Shaman - How To Tap Into Shamanic Beliefs And Guidance

A Shaman in indigenous cultures was the intermediary between the physical and spiritual world beyond. He would enter into the spiritual dimension through ceremony and bring back the wisdom and insights to help the tribe with it's day to day functioning.

Around the world, indigenous people had a couple of members of the tribe who had the label of 'shaman'. In some cultures the shaman would live on the outside of the tribe, being symbolic of living between the spiritual reality within nature and the physical reality of the tribe. Living in between the two worlds.

Shaman Connection - connect with the elemental forces of nature

For example, if the tribe was having problems such as food shortages, altercations with neighbouring tribes or internal conflicts then the shaman was often called on to give clarity and direction.

The shaman would perform a number of rituals and ceremonies in order to tap into the wisdom and guidance of the spiritual dimension. In the spiritual dimension the Shaman would often call on his animal totems and guides and seek wisdom around the problems of the tribe and the direction forward.

In today's culture, the role of the shaman has been passed onto people operating within the healing arts such as counsellors, phychologists and therapists. They have a lot to offer however I believe what is most healing and empowering is to tap into your own unique truth and to follow that in the world. That is why I am a strong believer in creating your own ceremonies and rituals in order to tap into the wisdom of the spiritual world beyond.

Shamanic Rituals - connect with nature

To do that there are a number of themes that are common throughout almost all shamanic practices around the world. The first is to get clear on what the problem or concern is.

For example before doing a shamanic journey, the shaman would sit down with the person he was working with in order to fully understand what the problem was they were dealing with. Likewise if you are wanting to tap into the wisdom beyond it is important to get fully clear on what you would like clarity around. I find writing this down helps to give more clarity.

The second common theme that almost all shamans perform after getting clear on the problem is to get into the right state. Mostly in our modern society we are operating in the 'beta' or 'thinking' brain wave pattern state. However when shamans go into the spiritual world they drop down into the slower 'alpha', 'theta' and 'delta' brain wave patterns. This is when you start to drop into states of non-ordinary reality.

There are many ways to drop into states of non-ordinary reality however the easiest way is to get out of your mind and into your senses. You can do this by saying to the chatter in your mind 'thank you for sharing' and enter into a state of no-mind. Once in no-mind you are then able to tap into and expand your five predominant senses. Once you are out of your mind and into your senses then your sixth sense of the spiritual world starts to open up and become clear. I find this is best done in nature.

With practice, shamans are able to tap into the world beyond almost at will. When shamans enter the theta and delta state, the world appears different. Instead of the intellect, the imagination becomes the predominant guiding force. Symbolic meaning becomes clear messages of directions to take. The shaman speaks directly with the wisdom contained within the trees, the mountains, his totem animals and his guides. A direct communication with the world beyond the one we normally see.

Rituals and ceremonies also become important themes to the shamanic practitioner. However these rituals and ceremonies were not locked in stone and would naturally change and evolve over time. That is why it is important to create your own rituals and ceremonies that call to you.

There is no right or wrong way to create your own ceremony in nature. It is more important that the ceremony has meaning for you. For example when I was called to commit to having this nature-based spirituality as my way of life, the ceremony I was drawn to was to make a fire in a cave by the ocean in Sydney.

Now I didn't know how the ceremony was going to play out however I was drawn to gather some sticks from one of my totem trees - the River Sheoak - and to take them with me down to Sydney. The ocean was wild the day I got there and the cave was wet with ocean spray however the perfect ledge called me to light the fire on.

As I sat and watched the fire, I could see a huge heart shaped rock beyond the flames getting battered by the ocean. The rock spoke to me to stay in my heart even if it feels like I am getting battered by external forces. I keep going back to this image when needing inspiration to keep following the path of my heart.

Now you can see here that the shamanic ceremony and ritual I performed was organic in nature. When tapping into the world beyond it is important to follow what calls to you.

For example, if you feel you are drawn to a mountain, go to the mountain. If you feel you are drawn to a river, go to the river.

Be out of your mind as it allows you the space to follow the pull of the world beyond that is constantly giving you messages. Then go with it. For this is how each shaman in indigenous cultures would tap into the wisdom beyond and bring the insights and messages back to the tribe.

Spiritual | Shaman | Confidence

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