Shamanism is a culture that came from antiquity, affecting the beginning of life, developed historically.

Shamanism is a global phenomenon that is associated with magic and correlated with animism, fetishism and totemism. As archeology and ethnography testify, rituals of shamanism were known in the Neolithic and Bronze Ages. Shamanism was practiced especially intensively in Siberia, the Far East, the regions of Southeast Asia, and Africa.

Today we can distinguish such national and regional forms of shamanism as Korean, Peruvian, Altai, Buryat, Tuvan, Chukchi, and Yakut. Modern shamanism appears as a polytheistic religion, where natural phenomena are presented and viewed as deities. In the worldview of supporters of shamanism, all things in the world are endowed with a soul: plants, insects, and other inanimate objects, which all together represent a single Whole.

The magic of a shaman is, first of all, the discovery of relationships between parts, faith in the unity of consciousness. Awareness of one’s own belonging to the Universe makes everyone equal in front of each other, balances the importance of each, eliminates fears and feelings of injustice. A person who feels unity with the Universe is able to understand the breadth and power of his inner potential, the protection of higher powers.

Being part of the whole and understanding the properties of the inner nature, which manifests itself independently of the physical body, the shaman travels to other worlds. By entering an altered state of consciousness, the shaman gains access to communication with helping spirits and the ability to replenish power from supernatural sources.

The shaman is the chosen one of the spirits. This gift can be given to a person through " shamanic disease", a state reminiscent of lethargic sleep. Having passed the test of illness, the neophyte returns to life with new qualities; he is ready to be a mediator between our world and the worlds he has visited.

The shaman naturally feels himself in each of the worlds, both in everyday life and in the otherworldly. He is under the protection of a guardian spirit (guardian spirit, totem, brownie, power animal), which can take the form of a person and incarnate as an animal or reptile, bird or fish. An encounter with a guardian spirit sets the shaman on the path to power. The shaman is in contact with the spirit, which fills his body and protects him from illness, and also protects him from hostile entities and provides assistance in everything.

To communicate with the spirit, ritual is used, that is, the shaman enters a state of trance, which begins with slight oblivion and reaches a deep coma. The ritual is facilitated by the beats of the drum and tambourine, the rhythmic sound of the rattle, special dances and spells. Some communities use hallucinogens to enter a transpersonal state.

In a state of trance, the shaman goes on a journey of unknown dimensions, called ecstatic . In the higher world - the habitat of deities, in the lower - evil spirits and the dead, the middle world - for earthly life. All three worlds are inhabited by supernatural entities, and the shaman can come into contact with each of them to achieve his goals: healing, prophecy, influencing weather conditions, and more.

While traveling between worlds, the one chosen by the spirits can convey an offering from his community to the inhabitant of the heavenly world, and find the soul of the suffering, lost outside the body, abducted by demons. He can lead the soul to its new habitat, replenish knowledge through communication with spirits.

Shamanism - these are not only abilities, but also a kind of cross. Real shamans do not need temporary fame; they act without being noticed. Every shaman knows that by spreading about his abilities and the mystery of rituals, he turns away the spirits.

The modern shaman functions as a priest, fortuneteller, healer, adviser, expert on history and ancient customs, and folk art. Most often, interest in shamanism is manifested on the basis of curiosity about the unknown, a tendency to own secret knowledge, interact with the transcendental world. But in reality, shamanism, in essence, is a great potential opportunity for the entire society as a whole.

Many experts in shamanism believe that we are in a transitional age, and life cannot remain in its previous form: very soon, in order to exist on earth, you will have to become the owner of supernatural abilities, which can manifest themselves as the birth of “indigo” children, and in another form. Shamanism can provide the key to many things and contribute to development. Nations come to rebirth ancient religion, and many values, separated from mysticism and archaism, become relevant again.

Healing rituals are the most common form of rituals. A shaman is first and foremost a doctor. But shamanists also ask a shaman to perform rituals for many other reasons - about giving health to livestock, about stopping deaths, about successful hunting, about seeing off a dead soul, about the necessary weather. Outwardly, all these needs are very reminiscent of the religious needs of any society, and therefore a clear demarcation line is sometimes not drawn between the shaman and the clergyman. But the shaman does not at all duplicate the functions of the priest of a theistic society. Wilhelm Radlov also pointed out in his notes on shamanism: “It’s not only the shaman who makes the weather, prophesies, etc. The shaman does not take any part in celebrations of births, weddings and deaths, and only if these events are accompanied by unfavorable omens, which people want to try to neutralize with the help of spells, is the shaman called.”

Modern, more accurate knowledge about shamanism somewhat expands the functions of ritual. For example, in funeral rituals the shaman is an absolutely irreplaceable participant, but, in essence, the remark of a 19th century researcher is fair. After all, everything connected with death and other world can be considered as something “unfavorable”, falling out of the true order of the world, where death has no place. That is why a shaman is called to funerals and funeral rites.

“The fear of the forces of darkness that haunts the shamanist - because of which he never feels safe - forces him to look for a way by which he can find out in advance about the intentions of evil spirits, prevent their attacks, and attract them to his side. He sees this method only in the assistance of omnipotent shamans, who, thanks to the mediation of their ancestors, can enter into contact with the forces of the lower world, please them with gifts and, fulfilling all their desires, prevent misfortunes that threaten a person” 2.

Today, better than in the time of V. Radlov, it is known that the shaman is not just an obsequious slave of spirits, but their full-fledged ally and rival, who sometimes decides, gathering in his tambourine many helping spirits, for a brutal confrontation with the forces of darkness. However, in essence, the conclusion of the author of “From Siberia” is difficult to dispute. The force that forces fellow tribesmen to turn to the services of a shaman is fear.

Our old acquaintance, Malo Oninka, told Anna Smolyak in 1973: “I’m afraid to sleep alone in the taiga - there are a lot of devils around. I made nine shavings, girded myself, tied it around my neck, and calmed down: now the devil won’t touch me.” These amazing shavings - gyasidan - are a widespread way among Nanais to protect themselves from evil ambans who “get entangled” in them. The shavings are used in many rituals. The devils are cleaned off the patient with shavings. “You can’t cleanse yourself without shavings,” the Nanais explain. But, of course, not every shaving has such amazing powers. Hyasidan - special shavings. When making it, the shaman asks the spirit helpers to enter it and protect the one who will use it from evil. It is not the shavings that are protected, but the spirits that reside in them at the request of the shaman.

The Altai shaman does without shavings, but he also cleanses the person who ordered the ritual from all filth. For this purpose, a shamanic tambourine and a mallet are used here. Passing a mallet across the customer’s back, the shaman says:

Take out the released arrow!

Take it, my skillful messenger!

Don't come back for sixty years!

Stay away for seventy years!

Take the released arrow!

Take her away from here faster than the river flows!

Then the shaman hugs all members of the family of the person who ordered the ritual so that the person in the embrace is between the tambourine (pressed to the chest) and the mallet (to the back). The spirits in the tambourine and mallet cleanse people from trouble1.

Thus, the fear of spirits is driven away not by appealing to a power greater than the spirits, not by invoking their Creator God, but by concluding an agreement with some spirits against others. The shamanist is an actor in a drama played out exclusively in the world of spirits.

The consequences of this limitation of spiritual horizons are immediately apparent. “In the world of shamanism there is no eternal justice. Both the gods of light and the gods of darkness do not act solely in accordance with ethical principles. They can be bribed and influenced with sweet sacrificial dishes, and having received rich gifts they willingly turn a blind eye to many things. They are jealous of people's wealth and demand tribute from everyone. Therefore, it is constantly necessary to enter into relations with the spirits of light and darkness through people who have a special gift.”

V. Radlov’s thought is extremely clear and well reflects the ethical essence of shamanism. Since the absolute center of good is taken outside the shamanist’s value system, all spirits are only relatively good and relatively evil. A person is expected not to follow the Absolute, which will protect him from all misfortunes dark forces, not a struggle with oneself, not a careful observation of one’s own soul - has an enemy entered it, has it become an enemy of the Good, voluntarily agreeing to evil - no, the shamanist looks not into himself, but outside, into a world that is full of dangers external, dangers from wayward, greedy and evil spirits. He is in constant fear. But this fear is not like the fear of a person of theistic religiosity of angering God and losing His protection. The fear of a shamanist is of a completely different kind - he is afraid of the outside world, its elements and forces, since, in essence, he is completely open to all these elemental forces. He is defenseless before them, and only by entering into an agreement with some of them, bribing them with sacrifices, uniting with them in initiations, does the shamanist hope to protect himself from death. But this hope always remains precarious: spirits are capricious.

