Manataka American Indian Council
New
Shamanism
By Jim Path Finder Ewing
What
Standing Bear Moore says in his Seventh Message is true: There is a
new wave of spirituality arising across the land. Many
of these new Rainbow Warriors are learning the old ways of the
shamans.
But, it is a
new shamanism, called "core shamanism," incorporating many ways of
thought, many ways of being, as diverse in individual expression as
the colors of the rainbow.
It is a
study of all of the various medicine ways of the world, the old ways
of every culture, seeing which are the same in each and
teaching those methods to young people. Workshops are being
held across the nation and in other countries to share what has been
found.
The visions
and ideas are being shared via the Internet and groups are forming,
where people in communities across the land join in each other's
homes to practice ancient ways through drumming circles, shamanic
journeying, healing ceremonies and practices.
A group sponsoring these workshops is the
Foundation for Shamanic Studies, with an Internet site http://www.shamanism.org/
In core
shamanism, practitioners are taught how to journey into non-ordinary
reality, the world of the shaman, using the drum and the rattle.
They are taught how to find their power animal in non-ordinary
reality, how to help others to heal.
Through practice, these new shamans can learn distance
healing, healing of the Earth, blessing homes, crops and businesses,
accessing the spirits of a place, helping souls enter the afterlife,
divination, finding life purpose, recovering lost objects,
recovering stolen souls, spirit dispossession.
These practices are not new, but having them
taught again is a major modern trend. Probably the three most
commonly used shamanic healing practices involve: 
1) Loss of a person's guardian spirit (loss of
"luck," protection from unfortunate events,
illness).
2) Suffering
a spiritual intrusion (energy is drained, diverted or blocked;
depression, anger or a physical ailment can be the result of a
spiritual intrusion).
3) Soul loss: loss of life force
(feeling apart from life, depression/suicidal, addiction;
post-traumatic stress syndrome (PST); excessive
grief/mourning).
In the times
when American Indian tribes lived in harmony with the Earthly
Mother, the role of the medicine man or woman was not only accepted
but essential in any community. These healers not only treated
the physical wounds of the people but the spiritual wounds.
They could see the "real" reality of
disease that caused the disease and help the sufferer heal it.
For the healer doesn't heal. Only the Creator heals. The
whole person -- body, mind and spirit -- must be addressed for true
healing to occur.
This new/old
way of healing is growing in America and around the globe, expressed
in many ways. It includes new interest in Chinese medicine and in
Eastern, Asian and American Indian practices. America
Indians have much to teach this new generation.
The power of Western civilization has been
widespread -- and devastating -- leaving shattered cultures in its
wake. We now know that war doesn't determine who is right, only
who is left to say they were right.
Many of the old ways of Americans Indians have died
out. But a few powerful teachers have seen the need to share
their visions to keep the flame alive. In the 1930s, Black Elk
revealed his teachings, including holding the Sacred Pipe, building
the sweat lodge, and crying for a vision.
Many of his
Sioux brothers criticized him for sharing those secrets. But Fools
Crow, another Sioux medicine man, has defended the practice of
teaching others, saying: "The survival of the world depends upon our
sharing what we have and working together. If we don't,
the whole world will die."
With their
cell phones, stocks, 401(k)s, multi-tasking, etc., the society of
the "dot.com millionaires" in their 20s and 30s are still fueling
the giant money culture of America, with little or no appreciation
of the land and of the spirit. This could be for
despair.
As Standing
Bear says, now is the time for the Thunderbird to rise again. As Mad
Bear saw, the Red Road is the middle road, the way to incorporate
all the spiritual teachings of the Earth. It is essential that all
people of the rainbow add their lights to the emerging
consciousness.
THE
WAY OF THE SHAMAN: Tenth Anniversary Edition