Could I be hearing a call to Shamanism?

[SabahTheLoner]

I realized a few things recently about myself and how people perceive me. I'm wondering if this is somehow a call to Shamanism:

- I've always been a spiritual person but recently in my life, as I work with spirits, I often feel as if it's part of a journey.

- I almost always have lucid dreaming experiences after intense meditation or any ritual.

- I incorporate multi-purpose cross-paradigm symbolism in my work (i.e, an owl candle-holding statuette for several goddesses). Someone told me this was a very aesthetically shamanistic thing for me to do.

- I have an interest in working with both "light" and "dark" spirits.

- Asian, Afro-American and pre-Christian European Pagan traditions (such as Shinto, Voodoo, Celtic and Norse traditions) interest me both theologically and magically. Especially the elements similar cross-culturally (dances, drums, ancestor worship, spirit guides and helpers, etc).

- I have a strong leaning to nature spirituality.

- I like to use music in my work about half of the time.

Could this be a call to Shamanism in general? Or am I trying too hard to connect the dots? What is or isn't some signs I'd be a potential shaman? What should I read to be more informed on Shamanism?

 

[Quintessence]

For better or worse, the term "shaman" and "shamanism" is a somewhat contentious. It helps to remember a couple of different things:

"Shaman" in its original context designated a role/title that must be earned through service to a community. Some contend the term should only apply to indigenous Paganism of the Turkish and Mongol peoples. That means neither you nor I could ever rightly claim to be shamans. I don't take things quite that far, but I will contend that calling yourself a (neo)shaman means you have a particular role within your community. Specifically, a (neo)shaman is someone who assists people with life issues by consulting with the otherworlds. It's like being a counselor, or perhaps a priest. It's not something you do in isolation, or as a solo practice. There's another term for that, which is . . .

"Shamanism" (also called "core shamanism" and "shamanic practice") is a set of practices accessible to (in theory) anyone. We owe folks like Eliade and Harner for this invention. Here, you aren't claiming the title of "shaman" so you have no duties or obligations to counsel the community. You can practice the techniques on your own to better your own life. This sort of self-help angle made core shamanism popular amongst the New Age community, but it never really took off within contemporary Paganism (probably because that stuff is already built into our religions by default, more or less).
​

I'd do a bit of research about the varieties of shamanism and how the term has been used to form your own ideas about this, though. There was a really good book I read once about it, but I can't remember for the life of me what the title and author was (only that it was intended for academic/professional audiences). I may have more thoughts in a bit, but I have to run at the moment.

 

[beenherebeforeagain]

I realized a few things recently about myself and how people perceive me. I'm wondering if this is somehow a call to Shamanism:

- I've always been a spiritual person but recently in my life, as I work with spirits, I often feel as if it's part of a journey.

- I almost always have lucid dreaming experiences after intense meditation or any ritual.

- I incorporate multi-purpose cross-paradigm symbolism in my work (i.e, an owl candle-holding statuette for several goddesses). Someone told me this was a very aesthetically shamanistic thing for me to do.

- I have an interest in working with both "light" and "dark" spirits.

- Asian, Afro-American and pre-Christian European Pagan traditions (such as Shinto, Voodoo, Celtic and Norse traditions) interest me both theologically and magically. Especially the elements similar cross-culturally (dances, drums, ancestor worship, spirit guides and helpers, etc).

- I have a strong leaning to nature spirituality.

- I like to use music in my work about half of the time.

Could this be a call to Shamanism in general? Or am I trying too hard to connect the dots? What is or isn't some signs I'd be a potential shaman? What should I read to be more informed on Shamanism?

In lots of cultures that include what we call "shamanism," the individual may be called to the role by the spirits themselves--usually through some severe illness or experience of endurance--or through selection by the elders/existing shamans in the community.

cultures that include shamans also often include a variety of other "healer" roles--drummer, chanter, dancer, herbalist, and so on--and so if you are feeling a calling, it might be more to one of those roles than specifically a "shaman"...although as @Quintessence discusses, that's a Western name for a lot of different things...

Finally, I've grown to realize that I do not need to be a shaman, nor any of the other particular roles, in order to live in a world where such roles are reality. It may be that you are experiencing a calling to being in a culture in which shamanism exists.

Just some thoughts, for what it's worth...

 

[SabahTheLoner]

For better or worse, the term "shaman" and "shamanism" is a somewhat contentious. It helps to remember a couple of different things:

"Shaman" in its original context designated a role/title that must be earned through service to a community. Some contend the term should only apply to indigenous Paganism of the Turkish and Mongol peoples. That means neither you nor I could ever rightly claim to be shamans. I don't take things quite that far, but I will contend that calling yourself a (neo)shaman means you have a particular role within your community. Specifically, a (neo)shaman is someone who assists people with life issues by consulting with the otherworlds. It's like being a counselor, or perhaps a priest. It's not something you do in isolation, or as a solo practice. There's another term for that, which is . . .

"Shamanism" (also called "core shamanism" and "shamanic practice") is a set of practices accessible to (in theory) anyone. We owe folks like Eliade and Harner for this invention. Here, you aren't claiming the title of "shaman" so you have no duties or obligations to counsel the community. You can practice the techniques on your own to better your own life. This sort of self-help angle made core shamanism popular amongst the New Age community, but it never really took off within contemporary Paganism (probably because that stuff is already built into our religions by default, more or less).
​

I'd do a bit of research about the varieties of shamanism and how the term has been used to form your own ideas about this, though. There was a really good book I read once about it, but I can't remember for the life of me what the title and author was (only that it was intended for academic/professional audiences). I may have more thoughts in a bit, but I have to run at the moment.

Thank you for posting this, I appreciate it. If you can find the book I'd be interested in reading it. The "community helper" thing is something I'm interested in, I had that impression in the first place, although beyond the "spirit journey", I didn't know that could be self-help.

 

[SabahTheLoner]

In lots of cultures that include what we call "shamanism," the individual may be called to the role by the spirits themselves--usually through some severe illness or experience of endurance--or through selection by the elders/existing shamans in the community.

cultures that include shamans also often include a variety of other "healer" roles--drummer, chanter, dancer, herbalist, and so on--and so if you are feeling a calling, it might be more to one of those roles than specifically a "shaman"...although as @Quintessence discusses, that's a Western name for a lot of different things...

Finally, I've grown to realize that I do not need to be a shaman, nor any of the other particular roles, in order to live in a world where such roles are reality. It may be that you are experiencing a calling to being in a culture in which shamanism exists.

Just some thoughts, for what it's worth...

Thanks. Perhaps that is possible; I do have a fascination with Latin American spirituality in general. The other day in fact I saw a video with a Mexican Shaman who had a few different temples for different clients and spirits. Similarly the old Norse and Celtic traditions are something I've always liked reading.

 

[DanishCrow]

If you think you're interested in having spirit helpers and working with your ancestors, tradition or no tradition, then pick up a drum and get to work - there is only one way to experience shamanism, and that is to try it for yourself. Aesthetics shouldn't matter here, who ever told you that probably sensed something in you that could be useful, but then, everyone has spirit helpers. Having an owl-theme might just make you a bird person like me

(Also: if you feel the need to work with dark spirits such as the hoocha people or the vengeful dead, then I should hope you're not called to much of anything, as it would be better that you didn't )

 

[Araceli Cianna]

A shaman is usually called by the spirits, and it's usually a dangerous calling. If you are called to indigenous spirituality under the name of shamanism then that is fine, but it is different to being called to the role of the shaman.