An Introduction to shamanism.
Shamanism is a modern term which describes a set of techniques that have been practiced by people all over the world for thousands of years, arguably since we first emerged as a species. They remain an important part of many indigenous communities today, where they may be known by different names, such as Medicine Wo/man, Spirit Walker, Healer.
Shamans are healers and they work on a person's spirit body to bring whole-ness to their soul, heal trauma and ancestral problems. The healing can be deep and impactful. They also work with the land in ceremony, in bridging the divide between the human and non-human world. Traditionally the shaman would work on maintaining the health of the whole community and the land in which they lived. Working with the nature spirits and the gods to ensure harmony between the human and non-human world.
The shaman's view of the world or religion is known as animism, which is the view that every creature, plant or rock has a spirit. Shamanism itself is not considered a religion, though all of the major religions have shamanic roots. There is a resurgence of interest in shamanism throughout the world today as many people rediscover the ancient techniques used by people throughout the world over millennia.
The shaman works in the spirit realm, which encompasses all spirits, for the healing of all. They are spirit walkers, ones who know how to safely travel into the spirit world and bring back healing to those in the physical realm. They do this through going into trance, which may be achieved through the use of their drum, rattle or voice. They may be found engaged in healing trees, animals and an area of land, as well as helping humans. In many ways they are advocates for the natural world and advocates for the connection of humans to nature, which they do not see as separate.Shamanism encourages a deep connection both to the natural world and to the self. The shaman helps a person remember their soul. To strip away the layers of conditioning and damaging relationships that may restrict them and help them realise and live their soul purpose. They are arguably more essential now than ever within our uncertain world of climate change and species extinction.
-Samara Lewis
Seque. This is a really magical place to me on Dartmoor, At the beginning of the river Teign. In visions I see priestesses dancing in the whites of the water, honouring the sacred blood of feminine life, at this magical place of birthing, and fertility, the Tolmen Stone. To me Birthing ourselves, in these times deeply relates to connecting with the essence of our inner child, our personal feelings and Joy. Reconnecting to parts of us that have been Traumatised in some way, perhaps through trauma in the womb, at birth or in our early years and bringing them fully into our lives with all their true essence and gifts. This is where we find parts of ourselves in slightly different dimensions, perhaps communicating with the spirit world, and it is a very magical experience to re-embody this energy, I believe it is really essential that we do in these times of transformation and change, and as we do it brings opportunity for the Birthing of a New Earth. It was so magical to see the inspiration in this little boys eyes who came all the way to see us, following us all the way to the stone circle nearby, on his own. Everything in life is a message and his presence in this photo was like the archetypal child of dreamtime that I see so often. It really reflected how I hold others and journey myself to connect to this energy. The flute, like the birthing stone and the young child all to me represent fertility, an energy I love to bring in my work through ritual, prayer and dance. To me fertility is connecting to our life force energy, the energy of the Stars and channelling that into our bodies, reconnecting to our senses and all beautiful life that we are in symbiotic relationship with. Thankyou Jesse for this opportunity and the magic that is evolving though this journey. The Flute is made by Willow Freeman of Soundsprofound Flutes, U.K. You can read about my work at www.templeofthestars.org
Richard Valintine. We are destined to live quietly in the recesses of the mundane. We ignite our inner hearth fires when we can muster the energy of spirit to do so. Sometimes this is barely strong enough to give us warmth let alone others. But to a soul lost in the darkness of their underworld, this tiny flicker of a flame can light the road to comfort and a narrow alley to salvation. Often we are unaware who is lost in this darkness that we are born into, or even if our inner glow is seen. But we wholly know that darkness cannot sustain against even the tiniest flicker of light. We are not perfect or pure, our darkness often engulfs us completely, however the Shamam is the keeper of the fire and thus maintains the presence of the light. Richard Valintine https://www.facebook.com/beshamanic/
Samara Lewis. In my shamanic practice I work with the ancient, prehistoric, spirits of the land of Britain to develop the basis of a revival of an indigenous shamanism of this land. I help people connect with their deepest wildness, their inner self, the wise wild self that exists outside of ego. This self understands the connection with all beings, is comfortable and secure in nature and is accessible to everybody as it forms the basic heart of who we all are. Finding this wild and wise self within is the first step along a healing journey, to heal from the trauma of modernity, felt within the ancestral lines of us all as the deep connection to ourselves and the natural world was severed so long ago. The journey to find and reconnect with what has been lost, to integrate the lessons and become fully present within our wild and wise selves is, I feel, the answer to the problems we face as a species right now. We need to relearn the skills of our ancestors, re-establish connection with ourselves, with each other and with nature. We need to develop the quiet and confident stillness of our ancestors, finding strength in life itself, moving forward with love into the unknown. I do feel this is possible. This is the foundation of all that I immerse myself in personally, all that I offer to others and the foundation of my shamanic healing practice. I have a 1-1 shamanic healing practice, based in Somerset, where I work with many clients on a variety of issues, such as soul loss, trauma, psychosis, negative patterns, family healing and spiritual awakening. I also teach shamanism, run smaller introductory courses and run an ecotherapy practice, which involves a deepening connection with the natural world. If you would like to see more or get in touch, have a look at my website: www.rewildingthesoul.org