Addressing the inhabitants of Philippi (a city in Macedonia), the Apostle Paul taught them: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” [Phil. 4.6]. Such freedom of the “sons of God” is unknown to shamanists, who are always concerned about pleasing many masters and are afraid of everything.

I have already had occasion to talk about the ethical relativism of modern non-literate peoples. The study of shamanism opens up a new facet in this phenomenon - people are not rooted in goodness because such rooting is impossible in the world of spirits. To stand on solid moral ground, you need an absolute point of reference. It is easily found in theistic religiosity, but in the world of spirits it is not.

Shamanism is a structure of the soul and a form of spiritual structure of a person who finds himself outside of theistic religiosity. Since the choice of good requires an act of will, a conscious action of the soul, it can be assumed that shamanism did not arise by chance: it became a form of religious existence where and when people preferred serving themselves to serving the Absolute Good, the Giver of life and the fullness of being.

The shamanist will not agree with the assumption that he serves the spirits. No, he, with the help of a shaman, is trying to force the spirits either to serve, or at least not to harm him. The shamanist places himself at the center of the universe, from which God is eliminated. And what? As a result, we see dying peoples, brutally pushed by civilization to the periphery of the inhabited world.

We must ask the question: why did non-literate peoples remain non-literate, why did they not share the fate of other tribes that have been building a written, complex civilization for five millennia? There can be two answers - either inability to high forms of social and intellectual organization, or reluctance. We have no reason to suspect shamanists of an organic incapacity for statehood or book culture. Numerous facts of the transformation of non-literate peoples into written ones, pre-state peoples into state ones are clear proof of this. But every time such treatment took place even when there was a change religious basis people's soul. Its Creator reigned over the world of people and spirits again. The transition to statehood has always been the end of shamanism. Consequently, both the inability to statehood and civilization is a consequence of the volitional refusal to place the Absolute principle at the center of one’s mental cosmos.

Just as statehood, in my opinion, is a secondary result of theism, and shamanism is a secondary result of the refusal to recognize the Creator’s rights to what He has created.

Returning to the level of concrete religious studies, let us ask ourselves when this refusal took place. It is not easy to answer and, in fact, we will look for the answer throughout the History of Religions course. However, it should be noted that in the folklore of all non-literate peoples there are rudiments of the former, theistic picture of the world, but as if in an unactualized and optional state.

Mircea Eliade once remarked that “ecstasies of the shamanistic type seem to have been documented since the Paleolithic era.” Even if this is so, shamanism was certainly not the dominant form of religiosity in prehistory. Shamanism does not give rise to great civilizations anywhere today, and it is not clear how the most ancient states could have appeared if the societies that created them were shamanistic. Rather, it’s different - shamanism and witchcraft are forms of secondary degradation of theistic practices. If these degradations took place before society transitioned to statehood, then the people, preferring to do without serving God, were at the same time left without the fruits of this service, that is, without a written culture, a state, and a complexly organized society.

From late Neolithic societies, from megalithic religiosity of the 4th-3rd millennia BC. There were two paths - to a theistic type of statehood and to a stagnant society that had stopped developing, which had refused to serve God and settled down in the world of spirits. Perhaps the first choices were made even earlier, during the transition from the Paleolithic to the Neolithic. This is hinted at by the existence of very archaic communities that do not know a productive economy - the indigenous inhabitants of Australia and Tasmania, Tierra del Fuego, some pygmy tribes of Central and South Africa. Did the ancestors of these tribes not deviate from theism to demonism when, in order to continue “walking with God,” it was necessary to expend considerable effort, the indirect consequence of which was the Neolithic revolution?

At the same time, elements of historical religions are noticeable in shamanic practices - I have already pointed out some of them. Some shamanic chants of the Siberian peoples are strikingly reminiscent of Vedic hymns, and the legends are the myths behind them. Here, for example, is a hymn to fire, recorded by I.A. Khudyakov: “This Lord God’s youngest son Dalan Dargan with pure white knee pads, Bayabat Dyalo, Forked tail, Lucky claws, Lion’s doha, Lynx hat, Scourge from a shooting star, Fine gray hair, Mr. Grandfather, you are the spirit of the sacred fire, however! Having come to this middle place for the agitated white breath of three [tribes - ?] Yakuts, for thirty years you lay motionless! When the Lord God drove you to the middle place, so that there was breath around the four [tribes] of Yakuts, you descended, holding a cheerful silver whip in your right hand! You came down, holding a large sword in your left hand. You came down, holding in your right hand a copper fire with trinkets. After all, you who have mercy on us, hide us in your width and wrap us in your narrow! Evaporate us, the soul of your people and your cattle in your three-banded, dull silver nest and do not give us to the eight tricks of the eight-legged Aan Adyaray Bego [the head of the lower evil spirits]... The cream of the new milkers, the sludge [of the milk] of the old milkers, our yellow butter is ready for you. Stop, completely full!”

The shaman almost certainly reproduces in this not very well translated song an ancient ritual context, but the ritual itself, in the precise sense of the word, does not exist for him. The task of collaborating with God in the harmonious preservation of the world, so relevant for ancient ritualists, whether Indo-Aryan or Semitic-Hamitic, is alien to the shaman. All that remains is the memory of once upon a time former case, but the case itself is lost.

“Among all peoples...” Mircea Eliade pointed out, “shamanism reveals a direct dependence on funeral beliefs (Mountain, Paradise Island, Tree of Life) and on cosmological ideas (Axis Mundi - World Tree, three cosmic zones, seven heavens, etc. .). While practicing his craft as a healer or guide of souls, the shaman uses traditional information about the afterlife topography, information ultimately based on archaic cosmology.” In other words, the shaman remembers another religious system of a long-gone life, but borrows from it only the “texture”, neglecting the essence that lived the archaic faith. In shamanism, if we look closely, we can discern layers of rejected aspirations of the human spirit.

Mircea Eliade offers a very interesting concept of the emergence of shamanism: “Is it possible that this deviant technique, in addition to the “historical” explanations that could be found for it... can also be interpreted in another way? For example, isn’t the deviation of the shamanic trance from the “norm” due to the fact that the shaman is trying to test specific experience symbolism and mythology, which by their very nature (since they are related to pre-existence times. - A.Z.) not subject to experiment, not amenable to specific “verification by experience”; in a word, is it not the desire to achieve ascension at any cost and no matter by what means? itself, mystical and at the same time real ascension to Heaven - was it not this that led to the erroneous trances that we observed; Isn’t such behavior, finally, an inevitable consequence of a desperate desire to “experience”, or in other words, “experience” what is in the current human condition (sinfulness, fallenness) ) is it possible only in terms of “spirit”?” It is clear what daring is in a human being, as in a being thinking, cannot arise, much less be realized spontaneously, but always presupposes a purposeful and conscious will.

The non-literate nature of those cultures from which shamanism “split off” gives us little hope of finding monuments of the word with traces of volitional choice. But considering the modern dialogue of shamanism with theistic religions, we discover details that help restore the picture Togo dramatic self-determination.

Shamanists themselves, despite the fact that they are mostly simple people and not prone to intellectual reflection, are quite clearly aware of the difference between their spiritual world and the world of theistic religiosity. Referring to Jonathan Rigg, Edward Tylor reports a characteristic custom common among the West Javanese Sajiru tribe: “The Sajirs living in this area profess Islam, but secretly adhere to their former faith (that is, shamanism. - A3.) and at death or burial solemnly exhort the soul to renounce Muslim Allah and head to the location of the souls of their ancestors" 1 . In other words, the sajirs understand perfectly well that the Islamic paradise - the garden of the friends of God (jannah wali Allah) and the afterlife of demonic ancestors are completely different things and it is impossible to move from one to another unless you do strong-willed renunciation of one of the faiths.

Wilhelm Radlov, in his essay on shamanism, talks about a conversation he had at a spiritual mission on the Kebizen River (Altai Mountains, modern village of Turochak) with two baptized shamans, wanting to learn more about their past beliefs. Much to the traveler’s chagrin, his interlocutors tried their best to avoid talking on this topic, and in the end they announced: “Our former god is already so angry that we left him; What will he do if he finds out that we are now also betraying him? But we are even more afraid that the Russian God will hear us talk about the old faith. What will save us then?

The baptized shamanists, as can be seen from this statement, were clearly aware of the colossal difference between their “old” and new faiths. In another place in the essay, V. Radlov, himself a completely secular and skeptical person, states: “And the Altaians, Teleuts, etc., who have long been baptized and only recently converted to Christianity, as well as the Russians, consider the shaman to be a real servant of the devil, who with his ritual can really accomplish something supernatural... Altai people who were recently baptized and, as I verified, who actually accepted Christianity out of conviction, when they fell ill, still secretly call a shaman at night so that he would ward off trouble with his devilish power, and that, along with faith in the divine the power of Christianity is unshakable belief in the devilish power of spells.”

