“Shamanism is an imagination-empowered, nature-venerating, soul-vivifying, spirit-befriending, sacred community-bolstering, love-inspired universal healing vocation continuously practiced by diverse people worldwide since the Upper Paleolithic era.”
– don Oscar Miro-Quesada
Shamanism is a spiritual practice grounded in a reverent awareness that the world is animated, conscious, and energetically interdependent.
A Shaman, also known as a Curandero or Curandera, is one who develops a personal and intimate relationship with the unseen world for the purpose of being of service as a healer. Healing can take the form of working one on one with a person, animal, or place; or it can manifest as ritual and ceremonial healing service for individuals, a community, and the planet.
Through self-induced altered states of consciousness, ritual, and refined energetic awareness, the shaman comes into right relationship and reverent communion with the seen and unseen world so as to mediate between worlds on behalf of the community.
Guiding Principles of Shamanism
- Everything is alive (animism/vitalism). Everything manifests a physical form from the same animated essence. The shaman attends to this essence.
- Everything is conscious (vigilance/observation). Everything watches us. The world is mirrored within us. The shaman learns to be a visionary observer.
- Everything is interconnected (relationship/reciprocity). Everything responds to and is in interdependent relationship to everything else. The shaman is a mediator of these interconnections and interdependent relationships.
- Everything transforms (movement/change). Matter is the dense form of spirit. Spirit is the subtle form of matter. Everything is in vibrational flux. The shaman is an agent of change.
- Everything responds to focused intention (mindful attention.) Proper intention and purity of motive are indispensable for all heartfelt shamanic practice. The shaman must thoroughly know him or herself in order to help others.
“Shamanism is a path that must involve mystery, and mystery is a process of incessant, endless revelation, of a seeing beyond ourselves, of an opening up to relationship with others as valuable or more valuable than just our own survival.”
– don Oscar Miro-Quesada
Benefits of Practicing Shamanism
- Our world becomes a friendlier and more magical place when we embrace everything as alive. Everything we do begins to align us with Spirit.
- When we recognize everything as conscious, we begin to view our actions differently. When we see the world as alive, it’s easier to care for her. When we see animals as conscious, we will take much greater care in how we tend to them. This creates more peace in the world.
- We become empowered when we operate from the understanding that everything is interconnected. We can influence and heal our selves and our world, no matter where we are, through the powerful remedies offered to us from our ancestors.
- We become comfortable in an ever-transforming world. As the world continues it’s pachakuti (upheaval), shamanic practice provides order, beauty, and inclusion through ritual, altars, and healing. This can serve as a life raft through intense change.
- We become free through choosing where to place our attention. In living a life aligned with and awake to the interdependent web, we understand how to witness the world while remaining connected. Knowing yourself through the honest and compassionate lens of nature creates true freedom and healing. This allows us to grow in our capacity to offer healing services to others as well.
- Satiates a deep need of belongingness. We are not designed to be isolated. Experiencing a sense of community is one of our deepest needs as humans. Practicing shamanism is a way to bring your community, both seen and unseen, together in meaningful and beautiful ways.
