I'll start my story with one story. I happened to visit the exhibition of photographs of works, which was organized by several people after a trip to Altai. What I saw made a strong impression.
The nature in the pictures was amazingly "alive" - bright colors, beautiful flowers, harsh and seemingly thoughtful stones, bizarre rocks in the form of sculptures … All this was so delighted that I wanted to immediately go to these places.
But the most interesting was something else - the story of one of the participants about their expedition.
This man was in Altai for the first time, but he loved nature, therefore he chose a rather difficult hiking route. He said that at the very beginning of their journey, the whole group was stuck in one place, and this despite the fact that the weather was wonderful. To the natural question why they do not move on, their guide replied - "Spirits do not allow!"
Imagine the reaction of people who are determined to travel, and they are being told some dubious and incomprehensible things. Naturally, everyone began to be indignant, but the guide still stood his ground - I am responsible for you, we cannot go now. On the question of when it is possible, he even made everyone indignant - I do not know. And so it went on for 3 days! And what the poor fellows do, where to go, they do not know the route.
But there was still one of the most impatient tourists who spat, took a compass and moved on his own. He returned in the evening. He looks healthy, but clearly not himself. His eyes are wild, he is shaking all over, he cannot speak. The conductor looked at him and asked -Do you understand? He just nodded his head, but never told anyone.
The group did not understand who and what permission gave the conductor, but after three days everyone finally got under way. And they were in places that turned the consciousness of many of this group. Therefore, they organized a photo exhibition to at least partially show the unusual energy of those places and what they saw there.
Promotional video:
I will also add that one of the participants subsequently dramatically changed his life: he quit his stable and well-paid job and took up a completely different activity. And maybe he was not alone, I was unfamiliar with others.
Why am I telling this? We are very much detached from nature, and this does not give us either health or peace. Maybe it makes sense to look closely at those practices that help to draw strength and have proven their effectiveness over the centuries?
Now let's move on to the shamans.
In the twentieth century, interest in shamanism not only did not fade away, but oddly enough, even increased. And this is surprising, because all powerful religious systems, such as Buddhism, Christianity, constantly fought against shamanism, and Soviet atheism declared it a "dark relic of the feudal past", and shamans - "rogues" and "parasites".
Even so, shamanism did not die. Moreover, in Russia, the countries of Western Europe, the USA, Japan, India and China, scientific anthropological centers, departments in universities have been created, at which there are necessarily specialists in shamanism. And the paradox: the more researchers, the more controversy. There is no consensus not only about the age and geography of shamanism, but even about the definition of what it is.
In the scientific literature about shamanism, the following is most often written: “Shamanism is one of the earliest forms of religion, based on the belief in the existence of spirits that inhabit the world around us, and in a special mediator - a shaman, chosen by the spirits themselves, who provides an opportunity for people to come into contact with these spirits who achieve this contact by immersion in a state of trance."
What amazes a person who first sees the ritual (communication of the shaman with the spirits)? The behavior of the shaman himself, his convulsions, bulging eyes, foam at the mouth, fainting, seizures. Based on this, many began to consider shamans as mentally ill people. However, during a trance, the shaman usually does not lose touch with those present at the session. Along the way, he often explains where he is at the moment and what he sees.
To achieve a state of trance, the shaman uses self-hypnosis, concentrates will, and mobilizes mental and physical forces. An important role is played by a tambourine, from which the shaman uses a beater to make various sounds. He often sings to the beat.
In some peoples, shamans take hallucinogens - substances that cause hallucinations and contribute to the onset of trance. Among the Indians of South America, it is the peyote cactus; among the indigenous population of Northern Eurasia, it is the fly agaric.
How do you become shamans?
According to ancient beliefs, the spirits of ancestors or the spirits inhabiting the surrounding mountains, rivers, lakes, forests, choose a certain person as an intermediary between them and people. But many of the elect do not want to become shamans and refuse to accept this gift.
Because they will have to bear responsibility - the elect should contribute to the well-being of their relatives, protect them from harm, disinterestedly help everyone who needs help. Not only will they no longer belong to themselves, the attitude of those around them often changes: many are afraid and shun shamans.
And then the "shamanic illness" begins - the spirits "break" the refusenik, threaten that they will send illness or even death on him, on his relatives.
As an example - the story of the Evenk shaman Sergei Popov. His ancestors were from the Barguzin Evenks, although the family became strongly Russified and lost Evenk traditions.
After initiation, shamans begin a new life. They are not forbidden to work, create families, but if shamans are engaged in active practice and solve people's problems: they pray for their souls, engage in rituals of "purification" and "restoration of the soul," then they have no time for the rest. Also, shamans must not drink, smoke, swear, and must avoid bad thoughts. And only after reaching the trust of the spirits, they can address people on their behalf.
However, many shamans complain that the succession of generations has been interrupted, the shamans have no one to learn from, and a lot of pseudo-shamans have appeared …
Author: Viktorya Nekrasova
