Shamanism

Introduction

Shamanism is widely regarded as the oldest human spiritual practice, with roots going back to the Paleolithic era (the Stone Age), from 2.5 million to 200,000 years ago. The Dance of the Deer Foundation notes that

“One could view shamanism as the universal spiritual wisdom inherent to all indigenous tribes. As all ancient spiritual practices are rooted in nature, shamanism is the method by which we as human beings can strengthen that natural connection.”

The shamanistic way of life, which is regarded as a religion by some but not all people, regards every element of the world (and presumably the wider universe) as having its own spirit. This includes not just people and animals, but also plants, minerals, bodies of water, mountains, entire forests, and so on. Everything is interconnected; everything is part of the great web of life. A shaman is a healer, capable of communicating with these spirits and with spirit guides who can inform the shaman what the community or the individual client needs.

Origins

It appears that the earliest shamans practiced among the indigenous peoples in Siberia and Mongolia. The word “shaman” comes from the Siberian language known as Tungus: “saman” means “one who knows.”

This tradition was of course completely oral, and reflects early humanity’s efforts to understand the world in which they lived and their place in the vast universe. Shamanism evolved in cultures all over the globe, without reference to each other or to any central figure. It seems to be the most basic of human attempts to comprehend the mysteries of the cosmos. One website notes that

“This universality speaks to the shared human experience and the intrinsic need to connect with the sacred and spiritual dimensions of existence.”

History

Shamanism has no scriptures or named founders; as noted above, it is apparently the worldwide first step in humanity’s effort to understand Nature and our place in it.

In the theosophical teachings, every human attribute begins in the mind of the Divine and gradually works its way "down" to the physical plane. Shamanism, then, is simply where we began to try and make sense of the world around us. Presumably this would occur only after we had reached a stage where we knew how to meet our basic physical needs and thus had time to think about the spiritual world(s). It would also seem to point to a degree of separation between humans and the spirit world that did not exist previously. It has been suggested that prehistoric humans may have lived in the higher planes of consciousness as easily as they did on the physical plane. To serve the collective evolution of consciousness, we had to “descend” further into physical reality, leaving our direct experience of the spiritual world behind us. Theosophy posits the beginnings of humanity at a spiritual level, from which we underwent “involution” into the physical realm. Thus very early humans --- perhaps earlier than the scientific record can show --- may have been aware of the higher planes of consciousness as a reality on a par with the physical plane. Shamans represent those humans who were (and are) still capable of direct experience with other levels of reality.

Modern Manifestations

A Native American professor of religious studies once told a class, in which this writer was present, that true shamanism is a calling from within, a vocation that is arduous, rare, and not to be used for profit. She did not believe that New Age practitioners who do not come from an Indigenous tradition were true shamans, despite appropriating that title. Modern-day practitioners, naturally, disagree with this assessment. A Web search on “modern shamanism” (excluding AI) turns up quite a few articles by such New Age practitioners, with a great variety of opinions on what constitutes the practice of shamanism and whether other opinions are valid. This is not the place to re-hash such arguments. Perhaps a reasonable approach is to refer to modern-day, non-Native practitioners as “shamanic healers” rather than shamans.

Tengrism

As noted above, the earliest shamans likely practiced among the indigenous peoples in Siberia and Mongolia. The form of shamanism prevalent during Genghis Kahn’s reign over the Mongol Empire, and which is still practiced today, is called Tengrism, after a “Sky God” named Tengri. Genghis Kahn was a Tengrist who --- unusual for the times --- also believed in religious tolerance. His followers were allowed to practice other religions as well as Tengrism, which many of them did. While in some quarters this has earned him the title “Defender of Religions,” he did forbid some Jewish and Islamic practices. However, he also exempted all religious leaders from taxation. He expected Mongol citizens to identify as Mongolians first and foremost, and that their loyalty would be to him rather than other religious leaders.

Being a Tengrist, Genghis Kahn as a leader was obliged to appeal to a shaman when there was disorder in the Empire. As noted above, shamans are healers, providing a connection between this material world and the world of the spirits. As such, they had the power to investigate what was going on beneath the surface of the physical world and to remedy the problem(s), bringing balance back into the world.

Tengrism views the cosmos as encompassing three realms: the underground; the middle domain where we humans live; and the higher spiritual world. While Tengri is credited with having created and continuing to govern the universe, the modern emphasis appears to be not a monotheistic worship of this supreme god, but a way to live authentically and ethically.

