SHAMANISM
An explanation by my teacher, Michael Harner. The following excerpts are taken from The Way of The Shaman by Michael Harner. Thank you Michael for your eloquence.

“Shamans-whom we in the ‘civilized’ world have called ‘medicine men’ and ‘witch doctors’- are the keepers of a remarkable body of ancient techniques that they use to achieve and maintain well-being and healing for themselves and members of their communities. These shamanic methods are strikingly similar the wold over, even for peoples whose cultures are quite different in other respects, and who have been separated by oceans and continents for tens of thousands of years.

“Shamanism is a great mental and emotional adventure, one in which the patient as well as the shaman-healer are involved. Through his heroic journey and efforts, the shaman helps his patients transcend their normal, ordinary definition of reality, including the definition of themselves as ill. The shaman shows his patients that they are not emotionally and spiritually alone in their struggles against illness and death. The shaman shares his special powers and convinces this patients, on a deep level of consciousness, that another human is willing to offer up his own self to help them The shaman’s self-sacrifice calls forth a commensurate emotional commitment from his patients, a sense of obligation to struggle alongside the shaman to save one’s self. Caring and curing go hand in hand.”

When I practice Shamanism I move between Ordinary Reality (this experience of the world as you perceive it, right here, right now) and Non-Ordinary Reality or the Shamanic State of consciousness, which is similar to lucid dreaming. All things are possible in Dreamtime and to the shamans Dreamtime is Realtime and much healing takes place there.

To me I would describe it as parallel reality traveling which also links up to the whole concept of “string theory”.

In anycase, in my experience the shaman aligns with the compassionate spirits to gather information and healing for the client. Shamans are the people who “go between the worlds” working with the compassinate spirits to help others.

For more information please visit : www.shamanism.org

An Explanation of Terms:
Soul Retrieval and Power Animal Retrieval
In my experience of this work coupled with my teachings the Shamans believe that we are all born with free soul and power animals to protect us and keep us well and alive. The belief is that you cannot live with out either. Why would you need Retrieval work? There are times in many of our lives where accidents occur, tragedy emotional and physical in nature, conflict and traumas of varying proportions. During these times part of your free soul leaves so you can live and there are times when your power animal leave as well. When too much of either spirit source leaves you can get sick emotionally and/or physically creating a life of unhappiness and problems. Sometimes these parts come back and all is well, often times not and life goes on without you being fully present. At this time should you seek the help of a shamanic healer their job is to travel the realms of non ordinary reality on your behalf and retrieve what was lost. My experience is generally joyous on these occasions. like bringing home long lost friends and sacred parts of yourself. It’s brilliant work and very often life changing.

Extraction
There are times when people have spiritual intrusions for some reason causing dis-ease. The shamanic healer works with the spirits to extract these intrusions from the body using a rattle, drum, hands or mouth as in sucking them from the person and then blowing them into a vessel with water to neutralize them again.

In the case of either of these treatments I journey to the spirits to ask for the appropriate treatment. I follow up these treatments with the infusion of light to fill your empty spaces with positive, loving light.

I am happy to discuss this further if you have any questions.
Please contact me.

Other sites of interest:

• www.shamanism.org - Foundation for Shamanic Studies
• www.shamansociety.org -Shamans dedicated to healing the world.
• www.marygetten.com - Mary Getten - animal communicator
• www.spirithealer.com- Carla Person -animal communicator
• www.beardrum.com - Steven Kauder- sacred rattle and drum maker
• www.ShamanPortal.org - the resource for all things Shamanic
• www.SelfGrowth.com - a guide to information about Personal Growth on the Internet.
  
• www.circleofgreatmystery.com - Shamanic site based in British Columbia creating Shamanic community

Contact Shoshana at InSpirit
E-mail: Shoshana@rockisland.com Phone: 360-472-1220
Mail: P.O. Box 55, Eastsound, WA 98245

Located on Orcas Island
in the San Juan Islands of Washington State.