YOU.
POWER ANIMALS: Shaman's have long believed that their powers
were of animals, plants, the Sun etc... the basic energies of
the universe. Long before Charles Darwin, people in Shamanistic
cultures were convinced that human and animal were related. In
myth, animals were depicted in human physical form, but were
distinguished by certain characteristics that are familiar to
the species. In North and South American Indian Mythology, animal
characters are not referred to as 'a coyote', 'a raven' or 'a
bear'. Instead these animals are referred to as Coyote, Raven
or Bear. In other words, these individual characters represent
the entire species. Every Shaman has at least one Guardian Spirit
or Power animal. It is through this animal, that the Shaman connects
with the power of the entire species of that animal. The power
animal can also appear to the Shaman in human form. Appearing
in human form, is often indicative of the animal's power. Another
indication of this, is when, the animal is seen moving through
an element that is not their own, such as snakes flying through
the air, or birds swimming. When a Power Animal is in a Shaman's
possession, it acts as an alter ego for the Shaman, giving the
Shaman the power of transformation. Specially the power to transform
from human to animal, and back again. It is important to remember
that there are no mythical animals in the SSC. For example, a
Dragon is just as real as any other animal. It is possible for
a person to have a power animal, and not be aware of it. Thus
many people, specially children have at some point had the protection
of a guardian spirit, and have lost it. The following are exercises
which will help you get in touch with one or more of your unknown
power animals. CALLING THE BEASTS: There are different names
for this exercise in different cultures. It is a way for a person
to get in touch with their animal aspects through dance. Keep
in mind that a Guardian spirit can appear in animal or human
form. Undertake this exercise in a quite, half darkened room,
which is free from furniture that can hamper your movements.
It is helpful if you have the use of one or two rattles, but
these are not necessary. There are two parts to this exercise.
(1)The starting dance, and (2)Dancing your animal. In both dances,
you loudly shake a rattle in each hand, and dance in time to
the rattle. In all dancing, you keep your eyes half closed. This
allows you to cut down on the light, and at the same time enables
you to know where you are in the room. The Starting Dance: Standing
still and erect, face east and shake one rattle very rapidly
four times. This is the signal that you are starting, ending
or making an important transition in serious shamanistic work.
Think of the rising Sun and the power it brings to all living
things. Still standing in place, start shaking on rattle at a
steady pace of about 150 beast per second. Do this for about
half a minute in each cardinal direction, while thinking of the
element or power animals of that direction. For example, you
can think of an Eagle in the East, a Lion in the South, a Serpent
or Dolphin in the West, and a Bull in the North. Move clockwise.
Return to the East, and shake the rattle above your head at the
same rate for about half a minute. Think of the Sun, Moon, Stars,
and the entire universe above. Now, shake the rattle towards
the ground, and think of the Earth, our home and the gifts she
gives to us. Still facing East, begin shaking both rattles at
the same rate, and dancing along with the beat, as if you were
jogging in place. In this starting dance, you are giving proof
of your sincerity to the power animals, wherever they may be,
by making a sacrifice to them, of your own energy in the form
of dance. Dancing is a form of praying and evoking the sympathy
of the guardian spirit. Stop dancing, and stand still. Shake
one rattle four times to signal that you are about to make an
important transition. Dancing Your Animal: Start shaking your
rattles loudly, but in a slow tempo of about 60 beats per minute.
Start dancing around the room in time to the rattle. Move slowly
and in a free form. Try to pick up the feeling of some kind of
mammal, bird, fish, reptile or a combination of these. Once you
feel the sense of something, concentrate on it and slowly move
your body in accordance with the creature. Be open to the experience
and emotions of the creature. Don't hesitate to make noises or
cries of it. By keeping your eyes half closed, you might be able
to see the non-ordinary environment in which the animal is living.
You may even be able to see the animal. Do this for about 5 minutes.
Without pausing, shift to a higher state of rattle-shaking and
movement. Do this for about 4 minutes. Another shift to a still
faster pace of rattle and body movement. Do this for about 4
minutes. Stop dancing, and mentally welcome the animal into your
body. To do this, shake the rattle four times, and draw it and
the animal towards your solar plexus. Face the East, and shake
the rattle four times, while standing still. This is the signal
that your work has ended. Once you have successfully gained your
power animal, you make it content enough to stay with you. This
is done through exercising your animal through dancing, and singing
songs of the animal. Guardian animals usually only stay with
a person for a few years, and then depart. So, in the course
of a life-long shamanistic practise, a person will have a number
of animals. HUNTING A POWER SONG: Every Shaman has at least one
power song, which is used to "wake-up" the guardian
and other helpers to assist in healing and other shamanistic
work. To get a power song, plan to spend a day alone in a wild,
natural area. Choose a location which is free of people, and
unaltered by people. You must fast for the entire day before
your excursion through Mother Nature. Stroll quietly, and sometimes
sit. Just wander wherever your feet take you. As you walk around,
discover what animal you feel like. It may or may not be an animal
you have danced before. Take on it's feelings, and enjoy it's
identity during the day. On your first excursion, you may only
encounter a melody. Subsequent trips will unveil the words for
your melody. Power songs can also be found anywhere quite by
accident. It is possible to encounter one on a Shamanistic journey
through the Lowerworld, and even in dreaming. Power songs do
not have to have elaborate verses, although they can. Many power
songs are quite simple, made up few words, which are repeated
over and over, and simple ideas. Use your power songs to trigger
a mild state of trance in any Shamanistic work you undertake.
