Shamanism

Introduction
Shamanism has been around for over 40,000 years.  It is an ancient science. Shamans are healers, diviners, mediums, advisers, healers, herbalists, trance inducers, prophets, astral projectors, etc. They are a jack of all trades and master of most.  Shamans use different tools and techniques to heal people and/or accomplish other goals.  Shamanism exists on every continent.  The word shaman comes from a Siberian word samen, which means to know.  Shamanism was very popular in prehistoric times.  Shamanism became less popular, because of religion. Shamanism is more experiential and religion is more faith-based.  Some religions are very shamanic and others aren't. Shamanism is on the rise again.  Hooray!!!!!!!!!!        

Breakdown
Initiation: Most shamans become ill b4 they know they are shamans.  The illness usually defies diagnosis. Once they overcome the illness they get to work as a shaman.

They are close to nature.

They heal people in various ways and protect them from negative influences.

They help women became fertile by finding the baby's soul.

They go into the spirit world to get solutions for their problems.

Upper World: This is the home of ancestors, deities, angels, spirit guides, and other powerful spirits. All of them are positive.  This is superconsciousness.

Middle World:  This is the physical universe.  Entities here have mixed polarity.  This is the ego.

Lower World: This is the place animal spirits reside.  All of them are positive.  This is subconscious mind.

Imagination: It is the portal to these worlds and any others.

Everything has a spirit in it.

Techniques and Tools
Dancing: Shamans dance to go into a trance.

Entheogens: Plants are used by shamans as a means to access other realities.

Fasting: Sometimes they fast to get closer to the spirit world.

Meditation: Stilling the mind to hear spirits.

Banishing: Making spirits go away.

Extraction: Shaman removes displaced spirits/energies or past life memories that are attached to your aura.

Ancestral Healing: We all carry the energy of our ancestors.  Shamans help us get rid of the negative energy.

Soul Retrieval: The shaman finds the missing piece of a person soul so they can be whole.  Missing parts of the soul are parts of the psyche frozen in time because of traumatic events.  The shaman unfreezes them and they become present.

Power Animal Retrieval: When your power animal leaves you, you become weak. The shaman finds your power animal so that you can be in better health.

Soul Remembering: The shaman discovers your purpose by conversing with your soul.

Distance Healing: The shaman heals someone that isn't in their presence.

Shamanic Organizations
The Foundation of Shamanic Studies: This organization was created by Michael Harner in 1979. Michael created this organization so shamanism can be studied, preserved, and taught.  He created a class called core shamanism, which teaches Europeans how to apply shamanism to their lives.

Dance of the Deer Foundation: Brant Secunda is the founder of this organization.  It was founded in 1979. The teaching of this foundation comes from the Huichol tribe in Mexico.  Brant was initiated by his grandfather.  This organization does workshops around the world and helps Huichol people.

Society for Shamanic Practices (SSP): This organization was created by doctors that wanted to help people using shamanic healing.  SSP is figuring out ways to apply shamanism to everyday life. People from around the US is in this organization.  They have workshops about different forms of shamanism.

Center for Shamanic Studies: This organization helps people connect with Spirit. They help unite the spirit, mind, heart, and soul.  They have classes that teach you how to be a shaman.  They have their own radio. They help people mediate and they have life coaches.

Continental Shamanism
Africa: Africa is the birthplace of shamanism because it is the birthplace of humanity. There are many shamans in Africa.  A lot of the tribes have their own form shamanism.  For millennia San people have been trance dancing for healing, hunting, and conflict resolution.  Africans have a strong belief in ancestral spirits. A lot of diseases come from ancestors dissatisfaction.  The shaman finds a spiritual solution to disease.  They also remove the curses placed upon people by witches (evil magicians).  This is why shamans are called witch doctors.

Sangoma is the Zulu word for shaman.  Credo Mutwa is the greatest sangoma in my opinion.  He also is the official historian of the Zulu Nation.  He wrote several books and know a lot about aliens. He is around the same age as my grandma.  Click here if you want to know about him.

Ifa is a religion created by the Yoruba people.  It is very shamanic.  People who follow this religion are close to nature.  Sometimes it is hard to separate shamanism and religion.  Click here if you want to learn about Ifa.

Odinani is a religion created by the Igbo.  It has many shamanic traits.  Their cosmology is almost the same as shamanism.  Practitioners of this religion believe in an upper world, middle world, and lower world.  To learn more about Odinani click here.

Vodou was created by Haitians and it is very shamanic.  Vodou and shamanism have a lot in common.  Love for nature, soul parts, sacrifice, etc.  If you want to learn about Vodou click here.          

Australia: The Australians (Aboriginals) love shamanism.  Dadirri is the Australian word for a meditative state of mind.  It means deep listening.  They are very close to the to the creator for lack of better term. Their way of life is very stress-free. Australians are one of the most civilized (civility) people in the world. This is because they have great character, which is reflected in their culture. They call the spirit world Dreamtime. Humans are directly connected to the divine.  The only perceived disconnect is from certain cultures.
                             