Here the scientist reveals the essence of the so-called “dual faith,” often attributed to the Russian common people. Baptized shamanists, recognizing the great power of the “Russian God,” do not, however, consider him omnipotent. In some ways He is still inferior to those spirits whose servant is the shaman. This is generally a characteristic feature of demonistic religiosity, in which absolute spiritual power and all powers like this, so and those worlds are relative. For a shamanist, even one who has consciously accepted the sacrament of baptism, the God of Christianity remains only one of the forces; He is not experienced as omnipotent, as the Creator (since the Creator cannot but have complete power over what He has created). In the soul of a shamanist who has converted to Christianity, God remains something like the higher spirits of his former faith - Bai Ulgena, Enduri, Kaira Khana. That is why there are areas of life that remain outside of God, and in order to solve problems that arise in these areas, it turns out to be necessary to turn to the services of a shaman-sorcerer. The rector of the church of the village of Trinity on the Amur (on this site the city of Komsomolsk was built in the 1930s) wrote in a report to the Holy Synod: “The local Golds are moving away from paganism and perceive our faith so well that before leaving for hunting, the residents of one village ordered our priest to conduct a prayer service. The priest did this with pleasure, and the golds prayed fervently, as he ordered them.” Commenting on this message, Anna Smolyak writes: “Of course, the Nanai people’s appeal to the priest, just like the calls to Laois And Sanxi(spirits, lords of various celestial spheres. - A.Z.), did not at all mean that the Nanai people abandoned ancient beliefs; they just took advantage of the presence of a priest, which essentially meant “maybe the Russian God will also help”... At the beginning of the 20th century, Nanai people went to church on Sundays, baptized children, some even got married. But even now, the belief in traditional gods and spirits among older people has not been lost.” In essence, here we are faced with the well-known phenomenon of religious consciousness. When a person does not feel enough will and readiness to completely surrender to the Creator, he compensates for his own cowardice and fascination with the world in itself, separating from God those areas of his existence in which myself does not want to allow Him. But “a holy place is never empty,” and spirits invade those areas of existence from which God is expelled, and the two-believer resorts to their help.

Such Christianization makes Christianity only an element of the shamanistic complex, and Christian God replenishes the “catalog of spirits” of the shamanist, and there is little consolation for the missionary if in this catalog the Creator of all things even receives one of the leading places. When shamanism meets Islam, very similar dual-faith forms arise, but due to the less dogmatic clarity of Islam in comparison with Christianity and less institutional organization, shamanism in some places manages to coexist with the faith of the Prophet Muhammad in a truly “inseparable and unmerged” way. The laws of the 18th century of the Malay principality of Perak say: “A muezzin is the master of the mosque, and a pawang is the master of the house of the sick, in the rice fields, and in the mines. He must be insightful, courteous, hardworking, truthful, and not fall in love with women. If anyone falls ill, the pawang must immediately come to the rescue. A pawang cannot be deceitful, arrogant, hot-tempered, or selfish.” Meanwhile pawang- This is a typical shaman. This is how an eyewitness describes his medical care: “I myself saw how he jumped, fell to the ground, rolling from side to side, without changing the position of his hands. He either ran around a certain fenced-in place, then fell to the ground, then sat down: he screamed, growled, read spells and prayers. When the spirit of the “grandfather” (as the spirit tiger is called in the conventional language of Malay sorcerers. - A.Z.) sat on his hand, he began to read passages from the Koran in Arabic or called on Allah; when he was possessed by spirits, he cast spells, moaned, and sometimes made vague hints that caused an explosion of laughter in the crowd.” “A healing ritual performed by the Bomor (especially strong pawangs, taught their art not by people, but by spirits in a dream. - A.Z.) in a modern Malaysian village, is almost no different from what was described above,” Elena Revunenkova comments on this message. Central Asian shaman healers behave in a similar way. bucks. Even in appearance, in their hairstyle and clothing, they differ sharply from ordinary Muslims. The Bucks do not hide the fact that their art and strength comes from genies (spirits), and at the same time they want to be considered true believers and are afraid of being branded capyrs(non-Muslims). Baksy petitions during rituals smoothly move from prayers to Allah and His Prophet to Genghis Khan, the spirits of mountains and rivers, to the patrons of the clan and to the ancestors of the patient. Ordinary Kyrgyz and Kazakhs willingly run to the services bucks, but cultural Islamists shy away from even approaching such “healers.” V. Radlov says that he saw with his own eyes how Tatar merchants, seeing the bucks, “turned away in disgust and spat in horror.”

The line between demonist and theist is quite clearly recognized by both. They associate themselves with different levels of reality and with dissimilar forces. A demonist may still naively believe that the God of theistic religions is one of the many spirits of his familiar world, but even here, among slightly sophisticated people, among shamans, the opposition of the “old faith” to the new is usually quite conscious, even with the persistence of “dual faith.” As for the followers of those religions that teach the union of man with his Creator, there is dual faith, retreat into witchcraft, conspiracies, turning to shamans and bomors Always is an unconditional sign of religious degradation, a symptom of the fact that a person, consciously or subconsciously, that is, afraid to admit to himself, does not dare to stand before Almighty God, feeling that for such a high right a colossal sacrifice is required of him - a sacrifice of his own egoism, selfishness. Not everyone, not every person and nation, is ready to make such a sacrifice. And if a person does not sacrifice himself, then God leaves the spaces of his mind, leaving him alone with countless spirits, in the world of which such a person now has to learn to live. Apparently S.M. was right. Shirokogorov, when he called shamanism “a method of self-defense and a manifestation of the biological functions of the genus ( Shirokogorov. Experience in studying the foundations of shamanism among the Tungus // Scientific notes of the historical and philological faculty. Vladivostok, 1919. Issue. 1. P. 107.) Having put himself in the position of “life outside of God,” man was able to adapt to the new situation and biologically survived, creating shamanism - a way of interaction between a godless person and the world of spirits. But the price of such survival turned out to be considerable - a painful, impoverished existence on the outskirts of the civilized world, eternal fear from demons and the evil infinity of other existence, in which the same Amur flows, the same hills rise, and the ancestors with terrifying monotony set out to throw a net and shoot wild deer. Remaining within the boundaries of shamanism, not a single human community has yet been able to create civilization, statehood, or a continuous written culture. Only a conscious volitional appeal to the forgotten Creator transformed survival into an intense and meaningful life, led to great achievements in this world and calmed souls with the hope of the greatest goal possible for man, the restoration of the unity of the creature with its Creator. The history of shamanism confirms the truth expressed two thousand years ago:

“Nevertheless, do not rejoice that the spirits obey you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”[OK. 10.20]. These words sum up the age-old dispute between demonism and theism.

Perhaps no religion in the history of mankind has caused so much heated debate about itself. What is shamanism? How long has it been around? What peoples can be considered “shamanic”, that is, belonging to that cultural and historical area where the words shamanism and life are almost synonymous. And who is a shaman? Is he a priest, a psychic, a hypnotist, a mentally ill person, a magician? For a non-specialist, when he first learns something about shamanism from literature or hears stories from eyewitnesses who saw the ritual, it can be difficult to decide for himself the question of what it is: a religion, a theatrical performance, a session of mass hypnosis...

Doctor historical sciences N. ZHUKOVSKAYA.

In Europe, the first information about shamans appeared in the 17th century in the notes of travelers, diplomats, and researchers. During the 18th-19th centuries, the flow of literature about them constantly increased. And in the twentieth century, interest in shamanism, oddly enough, not only did not fade away, but, on the contrary, intensified.

In Russia, the USA, Great Britain, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Finland, India, China, Japan, Sweden and other countries, scientific anthropological centers and departments in universities have been created, which necessarily have specialists in shamanism.

Despite the abundance of researchers and studies, and perhaps precisely because of this, debates about shamanism do not cease. There is still no consensus on the age of shamanism: the range is from the Paleolithic to the Middle Ages. There are still discussions about the geography of shamanism: some believe that it is only Siberia, Central Asia, Northern Europe; others - that this is almost the whole world: all of Asia, North and South America, Africa, the Caucasus.

And, of course, there is still no uniformity in the definition of what shamanism is.

Probably everyone, both a researcher of shamanism and just a casual eyewitness to a shamanic ritual, is amazed by what he sees. I remember the shaman's costume, hung with metal images of animals and birds, a headdress crowned with real horns or their metallic likeness; on the face there is a fringed bandage covering the eyes. A leather-covered tambourine with or without designs, metal pendants. With its help, the shaman gradually brings himself into a trance. Under the increasing beat, he spins around, shouts out some incomprehensible words, causing trembling, and even fear, among those present.

