Shamanistic - Wicca

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Often confused with Solitary or the Traditional Witchcraft (See Wicca), Shamic Multicultural Witchcraft derives from the interweaving of the Native American, Celtic and the Siberian Shamic Belief Structures as set forth within the Books by Mircea Eliade and Michael Harner. There exist 4 main Mother chapters: Circle Sanctuary of Wisconsin in the United States, Fellowship of the Dragon of Bedford in Great Britain, The Dance of the Deer Foundation in South America and Hervor of Melbourne, Victoria in Australia. Members of these Four organizations may also be a member of the international Foundation for Shamanic Studies. These priests and priestesses are solitary practitioners who are actively involved with the healing of Mother Earth. These are the Shamans[1] - Medicine Man[2] - Wise Women[3] of the twenty first century. The biggest differences between this and the other Crafts are a belief in the Plant and Animal Nations[4], the belief in The Old Ones[5], the belief in The World Tree[6][7], the use of the Solar cross[8] instead of the Magic circle[9] (Though some may use The Medicine wheel[10]). And the practice of the Vision quest[11][12] to obtain knowledge.


Contents

[edit] The Beliefs

When one defines oneself as a Shamanic Practitioner, it means that he or she follows an earth or nature religion, one that sees the divine manifested in all creation[13]. In other words That they see the devine in nature and the nature in the devine and the divinity within themselves and everyone else. The cycles of nature are their holy days[14] (see Esbat and Sabbats[15]), the earth is their temple, its plants and creatures their partners and teachers (see Animism). They worship a deity that is both male and female at the same time, a mother who is their father, the Lady who is their Lord, who together created all that is, was, or will be[16][17]. They respect all life, cherish the free will of sentient beings, and accept the sacredness of all creation.


[edit] Identifying a Shaman

OK what is or identifies a Shaman? If any one practice denotes the Shamanic Practitioner it would have to be the Vision Quest.

The Rite of Vigil (Spirit Quest)[18] is a rite of passage in some Native American cultures. In traditional Lakota culture the Hanblecheyapi (spirit quest, literally "crying for a vision") is one of seven main rites. The function of the Rite of Vigil is to facilitate the passage from one stage or social status into another (at birth, puberty, adoption, initiation, marriage, old age, and death). Such rituals are held away from the community, in some secluded area. With the individual naked or in special clothing. All of this in order to remove the participant from normal space and time[19][20].

The lessons that our brothers and sisters of the Animal and Plant Nations are varied and valueable, so it is not surprising that the New Age Spirit Quest borrows heavily from the mythology and symbolism of native North America. For example, Ted Andrews, one of the Seminal figures and writers within the modern Nature Speak movement, has borrowed heavily from the central myths and folktails of the Native Americans, in the creation of his 3 books (Animal Speak, Animal Wise and Nature Speak). Those three books have become a teaching aid for the New Ager, The Neo-pagan, The Neo-Shamanists and The Native American. BUT, Even though these are an excellent scholarly work and are based on the Native American Spirit Quest. Such borrowings and adaptations have become increasingly controversial; even the use of the term “spirit quest” is being challenged as a form of cultural mis-appropriation. Equally important, many Native Americans perceive the use of indigenous forms by non-natives as being intrusive, rude, and disrespectful of their spiritual heretage.

The Shaman practice what is known as a Vision Quest though this can be a Spirit Quest it is also very much more, With the aid of rhythmic drumming and chanting, the Shaman enters a very deep and Ecstatic Trance[21]. In discussions of Shamanism, the word Ecstasy is used in its original sense. This trance frees the Shaman's consciousness from his body, allowing it to fly into the realms of the spirits, and to experience these realms with all the senses of his corporeal body.

Yet, shamanic journeying is more than the mystical encounters with spirits; Shamans undergo the trance-journeys for self healing, the healing of others and the gathering of information[22]. Like the Pastors and Priests in Western society, Shamans are not self-appointed, but called to their tasks by the spirits themselves[23][24], and then trained and recognized by the Elders of the World Community. For many in the States this training is obtained from The Foundation for Shamanic Studies


[edit] Shamanism and Native Americans

Unfortunately, the term Shamanism has been misused in popular culture for many years. The entertainment industry has used medicine man and shaman interchangeably (and usually inaccurately) to describe The Holy Men and Women of Native America[25]. The public began to assume that Shaman was a Native American word, and that Shamanism was a universal Indian Religion -- yet in reality, there is no universal Indian Religion[26]. There are hundreds of Indian Nations in North America[27], each with its own culture, language, and spiritual belief system. Many of these Nations are very different from one another in their religious traditions[28][29], and none of them describe their beliefs as Shamanism[30][31]. Even from a scholarly standpoint, few Native systems can be accurately described as Shamanism - the ecstatic trance journey is simply not a major part of most North American Indian Cultures[32][33].

This confusion was reinforced by the commercialization of the pseudo-indian groups that sprang up in the late 1970's. These New Agers focused mainly on alternative healing methods and environmental awareness, these groups misrepresent themselves as genuine teachers of Indian Traditions[34]. Exploiting the stereotype of Native Americans as ecological warriors and spiritual healers. This practice is particularly offensive to traditional Native Americans. Although the teachings of these movements may be valid in their own right, they are neither traditional nor typical of Indian Beliefs, nor are they shamanic, as they rarely if ever stress the ecstatic trance-journey as a central practice. Yet the movement continues to misrepresent itself as both Indian and Shamanism.

As a result, many Native Americans see the use of the word Shamanism as the height of an offensive stereotype and commercial exploitation of their people's beliefs. Many neo-shamanists and scholars are sensitive to this issue, and strive to educate the public about exploitation of indigenous cultures, as well as correcting common misconceptions about the words Shaman and Shamanism.


