Looking To Start Learning Shamanism, Where to start? Options

I just recently became very interested in Shamanism
I don't really know anything about it, but I'd like to be more connected with nature. I also would like to learn Astral Projection which I have been trying to learn for a couple months now, and from the little bit I've read it seems there's a lot of OBE stuff going on with Shamanism

I was wondering what are a couple good books to start me off?
I've only read a little bit of Shaman, Healer, Sage by Alberto Villoldo

I was also wondering, when people talk about healing, do they mean personal healing of the soul? Or traditional healing of sickness on yourself and others

They mean both healing of the soul (like soul retrieval for example) and physical healing. Shamanism is rather controversial because of the cultural appropriation issue. There have been a lot of white people posing as native indians, or claiming to be part native, or claiming that some older native shaman had a dream about them which led the shaman to teach them and pass on secret stuff, etc. You hear all sorts of stories. Carlos Castenada is also controversial. A lot of people say that he made it all up. They talk about plastic shamanism. But they also have something that is slightly more respectable called Core Shamanism, thought up by a professor of Anthropology Michael Harner who wrote a book called The Way of the Shaman. He is still quite controversial, but is a fairly respected anthropologist and has lived with a few shamans and has been taught by some of them. He kinda distilled down the practices of shamans from various parts of the world and wrote a book about it. He also goes around teaching workshops based on this system.

There are also people who have recreated some of the pre-Christian shamanistic practices of Europe, which at least allows people of European background to use a system that isn't borrowed from another ethnic group. They sometimes use runic meditation as a focus, or perform Seidr, although Seidr was traditionally considered woman's magic. There was also a piece of fiction on shamanism I found perceptive. It is fiction but is based on an Anglo-Saxon wizard's spell book from around 1,000 years ago. The Way of Wyrd, by Brian Bates. Others claim to have uncovered the Druidic shamanic methods. (You might take that with a grain of salt as the druids didn't leave any written records and we know little about what they taught) Then there are the more modern methods or at least labels. There are people like Robert Bruce or Robert A. Monroe who have written books about how to have OOBEs. Much of shamanism concerns travel between worlds, generally making friends and allies. Phil Hine has written two or three books on shamanism from the Chaos Magical viewpoint. I'm sure I'm missing other possible avenues. Take your pick.

Thanks for the info
Interesting, I had no idea shamanism is so controversial, I've read up on it a bit now
I feel that fraudulently posing as a Shaman is equally as absurd as believing that the shaman path is strictly for certain basically chosen individuals. Of course there are real true "Shamans", masters of shamanism, but that doesn't mean that no one can learn their beliefs and practices.

I think I'll check out Phil Hine's books, chaos magick shamanism sounds right to me

If you want to start off on the road of shamanism, first you journey to the lower world to retrieve a power animal. Once you have done this several times and have had an intimate relationship with such a guardian spirit and befriend it and perhaps even come to control it at times, if it lets you or if your will lets you. You must dance your guardian spirit with a rattle or two, usually once every thirteen days, usually out in the sun or at night under the moonlight, especially the full moon.

Now that you have had much contact with a spirit animal, you are ready to go on your quest to gather spirit helpers. Remember that having the company of the guardian spirit makes one immune to illness and gives one a power-full body, that is a body with a force field in and around it capable of protecting it from outside intrusions and negative influences. Only the collective power of the many spirit helpers can add up to the power of one guardian spirit. But again, if the spirit helpers are many then you will still have protection should your guardian spirit choose to leave you due to negligence on your part or as the result of offended spirits.

There are many techniques useful to the shaman that we learn from the spirits themselves, particularly about how to collect tsentsak, or spirit helpers. Start by going out into the wilderness, any natural location will do. Spend time with plants, trees, and flowers. Gather specimens of different species and put them into a medicine bundle. You could later spend time with these specimens and learn to see their essence, and search into them to see as to whether they are willing to be your spirit helpers or not. First check whether the plants are poisonous. If they're not, then eat bits in pieces of them. Remember how they taste, their texture, their aroma. But some of the plant inside your gums in between your teeth and take a walk. No matter what the plant, you will begin to feel its subtle effects, a small shift or alteration of your consciousness will occur. Once the plant is within you, and your soul blends with it, you will be able to perceive its essence through journeying and dreaming.

