What is shamanism, and what is its essence?
Shamanism is an ancient practice of entering special trance states of consciousness, in which a person is able to see and understand far more than in everyday life. To perceive the world as it really is, and by the power of one's consciousness to influence one's own life, the lives of other people and the surrounding world. Shamanism can be called a system of practical knowledge about the essence of our consciousness, about the nature of the human being and human society, about the workings of our world and of the whole of creation. Beyond that, it is the ability to establish a special connection with living nature, with pure nature spirits and with one's own lineage.
Genuine tribal shamanism always had a practical orientation: it helped solve difficult tasks and problems, taught reason and awareness, changed people's lives for the better, made it possible to see reality as it actually is. Its birth and development were driven by the natural human need to know oneself and the world, and by the wish to solve practical tasks of every kind:
- to survive and multiply successfully,
- to heal illness and take away pain,
- to keep the body and mind healthy, and to live longer,
- to hunt well and grow a good harvest,
- to protect oneself, one's family and one's property,
- to improve relations between people and resolve conflicts,
- to find what was lost.
Ancient shamanic traditions whose direct transmission was never interrupted, and which have come down to us in their pure, original form, are called authentic. They took shape from deep antiquity onwards, over many generations. A colossal body of human knowledge and experience was accumulated – all that people discovered and understood across a great many human lifetimes – and it was passed on from generation to generation for thousands of years (!), from teachers to students.
Shamanism existed among many peoples of the Earth. Sadly, by now most peoples have forgotten their shamanic traditions and lost this priceless knowledge along their way. What our world calls “shamanism” rarely has anything to do with genuine authentic shamanism. Most often it is mere imitation with no real power. But in some regions of our planet the real thing still survives. And I am very glad that I was given the chance to encounter it.
