Who is a shaman? “This is the one who runs with a tambourine and mumbles something under his breath,” - many will answer. And they will not be quite right, because such an interpretation is far from complete and does not reveal the true meaning.
Shamanism as an ancient art appeared in the days of the Paleolithic and was distributed throughout the planet. People communicated with spirits and mastered the relationship of man with nature. And surprisingly, shamans all over the world have come to a common understanding of the world, although they never communicated with each other.
Modern man can open the veil of secrecy and learn about ancient traditions and practices. Unless, of course, he is ready to face his roots and the spiritual reality of being. Let's try to figure it out, the shaman is who he really is and what he does.
Who are the shamans?
First of all, these are people who have certain knowledge. The shaman, entering a trance state, goes into the other world. It is from there that information and experience come to him, which are then used for the benefit of mankind. Such a person can be called a guide to the afterlife or a mediator between the worlds.
How else do people with secret knowledge be called? Folk healer, scientist, priest, keeper of the ancients, sorcerer, magician, mystic. All these names come down to the fact that the shaman is someone who knows the natural methods for maintaining or obtaining well-being, good health for himself or others.
The guardian of the ancients draws all this knowledge from the spirit helpers, who most often appear in the form of mystical animals. Their shaman meets in another reality - the lower world. On average, live people. The upper world is inhabited by divine entities that have superconsciousness. All these realities are connected by the world tree. Its roots pass through the lower world, and the high crown ends in the upper one. This is the shamanic understanding of being.
Meaning of the word “shaman”
If we turn to explanatory dictionaries, we can see that they give several interpretations of this word.
According to one definition, a shaman is a person who, according to others, has a special magical power. That is, he is a sorcerer, or in another way a wizard.
Another definition says that a shaman is a person who comes into contact with supernatural forces through the use of incantation. This is a special ritual ecstasy achieved through special techniques. This will be discussed a little later.
There is another meaning according to which the shaman acts as a provider of religious, ethnic and medical services. He does this in a state of consciousness similar to ecstasy. It is believed that supernatural forces take part in healing.
The origin of the word "shaman"
The term "shaman" is distributed throughout the world. Although the languages ​​of different nations are fundamentally different from each other, the pronunciation of this word is generally consonant. If you think about what a shaman is, you need to parse this term in terms of composition.
One version of the origin is associated with the Tungus-Manchu language. At the head of the word is the root "sa", which means "know." There is also a binding - the suffix "man." And it turns out that the shaman (saman) is a person who loves knowledge. For comparison, we can give another example that is not related to healing practice. Asiman is a woman lover. Also at the root “sa” you can find derivatives with similar values. For example, “savun” is “knowledge”, and “sademi” is “know”.
According to another version, the term comes from the Sanskrit "shraman", which literally translates as "spiritual ascetic", "wandering hermit." This word penetrated into Asia along with the Buddhist movement, and then, together with the Even language, spread among the Russian and Western populations.
Each nation names shamans in its own way. Even in one locality, different names may come across. There are also whole classifications, according to which shamans are divided into categories and perform various functions.
What do shamans do
What functions does the shaman perform? In fact, the work of a healer-guide is not in simple dances with a tambourine, as many believe. Shamans, entering a trance, determine the disease and treat it, remove troubles and misfortunes from fellow tribesmen, are engaged in the search for missing things and even people.
During astral travels, the guardians of the ancients come into contact with other realities. Therefore, they can communicate with the dead, accompany those who left the earth into the world of their ancestors, conduct conspiracy rituals that protect against evil spirits. Communicating with phantoms, shamans are able not only to communicate with them, but also to control them.
It is believed that astral projections and travels to the heavenly and underground worlds make it possible to predict the future. Therefore, you can turn to the shaman for help in making a forecast of a particular situation. The interpretation of dreams is also a horse of folk healers.
Shamans are inextricably linked with nature, and therefore can control the weather and natural phenomena. This ability is often used to provide a rich harvest or a successful hunt.
As you can see, the guardian of the ancients has only good intentions. But the shaman sorcerer uses a connection with other worlds for selfish purposes in order to profit or harm someone.
Characteristic features of a shaman
- It has special knowledge and magical qualities.
- He is a guru, a spiritual guide.
- Able to enter a trance state, using special dances, meditations and rituals for this.
- Able to free the soul from the body, create an astral projection and visit other worlds.
- He understands the division of spirits into evil and good, knows how to control them. If necessary, the shaman collaborates with phantoms for the welfare of the community.
- It has healing powers.
- He resorted to the help of broadcasters - the soul of animals.
- In rituals it uses a very important attribute - a drum or a tambourine.
How did they become shamans?
A shaman is a person endowed with a gift. And it doesn’t matter if he wanted to get it or not. In ancient society, only gods and spirits chose a folk healer, marking him with a supernatural mark. Most often, it was a distinctive sign on the body. This rule extended even to those to whom the abilities were inherited.