Add to this picture the twilight of a closed yurt or yaranga, a smoldering fireplace in the center of the dwelling, and you will feel the state of a participant in the ritual and understand that you will not forget such a spectacle.

Probably, this external surroundings gave rise to the definition of shamanism, which is most often found in scientific literature and in reference books: "Shamanism is one of early forms religion, based on belief in the existence of spirits inhabiting the world around us, and in a special intermediary - a shaman, chosen by the spirits themselves, who provides the possibility of contact between people and these spirits, achieving this contact by immersing in a state of trance."

I will try to briefly define the range of basic concepts that make up the essence of this complex, multifaceted phenomenon.

Let's start with the name. Shamanism, shamanism. The first term is Western European, the second is Russian. The words shamanism and shaman are accepted by world science as scientific terms. However, each nation calls its shamans in its own way: Altaians, Khakassians, Tuvans say - kam; Yakuts - oyun; Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Turkmen - bucks or bakshi; Buryats and Mongols - bö; Eskimos - angakok; Semang, inhabitants of the Malay Peninsula - Halak; Melanau from the island of Kalimantan - orang bayoh; Comanche Indians of North America - puhakut; Gurungs of Nepal - Poju... This list is quite long.

Time of occurrence. Unlike Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, the time of their appearance is determined quite precisely, since it is tied to the dates of the lives of their founders and preachers, shamanism does not have such a starting point. It probably arose many times: in each part of the globe at its own time and in its own way.

There is no data yet that definitely suggests that the peoples who lived in Western Europe, particularly in France, they knew shamanism. But this is not excluded either. Because it was in France, in the Garonne River basin, that at the beginning of the twentieth century the cave of the “Three Brothers” (Trois-Freres) was discovered, on the walls of which, among images dating back to the Upper Paleolithic (40-10 thousand years BC), there is the earliest image of a shaman known in history - the figure of a dancing man with a skin thrown over his shoulders, with deer antlers on his head and a horse's tail. Similar images are often found in Asia and Africa, but the French one, from the Three Brothers Cave, is the earliest. Not all experts agree that it is a shaman depicted there. But everything is very similar to the standard descriptions of a shaman in a shamanic costume.

How do they become shamans? In modern scientific literature, the expression “professional shaman” is often found. Indeed, a shaman is a profession. Those who believe in shamanism believe that the shaman inherits his special gift from his ancestors, often on the maternal side, much less often on the paternal side, in addition, the shaman must be chosen by the spirits.

The spirits of ancestors or spirits inhabiting the surrounding mountains, passes, forests, lakes, rivers seem to choose a specific person as a mediator between them - spirits and people. And when people have some difficulties or troubles (illness, loss of property, death loved one, and sometimes just some incomprehensible phenomena) or, on the contrary, the spirits have claims against people (they rarely remember, they have made a mess in the places where the spirits live, they do not make the required sacrifices to them) - in all such cases, the shaman acts as an intermediary, forcing people and asking spirits to do what is supposed to be done.

But before a person acquires shamanic power, forcing both people and spirits to obey him, he undergoes a rite of initiation (tests and dedication). The ritual is quite painful, lasting from several months to several years. Outwardly, everything manifests itself in the form of committing actions that are incomprehensible to other people, often leading to thoughts about a person’s mental illness.

There is even a special term - “shamanic disease”. This is when the spirits demand that the person “chosen” by them agree to become a shaman, but he does not want to, he resists. In response, the spirits “break” him, threatening to send illness or even death to him and his family. And a person refuses to accept the gift because he understands that, having taken on the role of an intermediary between the world of people and the world of spirits, he will no longer belong to himself. He bears a heavy responsibility before the spirits for people, for their weaknesses and actions. He must contribute to the well-being of his relatives, protect them from harm, and selflessly help everyone who needs help.

As soon as the one who is called the chosen one of the spirits agrees to become a shaman, the “shamanic disease” quickly passes. A young shaman, guided by spirits and a completely earthly teacher - another older shaman - begins to gradually gain experience and becomes more and more professional in shamanic practice.

While studying shamanism in Buryatia, I met one shaman who told me her life story. Until she was thirty-five, she never dreamed that she would ever have to become a shaman. She worked as a teacher. She had a husband and two children. Life seemed crisp and clear. Suddenly visions began, voices commanding him to accept the “gift”. She didn't want to and refused. My husband died suddenly. The woman continued to resist. But one day, on the way home, at one of the turns in the road, I heard clear words “out of nowhere”: “In two days, at this turn, you will be hit and killed by a truck.” And then she made a decision.

Now she is one of the most famous Buryat shamans: the queues of people wishing to receive help from her are not decreasing. She is also known abroad. Italian director C. Aleone made a film about her.

Trance or ecstasy. The shaman's communication with spirits - ritual - occurs in a state of trance. This French term is interpreted as clouding of consciousness, detachment, self-hypnosis. Often another term is used to describe the state in which the shaman is - ecstasy - Greek word, meaning frenzy, inspiration, a special state inherent in poets and seers. Those who observed the behavior of the shaman during the ritual noted phenomena such as convulsions, bulging eyes, foam at the mouth, fainting, and seizures. Based on such evidence, many began to consider shamans as mentally ill people. However, during a trance, the shaman, as a rule, does not lose contact with those present at the session. Along the way, he often explains where in this moment he is located and what he sees.

To achieve a state of trance, the shaman uses self-hypnosis, concentrates the will, and mobilizes mental and physical strength. Undoubtedly, the tambourine plays an important role in this, from which the shaman extracts various sounds with a mallet. Often he also hums to the beat. Among some peoples, shamans take hallucinogens - substances that cause hallucinations and promote the onset of trance. Among the Indians of South America it is the peyote cactus, among the indigenous people of Northern Eurasia it is the fly agaric.

Shaman doubles. That's what they call it compulsory subjects that accompany his actions. There are several of them - a tambourine, a suit, a shaman tree. Each has its own purpose, its own function.

The shaman's tambourine is not just a musical instrument. For him, he is also a mount - a deer or horse, on which the shaman is transported to the world of spirits. Among some peoples, the tambourine was conceptualized as a boat on which a shaman sails along the mythical river of time. The Selkups (a people in Siberia, now numbering 3.5 thousand people) believed that the main power of a shaman is the “wind of a tambourine”, which blows away any disease. Everywhere in the shamanic world, the tambourine is considered the soul of the shaman, his double.

Among the peoples of Altai, the shaman, as a rule, always had several tambourines in his life, but not at the same time, but one after the other. As soon as the status of the shaman changed and he ascended to the next higher high level, he was supposed to make a new tambourine. Each tambourine certainly underwent a “revival” ritual, which consisted of several stages. First, the shaman “animated” the tree, usually birch, from which the rim and handles of the tambourine are made. The “revived” rim, through the shaman, told the ritual participants about that period of his life when he lived in the form of a tree in the forest, how he was then cut down, how they made a rim for a tambourine from it. The next stage is the “revival” of the animal whose skin was used to cover the tambourine. The skin of deer, deer or elk was used for this. The “revived” animal, through the shaman, told the ritual participants how it lived freely and frolicked in the taiga, how a hunter killed it and made a tambourine from its skin. The animal promises that it will also serve its master, the shaman. The finished tambourine was covered with drawings. Most often it was a map-picture of the Universe in the shamanic understanding. It depicts the heavenly bodies, the inhabitants of the earthly, underground and supermundane worlds, as well as spirits - the shaman’s assistants. Sometimes metal images of spirits were hung from the rim or handle of the tambourine.

After the death of the shaman, they dealt with the tambourine in different ways: they could hang it on a tree near the shaman’s grave, or they could hide it along with his other things in a small house specially built for this purpose - the “house of spirits.” But the tambourine was never inherited by anyone. It is believed that the shaman’s power does not die with him, but remains alive, contained in his tambourine. And if an uninitiated person touches this power, it can cause mental illness or even kill him.

The second double of the shaman is his costume. A complete shamanic costume included a cloak, pants, boots, mittens, a headdress, a bandage with slits for the eyes, and something like a soft face mask. The shaman did not immediately get the entire suit. He “grew up” with it gradually, as he proved his experience in communicating with spirits. The spirits seem to give the shaman permission for the next detail of the costume.

Among the Kets (a people in Siberia living along the middle reaches of the Yenisei), the shaman first received from the spirits the right to have a mallet for a tambourine (but not the tambourine itself), then a headband, then a bib, after that - shoes, mittens, and after some more - that time is a tambourine. And only last but not least - a cloak and a shaman’s “crown”: a metal headdress crowned with deer antlers. A shaman in a cloak and crown is a strong, experienced and, as a rule, old shaman.

