About Shamanism
As a shamanic practitioner, I am often asked, “What is Shamanism?”
Shamanism is the most ancient spiritual practice known to humankind, dating back as much as 100,000 years.
The word “shaman” comes from the Tungus tribe in Siberia and it means spiritual healer or “One who sees in the dark”. Shamanism has been practiced in Siberia, Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia, Greenland, and native North and South America. While there are cultural differences, once those cultural aspects are removed, it has been discovered that the practices are quite similar. Shamanism is indeed, Global.
A shaman is a man or woman who uses the ability to see “with the strong eye” or “with the heart” and “travels” into hidden realms. In these travels, the shaman interacts directly with helping spirits or Guides, addressing the spiritual aspect of illness and finding answers to questions in a spiritually centered manner. The shaman also divines information for the community or client/patient. Through a shaman’s dedication to a life path of creating balance, harmony, impeccability and wholeness, shamans have always acted as healers, doctors, priests and priestesses, mystics, psychotherapists, and storytellers.
Everything that exists is Alive and has a Spirit
Shamanism teaches us that everything that exists is alive and has a spirit. Shamans speak of and are actively aware of cycles and of a “Web of Life”—a connection that exists in all things in life and of the spirit that lives in all things (both animate and inanimate). Everything on earth is interconnected—any belief that we are separate from other life forms such as the Earth, the Stars, wind…is purely an illusion. It is the shaman’s role in the community to keep harmony and balance between humankind and the forces of nature.
Ceremony
There are a variety of ceremonies that shamans perform. They include:
- Welcoming children into the world….
- Performing marriages….
- Help people transition to a good place at the time of death….
- Mourning the death of loved ones….
- Creating ceremonies to mark transitions in a person’s life….
The Shamanic Journey
Shamans are noted for a particular ritual: The Shamanic Journey. By going into an altered state of consciousness, the shaman journeys into non-ordinary reality, with Intention as his compass and they travel outside of time and space. It is here, in what is called non-ordinary reality, that the shaman works closely with their helping spirits. Through these powerful and cultivated relationships, we are aided by these compassionate Spirits, for it is the Spirits who offer their guidance and their healing help in behalf of all life on earth. The helping spirits are also consulted with when specific information regarding the subject at hand is needed.
Entering into the soul freeing, altered state of consciousness to journey into the invisible worlds, shamans typically use some form of percussion, especially drumming or rattling. The page My Drum talks of this.
With the Universal shift that is taking place, Shamanism is vitally important work for our time. The Great Mother calls; it is time to come back home again…it is time to take our rightful place on the earth. It is our birthright to fully express our souls and create the World we want to live in. And it is our birthright to shine as brightly as the stars above us. It is time to share our light again in the world!
About Shamanic Vision
Greetings Brothers and Sisters, welcome to Shamanic Vision!
There are two of us: Paul Hinsberger originally from California and Neelam Nanwani from India.
Paul is a published author, a Shamanic Counselor, a Public Speaker, a Workshop Facilitator and a Holistic Practitioner. Paul offers Heart-based workshops, retreats and lectures that focus on Life Balance, Self-awareness and Inner Peace.
Seen as a Life Guide, Paul warmly shares his life experiences while connecting deeply with his clients and participants. Noted for his written blogs, Paul also hosts a weekly radio blog with Neelam called The Sharing Circle:
Paul has been on the Shamanic Path all of his Life. He has had numerous teachers from a number of Native American cultures and also learned from Indigenous Shamans from the Hawaiian Islands, Peru, Northern Mexico and Asia.
Paul is an Ordained Minister and founder of the Church of the Wheel, based in Idaho, USA.
A gifted psychic and intuitive tarot card reader and instructor, Paul has read tarot since he was 17. He utilizes Tarot as a tool to open the Gateway to Personal Change.
Highly creative, heart centered and compassionate, Paul is attuned to the World around him and to those who enter into his sphere of Being. He is very warm and welcoming, non-judgmental and down to earth.
Meet Neelam
Neelam is a Shamanic Teacher and a midwife to the Soul. She fondly re-iterates, that shamanism is not a healing modality but a “Way of Life”. Shamanism is about going back to our roots, to our indigenous way of being and living and a path from which all other bodies of knowledge have birthed and evolved.
Her teachings have evolved over the course of the last 15 years and her Divine Mission, Vision and Purpose is to help people remember and RE-member who they really ARE. She gently and ferociously midwifes this great “Unbecoming” within one and all and nothing gives her more fulfillment than seeing someone come home to their true nature and Self.
