(IMG:style_emoticons/default/7.gif) Alright I've decided I'd start down the path of a shaman, and I'm not quite sure where to begin. Any other shamans willing to point me in the right direction? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/banana.gif)

I can recommend 'Visual Magick' and 'Seidways' by Jan Fries. Excellent books that will start you on the path of the Shaman.

Be open to the world around you. Feel the energy flow of nature in and around you. Grow plants. Learn from nature. Breath. Be silent and listen, really listen!

Thank you!

Its a pretty broad field. The couple of books I have that may or may not help are "Advanced Celtic Shamanism" by DJ Conway and "Dream Gates" By Robert Bruce I think its Robert Bruce. Any how these books pretty much cover a large playing field and do share details about other books that may or may not help you.

I like "advanced celtic shamanism" because it really is witchcraft worked into shamanistic principles. Although DJ's writting style and portrayal of Druidism are her own. "Dream Gates", in my opinion, is more about advanced shamanism. It works closely with altered states of mind, spirits, theories of other realms and technique.

I also have "Lucid Dreams in 30 Days, the creative sleep program" Its not shamanism persay but it will teach you, thoroughly, the art of Lucid dreams which plays considerably into shamanism.

But there are many books so don't stop with the few people name.

Heh, I tried to find the Jan Fries book, but I couldn't find anything in the libary... Shame, now I'mma have to check hastings (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) I wonder what I'll use to convince my mom this time... Any ideas anyone (IMG:style_emoticons/default/happy.gif)

What's hastings? A city? A bookstore?

You cannot learn from books. They are guides. They can point at the moon, but they are NOT the moon.

If you are not at a time in your life right now where you cannot read such books at home because of parental concerns then you still have a great opportunity to actually experience life instead.

Go outside. Listen to the sounds of nature. Feel the energy. Observe. This will teach you more that any book ever can. This is how the original shamans learned. Work in harmony with nature.

I see... Thanks medio! And hastings is a video/book/music store in Texas.

Today when I was walking to work, (I work at an antique store), I noticed something diffrent. Everything seemed so alive. All the grass and the trees where greener. When I felt a tree leaf, I noticed a tingiling I've never felt before. Is this normal in shamanism? Even my mood changed, I was cheery and happy. It seemed infectious to, because everyone I went near seemed a bit happier. Is this normal? And what is that tingiling?

Greetings!
Shamanism is all about Life. In all its forms. Mediocracy is very correct...you won't learn shamanism from books but by life experience. The majority of practising shamans have usually undergone a near death experience sometime during their lives. This is not, however, a hard rule! The tingling could be any number of things. As a shaman you will experience many things that others don't. You are unique in your interpretations of these phenomena. I wish you well on your path. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)
BTW,"the Way of the Shaman" by Michael Harner isn't bad, nor are the books by Caitlin and John Matthews....

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) Greetings!

The following is a posting I made on another forum which outlines the very basic concepts of shamanism. It is by no means a complete explanation, but it will give you a rough insight into the principles:-

"Origins of the word SHAMAN are from the Siberian Tungus word 'Saman' which means exalted or excited.

By definition it refers to a person who uses specialised ecstatic techniques to meditate between the human world and the realm of the universe known in popular circles as the realm of spirits - daemon or god.

Before the establishment of priesthoods, the role of the Shaman was that of priest-healer-magician-diviner-seer. Basically, a vitally important character in tribal society.

Because they touch a common note in all of human experience, the salient features of Siberian Shamanism are paralleled in all human societies. Shamanism involves the ritual separation from the everyday world, and the acquistion of the ability to see through and beyond the normal human boundaries of time and space. This separation is usually attained by an initiatory journey to an isolated sacred place, a place of power where the the boundaries between the realms of the mundane and the transcendental are weak (my place was Glastonbury Tor) ...

At his or her intitiation conducted at the appropriate place and time, the new shaman was said to be adopted by a spirit - usually in animal form - through whose agency the magic, divination and healing would be accomplished (mine was a scrawny Magpie).