With quite a large discrepancy in details, the costumes of shamans different nations Siberia has always been similar in general terms. All of them reproduce the appearance of the bird beast. The bottom of the cloak was often shaped like a bird's tail. There are metal plates on the shoulders and sleeves - “forearm bones”, metal pendants on the back of the cloak - something like “bird feathers”. A cloak made from the skin of deer, deer or elk, as well as embroidery or metal stripes on shoes and mittens, reproduced the appearance of the animal and its paws.

In the old days, real deer or elk antlers were sewn onto a shaman's skin hat or onto the back of a cloak. The iron “crown” with horns, also made of iron, appeared, of course, later.

It is believed that the shaman's costume is connected to his soul and life in the same way as a tambourine. Accidental, or even more so intentional, damage to a costume can lead to the death of a shaman.

I have heard this story more than once from students of shamanism in Siberia. About thirty or forty years ago, either an Evenki or a Nenets shaman, under pressure from local atheist-minded authorities, stopped shamanizing and donated his costume to the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera in St. Petersburg). By handing over his gift, he made the museum staff promise to store the suit in proper conditions, take care of it and generally treat it well. For several years everything was fine, but one day a moth appeared in the museum’s storage room, which damaged many things, including the suit. At this time, in a distant Siberian village, a former shaman fell ill. He realized that something had happened to his suit. Fortunately, through one of the museum employees who came to the village on an expedition, they managed to convey a request to put the costume in order. As soon as this was done, the disease went away. Such stories are believed unconditionally in the shamanic world.

And finally, the shaman tree is the third double. Most often, this is a tree growing in the forest, which the shaman chose for himself, according to some characteristics known to him. If it suddenly began to dry out, the shaman fell ill; if the tree was cut down, the shaman died. This is what the Yakuts thought.

Among other Siberian peoples, for example among the Selkups, the shaman brought a small tree to his tent and hung sacrifices to spirits and deities on it. The Selkups and Nanais believed that shamanic attributes (mirror, horns, bells) grew on such a tree. And according to Ket mythology, spirits in the form of birds sit on a shaman’s tree. At the request of the shaman, they can fly to the uppermost layers of the sky and find out everything that interests him there.

It turns out that in the shamanic world everything is spiritualized and interconnected. A shaman is a living person, his tambourine, costume, tree are also living beings. With their help, the shaman turns to the world of spirits, and through their mediation the spirits inhabit the shaman. The death of any link in this interconnected chain leads to the death of them all.

Practice and theory. The shaman performs a set of rituals to heal the sick, to infuse the soul of a child into a childless woman, to change the weather and much more - all this is called shamanic practice by religious scholars. Is there a shamanic theory? Yes, I have. Many scientists talk about the existence of a special shamanic worldview. If we talk briefly and only about the most important things, we can name the following components:

The whole world is spiritualized. Everything that surrounds us - forests, fields, mountains, rivers, lakes, individual trees and even stones - is inhabited by spirits who can help a person if they are asked to do so by performing the appropriate ritual. And they can do harm if they are forgotten, if they are accidentally or intentionally insulted.

Man is not the crown of creation, but just a part of this world, no more outstanding than all other representatives of the animal and even plant world. The appearance of a person is just a shell that can be changed: hence the stories about people turning into a bear, fish, deer, bird, sea animal or descending from them.

There is no insurmountable line between the world of the living and the dead (in our understanding of these words). The possibility of crossing this line to one side or the other in shamanism does not surprise anyone. They absolutely believe that a shaman can return to a deceased person a soul that has gone “for a walk” and is “lost” somewhere, and thereby restore life to him. It is believed that a shaman can determine that some person, perhaps by chance, he meets is in mortal danger, of which he is unaware. They believe that by performing a ritual on this person, the danger can be removed.

Working in regions where shamanism is both cultural phenomenon continues to live today, I often heard stories about how someone “met” or knocked on someone’s window Badma, Sysoy, Syrtyp or someone else they knew, but was already dead, and asked for something to do or warned about what not to do. A warned person, as a rule, complied with this request and avoided danger. Such situations are considered the norm here, the rule and do not surprise anyone. The dead help the living because they are just as alive, but they have just moved to another space, from which they can appear as needed.

These features, perhaps, can be considered the basis of the general shamanic worldview. Although the shamanic culture of each individual nation has its own characteristics and is often very different from the shamanism of even its closest neighbors. It cannot be treated as something stable, established. Despite its thousands of years of history, the element of improvisation is still strong in it. Every shaman is not only a priest, he is also a healer, a musician, a poet, and a performer. Each text spoken by him during the ritual is a one-time improvisation. The next time during a similar ritual, a similar, but not identical text will be read.

And lastly: is shamanism modern? In the age of the Internet, on the one hand, and the loss moral guidelines, on the other hand, does anyone need shamans, shamanism and the shamanic value system?

I think yes. Shamanism is environmentally friendly: it ties its adherents to their native land and orders them to take care of it. What are the people living around? shamanic spirits? This is the small homeland of people, this is the place where they were born, these are the graves of their ancestors, which they should not forget. And the ancestors (can be understood this way: their experience, the life wisdom they have accumulated, established moral principles) in turn, will also take care of those living today and will help them in difficult times. But on condition that they are not forgotten.

Shamanism is friendly and sociable. Any new forms of ideology and technological breakthroughs into the future do not cut the ground from under his feet. For many centuries, powerful religious systems such as Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam fought against shamanism, but it survived. Soviet atheism pronounced its verdict on shamanism in the very first years Soviet power, declaring it a “dark relic of the feudal past”, and shamans as “crooks” and “parasites”. But even in this ideological duel, shamanism, although it suffered major losses, did not die.

The shaman today is far from the same as he was in the past or even at the beginning of the twentieth century. This is quite modern man, often young, having higher education, secular work and quite successfully moving up the career ladder. But at the same time, he is a shaman (with several generations of shamanic ancestors, “chosen by the spirits”) and performs his shamanic functions in relation to his relatives.

The costume, tambourine and other attributes of shamanic culture have become simpler, the rituals are clearer.

Shamans today are concerned about the ever-increasing separation of a person from his “clan” - there is such a good old-fashioned word meaning relatives, native places, origins of the clan, ancestral roots. Therefore, today's shamans advise people to go at least once a year to the place where they were born, visit the graves of their parents and grandfathers, climb the ancestral sacred mountain, bow to the source that gave water to their ancestors, and everywhere leave at least small signs of their attention - a coin, a white or pink rag on a tree, a piece of cheese, cookies or candy. And, probably, until people learn to remember their origins, shamanism and shamans will remind them of this and will remain their “amulets,” the guardians of their genetic memory.

Literature

Basilov V.N. Chosen Spirits. M., "Politizdat", 1984.

Basilov V.N. Shamanism among the peoples of Central Asia and Kazakhstan. M., "Science", 1992.

Smolyak A. V. Shaman: personality, function, worldview. M., "Science", 1991.

Shaman and the Universe in the culture of the peoples of the world (collection of articles). St. Petersburg, "Science", 1997.
Each text spoken by the shaman during the ritual is an improvisation. That is why the recordings of these texts are so interesting. Here are a few examples indicating who, when and with which people recorded them.

Introduction
Shamanism occupies a special and significant place in the complex of sacred crafts and magical arts. Shamanism is present in many traditions of different peoples. It existed in all cultures at the primitive stage of their development in almost the same form. The difference was only in certain nuances and practices, but the essence and content were the same everywhere. Shamanism is rooted in the basic structure of the world as it existed before humanity. A structure that is the same for everyone. Therefore, shamanism applies to all cultures and traditions equally.
In shamanism there are no strictly established rules, there is no hierarchy in the cult itself among its representatives. In fact, shamanism is the oldest form of spiritualistic practices. This practice is time-tested. When our ancient ancestors called on the spirit of the Deer and asked to come and help them with the hunt, they used shamanic techniques.
Shamanism is a personal journey of knowledge and inner strength, but it is also a journey that traditionally all has community or family set limits. Similar norms are the general rule for those who practice shamanism today, but family and group restrictions should be different.
Shamans have held a significant position in many cultures around the world since the beginning of time. They were ceremonialists, healers, soothsayers and many others. They work with forces: their own and the surrounding world. They understand the connection and need for balance between all things, and understand that all aspects of the world are living - people, animals, plants, mountains, and even the wind.
Traditionally, people mainly come to shamanism by being chosen and trained by practicing shamans, or by inheriting knowledge of the cult from their ancestors. Often people come to shamanic practice after coming into contact with death, but this does not mean that you have to try to kill yourself to become a shaman.
Basically, your interest in shamanic practices does not make you a shaman. If you have just started this path, then it would be quite reasonable to call you a follower of shamanic practices or a student of a shaman. Shaman is one of many titles that can only be applied to a person who has studied and practiced this art for a long time. For practitioners there is a common name - Woman or Male Healer.
Another common misconception is that shamanism is synonymous with Native American spiritualism. Native Americans were just one of many groups that used shamanic practices in their spiritualism and magic. Many other cultures have used and continue to use, from South America all the way to Siberia, these practices in real life. Some of the most studied shamanic practices include Native American shamanism, Celtic shamanism, and Siberian shamanism. In general, all forms of shamanism contain basic ideas and concepts that, however, varied greatly from group to group, and even from tribe to tribe.