You could also make allies out of rocks, waters, fetishes, statues, ngangas, spirits of the dead/ancestors, Exu, and other, more elemental nature spirits or devas. Everything has spirit and is inbued with its own life-force or ashe. The possibilities are endless really. If you need more techniques in greater detail, PM me and i'll give you a few pointers.

As to reading material, I would recommend the following:

Shamanic Experience by Kenneth Meadows
Seeing in the Dark by Colleen Deatsman and Paul Bowersox
Awakening to the Spirit World by Sandra Ingerman and Hank Wesselman
Plant Spirit Shamanism by Ross Heaven and Howards G. Charing
Discovering Your Spirit Animal by Lucy Harmer
The Temple of Shamanic Witchcraft by Christopher Penczak
The World of Shamanism by Roger Walsh
Shamanism by Piers Vitebsky
Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstacy by Mircea Eliade

Yours in the struggle,
--Teopiltzin

Thanks!
I'll check those out
There's one called Urban Shaman by Serge King that looks pretty good, I think it focuses on Hawaiian Shamanism

If you want to start off on the road of shamanism, first you journey to the lower world to retrieve a power animal. Once you have done this several times and have had an intimate relationship with such a guardian spirit and befriend it and perhaps even come to control it at times, if it lets you or if your will lets you. You must dance your guardian spirit with a rattle or two, usually once every thirteen days, usually out in the sun or at night under the moonlight, especially the full moon....Now that you have had much contact with a spirit animal, you are ready to go on your quest to gather spirit helpers....There are many techniques useful to the shaman that we learn from the spirits themselves, particularly about how to collect tsentsak, or spirit helpers. Start by going out into the wilderness, any natural location will do. Spend time with plants, trees, and flowers. Gather specimens of different species and put them into a medicine bundle. You could later spend time with these specimens and learn to see their essence, and search into them to see as to whether they are willing to be your spirit helpers or not. First check whether the plants are poisonous. If they're not, then eat bits in pieces of them. Remember how they taste, their texture, their aroma. But some of the plant inside your gums in between your teeth and take a walk. No matter what the plant, you will begin to feel its subtle effects, a small shift or alteration of your consciousness will occur. Once the plant is within you, and your soul blends with it, you will be able to perceive its essence through journeying and dreaming.

People tend to think of shamanism as some guy out in the wilds doing a lot of rituals with psychotropic mushrooms. Shamans use spirits (and the odd mushroom) but there is a clear separation between shaman flavored magician and a shaman. Most of the time people think of the former when they say shaman. The experience of a shaman is one of mediation between the spirit realm and ours, almost exclusively for a community. Shaman flavored magic is spirit work using some of the tools of shamanism and does so often as a shallow form of cultural appropriation- plastic shaman who have no interest in the culture they got the tools from, the meaning of the tools, or what they where used for; people who like the aesthetic of shamans. After all, playing with rattles and drums is a simple sort of fun and who doesn't like a good hike.

The difference between the two is one people tend to gloss over, probability because helping others is not as cool as getting a power animal, shaman cannot gloss over it. If for no other reason than because that difference stands between a holy person and a crack pot. Shamans do use spirit helpers to serve a community, but that is done not so much in the wild but in the soul of the shaman. The initiation into shamanism is either a calling or choice, but always includes I time set aside in their life where the shaman seeks out support of a guide by addressing their motivations for being a shaman, the dedication to the path, and if at least one spirit can find something worth supporting in the shaman. I don't mean you have go find a shaman in the amazon to teach you - you can do this in your living room if you wanted to - but the choice to be a shaman is not yours alone. Necromancy, healing, functioning as a Psychopomp, clairsentience, all revolve around the soul. If your soul is unsuited it, won't mater what mushrooms you find in the woods.

