so as not to hijack the original thread i created a new one.
Balaganist---
"This may be vearing more off-topic - but LLB and others, how do you see shamanic healing ceremonies in the context of modern city dwellers? This is a subject i'm becoming more and more interested in; how can we integrate shamanic healing into our mashed up culture full of sceptics and fear-led zombies?
I dream of one day setting up a local centre to hold such ceremonies. "
I think modern city dwellers can cultivate new animist world views, as a matter of fact i know that they can and are actually. the role of shaman is an emergent role from within an animist culture and takes the shape of those forms that the needs of an animist culture dictates.
How can we integrate shamanic healing practices into our mashed up culture? Well from what ive seen life brings people together and those people co-create with the spirit of the land and sky new animist world views and traditions. Roles within new animist traditions are also emergent and some of them are inspired by shamanic healing traditions of indigenous peoples of today and from the past and inspire totally new ways of relating to the animist role of shaman as well as are guided by spirit and the land to form new ways of living in synergy with the land and each other. cities are in dire need of that actually. so in a sense i think that the first step is in working in synergy with the spirit of place as animist people always have and in using our own creative inspiration to form new ways of relating to old ways of being. For example a group can come together and spend some time tuning into the spirit of place, in communion with that spirit and they can allow through that communion new ways to emerge, by allowing the place to move them, guide their thoughts and actions literally.
there is also the notion that in some animist cultures the role of shaman is not hierarchical but instead of it being a center role held by one or a few members of the society it is held or has the potential to be held by every one. the midiwiwin societies of the great lakes for example had medicine societies which every one was encouraged socially to join and learn from. there where three levels of membership, and each man and woman could advance in those levels through out their life if they wished or had the aptitude to do so. certain tribes in the amazon ( even more relevant here) did not have a central role of some one that could be translated as a shaman but instead every one was encouraged to learn and be guided by spirit, to gain spiritual knowledge. in this way every one was their own shaman, many tribes through out the world had this same way. you either new a little or you knew a lot. they would drink ayahuasca or work with different plant teachers to learn from spirit and gain powers that helped them to live well. ceremonies then became more for social cohesion and for the sake of personal and communal growth. healing ceremonies could be done by any one that had the know how and ability but no one was considered a shaman because the role its self was diffused culturally among each of the societies members.
there are always going to be people of a higher aptitude and desire to learn shamanry or spiritual healing, divination and transformation practices. those people in a more egalitarian society would be more prone to be teachers IMHO... I think that this approach is in some ways much more feasible for people today. if the role then though is diffused and not centralized then what becomes of the term shaman? if it is based upon a role which is emergent from animist cultures? what you have then are people who seek to work in synergy with spirit and nature to benefit life around them both human and other than human life, integrated into alternative and sustainable living so that the work is grounded in a synergistic culture and not based in new age self help narcissism. To me there are way to many centers and groups and individual practitioners of shaman"ism" doing that today, out of touch with actual nature and in living in synergy with nature. totally disconnected from a life way that promotes the health and sense of meaning that they seek in altered states.
So a group of people coming together to work with the spirit of the land they live within, to find ways to live a healthier relationship with each other and nature would be very worth while. and its already happening.
Balaganist---
"This may be vearing more off-topic - but LLB and others, how do you see shamanic healing ceremonies in the context of modern city dwellers? This is a subject i'm becoming more and more interested in; how can we integrate shamanic healing into our mashed up culture full of sceptics and fear-led zombies?
I dream of one day setting up a local centre to hold such ceremonies. "
I think modern city dwellers can cultivate new animist world views, as a matter of fact i know that they can and are actually. the role of shaman is an emergent role from within an animist culture and takes the shape of those forms that the needs of an animist culture dictates.
How can we integrate shamanic healing practices into our mashed up culture? Well from what ive seen life brings people together and those people co-create with the spirit of the land and sky new animist world views and traditions. Roles within new animist traditions are also emergent and some of them are inspired by shamanic healing traditions of indigenous peoples of today and from the past and inspire totally new ways of relating to the animist role of shaman as well as are guided by spirit and the land to form new ways of living in synergy with the land and each other. cities are in dire need of that actually. so in a sense i think that the first step is in working in synergy with the spirit of place as animist people always have and in using our own creative inspiration to form new ways of relating to old ways of being. For example a group can come together and spend some time tuning into the spirit of place, in communion with that spirit and they can allow through that communion new ways to emerge, by allowing the place to move them, guide their thoughts and actions literally.
there is also the notion that in some animist cultures the role of shaman is not hierarchical but instead of it being a center role held by one or a few members of the society it is held or has the potential to be held by every one. the midiwiwin societies of the great lakes for example had medicine societies which every one was encouraged socially to join and learn from. there where three levels of membership, and each man and woman could advance in those levels through out their life if they wished or had the aptitude to do so. certain tribes in the amazon ( even more relevant here) did not have a central role of some one that could be translated as a shaman but instead every one was encouraged to learn and be guided by spirit, to gain spiritual knowledge. in this way every one was their own shaman, many tribes through out the world had this same way. you either new a little or you knew a lot. they would drink ayahuasca or work with different plant teachers to learn from spirit and gain powers that helped them to live well. ceremonies then became more for social cohesion and for the sake of personal and communal growth. healing ceremonies could be done by any one that had the know how and ability but no one was considered a shaman because the role its self was diffused culturally among each of the societies members.
there are always going to be people of a higher aptitude and desire to learn shamanry or spiritual healing, divination and transformation practices. those people in a more egalitarian society would be more prone to be teachers IMHO... I think that this approach is in some ways much more feasible for people today. if the role then though is diffused and not centralized then what becomes of the term shaman? if it is based upon a role which is emergent from animist cultures? what you have then are people who seek to work in synergy with spirit and nature to benefit life around them both human and other than human life, integrated into alternative and sustainable living so that the work is grounded in a synergistic culture and not based in new age self help narcissism. To me there are way to many centers and groups and individual practitioners of shaman"ism" doing that today, out of touch with actual nature and in living in synergy with nature. totally disconnected from a life way that promotes the health and sense of meaning that they seek in altered states.
So a group of people coming together to work with the spirit of the land they live within, to find ways to live a healthier relationship with each other and nature would be very worth while. and its already happening.