The nature of the spirit is interpreted and it becomes clear that the Shaman has access to knowledge and powers concealed within the inner parts of nature and direct access to the living one which is the universe.

Traditionally, when initiated, The Master would then give the New Shaman the clothing and paraphernalia of his craft - a drum, staff and other magical objects. Then the Master Shaman would reveal to the initiate the locations and the character of the different classes of spirits, along with the methods of befriending and outwitting them.

In different cultures, the Shaman's inititiation has taken different forms. Some have even involved the dangerous practice of self torture.

Spontaneous Shamanry has always been highly important too and it remains today in modern cultures where shamanism has been dismissed as worthless heathernism. However, shamanism is inherent in the human constitution and is present in every generation

Once chosen, by whatever means, the Shaman undertakes Journey's Of The Seer in order to make direct contact with the transcendental power which underly existence ... and through these journeys both on the physical plane and on the astral plane, the Shaman is brought into contact with the deep ecology of this world and that of other worlds too ... becoming at one with the one.

Inner and outer experiences will merge to transcend both and it is by these means that the Shaman re-integrates his/her experience with that of the animals, whose unseparated experience of the world is ever present.

When in any self-induced state of bodily or pyschic extreme, a shaman can often communicate with the inhabitants of the non-material world and it is from this dangerous terrain that the shaman can gain knowledge which is valuable to himself or herself and the human race in general.

Through specially self-developed techniques, shamans re-intergrate themselves into the natural world in a manner not possible through intellectual thought alone.

One of the more important of all bridging tools available to the shaman is the Runes. The runes offer a means of transcending the gap between the human world and the otherworlds ... since the runes are also shamanic in nature ... having been gained by the Nordic god Woden who underwent a form of shamanic self-sacrifice.

Woden was hung for nine days and nine nights upon a tree after which he fell screaming, from it with a full understanding of the wisdom of the runes ..."

Almost 2 years passed from the last post on this thread... Do you have any other advices?

Perhaps you have something to contribute? I'll close the thread if I feel it needs have been met.
Are you interested in Shamanism?

Why close this thread if it has been dormant for 2 years. Yes, I am interested in it but Shamanism is a private and secretive discipline, and "Shamanism is all about Life. In all its forms." (Bym) Life is an ongoing paradox, and so is Shamanism - two years is nothing. Keep this open. Someone is bound to want to make it live on...

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i agree, shamanism is an ongoing journey of becoming more tightly interconnected and in-touch with the forces of Nature in all it's forms. perhaps one of the greatest readable introductions to what it is like to live as a shaman (or a man of knowledge) is Carlos Castaneda's 'The Teachings of Don Juan'. but as others have said the best way is to get outside and experience life and Nature, one of the best practices i could recommend if you dont do this already is to grow plants!

and as you may know, many forms of shamanism involve creating trance states in order to practice magick (divinations/healing/etc). commonly entheogenic plants are utilized for this purpose along with drumming, dancing and chanting. if you are interested in this aspect i made this post recently which you might find relevant:http://www.sacred-magick.org/index.php?showtopic=5134&pid=32751&st=0&#entry32751

This post has been edited by CosmicInferno: Aug 10 2007, 07:11 PM

I know this post is old, however it is still linked in the beginner topic so I thought I would contribute.

To any who are considering a path in shamanism, I would have to say that the best route in, is rather simply - experience. Many people (including myself in the past) are confused about shamanism and similar roles in indigenous societies. The truth is one can have spirit guides, go on shamanic journeys to the upper and lower worlds, heal the sick etc - all without actually being a shaman. Each shaman tends to take on a specific role, e.g. you might be the healer for your family and friends - or a small village somewhere away from modern civilization. You might watch over the dead, helping keep away angry spirits - leading them to their proper resting place, and helping guide newly dead along so that they do not remain trapped far away from their true home.

If there is something in particular that interests you about shamanism, research that, either through books or direct experience. There is no "correct" path, just learn what you want. Some say that to become a shaman you must first go through extraordinary illness or a terrible near death experience, and while I agree with this - I say there is no harm (and in fact, great benefit) in learning the methods regardless. Shaman is just an official role, the methods can be carried out by anyone, but if you have been chosen as a shaman, it is your life's duty.