Go think about what you are doing this for and then make offerings of time to the spirits, spend time each day just sitting and making an invitation for the spirits to examine you. They will come and after a time long enough to convince them you are serious they will make contact.

Thank you very much for the response

People tend to think of shamanism as some guy out in the wilds doing a lot of rituals with psychotropic mushrooms. Shamans use spirits (and the odd mushroom) but there is a clear separation between shaman flavored magician and a shaman.

Of course

Shaman flavored magic is spirit work using some of the tools of shamanism and does so often as a shallow form of cultural appropriation- plastic shaman who have no interest in the culture they got the tools from, the meaning of the tools, or what they where used for; people who like the aesthetic of shamans. After all, playing with rattles and drums is a simple sort of fun and who doesn't like a good hike.

Necromancy, healing, functioning as a Psychopomp, clairsentience, all revolve around the soul. If your soul is unsuited it, won't mater what mushrooms you find in the woods.

Go think about what you are doing this for and then make offerings of time to the spirits, spend time each day just sitting and making an invitation for the spirits to examine you. They will come and after a time long enough to convince them you are serious they will make contact.

I'm researching shamanism because I'd like to learn how to imitate true Shamans and become a psychopomp as well as develope clairsentience, being a healer/helper.
What interests me about shamanism (from what I understand of it) is learning how to help my current community and other beings in whatever way. I'm very interested in what I guess could be called ancient hunter/gatherer culture and how people used to be so connected to nature, respecting and loving the Earth, unlike how most of modern society is raised. As for the drug aspect, I haven't really given it much thought. I like the idea of using drugs- dmt, mushrooms, ayahuasca - but I'm not interested enough to seriously study this (however dmt is supposed to be very easy to make)

I pretty much live in the forest, and I've got a nice little river in the forest behind my house. I was thinking of having that as one place to go and spend time. There are also some small mountains around.
I was wondering, could I give anything to the spirits as a sort of friendly gesture when I go to spend time? And are there any things that are considered disrespectful when around them and in their area?

Also, would the soul and "body of lite" or astral body be the same?

Beginner Books

Harner, Michael
The Way of the Shaman - The seminal book of "core" Shamanism

Ingerman, Sandra
Shamanic Journeying: A Beginners Guide - And anything else she has written

Links
Foundation for Shamanic Studies
Sandra Ingerman's Site
Shaman's Circle

Recommendations
Get a Drumming mp3. Do a journey. Take an introductory class. Join a "Drumming Group" in your area.
Shamanism is experiential. Buy the ticket, take the ride.
Recover your own spiritual traditions. Write your own book. Send me a free copy.

Also, would the soul and "body of lite" or astral body be the same?

Never heard of a body of light, but the astral body is different. The soul is, depending on the system you use, is the immortal part of your "self". In shamanism the soul is the essence of the thing. Mongolian shamans say that every organ and joint has a soul, the Chinese Wu said that there are two types of soul yin and yang that are divided into well over a dozen sub types, and some Amerindian shamans view the soul as medicine. It depends largely on what your doing with the soul that will tell you what the souls is. For example, in the guiding the soul back to a person who lost it requires an understanding of the soul which is a complex of personality intolerant and emotions.

I agree with monkeyGeneral on this, shamanism is not armchair magick. The books cited are good. Don't bother waiting until you know how to be a shaman before you try anything. Go out and try it and you'll learn.

The "body of lite" is just the term Aleister Crowley gave to the astral body.

I'm gonna go down to the river now and spend some time (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

This post has been edited by Musky Tusk: Apr 21 2011, 01:59 PM

I'm researching shamanism because I'd like to learn how to imitate true Shamans and become a psychopomp as well as develope clairsentience, being a healer/helper.
What interests me about shamanism (from what I understand of it) is learning how to help my current community and other beings in whatever way.