Shamanism, she says is a journey Return Home, to one’s own true nature.
Under the foundation / umbrella of the indigenous ways and teachings, Neelam facilitates various workshops, retreats and sessions.
Neelam has also been initiated in the Bone Divination Practices coming from the Dagara Tradition of West Africa.
Dedicated to sharing her knowledge and compassionate heart with others, Neelam blends intuitive wisdom with solid understanding, creating a powerful, holistic approach, specializing in the areas of Spiritual & Emotional change in a Light, simple and effortless way.
About Paul
Paul was a published author, a Shamanic Counselor, a Public Speaker, a Workshop Facilitator and a Holistic Practitioner. Before his transition to the other world, Paul authored the book, “The River of Life”.
During his Earth Walk, Paul offered Heart-based workshops, retreats and lectures that focused on Life Balance, Self-awareness and Inner Peace.
He was seen as a Life Guide, and he warmly shared his life experiences while connecting deeply with his clients and participants. He was noted for his writings and fondly known as Santa or Teddy Bear by his Beloved Students.
Paul was also a gifted psychic and intuitive tarot card reader and instructor, he read tarot since he was 17. He utilized Tarot as a tool to open the Gateway to Personal Change.
Paul had been on the Shamanic Path all of his Life. He had numerous teachers from a number of Native American cultures and also learned from Indigenous Shamans from the Hawaiian Islands, Peru, Northern Mexico and Asia. Paul was also an Ordained Minister and founder of the Church of the Wheel, based in Idaho, USA.
Highly creative, heart centered and compassionate, Paul was attuned to the World around him and to those who entered into his sphere of Being. He was very warm and welcoming, non-judgmental and down to earth.
A link to Paul’s Resources and Teachings of the Red Road and Church of the Wheel
The history of your path is known…
The history of your path is known…and the potential of your arrival here was foretold. So finding these teachings was no accident.
We recently came across a beautiful book: Songs of the Shaman—the Path of the Feather by Red Moon Hombre. The book is comprised of verses that were obtained by over ten years of Shamanic Journeys. Each verse deserves to be approached with our most openhearted, open minded tenderness and sense of quiet introspection. The following verses, found in the first Chapter, are very powerful and carry within them, the pebbles that lead us onto the Shamanic Path.
4.1: The history of your path is known…and the potential of your arrival here was foretold. So finding these teachings was no accident.
4.2: Like the buffalo in search of summer pastures…there was a hunger that led you…inevitably…to this time and place.
4.3: You have been seeking truth and wisdom. And now in response to your songs…truth and wisdom have found you.
4.4: There is much to learn…if you have come in a good way!
4.5: Should you choose to walk the path known as The Red Road…these teachings will, forever, be at your side.
4.6: They are part of the Mystery Songs…and cannot be un-learned. The Mystery Songs change you.
4.7: Their purpose is to renew the old perspectives…where humans did not believe in dominion…but were partners in the Earth journey.
4.8: It is called The Path of the Feather…and it is an honor bound commitment to Namaji.
4.9: Namaji is a “Ute” (A Native American tribe found mostly in the State of Utah in the United States) word and pledge, like that…to walk a path of “Dignity, Honor, Respect and Pride”. It is… Namaji.
4.10: But it is not an assignment…nor is it a blood right. It is about choice…it is about recognition and acceptance.
4.11: It is the acknowledgement…that every thought…our every word…and our every deed…forms the basis for the paths we walk.
4.12: And who can say what lies in the hearts of those who cannot feel The Great Spirit…in all things.
4.13: So I invite you to soar with me…over mountains and meadows, and in the dreamscapes.
4.14: I invite you to accept your Spirit Path…as a Sacred Spirit Path. Because it has always been so!
4.15: I invite you to look into your heart as well…it knows that these teachings are offered in a good way.
4.16: It will know that my words are straight…that they may go as sunlight into your heart.
Ho Hecetu Welo!
(It is so!)
Do these words resonate with you? Do these words “speak to you or sing to your Soul or your Heart?
If so, take your time to dip your toes into The River; taste the sweetness of these waters; feel the Warmth of the Sun and the loving embrace of the Earth.
If these words are indeed like sunlight into your heart, find out much more by looking at the pages of our site or by checking us out on Meetup.com or attending one of our Shamanic Circles or workshops.
You may reach us at: shamanic-vision@live.com
Illness…from A Shamanic Perspective
Illness…from A Shamanic Perspective
Shamans look not at the physical, but rather at the spiritual aspect of illness. An illness might manifest on an emotional or physical level, but the shaman journeys to seek for the root cause of the spiritual imbalance or disharmony.
