Greetings! Options

Hello. My name is Teopiltzin and i'm a shaman. My influences vary from conventional core shamanism, Aztec sorcery, Maya astrology, to Chaos Magick, and Palo Mayombe. I'm trying to train myself to become a healer but I first have to heal myself of all my spiritual illnesses. I come to this forum in order to teach and to learn. I haven't been a shaman for very long, and some would argue that i'm not, but I can find no other word to describe myself. Yes, i'm young, but don't let that deceive you. I do know a thing or two about shamanism and hope to deepen my understanding of it through my stay here. Thanks.

Yours in the struggle,
--Teopiltzin

This post has been edited by teopiltzin: Nov 5 2010, 06:50 PM

Hi, teopiltzin! I haven't been here for very long and have spent most of my time here lurking, but let me bid you welcome until a more experienced member of the community comes along. I hope you find what you are looking for here. It seems we are alike in age and aspiration (I would like to learn more about healing as well), but it looks like you are more experienced on a magickal level. Since I am hear primarily to learn, would you care to answer a few questions?

Firstly, since you say that you cannot find another word to describe yourself: how do you define shamanism? What makes you a shaman?

Secondly, as I see it shamanism requires a connection with nature. Is this true or is a connection with the spiritual world more important than a connection with the natural world? If nature is an important element, do you believe it is possible to practice a path like shamanism in a place lacking of nature, for example a city?

Hi, teopiltzin! I haven't been here for very long and have spent most of my time here lurking, but let me bid you welcome until a more experienced member of the community comes along. I hope you find what you are looking for here. It seems we are alike in age and aspiration (I would like to learn more about healing as well), but it looks like you are more experienced on a magickal level. Since I am hear primarily to learn, would you care to answer a few questions?

Firstly, since you say that you cannot find another word to describe yourself: how do you define shamanism? What makes you a shaman?

Secondly, as I see it shamanism requires a connection with nature. Is this true or is a connection with the spiritual world more important than a connection with the natural world? If nature is an important element, do you believe it is possible to practice a path like shamanism in a place lacking of nature, for example a city?

I do practice shamanism in a big city. It's a very dense experience, living in the city like this. But I do enjoy walks at the park and I can even do a ritual there whenever I can. Shamanism is a cross-cultural practice ranging back to the Paleolithic era when we were just cave men. Shamanism is the first religion and psychology. It is the first form of doctoring. In shamanism, we use our helping spirits, particularly your guardian spirit and accumulated spirit helpers, in order to heal the maladies of man. You could retrieve a power animal for a sick person, or practice shamanic extraction if the patient has been attacked by a sorcerer.

Shamans enter an altered state of consciousness through rhythmic drumming and rattling wherein the shaman goes into a deep trance state in order to facilitate visions of the cosmos where the shaman's soul is believed to leave the body and roam around in the spirit world through conscious effort on the part of the shaman.

Now, what makes me a shaman. Every day when I wake up a do a ritual. It's a rather small ritual, but if applied correctly, this ritual can take me places, literally hundreds of miles below the earth. And when I first touch the edge of the underworld, I cry tears of shamanic joy. I am a master of spirits and a master of ecstacy.That helps me use my helping spirits for the betterment of mankind. I think that makes me a shaman. I have visions, many many visions that hold the dearest of significance. I do my ritual every single day to the aztec gods and the nawales of the maya calendar. I worship the gods fervently and I shamanic journey to them as well as to my helping spirits.

Welcome teopiltzin

Shamanism doesn't require as much human teaching as some magical arts, but learning about different disciplines may broaden your horizons. You may make a few friends and you can be yourself here moreso than with the average person. Hopefully yourself is polite and tolerant of others and doesn't have more than the usual number of ego trips. lol Anyhow hope to see you taking part in discussions.

Shamans enter an altered state of consciousness through rhythmic drumming and rattling wherein the shaman goes into a deep trance state in order to facilitate visions of the cosmos where the shaman's soul is believed to leave the body and roam around in the spirit world through conscious effort on the part of the shaman.

Did you always have a tendency towards having visions or is it something you trained yourself to do? I myself have never had a vision of any kind (I'm also not very good with visualisation, my mind seems to work more in the way of sound and feelings). Would it be impossible for me to become a shaman or are there ways to learn having visions? Apart from the visions, what if you live somewhere where you can't make too much noise without bothering others? My own room is for example not very sound proof so I don't see myself drumming or rattling anytime soon. Are there other ways (in shamanism) to achieve this sate of conciousness you speak of?

In order to have a vision, you need to practice on your visualization skill, particularly through the use of guided imagery. The first thing you need to do is search for a guardian spirit. Having an animal as an ally is a prerequisite of later shamanic initiation. A guardian spirit will help you learn the nature of non-ordinary reality or the spirit world. Learning to navigate the spiritual realm does not in itself mean that you're a shaman. You need to first learn to work in the shamanic state of consciuosness, a light trance, so that you may acquire spirit helpers to be your helping spirits. These two basic power sources, the guardian spirit and the spirit helpers, are acquired in order to provide a kind of guide or guides for the would-be traveler down to the deepest underworld. You need to learn to shamanic journey. Look it up. The shamanic journey is what takes you into the SSC, a kind of astral projection that is itself a simpler in technique than standard astral travel or projection. You need to visualize a hole or tunnel into the earth and walk through it down to the lowerworld. Another technique is to visualize a tree a giant cosmic tree in the center of the universe. the roots are the lowerworld, the trunk is the middleworld, and the branches and leaves the upperworld. These are the three worlds in the shamanic perspective. We do most of our work in the lowerworld, of course. That's where we find a power animal. That's what you should focus on. Do the shamanic journey down to the lowerworld to retrieve a power animal. That's the first lesson.

Yours in the struggle,
--Teopiltzin

Thanks for the explanation. I'm interested in exploring the path of Shamanism, but I won't start immediately since I am still in the process of reprogramming my mind. I've decided to only start exploring a new magickal path once that is done. I will try to get as much information as possible about the paths that interest me however. Since this is an introductory thread and not a thread about shamanism, do you mind if I PM to learn more?

Thanks for the explanation. I'm interested in exploring the path of Shamanism, but I won't start immediately since I am still in the process of reprogramming my mind. I've decided to only start exploring a new magickal path once that is done. I will try to get as much information as possible about the paths that interest me however. Since this is an introductory thread and not a thread about shamanism, do you mind if I PM to learn more?

An animal guide can be very helpful. Their are many ways you can get one to come and help. In fact their maybe one that is guiding you now, that you may not realize.

Since this is an introductory thread and not a thread about shamanism, do you mind if I PM to learn more?

Sure.