I may be off about this, but it has always seemed to me that the shaman is a bit like a priest - you are called to whatever work you accomplish as a shaman, and although over time one gains a certain kind of insight into how to accomplish paranormal feats, really the vast majority of the time it is about remaining open and receiving whatever guidance is due at the time, by whatever means is deemed acceptable.

That is to say, you may want to let go of the notion of developing these paranormal abilities - the spirits will know that this is what you want, and see you as not worth guiding. If you were promised that you would be able to help people, but would never have a paranormal experience, would you still pursue shamanism or choose another path?

Its a big question, and letting go of the desire for these powers is not easy. I believe that at some point if you are meant to become a shaman in any sense - and although many cultures have their own traditions surrounding these individuals, I believe these are expressions of a basic kind of human being - then you will encounter an experience that will destroy these desires in order to prepare you for that part of the journey.

But consider: what use are these powers if not to help others, for a shaman? Why develop clairsentience at all? If instead you simply allow yourself to accept that such things happen, and happen when they will help, then when you need to know something in order to help, you will. The same is true of other such powers - you will not always see the malignancy of a tumor in someone's body, but you will when your knowing will be of use. You won't always be able to look into someone's past or future, but you will when it will make a difference.

That's a big difference between a magician and a shaman. As a Magician your seek to exercise your will on the world, the cosmos, but as a shaman you are lead by spiritual guidance, and surrender yourself to that guidance without the thought of acquiring power for yourself - and you are in turn protected by that spiritual world, so you have no need of power.

Also, would the soul and "body of lite" or astral body be the same?

No. Like the physical body, the body of light, astral body, etheric body, etc., are part of a grander construct which is the vessel for the soul.

That's a big difference between a magician and a shaman. As a Magician your seek to exercise your will on the world, the cosmos, but as a shaman you are lead by spiritual guidance, and surrender yourself to that guidance without the thought of acquiring power for yourself - and you are in turn protected by that spiritual world, so you have no need of power.

Wow that blew my mind. I don't know why I didn't see it like that. I love the idea of it.
Is this along the lines of- Way of the Warrior vs. Way of the Adventurer? The warrior being the magician, and the adventurer being the shaman?


As I said before I'd like to learn how to heal and help people and spirits, I was also interested in the cultural beliefs of being connected to nature. I've always felt close to nature but I am seeking a deeper connection. I thought shamanism was the way to go for this, it seems I was wrong. Modern society doesn't allow that type of living, and it seems that the true art of shamanism has been long lost, only known to few aboriginals still around.
But regardless I will keep researching shamanism and spending time in the wild, there is a lot to learn from them

Wow that blew my mind. I don't know why I didn't see it like that. I love the idea of it.
Is this along the lines of- Way of the Warrior vs. Way of the Adventurer? The warrior being the magician, and the adventurer being the shaman?
As I said before I'd like to learn how to heal and help people and spirits, I was also interested in the cultural beliefs of being connected to nature. I've always felt close to nature but I am seeking a deeper connection. I thought shamanism was the way to go for this, it seems I was wrong. Modern society doesn't allow that type of living, and it seems that the true art of shamanism has been long lost, only known to few aboriginals still around.
But regardless I will keep researching shamanism and spending time in the wild, there is a lot to learn from them

On the contrary! Every place has a spirit. Even urban landscapes are full of natural spirit, it is manifest in everything that is, not just those things that grow out of the earth in some way. We have that spirit in us, and what we create contains it. Don't make the mistake of believing that just because we are not on four paws we are evil and everything we create is therefore dead. It's all nature.

Now, nature in balance? Often not. Imbalances happen in nature, and absent the powerful influences of human ingenuity, they rebalance themselves. Part of the path of the shaman is helping to maintain that balance. In a tribe of 500 people, that might be bringing up another shaman to lead part of the tribe away so as not to over-farm/hunt/etc. the local ecosystem - but it can also be improving society, creating 'green' technology, leading people to preserve natural resources and learn to enjoy discovering and maintaining that balance.

