One of the key figures in the ancient worlds was the shaman. As mysteriously today and thousands of years ago, these mystical practices are said to have magical powers that helped shape the first human societies.
Today the word "shamanism" is often used in a generic way to illustrate the many local magical rituals in a wide variety of cultures around the world. Modern books can be found about so-called "Celtic shamanism" and even "ancient Egyptian shamanism," and contemporary writers such as Dr. Michael Harner have created what they call "mainstream shamanism" or "urban shamanism."
These actions take the aspect of shamanistic beliefs and rituals and place them in a safe, clean and often round theme form adequate to Western seekers of alternative spirituality. However, in this article we are examining the real "mainstream shamanism" as it has been practiced for hundreds of years in Siberia and parts of Mongolia, where it comes from.
The earliest mentions of magical users who can be described as shamans date from the 13th century. At that time, the first Western travelers passed through Central Asia and discovered the Mongol rulers. Marco Polo, a researcher, met wizards who were healers and could tell about diseases through fortune telling. Polo says the shamans took possession of what he called "the devil," who used his voice to speak through them.
The Devil Priest is a 17th century illustration of a Siberian shaman.
In the 16th century, an English explorer named Richard Johnston was the first to describe a shamanic ritual. He proclaimed that the tribal man wears animal skins and plays a drum "in the form of a great sieve" in "devilish rites". He then claimed that during the ceremony, the drummer fell under a spell and was possessed by "evil spirits."
Nicholas Witsen is another Western explorer who traveled to Asia in 1692 and described a vision of a shaman or "devil's priest." He wore ritual regalia, formed from a horned cloak and an ornate robe, and shouted and beat a drum to call the spirits. Reflecting the Catholic culture from which they came, these Westerners considered themselves civilized and viewed shamans as fantastic people who worship the devil and forced their naive and uneducated disciples to serve evil spirits and demons.
Although Westerners use the term "shaman" to describe each tribe of magical practitioners, in reality they have been divided into several different categories with specific magical powers and responsibilities. They consisted of "magicians" who summoned and controlled spirits, sorcerers who studied black magic, prophets who predicted the future, trans workers who could travel in spirit to other worlds, healers who could heal injuries, and were experts in folk medicine and herbs, and shamans who guided the dead and performed funeral rites.
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Most shamans worked with animal allies or spirit helpers in animal form. These spirits helped them with their magical work and also offered them knowledge. For example, shamanic practitioners were guided by deer or wolves, which helped them track down and destroy evil spirits and ravens to get rid of the disease. Other animal spirits took the form of owls, bears, squirrels, frogs, dogs, toads, seagulls, and eagles.
One of the most significant and valued types of magical practitioners was the shaman blacksmith. Cultures all over the world from Europe to Africa give the blacksmith a central role in tribal society. He was considered a powerful sorcerer due to his skill over fire and his ability to form metal. There are many myths about blacksmiths making deals with demons, gods, or ancient creatures. There are also many blacksmith gods in the old legends who were magicians, made weapons for the gods, or invented agricultural implements. The original Siberian shamans-blacksmiths performed ritual objects of a great power, which subsequently penetrated with magical properties that served other shamans or warriors of the tribe. They were only called spirits, and instead of drums, they used their anvils to connect and interact with the spiritual realm.
Men were not the only ones allowed to become shamans, as women played a key role in maintaining the tribe's prosperity and bloodline. Females were often shamans-healers, as they specialized in children's health issues as well as human and animal fertility. Her shamans were distinguished by different skirts made of animal skins and luminous wool hats.
Another professional woman was a midwife shaman. She was entrusted with spiritual protection from evil spirits during childbirth, as well as ensuring that children arrive safely in this world. Immediately after the birth of the child, the shaman-midwife cut the umbilical cord and then cleansed the newborn from salt water and fire. During the first weeks of the child's life, she performed a proper ritual to protect the child until his spirit was completely settled in the material world. If these rituals were not properly performed, then the spirit of the child could return from where it came from.
Today society has turned its back on spiritual convictions and cosmic knowledge. The new world created by humans is about material gain and soulless objects, not about understanding human needs and saving life. We are currently controlling and limiting our way of life and thinking. The information may seem easy, but in most cases it is not authentic. this asks the question: can we still access the spirit realm from our concrete world like shamans once did?
