Shamanism is the earliest known spiritual tradition. It is a journey of caring for oneself, others, and nature. Shamanism has survived for so many years because it is a path of direct knowledge or direct discovery.
Shamans have a guide or ally in the form of an ancestor, a deceased shaman, or even an animal or spirit, who helps them reach new states and connect with their nature.
The practice of shamanism, which dates back thousands of years, requires an individual to enter into altered states of consciousness in order to be able to travel to other dimensions of reality. While there, the shaman may receive visions, insights, or healings.
The shaman's many roles include that of a healer for those who are sick, performing rituals associated with death and dying, protecting the community from evil spirits, doing fortune-telling, interpreting dreams, managing social issues, and caring for the mentally disturbed.
Shamans are not only wise teachers for all aspects of life, but they also know how to connect with nature.
Shamanism is not a religion but rather an expression of belief, and it is possible to practice shamanism while adhering to almost any religious tradition.
A shaman can be either a male or a female, according to many different shamanic traditions. Both shaman and shamaness are terms that can be used to refer to a female Shaman.
The ability to interpret dreams and/or have visions in a way that conveys information from the spirit world is required in order to have any chance of becoming a shaman.
The future shaman is called by a spirit in dreams, visions, or in a trance state and even receives orders. In this spiritual tradition there are also three worlds:
- The Middle World: The material world in which we live.
- The Underworld: A subterranean world that is home to earthly angels such as the souls of animals, plants, and the inorganic world.
- The Upper World: The world above the clouds and home to angels, archangels, goddesses, gods, and spiritual masters.
When we connect with the upper world, we gain access to limitless wisdom and guidance, and when we connect with the underworld, we are able to support ideas and desires, bring them to fruition, and make life easier.
Both of these worlds are essential to our health and well-being, and we should make every effort to achieve a healthy equilibrium between them.
What's a Shaman?
A person who has wisdom and is willing to share it with others is what a shaman is. He is a wise leader from whom others seek answers.
There is an old proverb that asserts women, by their very nature, are shamans. A shaman and a shamaness are identical in this regard; there is no distinction between the two.
There is no competition in this, and the basic role that they play does not change based on gender.
Although it is generally accepted that male shamans are the primary practitioners of shamanism, certain cultures, including those of Japan, China, Korea, and South Africa, have more female shamans.
Archaeological evidence suggests that female shamans were among the earliest practitioners of shamanism.
Female shamans are healers, dancers, oracles, and fortune tellers, and they belong to both the material world, where they counsel people, and to the spiritual world, where they encounter the spirits and souls of past shamans and ancestors.
A shamaness is well-versed in both the arts of shamanism and the arts of motherhood. Shamansesses were known for counseling women going through childbirth and offering emotional and practical support while also serving as the community's spiritual and physical guardian.
What's the task of a Shaman?
Shamans are irreplaceable in all activities and rituals involving the human soul, whereas a weak psychic individual has the tendency to leave the body and become an easy target for malevolent spirits and sorcerers.
Through the utilization of different methods, shamans are able to open a new door, which leads to the spirit world and makes it possible to communicate with higher beings.
Throughout the course of human history, there has always been a strong desire to make contact with deceased ancestors, deities, and spirits that reside in the underworld.
In order to accomplish this goal, female shamans, who also served as healers, used psychoactive plants to enter a trance state, combat evil spirits, communicate with ancestors, and change the weather.
The shamanesses had a vast amount of knowledge regarding these psychoactive plants, which were also considered to be sacred.
Prayers were also offered to the spirits that these plants were associated with, as some people believed that these spirits were God himself or that they were a channel through which to communicate with God.
The shamanesses were also able to create a connection to the spirit world by making use of these plants, and their ability to travel between worlds served as a means of keeping the balance between these two realms.
Even if the female shaman went to the spirit world through her subconscious mind, she will inform the conscious mind that the experience was real.
The shamanesses of today are not all that dissimilar to those of the past, who raised entire communities. They perform healing work and help members of their community.
Today, people go to shamanesses when they want their souls cleansed, when they want to protect themselves from evil spirits, when they need to be healed, and when they want to counsel.
Signs You Could Be a Shaman
As we get older, most of us become so estranged from both ourselves and the earth, seduced by the false needs that consumer society has created, that the chance of us connecting with other worlds that surround us is very slim.