MAKING THE JOURNEY TO RECOVER A POWER ANIMAL: In order to restore
a Power Animal to a person, it is not necessary that the person
be lacking one at the time. A person can have up to two Guardian
Spirits at a time. A third Power Animal, however, cannot enter
the body with two already present. It will simply drift away
to be made available at a later time. Power Animals usually come
and go unexpectedly from a person, especially after a few years.
If a person shows power loss, through depression or illness,
such work should be immediately undertaken, in addition to whatever
medical treatment is being applied. In any case, the regular
practise of this exercise is an important way to assure a person
of possessing power. It is better to have your own drummer for
this exercise. The Journey: Keep aside an evening that you intend
to do the work in. Eat a light lunch that day, but do not have
any dinner. Abstain from drugs and alcohol all day. Use a quite,
dark room, and remove all furniture, or at least, clear a wide
area for movement. Light a candle on the floor, where it will
not throw too much light. Go through the steps of the Starting
Dance, and Dancing Your Animal. If you have a drummer, have him
beat the drum in time to your rattle. If you are using a cassette,
shake your rattle in time to the drum. Do this only when you
are actually dancing. Shake your rattle four times in each of
the six directions - East, South, West, North, Heaven and Earth).
This is done to draw the attention of the spirits of the particular
realms. Next, walk very slowly around your 'patient' four times.
Shake the rattle in a slow, but strong and steady tempo. Return
to stand besides the patient. Begin to whistle or hum your power
song, and shake your rattle in accompany with it. Do this until
you are aware of a slight alteration of consciousness. Now begin
to sing the words to your song, still shaking the rattle along
with the beat. Do this until your consciousness alters more.
Keep on doing this until you have a strong urge to collapse and
lie down on the floor. Once you are on the floor, push your body
against the patient, shoulder-to-shoulder, hip-to-hip, and foot-to-foot.
Without delay, cover your eyes with your hand, and begin to shake
your rattle just above your chest. The drummer begins beating
in time to it. Shake your rattle at a very fast rate, until you
see the entrance to the Lowerworld. When you go into the entrance,
stop shaking your rattle, but your drummer must keep on accompanying
you on your journey. Once you are in the Lowerworld, avoid any
non-mammals you might encounter. Specially spiders or swarming
insects, or any serpents or fish whose teeth are visible. If
you cannot pass by these things, you must return immediately,
and try again another time. Search the landscape of the Lowerworld
with your eyes closed, for the power animal you seek. The secret
of discovering a power animal, is that it will show itself at
least four times in different aspects, or different angles. Do
not strain yourself you find the animal. If it is going to show
itself to you it will. After seeing the animal four times, clasp
it to your chest immediately with one hand. The animal will come
willingly. Holding the animal, pick up your rattle and shake
it sharply four times. This signals the drummer to stop drumming
for a moment. Now shake your rattle very rapidly, while the drummer
keeps up the tempo set by you. When you return, set the rattle
aside, while still holding the animal to your chest. Rise to
your knees, and face the patient. The drummer should stop drumming,
as soon as you rise to your knees. Place your cupped hands on
the patients solar plexus, and blow through you hands with all
your might to send the spirit into your patient. Then, with your
left hand, raise your patient to a sitting position, and, place
your cupped hands on the top rear of the patient's head. Once
again, forcefully blow, to send any residue of the power into
the head. Pick up the rattle, and shake it rapidly and sharply
in a circle four times around the whole length of the patient's
body. This is done to make a unity of the power with the body.
Quietly tell your partner of the identity of the animal you brought
back. If the animal is one you do not know, describe it's appearance.
Describe all the details of the journey. Assist the patient to
dance the animal that you have just retrieved. As you shake the
rattle, gradually increase the tempo in accordance with the patient's
movements. The drummer should follow the Shaman's lead. After
a while, shake the rattle four times to end the drumming and
the dance. Gently assist your patient to a sitting position on
the floor, with a reminder to dance the animal regularly to encourage
it to stay. POWER PRACTISES: Consulting a Power Animal: The Power
Animal can be consulted in order to obtain advise on problems.
This is commonly called "divination". To do this, simply
journey to the Lowerworld to see your animal. Your Power Animal
is usually quite close by, and you won't have to journey far,
before you see it. Quite often, it is at the end of the tunnel.