The shaman is connected with nature, but that doesn't necessarily -just- mean communing with trees and the spirit of the earth. It means discovering an intuitive feel for the natural order, the balance of powers present in a place, whatever that place is and whatever form nature is taking there. A skyscraper in new york city is a natural landscape, and there is a connection between it and the streets, and the people there, and the other buildings, and the island itself - there is nothing that is not nature. There is simply the presence or lack of balance in nature.

The man who invented solar panels was a kind of shaman; the person who initiated recycling was a kind of shaman; and the people who take these kinds of ideas and improve them are shaman as well. If you broaden your perspective and what a shaman can be, but continue to hold onto the core concept of communing with Spirit and seeking it's guidance, surrendering to it, then you may discover that as a shaman your yourself have a specific purpose, a particular means of pushing our world back into balance.

peace

I'm new to shamanism as well, it opened itself to me about a half a year ago and I've been kind of fumbling around. The best thing I've found is to listen to your spirit guide (mine's been with me for a long time, if you can't hear/see your guide you may want to consider locating/opening up to yours or finding an astral teacher) and traveling to the upper world, where many teachers reside. First hand experience kind of tends to be the best teacher, so travel through some of the planes (middle and upper world tend to be good for starting journeys I've found.) and just get to know the land, listen to it. Sometimes you may run into trouble, but your body is only a thought a way as long as you don't cut off totally (which I've never really encountered personally but I've heard that it can happen) from your body. If you have someone in your area that is knowledgeable, talk to them if you feel comfortable. Also, books can be helpful references. I've read "In the Shadow of the Shaman" by Amber Wolfe and "The Shamanic Witch" by Gail Wood. They can be repetitive but they both offer some good insights and tips and as all books on the esoteric should be, they are good references. Probably the most helpful thing I've learned, is to let change flow. Shamanism, for me at least I can't speak from anyone else, is firmly founded in change. Changing from one state to another, from physical to spiritual, from sick to well, from man to animal (while shapeshifting if thats one of your paths). I hope something from this was helpful, from one shamanic freshman to another =]

I'm new to shamanism as well, it opened itself to me about a half a year ago and I've been kind of fumbling around. The best thing I've found is to listen to your spirit guide (mine's been with me for a long time, if you can't hear/see your guide you may want to consider locating/opening up to yours or finding an astral teacher) and traveling to the upper world, where many teachers reside. First hand experience kind of tends to be the best teacher, so travel through some of the planes (middle and upper world tend to be good for starting journeys I've found.) and just get to know the land, listen to it. Sometimes you may run into trouble, but your body is only a thought a way as long as you don't cut off totally (which I've never really encountered personally but I've heard that it can happen) from your body. If you have someone in your area that is knowledgeable, talk to them if you feel comfortable. Also, books can be helpful references. I've read "In the Shadow of the Shaman" by Amber Wolfe and "The Shamanic Witch" by Gail Wood. They can be repetitive but they both offer some good insights and tips and as all books on the esoteric should be, they are good references. Probably the most helpful thing I've learned, is to let change flow. Shamanism, for me at least I can't speak from anyone else, is firmly founded in change. Changing from one state to another, from physical to spiritual, from sick to well, from man to animal (while shapeshifting if thats one of your paths). I hope something from this was helpful, from one shamanic freshman to another =]

Would a spirit guide be the same as an animal totem?
I'm gonna try finding a teacher in the astral whenever I can learn astral projection.

Thanks for the info everyone

The term animal totem is a bit complicated according to how the academics use it. But I know what you mean. You might call them animal spirit guides. They fulfil most of the same functions as spirit guides in human-like shapes, as allies and teachers. The academics and politically minded make everything more complicated, like the cultural appropriation issue. I use primarily Chinese methods, but am about as far away from being Chinese race as you can get. There is a certain amount of resentment from the Chinese community when I teach Qigong, but my position is that our European ancestors used to have a similar body of knowledge and practices before it was done away with by the Christian church. Energy work and shamanism seems to be universal and world wide, except where wiped out through accidents of history.

