Shamanism
{Doorway to other Worlds}
6-day residential workshop
Shamanism is a practice that involves a practitioner reaching altered states of consciousness to perceive and interact with what they believe to be a spirit world and channel these transcendental energies into this world.
Shamans may be called through dreams or signs. However, shamanic powers may be inherited. In traditional societies shamanic training varies in length, but generally takes years.
Shamans claim to gain knowledge and the power to heal by entering the spiritual world or dimension. Most shamans have dreams or visions that convey certain messages.
The shaman may have or acquire many spirit guides, who often guide and direct the shaman in their travels in the spirit world. These spirit guides are always present within the shaman, although others encounter them only when the shaman is in a trance. The spirit guide energizes the shaman, enabling them to enter the spiritual dimension. The shaman heals within the spiritual dimension by returning ‘lost’ parts of the human soul from wherever they have gone. The shaman also cleanses excess negative energies, which confuse or pollute the soul.
There are many variations of shamanism throughout the world, but several common beliefs are shared by all forms of shamanism.
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– Spirits exist and they play important roles both in individual lives and in human society.
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– The shaman can communicate with the spirit world.
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– Spirits can be benevolent or malevolent.
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– The shaman can treat sickness caused by malevolent spirits.
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– The shaman can employ trance inducing techniques to incite visionary ecstasy and go on vision quests.
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– The shaman’s spirit can leave the body to enter the supernatural world to search for answers.
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– The shaman evokes animal images as spirit guides, omens, and message-bearers.
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– The shaman can perform other varied forms of divination