When you see your power animal, silently greet it, and pose your
question. Most often, the power animal will provide the answer
by moving it's body in an unusual way. However, sometimes, it
may lead you on a journey. The experiences on the journey will
be relevant to your answer. The first few times you do this,
it is best to keep your answers simple, so that they may be answered
in a 'yes' or 'no' form. When you become more experienced in
understanding the animal's language, the questions can be more
complicated. You should keep some form of dairy in which to record
your shamanistic experiences. These you should record as soon
as you finish a journey, so that the memory is still clear. You
need not wait until you have a problem before you undertake a
journey to see your animal guardian. It is beneficial to visit
without posting questions. You will find positive things happening
in your life around such visits. Keeping Power: When a Power
Animal is restored, one usually begins to feel better immediately,
and then begins to feel a power flowing through the body, gradually
over the next few days. When this happens to you, it is important
no to become complacent. Your Guardian Spirit has entered your
body, not only to help you, but also to help itself, by experiencing
the material form. Therefore, you should dance your animal at
least once a week, even just for a few minutes, using the aid
of rattles. This helps keep the power with you. Even if you dance
or exercise your animal regularly, you can still expect it to
grow restless, and to start travelling long distances. This usually
happens while you are asleep. Even if your guardian Spirit is
not with you, the power remains. However, if you start waking
up in the middle of the night feeling dispirited and depressed,
it is a sign that your Guardian Spirit has left you. If this
should happen, you should immediately seek a companion to make
the journey to restore power. Since one's Guardian Spirit can
be off wandering while you are asleep, it is common practise
not to wake up a sleeping Shaman, suddenly. In many cultures,
this is considered dangerous. Big Dreams: Dreams from a Shamanistic
point of view are of two types. 'Ordinary' and 'non-ordinary'
or 'Big Dreams'. Big dreams are ones that occur several times,
or ones that are so vivid, that they almost seem real. Big Dreams
are considered to be communications from your Guardian. These
are not symbolic, but are literal. Should you have a Big Dream
that has negative connotations- e.g. an automobile accident.
You should immediately enact the dream once you are awake. The
dream is not symbolic, but your enacting of it is. Just go through
the motions of the incident in a simple way, and get it over
with. THE BONE GAME: This games is known by Western North American
Indians, as the 'Stick Game', the 'hand game' or the Bone Game.
Shamanistic power and seeing are utilized in this game. It may
be played by only two individuals, but most commonly, there are
two opposing teams of at least sic members each. In the game,
the teams take turns attempting to 'see' the location of a bone
or bones hidden by the opposing team. A person designated as
the 'see-er' or 'pointer' tries to locate the marked bone within
the hands of the opposing team, while the opposing team tries
to prevent the person from seeing the hidden bone. Before beginning
the game, the teams should select a first 'see-er' and back-up
'see-ers' should the first not be successful. Next 'hiders' and
back-up 'hiders' should be selected. It is a good idea also to
appoint a referee to ensure all of the rules are adhered to and
to keep tract of the scoring process. Before the game begins,
team members may decide to sing their power songs to help awaken
their guardians, however, once the actual game begins, no talking
or singing is not allowed between team members. Non-verbal communication
must be used to indicate when someone is volunteering to be a
new see-er or hider. See-ers often work with their eyes closed.
Sometimes a see-er may even turn his back on the opposing team,
in order to see more clearly. Experience is the best teacher
to find out which way you see best. Team members must also decide
on how they can help the seeing process. For example, all the
members might touch bodies, leading to the see-er, to create
a cone of power. The team that is hiding, must disrupt the seeing
process, by singing, shouting, dancing or whatever else they
wish to do to disrupt the see-er. When both teams are ready to
play, they line up facing each other, about four feet apart.
A line should be indicated between the teams. If indoors, this
can be a cord, or lighted candles. It is against the rules for
any part of a team member's body, to cross the line. If this
occurs, a counter is awarded to the opposing team. Any object
can be used as counters - from feathers to sticks. Each team
has three or four counters, and this is placed inside the line
in front of the team. The object of the game is to win all the
counters. A team has to win not only the opposing teams counters,
but also it's own. Two bones or sticks are used. These must be
as much alike each other as possible. Chicken wish-bones are
good for this. Wrap a black thread or string around one bone.
This is the bone that the see-er must pick out. When the game
begins, the hider must turn his back on the opposing team and
shuffle the bones around in his hands. When he is done, he should
turn back to face the opposing team, and stick out both of his
hands in front of him. His team then starts a disruptive process
to prevent the other team from seeing clearly. When the hider
is ready, the referee should begin beating a drum. The seeing
team remains quite, and concentrates on providing a shield of
tranquility around the see-er, and sends him power to help his
seeing. The see-er must pick out the marked bone in the hiders
hand. This is done by the see-er pointing to one of the hiders
hands. If the see-er is correct, the team wins one of the opposing
teams counters. If the see-er is wrong, his team looses a turn,
but does not surrender a counter to the opposing team. In other
words, counters can only be won by successful seeing, not unsuccessful
seeing. * Compiled by the Silver Circle Blessed Be |