In the "What is Wicca" lesson there was
a quote from Starhawk's book The Spiral Dance in which she said Wicca is "closer
in spirit to Native American Traditions or Arctic shamanism." Defining shamanism
is almost as difficult as defining Wicca. In his book Conscious Dreaming,
Robert Moss says:
"The word shaman is borrowed from the language
of a shamanic people, the Tungus of Siberia, and is usually translated to mean
'one who is exalted, or lifted up' -- i.e., a person who has the ability
to go outside himself in ecstatic trance. This clearly implies the ability
to journey outside the body in an altered state."
Many ancient peoples had some sort of shamanistic
tradition. The Celts did not use the term "shaman."
In the Encyclopaedia of Celtic Wisdom written by
Caitlin and John Matthews, they use the word shaman because it is a word which
people today are familiar with, not because it was applied by the
Celts. Their definition of shamanism is as follows:
"Shamanism is a worldwide practice in which
the spiritual interrelationship of the earth with otherworlds forms an interwoven
fabric of physical and psychic being, affecting all forms of life, both
seen and unseen. Within shamanism certain individuals are chosen, by the
spirits or by virtue of their unusual skills, to act as walkers between the
worlds, interpreters of the spirit realms. Their task is to explore these
unseen realms by means of the spirit-journey (which occurs in shamanic trance),
to interact with the beings they encounter there and to retrieve knowledge,
healing and advice which may benefit the people. Shamanism exists among peoples who have an animistic worldview; in many cultures it functions as a spirituality, although it often exists separately from formal religion as a healing, divinatory and spiritual practice.
Shamanism is identifiable the world over by its practices,
chief of which are the spirit-journeys to gain information, healing,
divinatory and prophetic insight, and to enter into ancestral intercourse."
Scott Cunningham in his book Wicca: A Guide For
the Solitary Practitioner puts it this way:
"Shamanism has been defined as the first religion.
It existed prior to the earliest civilizations, before our ancestors took
the first steps down the long journey to the present. Prior to this time
the shamans were the medicine people, the power wielders, male and female.
They wrought magic and spoke to the spirits of nature."
Some will disagree with that definition. Not all
medicine people are shamans or all shamans medicine people. Nor is it
necessarily a religion, although it is very spiritual. The one thing all
definitions I've come across do have in common is this: the shaman's knowledge,
power, or magic, is achieved through awareness shifts -- alternate
states of consciousness. There was a time when these states were achieved
through the use of "tools" such as fasts, thirsts, self-infliction of pain,
or the use of hallucinogenic substances. Today shamans around
the world use tools such as drums, rattles, reflective objects, music, chants
and dance. The purpose of these tools is to "overwhelm the senses, forcing
a shifting from awareness of the physical world to the vaster realm of energies." (Cunningham) Other tools include breath control, fasting, sweats, sleep deprivation, solitary vision quests, and visualization techniques (focusing
on an image or symbol).
I hear you asking, "What does this have to do
with Wicca??" Wicca uses shamanic techniques. Wiccans use chanting, meditation, concentration, visualization, music, dance, invocation, and ritual
drama to achieve a state of ecstasy -- awareness shifts -- alternate states
of consciousness -- magic. Effective ritual will enable you to slip
into such states, to commune and communicate with the God/dess, to move
natural energies in order to effect needed change.
Questions:
- What is an altered state of consciousness?
- Why are these awareness shifts/altered states important in working magic or ritual?
- Name other ways (besides those listed) in which an altered state of consciousness can be acheived.
|