Suzi Crockford. Calling to The Spirits of the wild land, calling forth the wisdom of the scrying pool, the drum is my ally and my tool. Suzi Crockford is a visionary writer and a shamanic healer. She teaches animist and shamanic pathways to finding our deep connection to 'All that Is', believing that if we can remember that we are simply one part of a living, sentient world - and act accordingly - we can co-create "The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know is Possible" . She is known for the clarity of her teaching, her patience and good humour and her beautiful interweaving of the sacred and the ordinary. She is also a maker of magical objects of every fur and feather - in particular shamanic drums and rattles. "I work in partnership with the Spirits to help others to create or strengthen their connection with both the seen and unseen worlds. Meeting the inhabitants of our archetypal landscape and traversing the territory of our soul brings us into deep connection with our birth-right of belonging to a sacred and sentient world. Shamanic work democratises our connection to The Spirits, it gives us solid ground upon which to stand and then takes us on a transformative journey: our destination is Earth Consciousness, bringing about healing change for the collective and for our Earth. Our most important journey is the one in which we discover our true selves - the 'Us' that are the interconnected, interwoven web of life." www.suzicrockford.com is my website.
Sue Marcantonio. "Being in nature supports the body to calm, balance, repair and mend. Nature opens the heart doorway as we begin to hear the visceral voices of the rocks, the sea and the plants as they engage with our own internal knowing and we remember. All we need is already inside us; it is hardwired just waiting. My invitation is to stop a while and gaze, hear the sound of the sea, the wind gently brushing your body and feel the beat of the drum and its gifts as it reverberates in your cells" Thank you. Shamanic Facilitator & Body Worker www.spiritunleashed.co.uk Spirit Unleashed - Opening the doors to freedom…
Barry Goddard. When I journey, I am taken over physically. I call it Shapeshifting, and it seems to be allied to the way Shamans work in the Far East. It is a lovely place to be. The spirits, or whatever you want to call them, move through me. I surrender to them. I move as they want, I use my voice as they want. It is a deep and nourishing experience, and it may take some hours to arrive fully back in this world. I came to this way of working through trance dance: the deep, rhythmic beat that gets into your body and takes you places. In medieval times, they had dancing in churches. It was banned, because it gave people their own connection to the Spirit. The connection between Body and Spirit has been returning in recent times. Nowadays I don’t need music or drumming: the connection is always there, over my shoulder. And it seems to be effective in helping move energies along for other people. I live on Dartmoor. I do astrology readings as well as shamanic work. I admin the UK Shamanic Community Facebook group. My book ‘The Medicine Wheel’ was published in 2022, as was my book on Astrology, ‘Surfing the Galactic Highways’. I am currently writing a fantasy trilogy, that is partly an exploration of shapeshifting, and partly an attempt to bridge the old cultural divide between Spirit and Reason, God and Lucifer.
Caroline Blake. There is a deep well of ancestral knowing within each and everyone of us. It flows through us waiting to be remembered. The causes of our forgetting are many and living in fragile times as our ancestors also did we tread a path where sometimes only shards of memory light the way. It’s in these wild places, these edge and in between places that I most feel the presence of the ancestors and the spirits of the land. They sing songs of both our gifts and wounds, promising a way to come home to ourselves in all our essential nature. We are Nature after all. The wild is a state of mind as much as it is a physical place. Be it literal or symbolic it can take courage to venture out into the wilderness and unknown where the normal rules don’t apply. There may be tests and trials, descents and ascents and unfamiliar terrain and landscapes to navigate. But the archetypical forces and spiritual powers that move through and around us may show themselves as helping guides and spirits to assist us on our journey. Magic, mystery, intuition and instinct as also allies on the healing journey, where inner transitions can lead to outer transformations for both personal and collective healing. These two outcomes cannot be separated and are forever joined together in an eternal dance. Our allies are here to help us restore lost knowledge and power by waking us up to our interconnectedness with the web of life. We only need to meet them halfway for transformation and healing to begin. I see my work like digging for treasure on a dark night, a sort of archeology of the soul. I’m based in Dorset and work 1:1 with clients and you can find out more here. https://www.metamorphos.co.uk
Nathan Grahame
Emma Smart.
Karin Jordan. https://www.karinjordan.com
Dan Knowlson. https://courses.cacaomastery.com