Shaman Beliefs

One of the main beliefs of shamans is the belief in a network of forces or an infinite number of them, which is contained in all things that exist on earth. Shamans believe that everything is alive and united in mutual contact between everything else in the world. This is the network of forces that gives feelings to the whole world. The network has an unlimited number of potencies and forces directed into the physical world. Understanding this network of forces, this world of spirits, is essential to understanding and studying shamanism.
Any object in the physical world has a “spirit”. This is the spirit that is the source of strength. Shamans communicate with the spirits of both living and (what many may consider) non-living things. So, these communications give an idea of ​​​​the world around them and the more you know, the more strength you release.
As a general rule, shamans believe that unlike objects of nature, plants and animals, each person has their own unique spiritual body. This spiritual body can be seen among people as a bright light or a ripple in the air. This spiritual body normally extends around people anywhere from 18 inches to 3 feet and shows how a person feels and what he thinks. Brighter colors have higher vibrations, while darker, dull colors have lower vibrations. Some believe that the size of the spiritual body corresponds to the level of a person's powers. This body is also called the aura.
The more closely shamans work with the spirits of the world, the easier it is for them to “get lost” between the real world and the world of spirits. People who constantly daydream on the go or have their head in the clouds are unprotected people. Shamans have the ability to live in the real world and the world of spirits and not forget who they are and where they are. This is done by maintaining balance, fundamental and present, or mental protection of your physical being. Shamans must know where they are at all times. This is one of the reasons why shamans seem more powerful than other people. People who are intimately familiar with shamanic techniques and who control their location can make shamanic journeys even while walking down the street.
In a second, the shaman concentrates and focuses on where the vision comes from. One such place is the Tree of Life. Its roots lie in the Lower World, also known as the underworld or world of the dead, where shamans come to talk with ancestors, find lost information, or find information about diseases and other things affecting the physical body. A journey to the world of the dead should not be carried out without a guide. The tree trunk is known as Middle World. Often the trunk is seen as a square, with each of the four sides corresponding to a specific season. This is a magical version of our reality and shamans visit it to solve everyday problems. Tree branches – Upper World. This is the world of the future, development and flight. No one world looks better than another world or is better than another world and many shamans from all over the world use similar guides.
Another similar phenomenon is the medicine wheel, also known as a mandala. It is a circle divided into four sections (or sometimes divided into eight sections) which symbolize the four directions. The circle of the wheel symbolizes the Middle World, the sky above it, the Upper World, and the earth near the Lower World. The center of the circle is the center of the universe and a complete circle, including the Upper and Lower worlds spiraling towards the center. Each person has a place on this wheel, which symbolizes their place in relationship with their spiritual center in the center of the circle. The better you know your center, the more power you have.
Here is a simple exercise that will help you determine where you are on the medicine wheel.
Concentrate and relax. Close your eyes. Visualize the medicine wheel. Divide it into four quarters with two clear lines crossing the middle. Determine which line corresponds to which direction. Place a dot in the center of the circle and then fill in the squares as you wish. Allow a spirit animal to come into each square as a symbol. Don't think about the animals, just let them come. If it doesn't work, try next time. Ask your spirit animal to show you your position on the wheel. Remember the square, color, spirit animal for that section, and how close you are to the center. If you feel possible, then ask your spirit animal what this means to you at this time. Thank the spirit for its help and return back to our world the same way. Then open your eyes. Write down and sketch what you saw. You can repeat this exercise quite often to check what level you are in relation to the center

Balance, harmony in shamanism

The most important thing for a shaman is balance. All living things are interconnected through a network of power, all actions have consequences. You must calculate these consequences before you act. The Wiccan law of threefold retribution applies to shamanism as well as to Wicca.
Just as the trifaced gods Asatru have the power of a crone or an old man to interact with death and transformation, so shamanism also works with these aspects of life. Shamans understand that in order for something to be created, something must be destroyed, that without light there is no darkness. And evil and good are just two sides of the same coin. These things correspond to destruction: bad habits, believing you want to change, unhealthy relationships, and so on. Destructions have enormous strength and shamans understand this, and use this power for their benefit and the people around them.
Creation is also important, but without destruction there can be no creation and vice versa. Shamans must learn to balance these two forces in their lives. Forces are kept in balance because if your life is in complete harmony and harmony is contained in everything you do, then you are in tune with the network of force. It means creation and destruction, giving and receiving. The more you give, the more you receive, but remember that you must remain in balance, you must give as much as you receive, just giving is not enough. It is wonderful to receive gifts and remember that everything in life is a gift.
Shamans are very aware of the whole picture. If your goals are in harmony with the big picture, then you should work on your goals to develop them. The key to this is neutrality. Strong emotions can cover or even block the flow of information to you from the world of spirits; similar traits are characteristic of blind views and glances. You have to be willing to look at both sides of the issue, because sometimes the answer is on the opposite side of what you think.
Shamans learn to detach themselves from the situation, sometimes with the help of humor. It is difficult to remain emotional and attached to the issue when you are laughing at the situation or yourself. Humor can be found in everything, especially if it is inside a person, you just have to study it and understand it. If you are too emotional, then things will definitely not work out on your path. Your emotions can blind you. This also happens if you pay too much attention to something. The spirits of the world need to be free to work and to be chosen to work. You will need to learn to surrender in order to achieve your goals and understand that the spirits of the world work in their own time and way.
Remember to listen to yourself, your guides and allies, and remember to look at the big picture and rely on balance in everything you do. Be willing to change and see change as a fun learning experience rather than hiding or running away from it. Don't let your emotions blind you to doing what you do. The majority of all those who swear must be tolerant and accept all the spirits of the world.

Visualization

Shamans live simultaneously in two worlds: the physical world, where we all live, and the visual or spirit world. Shamanism teaches how to cross the gap between the real and shamanic worlds. The main tool of a shaman is visualization or simply moving into an imaginary world.
Drop the idea that leading is a useless figment of the imagination if you want to study shamanism. This is not groundless mental activity of the brain and is most understandable not only for children. This is the connecting link with the world of spirits. If you wish to use shamanic techniques in your life, move on to using your imagination.
Children can easily enter the spirit world, but they lose this ability as they grow up. But it's not bad. Children need to learn to spot the differences between real world and the spirit world, but some people subsequently learn to block this ability for themselves so seriously that they subsequently need to relearn how to use their innate abilities, as children do. But don't worry, like cycling, you will remember very closely.
Shamanic visualization activates all your senses - sight, touch, smell, hearing, taste and even the “sixth sense”. The more feelings you bring into your visualization, the stronger it becomes, and the easier it will be for you to travel.

Start date

Once you start practicing shamanism, you will begin to see obstacles that will get out of your way and things that will help you. You will notice that you will become much more comfortable communicating with yourself and the world around you. You will feel more connected to the world and find potential in yourself that you never knew about. This will only happen if you allow it and work with the spirits as gently as possible and allow them to work with you.
During the course of your studies you should decide that you want to move beyond simply using some basic shamanic practices. It will be better if you find yourself a teacher. Moreover, the teacher does not have to be a person from physical world. You must decide what is most convenient for you, and choose a mentor from a physical or spiritual worlds, among the spirits of plants, animals, and so on. The main selection criterion should be your personal preferences. Remember that formal training will require time and dedication.
When choosing a teacher, be picky. However, when you choose someone to help you study shamanism, keep a few things in mind. Choose better those who have a good sense of humor and are able to laugh at themselves and will help you laugh at yourself, than those who are constantly serious. A good teacher must love and respect the world around him. They should let people into their lives more than drive them away. They should demand and expect excellence from you right away. They must be able to make mistakes and correct them, and show their emotions. They must have a strong shamanic presence and practice everything that is taught.