Altai-Kai

The Altai Mountains cover roughly 2100 km (1300 mi), through China, Mongolia, Russia, and Kazakhstan. According to UNESCO (United Nations agency for education, science, and culture), “The Altai Mountains bear unique witness to the ancient Scythian culture that flourished in the Eurasian steppe during the 1st millennium BCE.” This steppe has long been home to various nomadic tribes, and many of their descendants still live according to a worldview that values an ethical relationship with nature over the excesses of materialism. Altai Kudai, the God of these mountains, is a living spirit. Respect for this spirit is the defining characteristic of Altai-Kai culture.

Shamanic ceremonies always refer to the spiritual and serve the spirits as well as the community. Their music is a delight.

Although sometimes referred to as the “Golden Mountains,” an Altai shaman tells us that there is not enough gold there to justify that title. The word Altai means “Diverse and unified God of mine.” To the question “What makes Altai different from other Russian regions?” the shamanic response is “Barrows, ails, souls, spirits.” Barrows are burial mounds; many in the Altai date back to that Scythian culture. An ail is a traditional Altai dwelling, always pyramid-shaped, with no floor except the earth and an open chimney --- that is, a section of the roof is left open. The modern ail appears to be a secondary lodge used for spiritual purposes: “This is a family shrine” where the human soul is formed. Such formation occurs when the earth, our Mother, emits beams of living spirit that move upward in a pyramidal shape. The shaman worships these “beams-spirits.”

There is a legend that Altai is the “door to space,” meaning the metaphysical universe. It is said that the soul of a shaman is different from the soul of an ordinary person. Altai shamanism perceives an energy polarity between Mother Earth and Father Sky. To use a battery analogy, Earth is the negative node and Sky is the positive. A soul, then, is the Mother-Earth negative charge and the Father-Sky positive charge, synchronized. The shaman is capable of harnessing the spirit beam emanating from Mother Earth and emitting it at will, sending it wherever it is needed. Distance is no object. “When an ordinary man sleeps, his positive charge detaches and goes to the parallel world. [He] can see people he’s met and people he has never seen. Ordinary men cannot detach their positive charge at will, and the Shaman can. This is the difference.” So while most of us simply dream, the shaman is capable of consciously navigating that parallel world. While some ordinary people do have lucid dreams, the shaman is far more proficient at traversing and being purposefully active there.

While the shamanistic tradition has always been an oral one, many of the stories have now been written down. One Altai-Kai woman notes that an ordinary person can’t remember them; one legend has about 6,000 lines and would take days to narrate. A shamanic storyteller goes into a trance state and “enters the world of their characters … travels through the time and places of their story. Shamans are able to communicate with the parallel world.”

One Altai-Kai shaman notes that the ancient pagans possessed knowledge that “we now have forgotten, that we are not capable of.” We have become so intellectual that we have lost our connection to Nature; we worship the mind instead. “We foot the bill for this mind by floods, earthquakes, especially the places where they live ‘smart.’ We stepped away from Nature. … Spirit is stronger than [humanity], spirit cannot be subdued. For us spirit is higher than anyone or anything. That is why before doing something important, we go to a Shaman.”

Another notes that “Everything around here happens through nature. We are nature’s children. We depend on nature, so we turn to it all the time. Our God is nature –- Altai Kudai.”

Additional resources

Video

• Shamanic Rites, Rituals, and Initiations by Christina Pateros. Presented November 7, 2019 at Theosophical Society in America. "In shamanism, everything is animated; everything is alive. By bridging the physical world with the mystery of the spirit world, shamans have historically worked in service to others by enhancing and supporting healthy and fulfilling living; expanding the experience of beauty, grace, and peace in life; and more. In this conversational, visual, and story-filled presentation, Christina Pateros will share rites, rituals, and initiations as practices for heart-centered living."
• The Shamanic Vision by Richard Smoley. Presented November 8, 2018 at the Theosophical Society in America. "Shamanism is the most universal religion in the world, and possibly the oldest. Shamans provide healing and insight to their communities by journeying to other realms and contacting the spirits and forces there. They encounter animal powers, deities, and the spirits of ancestors as a way of gaining wisdom. Over the past few decades, Westerners have been discovering the way of the shaman and practicing it themselves. Is shamanism possible for us today? Does it work, and what promises does it hold out? In this engaging presentation, Richard Smoley will address these questions and will lead participants on a guided meditation to gain a taste of this tradition for themselves."