From a shamanic perspective, there are three classic causes of illness:
- Power loss
- Spiritual intrusion or possessing spirit
- Soul Loss
And so, the shaman journeys….
The helping spirits of the shaman diagnose the cause and then help perform the required treatment for healing. The shaman acts as a “hollow bone” by merging with these helping spirits and calling upon the power of the Universe to channel healing energies.
Typically, a combination of causes happen to manifest an illness. Rarely, does one only have soul loss or a spiritual intrusion.
The helping spirits look down on the human world with a perspective that often cannot be seen by a practitioner. Therefore, shamans work in partnership with their helping spirits for healing work.
Power Loss
Power Loss occurs when a person has lost his power animal or a protective guardian spirit. Typical symptoms of power loss are chronic depression, ongoing suicidal tendencies, long-term illness, and persistent misfortune.
When a shaman is shown that power loss has occurred, a variety of ceremonies might be performed to retrieve a former power animal or guardian spirit to restore power and protection.
Spiritual Intrusions and Possessing Spirits
Often when a person is missing a guardian spirit or his vital essence has disappeared, there is an opening in the body. Since the universe cannot stand a void, something comes in to fill that space. Shamans might perceive a spiritual intrusion that has entered into a client who is missing power and vital essence.
Spiritual intrusions come from negative thought forms. In indigenous cultures, people understand the difference between expressing energy and sending energy. In the West, we often do not understand the difference.
It is important to properly express our “more negative” emotions such as anger, frustration, sadness, etc. However, rather than express these in a healthy manner, we often send these energies to ourselves, others, and into the environment like a psychic arrow. These energies can create, what shamans call, “Spiritual Intrusions”.
The signs of a spiritual intrusion appear either on or within us in such forms as localized pain or some form of cancer. Since shamans do not distinguish between emotional and physical illness, a spiritual intrusion may also manifest in the form of chronic anger or depression.
In the treatment of this kind of spiritual problem, the shaman works with his or her helping spirits to diagnose the nature and location of the spiritual intrusion. The shaman then performs an extraction that removes the intrusion.
Psychopomp
Shamans heal both the living and deceased by performing psychopomp work. This word comes from the Greek word psychopompous , which literally means leader of souls. When we die, there is usually a graceful transition into a transcendent reality. In shamanism it is understood that when someone suffers a traumatic death such as murder, accident, war, drug overdose, suicide, or in a violent and unexpected manner, there is a possibility that the soul may need assistance in crossing over into the transcendent realms. The reason is the soul may be confused at death and therefore, remains caught in what shamans call the Middle World.
A spirit stuck in the Middle World might wander into this, our world, or it may enter into a person who is missing his vital essence or power, causing a possession. From a shamanic perspective, this is one cause for schizophrenia and multiple personality disorders.
In such a case, the shaman would perform a de-possession—guiding the spirit out of the Middle World and into a transcendent reality.
Because psychopomp work is regularly done when people die in indigenous cultures that are accustomed to shamanic work, they do not have the kinds of emotional illness we experience in the West. Consequently, the need for de-possession work is well understood.
Soul Retrieval: How Shamans Heal Trauma
It is believed that whenever we suffer an emotional or physical trauma, a piece of our soul flees the body in order to survive the experience. In shamanism, the soul is defined as our essence, life force, the part of our vitality that keeps us alive and thriving.
The types of trauma that can cause soul loss in our culture are any kind of abuse, be it sexual, physical, or emotional. Other causes could be an accident, war experience(s), being a victim of a terrorist act, acting against our morals, being in a natural disaster (a fire, hurricane, earthquake, tornado, etc.), surgery and general anesthesia, addictions, divorce, or the death of a loved one. Any event that causes shock, could cause soul loss. And what might cause soul loss in one person, may not cause soul loss in another. Shamans believe that alarm clocks, because of their highly intrusive nature, can cause soul loss.
It is important to understand that soul loss is actually a good thing. It is how we survive pain. If you were about to be in a head-on car collision the last place you would want to be at the point of impact is in your body. Our psyches could not endure that kind of pain. Therefore, this brilliant self protection mechanism activates and a part of our essence (or soul) leaves the body so that we do not feel the full impact of the pain.
In psychology, this is known as dissociation. However, in psychology there is no talk about what disassociates or where that “part” goes. In shamanism, we know that a piece of the soul leaves the body and goes into a place in non-ordinary reality where that part waits until someone intervenes in the spiritual realms and facilitates its return.