South America: Shamanism is prevalent on this continent.

In Peru, shamans use ayahuasca a lot.  Ayahuasca can cure many diseases and the spirit of this plant helps shamans heal people.  Inca shamans have 2 paths to choose from.  They can be an earth healer or a sky healer.  Earth healers read coca leaves and pulses.  The work with earth energies. Sky healers work with mountain and star energies.  To become a sky healer you must get struck by lightning 3 times. The Inca people believe they came from the Pleiades, so.  They also believe everyone else came from a star system. They have over 10 forms of healing!

In Chile, shamans are called Machi.  Machis are usually women.  They heal people, cast out negative spirits, control the weather, and practice herbalism.  

North America: Some shamans ingest peyote at certain ceremonies so they could commune with spirits. Sweat lodges are used for cleansing and purification rituals. American shamans were commonly called medicine man/woman in the United States and Canada.

Mayan Shamanism had a lot to do with astrology.  They divine by reading someone pulse.  They healed people by working with energy from the sun and the milky way. Aztec shamans believe 13 heavens exist in the upper world.  Each of the heavens is ruled by a deity.

Navajo shamans would use painted sand in their rituals.  During the sand painting ceremony, someone was healed because it attracted the spirits.  The shamans would help people in the community make the correct decisions.  They were close to animal spirits.

Cherokee medicine men had incantation that helped people in their community. After that, they would give their patients herbs.  These incantations were later written down and given to James Mooney.  James was an ethnographer.

Hawaiian Shamanism is called Ho'omana.  It means to make life force.  The shamans were called Kahunas. Everything was part of one force called I'o.  Once someone was able to control the life force they would be able to create the life of their dream.
                             
The tribes of Alaska are very shamanic.  Sometimes they will dress in frightening clothes to scare the spirit out of a possessed person.  Sometimes they speak a language somewhat different from the rest of the community.  Some of them believe by giving a baby the name of a relative, the spirit of the relative will protect the baby.  

There was a famous medicine man named Sitting Bull.  US army shot at him and he didn't get hit.  He predicted victory at the battle of little big horn and his death.  he knew someone from his tribe will kill him. He was the king of the Sioux Nation.  My grandma looks like Sitting Bull.

Asia: Some Asian shamans wear mirrors to scare evil spirits.  The spirits flee when they see their reflection because they are monstrous looking.

Siberians take shamanism very seriously.  They may do it more than anyone else. They sing songs based on natural sounds, libations, and reenacted dreams at healing seances.  They do a lot of astral projection, which is called journeying.

China as many forms of shamanism because it has over 50 tribes. Chinese shamans are called Wu. They existed for over 3,000 years!  They interpreted dreams, conjured spirits and healed people, etc. Some of them were kings.  Taoism and Tibetan Buddhism are shamanic.  If you want to learn more about them click here and here.  Bon is the indigenous religion of Tibet and it is full of shamanism.

Korea has its own version of shamanism it is called Sinism. Shamans are called Mu. Mu is probably related to Wu.  Mus gives offerings to deities and ancestors, dance, sing, pray, and predict the future. They also do purification rituals.

There was shamanism in Europe too and a lot of other places.

Conclusion
Shamanism is amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I will learn more about it.  You should too.  Shamans heal people and interact with the spirit world.  They have many superpowers. Shamanism is worldwide and it is the mother of religion.  It's incredible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
                                               
References
http://www.organic-unity.com/top-menu/the-three-worlds-of-shamanism/
http://www.beyondweird.com/occult/wbtw01.html
http://www.skepticfiles.org/mys4/introasc.htm
http://www.northernshamanism.org/shamanic-techniques.html
http://www.sacredshamanichealing.com/20-Modalities.html
http://www.heartstonehealing.com/extraction.html
http://www.thehollowbone.com/healing.html#ancestral
http://www.practicalshamanism.com/shamanic-healing-for-the-wounded-spirit/
https://www.shamanism.org/
https://www.shamanism.com/
https://shamanicpractice.org/
http://welloflight.com/
http://africanshamanism-anth375.blogspot.com/
Yoruba Shamanism
http://www.sharedwisdom.com/article/australian-aboriginal-wisdom
http://www.shamanportal.org/
http://www.internationalspiritualexperience.com/
http://www.coventina.net/chaman-maya.php
Cherokee Formulas
http://www.ancienthuna.com/what_is_huna.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamanism
http://www.shamanportal.org/shamanism_asian.php
Intro to Shamanism
Various Shamans
African Shamanism
Shamanic Drumming
South African Shamans
Super Power
Chinese Shaman Fading
Siberian Shamanism
Korean Shamanism
Japanese Shamanism
American Shaman
Cherokee Shaman
Sandpainting
Inca Shaman
Mayan Elder Shaman
Aztec Rituals