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Questions about Shamanism in General
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Frequently Asked Questions Below you will find answers to:  Questions about Shamanism in General
If you have a question not answered in the Soul Restore website, please submit it to info@soulrestore.com. If suitable, we'll post the answer to the site. 
Q. What is shamanism? A. Shamanism is an ancient practice for accessing intuitive or spiritual realms for guidance and healing. Shamanic practice is a common heritage of almost all cultures and has been around for at least 30,000 years. It is the way our ancestors expressed their spirituality and was integrated into every aspect of their lives. It is a wonderful complementary practice for almost any spiritual belief system. It is also a powerful vehicle for personal transformation. For more information, see shamanic practice. Q. How does shamanism work? A. Shamanic practice involves deliberately connecting with "non-ordinary reality" for guidance and healing. Non-ordinary reality is the other reality that is around us in the same time and space, but that we're not usually conscious of. When we have intuitive hunches, or hear a voice in our head warning us of danger, this is non-ordinary reality experience. Non-ordinary reality has also been called the spirit world, the collective unconscious, or our imaginations. How it works is hard to say - can any of us really know how spirit works? We can see that it does work by the results. For centuries people have given accounts of shamanism healing spiritual, emotional, and physical dis-ease. In contemporary shamanic practice, we are also seeing how shamanic practice changes lives. People who practice shamanism say they feel more powerful, at one with themselves, peaceful, and connected with the rest of the world. For more information, see shamanic practice and shamanic healing. Q. Is shamanism a cult? A. No, it is the opposite of a cult, which discourages individual thinking and action. Shamanic practice is very individual. It is a vehicle for each individual to find their own way to experience the divine, as they define it for themselves. Everyone I know who does shamanic practice, does it differently. Q. Is shamanism a religion? A. No, it is a spiritual practice, in the sense that yoga or meditation are spiritual practices. It can thus enhance and complement your religious beliefs. I have had clients from a variety of religious faiths, including devout Christians and Buddhists. For more information, see shamanic practice. Q. Why have Christian churches been so against shamanism? A. Some historians say this stems from a political wish by church leaders to gain control of peoples' spiritual lives in the middle ages. At that time in Europe many people practiced shamanism in the form of earth-based traditions such as Wicca. Those traditions were largely communal without much need for centralized leadership. Spirituality was in the hands of the people and everyone participated in seasonal ceremonies and rituals. The church led a concerted campaign to wipe out and replace these forms of spiritual practice with a centralized power structure. One of the main approaches was to demonize earth-based practices. This approach was also used with indigenous peoples around the world, many of whom are now very leery of their own traditional religions. Q. Is shamanism a Native North American spiritual practice? A. Shamanism is found at the root of every culture world-wide. Contemporary shamanic practice looks like Native spirituality or religion because it comes from the same source - an earth-based connection with the spirit world. For more information, see shamanic practice. Q. Is it okay for white people to do shamanic practice? Or is it only something for native people? A. Shamanic practice is the birthright of everyone on the planet. I think all humans are born with the inner capacity to do it, just as we are born with the capacity to learn language and speak. It's not dependent on race or culture. As a native friend of mine says "Do you think spirit cares about the colour of your skin?" What is not okay, though, is performing a certain ceremony or ritual that has been given by spirit to a particular person or a tribe, without the permission, in some form, of that person or tribe. Q. Do you have to have a special gift? Or can anyone practice shamanism? A. 95 % of people I work with learn how to do shamanic practice within half a day. This leads me to believe that anyone can do it. Those who find it challenging to learn often say their block is the fear of losing control. This seems to be a personal issue, not an inability to do shamanic practice. Each person does seem to have their own special gift within shamanic practice though. For example, some people are gifted healers, while others may be gifted at things like finding lost objects. Q. Is shamanic practice the same as Reiki? A. No, but they are related. Reiki, as I understand it, is a universal energy that people can channel, usually through their hands, to use for healing at an energetic level. Shamanic practice generally involves communing with the spirit world for guidance and healing. Where they overlap is that in both practices, people are accessing spirit guides who provide direction and guidance. Reiki practitioners have said that learning shamanic practice strengthened their connections with their guides. And I have found that being attuned as a Reiki Master has augmented the energy available to me in performing shamanic healing. The shamanic healing technique of extraction, or removing energy blocks, seems to be basically the same as psychic surgery in Reiki. For more information, see shamanic practice and shamanic healing. Q. Is there any danger in practicing shamanism? A. There can be, but not if you are well connected with your spirit helpers, follow their guidance, and have good intent. I have found that the danger comes from encountering wounded spirits who may want to do mischief or harm, or from misplaced energies which may want to lodge in your energy field. If you do not engage with these spirits or energies, they cannot harm you. This is where you need to follow your own good sense and the guidance of your spirit helpers. You have free will and choice in shamanic practice and can choose not to engage. Your intent is also critical. If your intent is for guidance and/or healing for yourself, or someone who has asked you to do spiritual work for them, and if your intent is pure and loving, you should be okay as long as you follow the guidance of your spirit helpers. I recommend that you learn shamanic practice under the guidance of an experienced teacher, so you learn how to deal with those rare times you may be in dangerous situations. I have found that, almost always, shamanic experiences involve encountering a realm in which there is abundant love, support, and healing energy. And I have found that when I do engage with a wounded spirit or misplaced energy (usually while performing healing), I have always been able to have spirit heal these energies and send them where they belong. For more information, see shamanic practice and shamanic healing. Q. What is a shaman? A. A shaman is someone who works in non-ordinary reality realms to bring guidance or healing to another being. You can be a shaman for yourself. The term comes for the Siberian Tungus tribe. Q. How do you become a shaman? A. If you are to be a shaman, who works with spirit on behalf of others, you are called to it. You will have experiences and receive messages that draw you to the practice. You also need to have an initiatory experience of connecting with non-ordinary reality. In traditional shamanic cultures, shamanic initiation often came through having a healing crisis--becoming very ill and healing through that. Or sometimes it was hereditary, but you could not accept the shamanic role unless you had an initiation into non-ordinary reality. In contemporary shamanism, you can have the initiation experience at a shamanic workshop, but the call will be uniquely your own. Traditionally shamans were considered wounded healers. If they had been able to heal themselves of an affliction, they were asked to support others in doing the same. In contemporary times, I have seen a similar pattern. For myself, I suffered much soul loss during my life, and healed this with the support of other shamans, and by my own efforts. Since then, others have asked me to perform soul retrieval healing for them. For more information, see shamanic practice. |
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Calgary Alberta Canada crediting Laureen Rama as the author. |
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