You might try drumming or get a drumming CD/MP3 to help you go on out of body trips. If that doesn't work for you after giving it a good try, then try something else until you find what does work for you. Shamans are practical and shamanism isn't dogmatic. But spirit guides aren't necessarily only found in the astral planes. Generally you have one or two with you all the time right under your nose.

Again. I highly recommend taking a course or reading a book or two.
But here you go...

Shamanically, you already have a power animal, or you would be dead.
Someone can "retrieve" your power animal for you or you can find it yourself.

Journey to the Lower World with the strong intent of finding your power animal
1. Picture a REAL place that you know to use as an entrance into the tunnel ( cave, pond, opening in a tree, rabbit hole, man-hole…
2. Start up a drumming track
3. State your intent to find your power animal 3 times aloud
4. Enter the opening, go down the tunnel. Keep going until you come out in the Lower World.
5. Look around. Walk around. Your intent is to find your power animal. Your animal will present itself to you at least 3 times in 3 different ways. (Front, back, side, as a toy, as a picture, who knows …). It will not be an insect, or a non-mammal showing "teeth" or threatening.
6. Ask it if it is your power animal.
7. If it says yes. Hold it tightly to you and return. ( If another is retrieving they will hold the animal, bring it back, and "blow" it into your chest and then the top of your head.
8. Spend some time "dancing" your animal with rattle or drum or click sticks or pennies in a Altoids container..

On future journeys, get to know your animal. It will give you power and answer your questions.

After awhile you can journey to find a "Teacher".

I think my animal totem is trying to contact me. I've seen the owl 4 times now in less than a week. Owls are very rare where I live, the last time I saw one was years ago, found a sleeping baby perched on a plastic snow shovel right outside my door.

But the first contact was over the weekend, I was just sitting in my room when I heard an owl hooting(?) in the trees in my front yard. I went outside but couldn't see it in the trees as it was around 11 pm. After a couple minutes I saw a white owl quickly fly off the tree and back behind my house.
The next day I was sitting in my friends house, around 3 pm broad daylight, and I heard an owl in the tree RIGHT outside his window.
That same day I went into a bookstore, while I was waiting in line I realized there was a calender on the wall with the image of an owl for April.
A day passed without any owl sightings, then last night, I was thinking about the owl while watching tv, thinking to myself how it could just be a coincidence. Right at the same time I was thinking this I noticed a little plastic owl behind the guy on tv (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Not sure if this is significant, but the day before I saw the first owl I left tobacco offerings for the spirits in the area that I've been spending time.
I just put an owl figurine in my room, not sure what it's supposed to do but I read somewhere that having images of your totem animal around you is good.

I'll try journeying to the Lower World but I'm not sure how successful I'll be considering I can't yet astral project, although I'm making good progress.

Astral projection differs from Shamanic journeying.
Each person "sees" shamanically in a very personal way.
Accept your experience without judgement.
It deepens with practice.
Good luck. Good journey.

Thank you

I felt that AP and journeying are different, I was just thinking that being able to AP would probably help me on a shamanic journey

My son has been asking about his spirit guides or allies this week. We discussed taking him out in the woods with a drum, or alternately send him to do something similar with a good friend of mine. Sometimes your children have difficulties taking taking direction from us parents and sending him to see Uncle Steve is a valid alternative.

So I've been walking in the forest more, trying to be more intuitive and respect the Earth more, and waiting for my animal guide. This is all so abstract it's very hard for me to explain. I still haven't gotten any books though, low on money. But anyways I'm almost positive (I'm never 100%) that my animal guide has revealed itself. One problem though, it's showing up everywhere. At least once a week since I originally saw it in real life. And I've got no clue what to do or how to communicate with it. I've been thinking about it and waiting for an answer but there's no real way for me to communicate with it. I guess I just need to get a book and learn how to take a journey to the "lower worlds" as monkeyGeneral mentioned.
Any thoughts?

Figure what your spirit guide is and offer to it what it needs.