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What is Shamanism

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    #16
    Re: What is Shamanism

    To me that sounds more like Red and Black Tantra than Shamanism. I didn't hear anything about journey work, world walking, spirit working or working for other but everything about the self.
    I'm Only Responsible For What I Say Not For What Or How You Understand!

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      #17
      Re: What is Shamanism

      Give this video a viewing as another perspective on Shamanism. parts of the music tract are a bit high and go over the voice tract so you have to listen a bit closer but all in all it's a pretty descent video on Shamanism.

      I'm Only Responsible For What I Say Not For What Or How You Understand!

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        #18
        Re: What is Shamanism

        This video seems to suggest the most important aspect of Shamanism is some communion with spirits. This is very different to Eastern traditions I am familiar with. For instance the sramana of India practiced extreme ascetism and were said to attain spiritual powers, but this was not the point of the practice. We can see this translate into Buddhism where the Buddha was said to possess supernatural powers, but stressed they were not important to his teachings.

        Perhaps this is a difference between Eastern and Western 'shamanic' practices - which we have agreed are not homogenous?

        The common themes i can discern are regarding altered types of consciousness and an emphasis on solitary practice.

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          #19
          Re: What is Shamanism

          Not really sure you can define it as "Eastern" and "Western" as communion with spirits is very important in many oriental practices and that is for certain "Eastern". For the shaman though the supernatural is important but the shaman is not about the self nor really about enlightenment of the self. It's not about tantric stuff it's about the relationship between the spirit world and the community or the individual and the shaman being the bridge between them. He / she is that missing link in many ways which is what places him / her on the fringes of the society or what you might say between the worlds. In that capacity, the Buddhist is closer to the role of the Priest than the Shaman in society in reaching transcendence of the soul beyond the physical and beyond death.

          The shaman does nothing to really aid the soul in reaching transcendence yet he / she will speak to the spirit of the deer to aid in the hunt. Will speak to the fractured soul of an individual who has been hurt and is broken and in pain that needs healing. Will speak to the plant allies that may enter the body to nourish or drive out poisons. Will go into the spirit realm to see why some entity lurks about a person and seeks to harm them. But really does nothing to seek out why the gods have abandoned a person, that is the role of the priest. Nor does the shaman usually seek to guide a person to enlightenment that is the role of the priest or the person's guides though a shaman might be used to help a person find that guide.

          World of difference I think personally. Just because I can teach you about saving your soul doesn't mean that is my main purpose or my teachings. Just because that's what a person focuses upon at the expense of what a person actually does doesn't make it their true purpose either.

          Tantra is not shamansim regardless of whether one is looking at red, black or I think it's blue is the third variant. Yet aspects of it are to be found in all three because Shamanism in some form is in many ways the development of Animism and Animatism.
          I'm Only Responsible For What I Say Not For What Or How You Understand!

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