Shamanism
Bantu_Kelani:
Shamanism is an ancient religion that includes belief in animism, deities, and demons. The shaman, or priest, is believed to have special powers that allow him to communicate with ancestral spirits, the gods, or their evil counterparts. Shamanism is still practiced by indigenous peoples in Siberia.
The term "shaman" has come to refer to any priest or priestess who uses magic to heal the sick or communicate with spirits. Shamans are thought to possess magical powers and have esoteric knowledge, especially regarding the healing powers of certain plants. Shamanic healing centers, books, and programs are common New Age developments, growing in proportion to the complexity and indifference towards individuals of the modern world. For some people, shamanism is a window to a glorious, if illusory, past, when humans lived in harmony with nature and with each other. Shamanism offers not only an alternative medicine, but an alternative reality.
Some modern folks have been attracted to shamanism because of its association with altered states of consciousness induced by drumming, fasting, wilderness vision questing, sweat-lodges, and especially by hallucinogenic plants. For such people, shamanism offers the hope of an experience that will not only give meaning and significance to their lives, but will also erase from consciousness, at least temporarily, the horrors of a world that at times seems to have gone mad.
Neither New Age shamanism nor Native American religions have any direct connection to the ancient religion of Siberia.
http://skepdic.com/shamanism.html
Kingston:
B.K.
Love to you for bringing this up.
As alot of people would use the word magic as you did, I would tend to say shamans feel a deep spiritual connection with the forces of the earth....not magic. They are similar but this has been debated for time now.
I have read a few books by Carlos Casteneda who spent time with a shaman while doing anthropological research in the northern states of Mexico. Don Juan from the Yaqui tribe taught Casteneda forms of meditation, oneness with the earth and plants and of course altered states of consciousness. Shamans have detailed knowledge of the worlds plants and the many medicinal uses for them.
Although there is no denying the fact that Castenda was conducting field research in Mexico, it has been debated whether or not Don Juan actually existed. But this detailed account of shamanism has not be equaled ever by anyone else.
How fitting is that? One of the best, most read and detailed looks into the spiritual, earth centred shamans may or may not be based on reality and direct teachings. What is not debated is the fact that shamanism is very real and practiced throughout central and south america and other parts of the world and many parallels can be drawn to Rasta livity as both focus on the most natural way of life to be found..
Do a search for the Carlos Casteneda series on Don Juan as it is filled with wonderful ideas and views into this way of life.
Again, many thanks Kelani.
..Kingston..
Kingston:
All...
I have been mispelling Castaneda....
Check - www.castaneda.com
..Kingston..
Bantu_Kelani:
Greetings Kingston, I appreciate your reply.
Long before the introduction of Idolatry into Rastafari, the earliest Rastafarian group (particularly the era preceding Bob Marley) perhaps represented the Mystic voice of the movement akin to the fundamentals of shamanism, Dogon or Vodou...
At any rate, our ancestors the indigenous mothers and fathers of this planet were the first Shamans, first Vodou practitioners, first medicine men, first Olmecs, first Taoists, frist Hindus, first Christians, first everything...Another Mystic Shepherd was perhaps Don Juan, the Yaqui guru discovered and immortalized by Carlos Castaneda (read "The teachings of Don Juan"). Castenada supposedly learned to partake in the 'Way of Nature' under the apprenticeship of the shaman (enlightened being) Don Juan. The writtings of Castaneda makes mention of traditional African knowledge that stretches back to our remote ancestry. It's not a coincidence as our ancestors, the Negritic African also started the Maya and Mexican Mesoamerican civilizations.
Shamanism is not a religion, nor is it a hypothesis because these are things that man created. Shamanism is a way of life, an occupying force familiar to true mystics. Shamans teach us to awake Nature within ourselves that is the Gran Met-Vodou , Anu the All, Neter Neteru, YHVH, Allah, Ra-Khepera, the psychic center in the human body through the pineal gland.
The cultural connotation that is attached to Shamanism has rendered many people who are ignorant of its true definition to regard it in such a degrading and cannibalistic manner. Shamanism simply means acknowledging Nature and using its tools to render our own servitude, such as using different herbs to cure the sick. Through hallucinogens shamans walk the various dimensions, through deep breathing, a vegetarian diet (and most of all knowledge of how to align their energy channels with the forces of Nature) they induce consistent spy-experience reactions and actions to get closer to enlightenment. African or any other type of herbal remedies comes from the shaman priests/esses of our Indigenous ancestors who were taught by the best teacher - NATURE.
Shamanism is always looked at by modern society as paganistic. Where as praying to white skin Jesus is looked at as the proper or religious thing to do....Casteneda epic has contributed to increase the wave of interest in mystical tradition not only in Central and South America and Africa but also in North America and Europe.
Bantu-Kelani.
sisMenenI:
The word magic is often misinterpreted due to witchcraft and the label wiccans have gotten because of the time of the Puritans. In anthropological terms magic is manipulation of objects to harness mystical power to get a result in the world. We look at that and imagine a spell book when really there are American sports teams who are taking part in magic everyday as they "where their lucky socks" or best example is baseball and the different 'good luck' rituals they do. Even anointing one's head is magic.
Shamanism is not a religion, it is a role one can play IN a religion. There are Shamans in many religions so it is not a religion of it's own.
Shamanism is practiced throughout the world, even all over North America. It has been carried by different cultures up to this day and is still alive. As Shamans are religious specialists whom are masters of spirits, medicine men/wombmen, with direct connection with spirit they have the ability to journey through multiple realities yet they are aware and in full control of their Shamanic state of consciousness. So when you look at Shamanism from that perspective, magic is definetly a part of the great wonders Shamans tap into.
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