Understanding Shamanism: A Beginner's Guide to Ancient Healing Practices

Shamanism is the practice and belief that a person--a shaman--is able to cure sicknesses by traveling through the spirit world and gaining knowledge. With the use of herbs and psychoactive plants, shamans are able to enter a trancelike state that allows them to be open to spirits and other beings. Although this practice has been around for thousands of years in tribes all around the world, it has more recently gained attention through the New Age movement.

Instructions

• 1

  Go to your local book store or library and look for books that deal with shamanism. You will most likely find these books in the New Age section.

• 2

  Visit websites that discuss shamanism. There are a wide variety of resources that are available on the Web. One of these is Shamanism.org.

• 3

  Go on a shamanistic retreat. At a retreat you will be able to experience and live what it is like to be a shaman. These may last as long as a week and could include dancing, singing, drumming and much more. Information for retreats can either be found online at sites like Shamanism.com or at spiritual centers in your area. Although retreats tend to be expensive, they are the closest thing to living as a shaman.

• 4

  Go to a shamanistic ritual. A ritual may also consist of dancing, drumming and chanting however it may only last a few hours or a day. Go online to find out more information on rituals in your area.

• 5

  Watch videos that document the life of the shaman. Here you will be able to view what the rituals and way of life of a shaman really is. Go to the Google Video website for an extensive video library of shamanic rituals.