One of the deepest worldview preconditions for the emergence of shamanism (and priesthood too) is the inescapable existence in the body of human culture of the opposition of two mutually exclusive and at the same time complementary spheres: the sacred and the profane. They are included in all sketches of the life world and life experience of people, numerous forms of their interaction, create a variety of manifestations of the phenomenon of religiosity. The idea of the sacred and the manifestation of attitudes towards it gives rise to the confidence in a person that his attitude to the sacred principle lies at the basis of his aspirations, purposes and even purely everyday, everyday affairs and actions.
The experience of the sacred has a number of features that are important from the side of cultural and spiritual consequences. By its very nature, the sacred is perceived by a person ambivalently: on the one hand, as something extremely desirable, attractive, not responsive, and at the same time as incomprehensible, dangerous, and frightening. The danger of the sacred grows in proportion to the significance of the reason for the interference of higher forces in the life of a person or a social group. Therefore, a person should in every possible way beware of those forces that personify the sacred principle, or even those things that are sanctified by this principle. Contact with a consecrated thing becomes dangerous. Automatic and immediate punishment would strike the unwary in the same way that fire burns the hand that touched him: the sacred is always to a greater or lesser degree something that is not approached without dying. In addition, there is also a real threat that any person may present himself as the favorite of the sacred principle, the embodiment of his freedom, and, taking this into account, and actively act "on his behalf." Practical actions performed with such a connotation can create a real danger for others, for the entire community and even for the surrounding (neighboring) communities. Consequently, the maximum concealment of the sacred is necessary, its isolation from the phenomena of the profane world, including from man as a profane being. Hence - numerous taboos, restrictions, reservations.are able to create a real danger for others, for the entire community and even for the surrounding (neighboring) communities. Consequently, the maximum concealment of the sacred is necessary, its isolation from the phenomena of the profane world, including from man as a profane being. Hence - numerous taboos, restrictions, reservations.are able to create a real danger for others, for the entire community and even for the surrounding (neighboring) communities. Consequently, the maximum concealment of the sacred is necessary, its isolation from the phenomena of the profane world, including from man as a profane being. Hence - numerous taboos, restrictions, reservations.
And yet, despite all this, the overwhelming need of a person in a wide variety of situations to turn to the sacred does not disappear anywhere. Some way out of this destructive situation for life processes is needed.
On the other hand, the aforementioned isolation inevitably and paradoxically turns into the alienation of the sacred from the person, the loss of his magnetic power, the feeling of immediate and everlasting presence. It is clear that this situation cannot last long.
Both of the factors just mentioned have found their solution in history in the emergence of the phenomenon of a mediator between man and the sacred. Their first historical incarnation, as mentioned above, was priests, sorcerers, shamans. The cults of priests-shamans with their practice of sacrifices as attempts to restore the lost contact with the gods, with their orgies and austerities as ways of comprehending the truth, combined with military male alliances, gave rise to the cult of the thunder gods - Zeus, Perun, Jupiter, Indra. This cult overcame the previous power of the gods of the earth and relied on new myths, on new elements of the social structure of society, separately on warriors. The most adequate to this cultural-historical situation were magical-mystical practices with their reliance on doctrinaire, on the authority of myths. The gradual merging of the priestly elite with the bearers of political power, the group upholding of common interests by them created in simple, ordinary groups of society the need to choose a different, new way of communication with higher spiritual beings, in contrast to the worldview, according to which wisdom comes only from ancient myths and exclusively through the priests. Now the shaman naturally comes to the fore as the embodiment of a direct breakthrough to sacred beings, to comprehending the truth through himself. In later eras, such situations gave rise to gnosticism, mysticism.according to which wisdom comes only from ancient myths and exclusively through the priests. Now the shaman naturally comes to the fore as the embodiment of a direct breakthrough to sacred beings, to comprehending the truth through himself. In later eras, such situations gave rise to gnosticism, mysticism.according to which wisdom comes only from ancient myths and exclusively through the priests. Now the shaman naturally comes to the fore as the embodiment of a direct breakthrough to sacred beings, to comprehending the truth through himself. In later eras, such situations gave rise to gnosticism, mysticism.
Another characteristic feature of shamanism and priesthood is their ability to absorb certain elements of mythological and religious systems that are fundamentally different in their outlook. Of course, this does not in any way attest to any uniqueness of priesthood or shamanism. This ability is inherent in almost all worldview and mythological formations of the polytheistic type: it is not so difficult to attach one or more gods, saints or demons to the vast community of its own gods, deities and spirits. It is more important to understand the mechanisms of incorporation into the body of one's own spiritual and worldview nature of alien components that are fundamentally different in terms of their mythological, metaphysical, structural, ritual characteristics of formations. No less worthwhile and finding outwhat and how the original mythologies are assimilated from the developed arsenal of world religious systems; and how, on the other hand, is the attraction of the products of religious, mythological, including shamanic experience to dense and hardly susceptible to alien inclusions of the organisms of world religions.
By themselves, these attracting products of shamanic practice into the arsenal of mythological, cosmological, cosmogonic, eschatological views of world religions are very eloquent. From the well-known Old Testament text about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, we learn the efforts of Patriarch Abraham to save the population of these cities from the terrible execution of Yahweh. The text conveys the dialogue of Abraham with God, during which Abraham, through requests and persuasions, tries to save, if not all, then at least a small handful of people from unbearable torment and death. This is a typical example of a shaman's actions, but has already been rethought under the influence of the monotheistic worldview.
Take another biblical episode. Patriarch Methuselah, the son of Patriarch Enoch, “traveled” to the “border of the earth” to receive from his father a testimony about the future of mankind, in particular about the tragedy of the Flood and ways to save his grandson Noah from it. Again, we see this as the actual shamanic practice of the shaman's "travel" to his deceased ancestors-shamans in order to obtain information about upcoming misfortunes or catastrophes and to receive advice on mitigating their consequences for their tribe or clan.
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An even more striking example of shamanic practices is contained in the Gnostic and apocryphal traditions. Take the "travels" of Enoch and Baruch. If we exclude from them the Judaist and Christian theological meaning, which was obviously introduced later, then they too resemble the stories of shamans and shaman women recorded by ethnographers in the twentieth century in the vastness of Siberia and Central Asia. Just as the spirit of the shaman leaves his body and goes on a journey to other worlds, so the angel carries Baruch's "forces" to the heavenly firmament, and then to "other heavens."
At the same time, the method of processing the products of the shamanic worldview that we encounter in Christian literature, especially in relation to the metaphysical perspective of these two historical types of worldview, appears instructive. The same Baruch goes to a meeting with higher spiritual forces not alone and not at his own will, but obeying the will of God and with the help of an angel. Angels also raise Enoch to the heavenly spheres, and again at the behest of God.
The worldview of Christianity outlines a person's duty of humility before God, admiration for his will in any situation, since his wisdom infinitely exceeds the efforts of the human mind and human ability to comprehend the depths of being. This is most clearly seen from the biblical story about the sufferer-righteous man Job. We observe the same situation in the revelation of Baruch. At the moment of direct communication with divine beings, even simple human sympathy can be detected, the Christian mercy of Baruch can only with the permission of an angel. “And the angel said:“Look, Baruch in the dwelling of the righteous - glory, joy and joy reign there! Look also at the house of the wicked - there are tears, groans and a continuous worm! And sinners cry out to heaven: "Have mercy on us, Judge!" And I asked the angel: Lord, tell me to cry for them too. " And the angel allowed:“Cry too. Perhaps the Lord will hear your voice and have mercy on them."
