What is the role of a Shaman? Shamanism in India by ShaGuru
A Shaman is an expert spiritual healer, a mediator of worlds, communicator of supernatural/spiritual entities, plant mediciner, performer of sorcery and is a practitioner of divination.
Roles and abilities of a Shaman vary from culture to culture. Some shamans provide physical healing through natural medicines whereas some shamans practice faith healing through magic, prayer and meditation. Many shamans consult the nature or supernatural beings to bring mental peace or to end an emotional suffering of a person.
Shaman’s rituals involve chanting, music, drumming, and dancing:
Shamans typically engage the entire local community in all-night ceremonies. During hours of dancing, drumming, and chanting, the shaman may dramatically recount mythological histories and enact struggles in the spirit world. Shamans also have the capacity to engage in sorcery and malevolent magic to harm others.
Shamans undergo an Altered State of Consciousness (ASC):
Shamans use rituals to induce the altered state of consciousness (ASC) typified in a soul journey, where a spiritual aspect departs the body and travels to the spirit world.The overall physiological dynamics of ASC induction involve excitation until exhaustion, which induces the relaxation response, a natural recuperation process. The shaman’s ASC includes: a death-and-rebirth experience, producing a self-transformation; a flight to the lower, middle, and upper levels of the spirit world, reflecting transformations of consciousness; and personal transformation into an animal, enabling the shaman to travel and use special powers.
Shamans have Out-of-Body Experiences:
Shamans are also believed to be spiritually in tune with the unseen dimensions and are said to have out-of-body experiences. Out-of-body experiences can manifest in many ways. In ShaGuru’s Shamanism Shamans typically meditate in order to have these experiences. The purpose of an out-of-body experience is so that a religious specialist can travel into the spiritual realms to communicate with spiritual/supernatural entities, have prophetic encounters, or gain specific information.
Shamans possess power that is beneficial as well as dangerous:
Shamans who are associated with such powers are generally thought to be beneficial to the community, but are believed in some cases to use their powers for sorcery. Shaman-prophets and diviners are concerned with predicting the outcome of a situation, relocating lost objects, and determining the root causes of any physical sickness, emotional suffering and communal discontent.
Shamans recover prolonged diseases, bring back lost souls (defined as the separation of some vital aspect of personal essence):
The shaman-healer’s treatment of prolonged diseases are dictated by his guardian spirit, but usually consisted of the shaman ritually sucking the disease agent out of the body, brushing it off with a bird’s wing or drawing it out with dramatic gestures. Illness could also result from “spirit loss.” The shaman-healer’s action was then directed to recovering the patient’s spirit (either the soul or guardian spirit power, or both) and reintroducing it to the body
Most shamans use their special skills to serve their community, their country, or the people they care about. In ShaGuru’s Shamanism, Shamans also use their abilities to connect with spiritual beings/nature in order to understand the fundamental truths of existence. Some shamans write about their experiences, philosophies, and visions to help educate the world on the deeper truths they have divined. Some shamans choose to be recluses while others live and function happily in their chosen societies.
Throughout history and across cultures, shaman talents have manifested as shamans being spiritual leaders who have helped their communities through healing, guidance, battle, and peace. There are many different cultures where shamans still have significant influence.
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