Work of the Soul

Shamanism is humanity's most ancient tradition for healing, solving problems and for keeping in harmony with nature, society and other people.

Traditionally a shaman is a person who can change their state of consciousness at will in order to journey to other realities to obtain power and knowledge for themselves and others.

Shamans work with the spirit or the soul.  They heal illness at the soul level.  They gain knowledge and insight from working with the spirits of nature such as rocks and trees, the land, and they gain knowledge from working with spirits of animals and humans such as their ancestors.  For the shaman everything is alive and carries information, you can call this spirit, energy, or consciousness.

In order to communicate with the spirit or consciousness of these things, the shaman will shift his or her own state of awareness.  Shamans can do this through various means, such as meditation, repetitive sounds such as that of the drum or rattle, or through the help of plants.  The shaman will then "see" through a new set of eyes.  

Shamanism is called the path of knowledge.  That knowledge cannot come from someone else. The shaman must acquire that knowledge and to do so you must pass through the shaman's doorway. The shaman travels into alternate realities to the place of symbol, archetype and myth.

           Journeying like meditation is a tool for spiritual growth.  It is also a tool that can be used for healing, obtaining information, and working through psychological issues. When someone goes on a journey they are able to communicate on a spiritual level.  So they can go and visit guardian spirits, they can go and visit spirits of the land.  A journeyer can use a journey to examine the health of their body or another's body. The Shaman must keep the doors open to mystical realms of knowing.  Shamanism provides us with ways to reconnect with ourselves and with the planet.