[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Harner, Michael [1980] (1990). The Way Of The Shaman. New York, US: HarperCollins Publishers, pp. 40-56. 
  2. ^ Molin, Paulette [1992] (2001). Encyclopedia of Native American Religions. New York, US: Checkmark Books, pp. 177-179. 
  3. ^ Parker, K. Langloh [1991] (1993). Wise Women of the Dreamtime: Aboriginal Tales of the Ancestral Powers. Bethel, ME: Park Street Press, pp. 10-14. 
  4. ^ Harner, Michael [1980] (1990). The Way Of The Shaman. New York, US: HarperCollins Publishers, pp. 57-68. 
  5. ^ Eliade, Mircea [1964] (1974). Shamanism. Bollingen Foundation, US: Princeton University Press, pp. 12, 67, 82, 506. 
  6. ^ Eliade, Mircea [1964] (1974). Shamanism. Bollingen Foundation, US: Princeton University Press, pp. 40. 
  7. ^ Rysdyk, Evelyn C [2001] (1999). Modern Shamanic Living: New Explorations of an Ancient Path. York Beach, ME: Samuel Weiser Inc, pp. 41-42. 
  8. ^ Kidwell, Clara [2001] (2003). Native American Theology. Maryknoll NY, US: Orbis Books, pp. 47-49. 
  9. ^ Hall, Manly [1988] (2000). An Encyclopedic Outline of Masonic, Hermetic, Qabbalistic and Rosiccucian Symbolical Philosophy. Los Angeles, CA: Philosophical Research Society, Inc, pp. 101-104. 
  10. ^ Molin, Paulette [1992] (2001). Encyclopedia of Native American Religions. New York, US: Checkmark Books, pp. 178-179. 
  11. ^ Rysdyk, Evelyn C [2001] (1999). Modern Shamanic Living: New Explorations of an Ancient Path. York Beach, ME: Samuel Weiser Inc, pp. 51-68. 
  12. ^ Molin, Paulette [1992] (2001). Encyclopedia of Native American Religions. New York, US: Checkmark Books, pp. 279, 314. 
  13. ^ Kidwell, Clara [2001] (2003). Native American Theology. Maryknoll NY, US: Orbis Books, pp. 11-12. 
  14. ^ Sutton, Maya [1999] (2003). Druid Magic: The Practice of Celtic Wisdom. St Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications, pp. 95-108. 
  15. ^ Farrar, Janet & Stewart [1981] (1996). A Witches Bible: The Complete Witches Handbook. St Paul, MN: Phoenix Publishing Inc, pp. 61-150. 
  16. ^ Molin, Paulette [1992] (2001). Encyclopedia of Native American Religions. New York, US: Checkmark Books, pp. 58-59. 
  17. ^ Kidwell, Clara [2001] (2003). Native American Theology. Maryknoll NY, US: Orbis Books, pp. 126-129. 
  18. ^ Kidwell, Clara [2001] (2003). Native American Theology. Maryknoll NY, US: Orbis Books, pp. 42-45. 
  19. ^ Bear, Sun [1980] (1992). Medicine Wheel - Earth Astrology. New York, US: Fireside Books, pp. 197-202. 
  20. ^ Kidwell, Clara [2001] (2003). Native American Theology. Maryknoll NY, US: Orbis Books, pp. 126-131. 
  21. ^ Harner, Michael [1980] (1990). The Way Of The Shaman. New York, US: HarperCollins Publishers, pp. 20-21. 
  22. ^ Molin, Paulette [1992] (2001). Encyclopedia of Native American Religions. New York, US: Checkmark Books, pp. 279, 314. 
  23. ^ Eliade, Mircea [1964] (1974). Shamanism. Bollingen Foundation, US: Princeton University Press, pp. 13-19. 
  24. ^ Villoldo, Alberto [1998] (2000). Shaman, Healer, Sage. New York, US: Harmony Books, pp. 30-35. 
  25. ^ Molin, Paulette [1992] (2001). Encyclopedia of Native American Religions. New York, US: Checkmark Books, pp. 176-178, 247. 
  26. ^ Kidwell, Clara [2001] (2003). Native American Theology. Maryknoll NY, US: Orbis Books, pp. 11-20. 
  27. ^ Waldman, Carl [1985] (2000). Atlas of The North American Indian. New York, US: Checkmark Books, pp. 265-285. 
  28. ^ Kidwell, Clara [2001] (2003). Native American Theology. Maryknoll NY, US: Orbis Books. 
  29. ^ Waldman, Carl [1985] (2000). Atlas of The North American Indian. New York, US: Checkmark Books, pp. 66-74. 
  30. ^ Molin, Paulette [1992] (2001). Encyclopedia of Native American Religions. New York, US: Checkmark Books, pp. 265-268. 
  31. ^ Kidwell, Clara [2001] (2003). Native American Theology. Maryknoll NY, US: Orbis Books, pp. 32-51. 
  32. ^ Molin, Paulette [1992] (2001). Encyclopedia of Native American Religions. New York, US: Checkmark Books, pp. 178-179. 
  33. ^ Kidwell, Clara [2001] (2003). Native American Theology. Maryknoll NY, US: Orbis Books, pp. 59-61. 
  34. ^ Kidwell, Clara [2001] (2003). Native American Theology. Maryknoll NY, US: Orbis Books, pp. 174. 


[edit] Bibliographical and Encyclopedic Sources

(General)

(Native American)

(Shamic)


(Druidic)


[edit] External links

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