Although soul loss is a survival mechanism, the problem from a shamanic point of view is that the soul part that left usually does not come back on its own. The soul may be lost, or perhaps stolen by another person, or it does not know that the trauma has passed and that it is now safe to return.
Thus, the shaman journeys and tracks down the soul part and returns it to the body of the client.
Some of the common symptoms of soul loss are when a person does not feel fully in his or her body nor feel alive and fully engaged in life.
Other symptoms include chronic depression, suicidal tendencies, post traumatic stress syndrome, immune deficiency problems, and grief that just does not heal. Addictions are also a sign of soul loss—seeking external sources to fill up the empty spaces inside with either illicit substances, food, relationships, work, or buying material objects. Anytime someone says, “ I have never been the same since (X)” (and its not positive) then soul loss has most likely occurred.
Look at our world today—we value money over life. Killing other life forms for material gains…feeling that buying one more car or material objects bring happiness…we see wide spread planetary soul loss today in how we behave towards each other and to those with whom we share Life.
In shamanic cultures, people who suffered traumas were given a soul retrieval within three days after a traumatic event. Today, because we have not been practicing soul retrieval, modern day practitioners often need to go back ten, twenty, thirty, or forty years or even more looking for lost soul parts.
In our culture, we are unaware that being out of spiritual harmony creates illness. Often, soul loss happens at such a young age we are not aware of the unconscious patterns that have been in place since followed. When there is soul loss, we always try to retrieve our soul by repeating the same trauma over and over again. The names of the people involved might change, but the story is often the same….
After a soul retrieval, people feel more present in their bodies and they sense the vibrancy of the world. Now engaged in their lives, and fully in spirit, they are more inspired to change their lives.
If the person has previously done personal work, the soul retrieval may bring an end of the work. If not, the soul retrieval will be the beginning of their Journey of Change.
Once any kind of shamanic healing work is performed, it is ultimately up to the client to use the returned energy and their new perspective to create their own positive present and future Life. From here, one now has the chance to thrive rather than survive. It is crucial to create long term healing after a soul retrieval or extraction work.
Please feel free to contact me to discuss how shamanic work may be helpful for you.
What to “Expect” from Shamanic Healing Session!
Shamanism is NOT a quick fix magical solution. Sometimes, though it may….
It all depends on the guidance that comes through from your Guides and your Soul itself—remember, we are working on your Soul here—what the soul wants and does not want.
Sometimes, our souls take on contracts and agreements—a life plan to fulfill. Because of these agreements—which the soul has made prior to its birth—the only understanding that may come through in a shamanic journey is why this situation happened. We can then ask what needs to be done to resolve the issue from your Guides and/or your Soul itself.
Shamanism is NOT Instant Noodles!
Shamanism is not always about fixing the problem. It is about “understanding” the situation. Sometimes the Soul can heal and the Guides will suggest what to do. The work post guidance has to be done by the client. The shamanic practitioner is just a medium to show you the mirror about what is going on and what needs to be done.
Sometimes, though, accepting a situation, may be the only solution as this is what the Soul wants and has agreed upon.
Although understanding and awareness may throw a lot of light on the issue, post shamanic work is equally important or rather more important. This could be anything from working with your energy bodies to belief changes, working with power integration, building a relationship with your Guides and Power Animals, soul healing and other aspects of health may be guided.
Spirits are outside the realms of time and space and hence how much time a particular resolution take, is an individual situation.
Yet, if one sticks to the guidance and keeps treading the path, miracles are possible.
Transformation is a process.
Shamanism is not like taking a pill for headache. One has to feel into it and through it to allow it to transform your mind so you can feel and fully embrace the gifts of your soul. Energy is thick right now with so much warfare upon the planet. You come into this world to elevate that energy and this takes time. Listen to the whispers of your soul. Think how far you have come instead of seeing as “nothing is happening”!
The work at my level is over. It is difficult to say how much time you will take to embrace, allow and deepen the healing. The only thing between you and the healing is the will to heal. Allow it.. Feel it.. The old seed has been weeded out and the new seed has been planted. It takes time to grow in to a fully nourished tree. Ask your Guides and Power Animals how you need to work at emotional level and with your belief systems to see the results. Continue working with your Power Animals.
Say to yourself again and again – “I release the resistance to heal. All is unfolding for my highest good. I allow and am open for the healing that my Guides and Power animals bring me.”
Implement the guidance and absorb the lessons which are involved.
Best to you.