Shamanic journey

The most significant aspect of shamanism is travel. The world tree Yggdrasil can be used for travel. The journey is accomplished through visualization. You can discover what is called an “altered state of consciousness” or “state of ecstasy.” In a more meaningful sense, it is a deep meditative state in which you travel, most often with the help of your spirit guide, on your own or with the help of Yggdrasil. Traveling allows you to commune with your spiritual self and network of forces.
Most shamans use the blows of tambourines to help them enter a trance. You don’t have to use a shaman’s tambourine; any rhythmic sounds will do, for example the sound of ocean waves. You can also knock on the tambourine for yourself or ask someone else to knock on the tambourine for you. You can travel without sound accompaniment, but they can really help you more easily enter a state of altered consciousness. They will also help you return from your trip. I advise you not to travel without sound until you feel most comfortable with the journey.
The length of the journey depends on the person and what he is trying to do. Make sure no one disturbs you. If your thoughts are bothering you, try to discard them and move on. The same thing will remain if you try to evaluate what you see. First acknowledge that your consciousness wants to control the process, and then move on.
When you travel try to be respectful, gentle and calm. You won't get far if you don't embrace the wonderful experiences of your travels. Often the answers will be simple and direct, but they can also be laid out in the form of a fairy tale or riddle. If so, then they are telling the truth. Don't try to understand them too much if you just leave it as is. Over time you will understand everything yourself. Accept what you see (keep the gifts of your spirit), even if what you see has nothing to do with you now. Believe me, you will understand everything when the right time comes. You should not have any preconceptions or stereotypes about what you see in the spirit world, as they may distort the meaning of what you see there.
If you're trying to travel but it's not working out, don't panic, you're probably not ready yet, or you're doing something wrong. Don't worry about it. Most likely you weren't ready or it wasn't the right time. Just wait and try again later. Choose more right time for travel.

Stages of the shamanic journey

1. Shamanic journey - the beginning
Take a comfortable position and relax as much as possible. Make sure no one will disturb you. Start (or let a friend start) banging a tambourine or singing warlocks in the galt style, or making some other rhythmic sounds. Close your eyes and concentrate on your question. The answer may not be a specific “yes” or “no,” but try to make sure that the meaning of the phrase is not biased in either direction. Mentally say that you will gratefully accept what you see and appreciate it. You shouldn't take the advice you receive literally, but don't try to judge it harshly. Ask your fetch spirit to protect you and protect your body during your journey.
Visualize an underground entrance, such as a cave, using all your senses. As an example, I visualize myself deep in a pine forest and then walking down a path to reach a hole in a hill. Wait for your fetch, he should meet you at the entrance. This animal should be your totem, but it can also be your helper. If it makes you uncomfortable, ask it to leave (preferably politely) and call another animal, your totem, or ask that animal to change its form. If the fetch does not respond to your call, try again later.
Tell your fetch your question. Later he may ask you to follow him, in any case, follow him quickly down the tunnel. For example, it is normal for you to ask the fetch for permission to hold on to him or ride on him. The journey through tunnels can be short or long and can have many bumps, spirals and turns. Don't worry about it. Just remember your path.
When your guide stops you will be in some landscape, or in a library, or in any other area where the answer to your question is located. You may also appear in front of a door that you must enter yourself. But even if you are “alone,” you can feel your guide protecting you. Accept what you see or what you are given. Leave when you are asked to do so or when you feel it is necessary. As a general rule, your guide should take you back to where you came from if you don't remember the way back or are disoriented. Remember to thank your guide. Then take care of your physical body and when you are ready open your eyes.

2. Tunnels
Tunnels, like caves or hollows, are most often used as paths to the worlds of shamans. Most often, the human spiritual body also has tunnels around it. Many belief systems use this idea. The tunnel system is very close to the chakra system. There are 7 main chakra points, each of which corresponds to a specific part of the body and a specific color. They are often visible as spiral tunnels corresponding in color to certain parts of the aura and will be accompanied by a certain energy.
The chakras are connected to each other and to other tiny tunnels on spiritual body person. Tunnels should appear vertically lined up throughout the body. Sometimes these interconnected channels can become blocked, due to an accident, stress or depression.

The first tunnel is located at the base of the spine. The color is associated with red. It is associated with instincts, survival, previous lives, fears and purity of energy.
The second tunnel is located in the abdominal cavity, near the navel. Its color is orange. It is associated with instinctive emotions, sexual energy, reproduction, creative energy and new discoveries.
The third tunnel is located on the solar plexus. Its color is yellow. It is associated with action, leadership, self-assertion, and tension, both physical and mental. Check if you feel weak or anything else.
The fourth tunnel is located in the chest, especially the heart. Its color is green. Associated with emotions, self-esteem.
The fifth tunnel is located on the throat, but it is also located on the ears as well. Blue color. Associated with communications, creativity, telepathy and self-expression.
The sixth tunnel is located on the eyebrows and eyes, also called the third eye. Its color is indigo. Associated with looking inside, into the essence of things, or looking from a distance.
The seventh tunnel is located at the crown chakra or at the top of the head. Its color is purple. Associated with the spiritualist gift. It is a passage and connection between the physical world and the spirit world.

Travel through the tunnels to explore your tunnels and to explore them and yourself. Always remember to call your guides so that they will always be with you. Ask them to go into the tunnels with you and talk about them or talk about your problems and which tunnels you should visit to solve them.
If you see abstractions in the tunnels, let your fetch explain their meaning. Especially if they really care about you. After all, this is their work. They are there to guide you and protect you. Let them do it. They will definitely explain to you the meaning of what they saw.
Don't do this if you don't feel well enough. If you feel an urgent need for this, you can ask someone to make this journey for you. Find a comfortable position (sitting or lying down) and make sure you feel your shoulders, knees and heels. Let your fetch work with your companion or let his fetch work with you. Relax and remain calm.
Remember to visualize your tunnels. If you notice a problem, you can fix it before it gets worse. Solve this problem if you can. You can also involve your fetch to protect your tunnels from interference. You can use the help of fetch in finding a Master who will help you work with tunnels and with you in general. Remember that your features can monitor the state of the tunnels and do not forget to check them.