On the other hand, a shamaness is different because she is able to break free from the influence of modern society and sees life as something larger than it actually is.
She also has the intention of offering her service for the sake of the well-being of her community. Fear will likely overtake most people who encounter female shamans because they will be unable to understand what's going on.
Shamans are freed from disease and open up to the truth by going through the most difficult of struggles. They begin to learn how to heal others and how to heal themselves.
Shamanesses all over the world are aware of the fact that in order to better understand the culture in which they were raised and feel more connected to the outside world, it is necessary for them to take some time out of their busy schedules, step outside of their own heads, and travel to the world of spirits.
Shamanesses, since they have access to the invisible realm, access to a powerful way to shape their own lives and the lives of others.
1. You feel part of a global change of consciousness
Modern-day shamanesses can see that the world is changing, and they can also see that people whose lives have been turned upside down by terrible events are yearning for a better future.
She has an innate desire to be of assistance to those who seek to reestablish their connection with the natural world and live their lives in a simpler way.
The shamaness is aware, in her ability as a healer, that we can make use of gifts of nature in order to heal both our souls and the various diseases we suffer from.
Those who are afraid of being possessed by evil spirits or who feel as though they are being overpowered by life can seek protection from her as well.
The shamaness is aware that in this day and age, more than ever, we need to connect with our deeper selves and nature, and that people all over the world need healing and need to open their hearts a little more so that we can all live together in unity once again.
Her dedication to helping others is the gift she gives to her community; in exchange, she maintains her connection and hopes that she will one day go back to the spiritual world
2. You've gone through a hard time or had a near-death experience
In the past, shamanesses were thought to be women who did not belong to the material world and were more connected to the spiritual world.
Many times, before becoming shamanesses, they were called in their dreams by spirits. Although some of them had shamanic ancestry, others still had to go through challenging experiences in order to become shamanesses.
Shamanesses often became women who had near-death experiences, suffered a dangerous illness but survived, or who were physically or mentally wounded.
One must endure a specific trial in order to become a shamaness. This is because a shamaness must endure pain in order to heal herself, and only then is she able to help others heal.
By overcoming and healing from this difficult experience, the shamaness also accepts everything she knows as truth in terms of the wisdom she must receive.
3. You feel connected with nature and a power animal
Shamanesses have a more profound connection to the natural world and its inhabitants than most people.
When bad things happen in our lives, we must always turn to nature for comfort and protection because no one else can nourish us like nature.
In most societies, female shamans are loners and are often regarded as odd and eccentric. They often live in nature, in small villages, and prefer to be alone.
Many of their rituals are also performed outside in nature. They also feel connected to places where they have felt their connection to shamanism and their calling.
The shamaness is guided by a power animal and its spirit in both the real world and in the dream, with the power animal communicating certain messages or warnings to the shamaness.
4. You feel the power of healing in your hands and a need to help others
Not only are shamans knowledgeable about the properties of various medical plants but they also have control over the energy of healing.
Women, who are shamans by nature, are also healers, and they have a great deal of power when it comes to easing the suffering of other people.
It's common for people who have the gift of healing to have naturally warm hands that radiate a lot of positive energy and warmth.
Warm hands have a greater amount of healing energy, and they are also capable of healing minor wounds and conditions.
One of the many indications that a person is a shaman is a strong desire to help and heal other people. A shamaness's highest and best goals should always be geared toward the improvement of the community as a whole.
5. You can read people and see things that others do not see
The shamaness is more a part of the spiritual world than the material world, and as such, they act as a bridge between the two.
They experience other worlds and realms and see and hear things that others can't from an early age.
The modern world cannot really understand their abilities. This is why due to their extraordinary gifts, many of them are also considered to be strange or insane.
Shamans are not meant to be like other people, instead, they are blessed with a wide range of abilities and the responsibility of helping others.
These women have the ability to recognize others' true intentions and souls, as well as their spiritual blocks and problems.
Women who have shamanic powers almost always have abilities such as clairvoyance, prophetic dreams, or other paranormal experiences, and they always put those experiences to good use for the benefit of their community.
Helen is the founder of Spiritualify.org where she covers all things astrology — from horoscopes and zodiac guides to retrograde alerts and moon updates. She also writes about other mystical lifestyle topics, such as numerology, crystal healing, tarot, dream interpretation, and more.