Initiation into shamans is carried out by an experienced keeper of the ancients. During it, the chosen one gets very sick, he begins to have a headache, vomiting, hallucinations. This phenomenon is called "shamanic disease." The disease passes only when a person takes his path and surrenders to spirits.
The future shaman is most often a little boy. When he was recognized, special education began. They raised him not like ordinary guys. From early childhood, we were taught to spend a lot of time communicating with nature and animals, use herbs, craft a shamanic instrument and make contact with perfumes.
Signs of Election
In ancient times, people understood that a person was chosen for a shamanic mission, according to several signs:
- One could say about the child that he was "born in a shirt."
- Has a rich imagination.
- He has a special love for nature and animals.
- Always distinguished by silence, sullenness and thoughtfulness.
- A person sees unusual dreams about other worlds, sacred birds or animals.
- There was a strange case in life (contact with the wing of a mysterious bird, a wound from lightning or a stone that fell directly from the sky, and so on).
Does a shaman matter to modernity?
In ancient times, communication with animals and nature was an ordinary part of everyday life. But with modern man, this skill has been lost and forgotten. People have ceased to see the need for this.
And only in recent years, humanity has come to understand the value of how important it is to return to the spiritual roots of life. Scientists began to seriously consider the existence of the soul and life in other worlds.
Our ancestors had knowledge of this and even traveled to other realities themselves. The modern shaman is destined to preserve and transmit the ancient rites, practices and traditions necessary for the invocation of tribal spirits.
Is it possible to become a shaman?
In antiquity, only a supernatural mark said that a person is a shaman. Modern history proves the opposite. Today, almost any person can know the path of a shaman. So, what are the conditions for this?
- There were already shamans, healers or healers in the family.
- Transferring a serious illness in which a person’s life was hanging by a thread can be an impetus for discovering abilities.
- If a child has the ability to anticipate future events, then it is quite possible to teach him to communicate with spirits.
- An experienced practicing shaman can help in unlocking potential.
- If you make contact with the spirit of nature, it can help to obtain shamanistic abilities.
To comprehend secret knowledge, usually people isolate themselves from society, become hermits. They go to the forest or mountains for weeks, months, or even years to be alone with themselves and their thoughts. It helps to understand if you have no prerequisites or you are really a shaman. Legends say that to become an intermediary between the worlds is simply at will rather difficult and very dangerous. After all, evil spirits under the guise of allies can take over the mind of an inexperienced person.
Shamanistic practices
All rituals and rituals are performed in a state of trance. To go into it, spells, special dances, chants, amulets and even hallucinogenic plants are necessarily used. Also in shamanistic practice, an attribute such as a drum or tambourine, which is usually trimmed with animal bones and bells, is very important.
Different rituals use their own tools. For example, to carry out rituals of carrying and storing phantoms or souls, you need rattles, bones, didgeridoo or a harp. And to determine the totem animal protecting the genus, special music is created with special instruments.
The keeper of the ancients is in harmony with the surrounding reality and draws natural forces from nature. You can meet another type, which differs radically in its actions. He is a shaman magician. On the contrary, he uses his own skills - sorcery to change the world.
Kamlaniye
These are whole ritual techniques that are performed to establish contact with the spirits. Sometimes they themselves enter a person in order to transmit information through him. The ceremony may take several hours, and may take up to several days. The ritual can frighten an unprepared observer, because it is accompanied by a loss of consciousness and convulsions. When the goal is achieved, the shaman’s soul returns to earth, and he opens his eyes as if nothing had happened.
Before ritualization, you need to put on a suit, apply makeup and prepare the necessary tools. Often they convene fellow tribesmen and make a bonfire, around which everyone is seated. The shaman delivers a speech and performs a sacrifice. Only after this begins the shambles - entering a trance, beating a tambourine, dancing and singing.
The rhythm of the dance is set by objects placed on the clothes of the shaman. At the same time, noise gradually increases, and blows to the tambourine and singing become louder. Then their fellow tribesmen are fouled with a special mixture of mushrooms and herbs, and a shameful shaman. This is necessary to immerse all those present in a hallucinogenic trance. Then you can carry out the rite, which is needed to achieve the goal: healing, fishing, religious, etc. At the end of the campaign, the shaman must thank the spirits.
Legends of famous shamans
During the ceremonies, Sat Soyzul hammered a knife into his chest and froze in place. You would have thought that he was dead. But at the end of the campaign, Sat opened his eyes and calmly pulled out a dagger.
Another shaman, Daigak Kaigal, in order to convince everyone of his abilities, asked to shoot him in the heart during the incantation. You could see the blood, but in fact, neither the bullet nor the knife injured him.
Shamans are continuously associated with nature and spirits. And today almost everyone can plunge into this mysterious world.