3. Fetchy – spirits of shamans
What are our fetches for us? Or rather, who are they to us? Assistants? Yes. Ourselves? Undoubtedly. Why is reliance on the image of an existing (existing, “fictional” mythical creature) so common? Why is a sorcerer or sorceress without a fetch an exception, but by no means the rule? The answer is completely unequivocal - they are necessary, they do something that we ourselves find it difficult to do without their help.
Firstly, any fetch is an entity that lives in a certain living space, which represents a home for itself, a place in which any action inherent in this fetch is natural and desirable. So, where fetch birds live, all life consists in the joy of flight, flight there is as logical and inevitable as breathing. Then it depends on you - will you turn into your fetch in order to gain the ability, say, to fly, or, by going to his world, will you receive such a talent without changing externally and internally. So, fetches are with us, because they can take us into their worlds, into worlds that can become a true home for us, just as they turned out to be native places for the fetches themselves.
There is a temptation to say that in this case, the fetch and the travel associated with its appearance into its world are a manifestation of a feeling of alienation to this world, of separation from it. The desire to move away from daily events, to remove routine, of course, is all the more characteristic of sorcerers, the more acutely they feel their difference from the inhabitants of this world, the more they strive to leave it, especially if they have somewhere to go. On the other hand, any travel is also enrichment personal experience, developing new skills, techniques for mutually and simply influencing the world. For all its diversity, this world is immeasurably poorer than those where we can go, led by our fetches. So, they are not just our guides in their own worlds, but they can also show the way to worlds where, rather, they, and not we, will be guests. Fetches, possessing a huge number of abilities that, alas, are not available to us in our current situation, can help us find our way home, return us, as we are now, to ourselves - as we once were. Therefore, although we often call ourselves “Travelers”, “Seekers”, we ourselves need those who will find us our Paths like air.
This in no way means that we ourselves cannot find them: the whole point is that traveling alone is not a joy for anyone. It is a fact. And even though we are doomed to eternal loneliness, we strive to find those who would always be there, and if we cannot find them, then we persist and find them. Sometimes gaining can feel like creating. We, as people often say, “invent” fetch satellites for ourselves. Pay attention to the word - we you - think. “You” is an indicator of creation - we highlight something from ourselves, we tear out part of our inner world in order to isolate it, to endow it with life. Yes, not all of us can revive what has been created...Or can we all? Or at least many? How many times have we, unsure of our own abilities, been unable to believe that we can create for ourselves a great company, a reserve of strength, an eternal support group, one that, at the most difficult moment, will sit next to you in a silent, sympathetic circle and will not give in to a single enemy or ill-wisher? break you. Only our own doubts stand between us and the opportunity to create friends for ourselves. Of course, fortunately, we have children, and they have received the best treasure in the world - the ability to turn away and brush aside their own, or rather those imposed by someone, “I can’t” and “I can’t.” And it is children who create the most wonderful Those Who Are Nearby. Children don’t know “how to do it” and don’t bother themselves too much about it, they just create. And now the friends that have already been created are actually nearby. For what? If you yourself once looked carefully around and realized that this is exactly what you have been missing all your life, ... first try to make sure that this is really the case. Usually those they join as a result have something like this always existed. In childhood, these are the so-called “imaginary friends”, and it was completely in vain that everyone immediately remembered Carlson - yes, this is a vivid example, but if you look for “Carlson” in the past, you will hardly find it. A thousand years ago, in an English textbook there was a story about a human cub who had a donkey, a tiger and another merry company living under his carpet. The cub was sick and had no friends. At first there wasn’t, and then they appeared... And they came up with games, and he drew pictures for them and put them under the carpet, and in the pictures there was food for friends, and just everything that could please them. Do you remember? Maybe you will remember if I say that Stevenson wrote this book? In a sense, magicians are all “sick babies.” We are sick with loneliness, or rather, we do not consciously suppress this virus in ourselves - after all, it is this virus that does not allow us to sit down calmly and swim fat in front of the TV. Eternal restlessness, eternal road... But we so often look around in search of a fellow traveler. A difficult, special travel companion.
There is one more important role that we assign to fetches. They are unique repositories of knowledge, developments and experience. Finding something valuable on the Path, even if we reinvent the wheel again, we realize that it must be preserved. Alas, it is often extremely difficult to leave what you find untouched, but you can entrust this knowledge to Someone Who’s Nearby, endow him or her with this quality, and then check it against the standard. Why are there eagles, foxes, owls, and wolves next to us? Because their lightness, cunning, wisdom, cruelty are valuable to us, because these qualities once sparkled in us and formed the basis of personality, individuality. And our fetches now jealously guard the essence of ourselves - our own lightness-cunning-wisdom-cruelty. When we, broken, are ready to make humiliating compromises, admit the futility of movement, or abandon the Path altogether, it is the fetch who turn out to be nearby and share with us the treasures that they have. And this is also their help.
...They are always there. At arm's length. They are one step behind. And they will not let you stagger on the Path. I call them mine because that’s what it is...only sometimes I don’t know for sure whether the creatures are mine...whether they are my creators. Yes, they are creatures, because whether we call them (and they come to the call only if they themselves wish), or create them, but without us their existence will inevitably turn out to be different, less bright. We are on our Path, making mistakes, understanding mistakes, stumbling, and grasping at them in an attempt to hold on and not fall (or just fall!) into Tartarars - it is we who make them what they are - TeKtoRyadom, irreplaceable and at the same time absolutely free - friends. And at the same time, of course, they are the creators - because walking next to us, pointing out our (and their) mistakes to us, rejoicing in our accomplishments, with this joy, reaction, approval or sadness they cut us into special, magical patterns. And what about names... Truly: whatever they are called: companions, assistants, fetches, guardians, guides, performers, friends, family - and everyone is right. For yours will be exactly the one, that or those who you need, who can stand shoulder to shoulder next to you and support, and endow with Strength, and lead. And in next moment he, she or they will give you another great experience - the experience of realizing your own need, the need for them. As they lead us, so we often lead them - and this is precisely what is pathetically called “walking hand in hand.” Well, or paw on paw.

4.Shaman cards
Yggdrasil is a map of the spirit world. Knowing your location and not losing it is the most important thing in the shamanic worlds; moreover, traveling in the spirit world is opposite to the physical world. Being organized and careful gives you greater control and better access to your inner strengths.
Feel the freedom. To explore Yggdrasil. Start knocking, singing warlocks, or just relax and visualize Yggdrasil. You can feel that its roots give you silt and grow from within your soul. Some believe that the trunk is square, with one side matching and adjacent to the other. Exploring the trunk - Midgard or the middle world will help you find the answer to everyday questions and problems. East side associated with beginnings, South with growth and productivity, West with development and change, North with mysterious things, thoughts and rebirth.
Once you have explored the trunk and discovered its secrets, and determined what you can learn from it, you can move to the Overworld or the Nether. Naturally, it is better to first study the Upper World - Asgard, and then begin to study the Lower World - Hel. Asgard is located on the branches of Yggdrasil, this is the zone of creation and the future. If you want to learn the future from the gods, this is the place. This is also the realm of flight.
Nether - Hel is located at the roots of Yggdrasil, it is a very powerful place, but it is also dangerous. IN this world you should always be accompanied by your fetch, or better yet several, for your safety. Here you can communicate with those who are more capable in shamanism or find lost information. It is also the place of the physical body and survival. Here you can learn healing and the secrets of the body.
It will be best if you feel comfortable in all worlds. Always remember the path you took and go back along it.

I don’t know what book this is. Since I tore it up a long time ago and wasn’t interested in the source.

Before the advent of numerous religions, shamanism was especially widespread, including great amount rituals and rules. There are still tribes, and even peoples, ruled by shamans. It is believed that this chosen people who have the ability to communicate with Higher powers.

What is shamanism?

An early form of religion based on human communication with spirits in a state of trance is called shamanism. It has a close connection with magic, animism, fetishism and totemism. According to research, shamanic practices were known during the Neolithic and Bronze Ages. There are different national and religious forms of shamanism, for example, Korean, Yakut, Altai and so on.

Shamanism is a polytheistic religion, where various natural phenomena are considered to be deities, and all surrounding objects are endowed with a soul. Shamans claim that only a person’s conscious belonging to the Universe gives a chance and feelings of injustice. They have the ability to travel to other worlds and communicate with different spirits, receiving power from supernatural sources.

The shaman is considered the chosen one of the spirits, and he can receive his gift through “shamanic illness” - a condition that is similar to lethargic sleep. Meeting with a guardian spirit, who is a protector from negativity, is of great importance. The state when the shaman is in a trance is called ritual, and it is accompanied by drum beats, dances and spells. The modern shaman performs several functions: priest, soothsayer, healer, adviser and others.

Shamanism as a religion

Although individual elements of shamanism can be found in almost all religions, calling it a separate religious direction it is forbidden. It includes a combination of ecstatic and therapeutic techniques that allow you to interact with parallel worlds. Religion, shamanism and magical movements are different concepts that, one way or another, are intertwined with each other.

Signs of shamanism

As already said, magical powers a person receives if the spirits decide to reward him. There is a version that shamanism and shamanism can be inherited. There are some signs by which one can determine chosenness.

1. There may be unusual markings on the body, e.g. birthmarks, or physical defects are taken into account, so in Siberia a sign of strength is an extra finger or toe.
2. It is necessary to focus on personality traits, as potential shamans love solitude in nature. Such people are closed.
3. The presence of supernatural powers in a person, which manifest themselves in visions of the future, in prophetic dreams, the ability to see the souls of the dead, and so on.
4. The desire to study shamanism, and it must be strong and not have any validity. When performing special exercises, your aspirations only increase.

Shamanism and Orthodoxy

Many people are interested in how the church relates to different directions that have to do with magic. According to clergy, shamanism and Christianity are two incompatible things, since everything that makes a person believe in spirits, demons and other supernatural beings is prohibited and is considered a manifestation of demonism. All magical directions are an obstacle for a person to achieve unity with the Lord.

Shamanism in the modern world

IN Lately The magic of shamans has become of interest to a large number of people who strive for and want to receive the power for healing. The times when people sought to find the chosen one are gone, and in modern world they themselves are trying to learn shamanic rituals, undergoing training and initiation. If previously knowledge was passed on by word of mouth, then thanks to writing a lot of information is accessible to the average person.

Shamanism is a magic that requires long-term training, and you can start by reading specialized literature. M. Harner’s book “The Way of the Shaman” is popular. The acquired knowledge must be constantly applied in practice, since shamanism can only be comprehended through experience. It is also recommended to spend a lot of time in nature, exploring its possibilities and learning to listen to its advice.

Shamanism - interesting facts

In different parts of the world, shamanism has its own characteristics, which depend on geographical location, color and other features.

1. In Australia, researchers discovered only the beginnings of shamanism, and their representatives were called Birraarka.
2. Interesting facts: the shamans of South America were called machi, and they healed people from diseases caused by the action of evil spirits. During the ritual, they certainly took out some object from the patient’s body.
3. In Bolivia, shamans were called baras and they communicated with spirits, made predictions and had the ability to perform witchcraft.
4. In Korea, only women practiced shamanism and they were called mu-dan. It is important to note that powers and knowledge were passed on only by inheritance. In addition to the basic abilities of shamans, they knew how to make amulets, tell fortunes and cast spells.