Shamanism is the earliest spiritual practice known to humankind, dating back tens of thousands of years. Although the word 'shaman' is a Siberian word for a spiritual healer, shamanism has been practiced in parts of Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia, Greenland, and Native North and South American throughout history. The fact that the practice has survived and thrived for thousands of years speaks to the potency of the work.
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A shaman is a man or woman who interacts directly with spirits to address the spiritual aspects of divine information, divination, healing, perform soul retrievals, communication with the dead and perform a variety of ceremonies for the community. Shamans have taken on many roles in tribal communities. They have acted as healers, doctors, priests, psychotherapists, mystics, and storytellers. Shamans heal emotional and physical illness by working with the spiritual aspects of illness.
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Shamanism teaches us that everything that exists is alive and has a spirit, and that we are joined with the earth and all of life via our spiritual interconnectedness. One of the beautiful aspects of the shamanic journey is the principle of direct revelation. The practice of shamanic journeying help us to part the veils between the seen and unseen worlds and access information and energies that can help awaken us and restore us to wholeness.
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Shamans have long believed their powers were the powers of the animals, of the plants, of the sun, of the basic energies of the universe. In the garden Earth, they have drawn upon their assumed powers to help save other humans from illness and death, to provide strength in daily life, to commune with their fellow creatures, and to live a joyful existence in harmony with the totality of nature.
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There are many types of shamanism and many traditions of shamanic healing. These different traditions, all of which are meant to connect humans with the spiritual world, include the Siberian and Tibetan shamans, the Brazilian tradition of faith healing, the magic of Mexican curanderos, the sweat lodges and ceremonies of the Lakota Medicine Men which connect them to their creator, the Australian practice of journeying in the dreamtime, the Navajo chants and sand painting ceremonies, the connection with ancients spirits through Celtic shamanism, the art of healing using plants practiced by tribes in the world's rainforests, the art of dream healing from the ancient Greeks, and the healing dance of the South African bushmen. But the core of all shamanic practice is about helping and healing.
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