What is Shamanism?

There are many definitions out there today and, of course, all of these come from people’s experience and perception of different practices and traditions. Despite this there is a thread of similarity and simplicity that is found in all.

My sense is that shamanism is about the journey of life, our relationship with ourselves, others and the world around us. At the place of shamanism, there is no right or wrong religion or belief for these are a map that we choose individually to navigate the physical world. Shamanism is, I believe, a term for that moment when we realise that each and everyone of us, and I mean every living thing, comes from the same place.  That beyond the physical body or form there resides something, some place that is bigger than we can ever imagine.

Shamanism is all about relationship, relationships within our selves and with the world around us. One of the first places we can truly be aware of this is in nature and most shamanic traditions include some form of vision quest. A vision quest is time in nature alone and in itself can be used for a number of things including rites of passage, answers to questions re our families, work and our life purpose etc.

A shaman has an animistic relationship with the world. This means that a shaman realises that he or she has a direct affect on everything around him/her. A shaman knows that they are interconnected with all things.  I sense we have all experienced this at some time in our lives but it is quietened by the external distractions we surround ourselves with and we take little or no notice of it.

Taking ourselves out into nature with no techno gadget gives us a chance to rekindle this relationship, to allow our awareness to grow and a moment when we can pause even if just for a few moments to observe the world within us and around us.

There are many tools from many aspects of shamanic teachings and traditions and they are all useful in guiding us on our life’s journey.  We are simply remembering what we already know.

Excerpt from: Shamanism – Nicky Mott