Shamanic Rituals: Exploring Altered States of Consciousness

Because of their ability to catalyse personal transformation, shamanic practices may play a vital role in the postmodern era.
What if we were able to see through the delusion of individuality and recall that we are all interconnected in a vast cosmic web?
What if we could all share in life-altering encounters that stoke our innate wisdom and inspire us to do good in the world?
What if we had access to the wisdom of elders from distant civilisations without being constrained by the constraints of time and space? 

The practice of shamanism can be considered the first organised religion in human history. As a matter of fact, without a coherent theology, shamanism cannot be considered a religion. It's more of a philosophy based on getting along with the spirits of the natural world. Shamans have a strong psychic bond. There are no resources available to members of this tribe, such as books, labs, doctrines, dictionaries of specialised vocabulary, how-to guides, scholarly articles, webinars, or helplines. The practices of shamanism are a mind-blowing, intuitive toolkit for exploring the farthest reaches of our own inner cosmos. Mystical experiences put us in touch with our origins, bring us closer to spiritual equilibrium, and help us understand our place in the universe.

 

Guardians of Ancient Traditions Are Reaching Out to the West with Solutions

The growing interest has greatly aided the spiritual journey of people in the West in shamanic practices during the past century. From the mid-1950s onward, a number of periodicals tapped into a widespread interest in the spiritual and metaphysical. For example, after ingesting mescaline, a hallucinogenic alkaloid found in many cacti, Aldous Huxley takes the reader on a journey of profound philosophical passageways in his 1954 book, The Doors of Perception. The modest shaman from Oaxaca, Mexico, Maria Sabina, became an instant phenomenon after being featured in a 1957 issue of Life magazine. In her therapy sessions, Maria Sabina used hallucinogenic mushrooms.

Seekers of enlightenment in the late 1960s found new ways of conceptualising the world in Carlos Castaeda's books. His experiences with the Mexican Yaqui shaman Don Juan, who sought to free Castaeda from relying on the Western idea of reality to expose the illusionary character of the material world, became the subject of bestselling books translated into more than a dozen tongues. His works sparked a worldwide interest in shamanism and swiftly achieved cult status, despite the fact that it was unclear whether or not his experiences with the shaman were real.

 

Through Ecstatic Singing, Dancing, and Drumming, the Shaman’s Spirit Travels to the Otherworld

It's crucial to differentiate between the indigenous practice of shamanism and the "neo-shamanism" that has emerged in recent decades from people who don't come from shamanic heritage. Due to the sensitive nature of the topic at hand (disappearing, marginalised, or repressed ethnic minority), discussions of traditional shamanism should be approached with careful consideration.  

There are many different shamanic practices all throughout the world. Despite their uniqueness, there are some shared features. Margaret Stutley, a specialist in global religions, has identified three traits shared by traditional shamans. First, faith in a hereafter inhabited by animal-shaped spirits with the ability to communicate with humans. The shaman's job is to appease both good and evil spirits for the sake of the people in their society. A shaman's spirit leaves the body and reaches the supernatural world during trance, which is caused by passionate singing, dancing, and drumming. Finally, the shaman is a healer, capable of assisting his or her community members in overcoming obstacles and diseases, especially those of a psychosomatic origin.

 

Rituals Allow Individual and Community Healing in Times of Ecological, Psychological, and Social Crisis

Rather than writing down their information, traditional shamanic cultures pass it along through songs and practices; hence, rituals serve as the key to unlocking this ancient knowledge.

These rituals are not harmless make-believe if they are carried out honestly. They allow us to rediscover our authentic selves, our communities, and the cosmos that sustains us. In times of emotional, environmental, and social distress, they offer hope for positive change on an individual and community level.

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