If you're unsure of what to begin with, I'd suggest learning about the environment around you. Shamans have a great deal of knowledge about nature, particularly the nature that surrounds their home. Learn what animals live in your area, learn what plants can be eaten if you are out and about - and what plants are poisonous and dangerous. Find any entheogenic plants that are native to your area, procure some, experiment with using sub-experiential doses of them with different routes of administration - find the best and try regular doses. Find game animals, such as deer, and learn what plants they eat in your area - this would be useful should you ever need food, as you would know where to find the deer.

Then there is communicating with the spirits, through journeying. I suggest finding a method that works for you, but in my experience simply trying to "journey" with no external stimulus will result only in your imagination coming to life, no real experience. For a real journey you will need to induce an intense trance. For your first experiences I would recommend accomplishing this without entheogens as it allows you to learn a little about how to remain in control while journeying - without delving in too deep. Fast and meditate daily for long hours, you will soon be able to journey during meditation. If you are looking to dive further still then you can deprive yourself of sleep, just make sure to maintain a healthy lifestyle to allow occasional sleep or food deprivation as this could otherwise take a very serious toll on your health.

Next up is journeying with entheogens, once you have taken several journeys you will begin to understand the upper and lower worlds, their denizens, and how you can interact with them. There are three types of entheogen that can improve a journey: Psychedelics, dissociatives and deliriants - the three hallucinogens. Of the three, deliriants are rather risky, as they can produce life-like hallucinations in front of you, and convince you to do dangerous things - I would avoid them at all costs unless under the protection of an experienced user of such things (who is sober at the time). Natural deliriants include Datura, Nutmeg and high doses of Tobacco. Synthetic deliriants include Diphenhydramine (Benadryl). Dissociatives remove some of the filters of the mind, allowing for direct access to the source, and for easier travel in the lower and upper worlds - but it can be a very strange experience, and unfortunately there are not as many natural dissociatives as there are deliriants or psychedelics. Natural dissociatives include Salvia Divinorum and Amanita Muscaria (Fly Agaric, e.g. the classic red and white toadstool). Synthetic dissociatives include DXM, PCP, Ketamine (Warning: Ketamine has serious physical health risks if taken regularly). Then finally there are psychedelics, these are the original tool of the shaman, and will often procure the best results with the least (if any) risk. The only negative of psychedelics is that at times they can be tough to work with, as each plant has a mind of it's own. Natural psychedelics include Psilocybe Mushrooms (The typical "magic mushrooms"), Ayahuasca (A combination brew of an MAOI-A inhibiting vine and a plant containing DMT), Peyote/San Pedro/etc (Any mescaline containing cactus). Synthetic psychedelics include LSD, the 2C-* series, the DO* series, AMT, DPT, DiPT, etc.

Once you have mastered journeying, you must find out how to tell if someone is sick and needs healing. For some this comes naturally, for others this involves auras, physical symptoms, hypnosis, or any method of the practitioners choice. Once you have found sickness, you can treat it via a journey, in most cases this sickness is caused by damage to - or misplacement of part of their soul, which must be found and returned to their body in proper condition. There are however other things that can cause their illness - in some cases it is simply a physical ailment which can be treated by medicinal herbs or regular medication, in other cases it could be that a spirit is unable to move on and has attached itself to the person in question - in which case the proper action would be to lead it on to it's rightful place so that it no longer bothers the person in question.

Really shamanism is such a broad field that where you go with it and what you believe regarding it is up to you, read up as much as possible, get to know your environment, and if in doubt - find another shaman and learn from them, however I would advise not to seek an "urban shaman", simply because while this makes them no less of a practitioner than you or anyone else - there are a large number of fraudsters, which you are unlikely to find if looking into indigenous societies such as the tribes of the Amazon.

Hope my post helps at least one person. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

This post has been edited by Royaltramp: Nov 19 2010, 08:02 AM