The ancients that used the same substances we use today passed down information.  Often this information was oral history. Generation after generation passing along the stories and songs.  My interest is that we are all one human family.  I wanted to learn this oral history and incorporate anything that could be used for self healing and mind expansion. Give respect to my ancestors and learn from them.  I can obtain this knowledge and pass it down as a I am part of this global village. I take it all with a grain of salt. Personally I like many of the words the ancient shamans have chosen the world over.  I think they understood the power of gratitude and respect. They understood the power of words.

The shamans give praise to the earth. The sky. The animals and plant. They give thanks to their ancestors for their knowledge and contributions. What I see is that modern shamanism is being manipulated in many ways.  It is really too bad.  It is hard to separate the wheat from the chaff. But this manipulation is no different than any other manipulation upon any truth.  It would seem all religions have been manipulated in some form throughout history.

That said it is up to the individual to find their own truth in things. What I find true and interesting about shamanism is going to be much different than anyone else.  I needed a way to speak to the universe. I am an atheist. I never had a way to speak to something outside of myself. I didn't believe there was anything listening. What I have taken from shamanism is a way to give gratitude for my life in this world when I can. When I feel gratitude, I have a place to put it now.  I give thanks to the earth, sky, the animals and plants, and my ancient teachers.  I continue to learn about shamanism never intending to be one, but wanting to learn how they operate.

A new language must emerge from us. New terms. New thinking. Discounting shamanism entirely is throwing away the baby with the bath water. As I mentioned before, shamanism has been hijacked in many ways. Manipulated. You can look past the manipulations with a critical mind. Find a way to look at shamanism in a modern way. Use new symbols and terminology. Create the words you need to create the power you need. Make something new. Perhaps this is wishful thinking. I imagine anything can transform.

We can learn these ancient practices and make our own interpretations of them.  You can carry as far as you like. I don't carry it far.  I enjoy the door it opened for communication to this world. The communication it opened for altered states of consciousness. I also enjoy the ceremonial aspects.  I need to create sacred space. I need to feel like the environment is clean. Even if this is all just for my mind it has helped me in many ways.

The things I have seen when ingesting psychedelics has proven to create much more questions than answers.  When I started practicing opening a scared space and went into these altered states as a quest, I found the experience changed for me quite a bit.  I have found a certain calmness in these terrains. Becoming more comfortable because I created a place in my mind where I felt everything was safe and I was protected.  These may all be in my imagination. I don't care. I like to imagine. Shamanism gives me access and permission to use my imagination.

All of this is just my opinion about shamanism given what I have learned about it recently. It's a new interest and one that have enjoyed learning about it. I continue to learn and could talk about this subject for hours I think. 

How do you become a shaman?  Learn about them and you will see that you do not become a shaman. You are chosen as one. You do not decide to become one by taking a training class and obtaining a certificate.  You are a shaman when you are helping others in a positive way and are acknowledged by your village or peers as a healer. As someone who always promotes healing in others. Living in balance with nature. The day people start coming to you for advice in healing and look to you for some guidance and then acknowledge you for that is the day you are a shaman.  The title is given through another, not a certificate.