laughs-last
20th October 2011, 07:24
I thought i'd post some sections from a piece of work I just finished at university. The topic is about my experiences as an urban shaman and gives a general overview of how such characters operate and work within the big cities. The work is from no particular 'academic discipline' as to be honest such catagories and practices are kinda alien to the shamanic mindset; a fact that has had my project supervisor scratching her head, as I won't play the pidgeon hole game :)
I hope you enjoy this, I though people might like a read about such things. It's from my own conscious perspective and as such others may agree or disagree with the words, however this is cool as that is the beauty of having a freewill to have your own conscious perspective to :cool:
No animals were injured in the making of this work, however one humanoid went extra crispy loco :P
ONE LOVE, BIG HUGZ and STORY TIME :jester:
Introduction
Research topics require diligence, discipline and a strong element of impartiality, in the attempt to produce a well rounded and informative piece of work, to be considered acceptable within the realm of academia. However, how does one approach such a topic of urban shamanism, with an anthropological lens, when such individuals’ perception of reality might differ greatly, from the modern western model? Can such experiences and ideas be explained and understood through the medium the written word? When we read a translation of text, how much of what survives holds true to the original writing; to what degree are the words themselves culturally specific, lacking a suitable replacement word or phrase, which can lead to the spirit of the original text being lost in translation. This research on Urban shamanism is thus not only a study of the nature and practices of urban shamanism, and how such individuals interact within society; it is also an attempt on my part, as an urban shaman, to translate my experiences and understanding of the subject into a piece of academic work, in such an endeavor I can only try to do my best.
Originally this work was to be close to an ethnographic study, however as time went on the writing took on a different shape, with it now being something that is hard for me to define. While writing this work I found myself changing as the chapters began to form and reform as I was not happy with the overall feel of the text. During the time I have been writing this work, I have gone through some intense experiences and transformations within my shamanic life path; in a strange way I might say that I have grown as this work began to grow. In trying to pen down such a colorful and at times enigmatic topic, I found that often I found myself trying to catch sun beams with a butterfly net; that words escaped me when I tried to write them down. The result is a piece of work that at times may seem fanciful and might stretch ones imagination, as it roller-coasters through twists and turns; all I can say is that such a subject matter is by nature on the fringes of what might be the norm of academic enquiry. To those who find the material outlandish, I would apologize; however to do so would imply a fault on my part, which is not accurate. This however does not mean on the other hand that the reader is at fault, this work does stretch the term ‘different’ to another level, and might require reading again at another point in time.
As a shaman, an intricate part of my nature is to seek for truth, not necessarily only in an epistemological fashion, but rather to seek a greater connectivity to the oneness of reality, as often deceit and inaccuracy often only cloud our perceptions and lead us away from a deeper understanding; in writing this work I seek to reveal, to the best of my ability, so I will aim to avoid all bias and work towards clarity with the text. Teresa Cotner describes such notions of the insider and the outsider, as being related to how we perceive ourselves and others (Cotner, 2000); for myself as a shaman I am an insider within the practice of shamanism, however also as a shaman I am also intrinsically the outsider, in society, a topic I will further expand on later, however this essentially allows me to shift my focus, thus allowing me to step outside predetermined notions and conceptions, such as cultural filters for example, as such see the wood and the trees. Hopefully these elements will ensure that I avoid the usual pitfalls associated with being so closely linked to the subject matter.
This work seeks to examine the urban shaman and how they interact in modern society; I have chosen to break this piece down into smaller topics in the hope that collectively they will encapsulate a glimpse, a window into my world and the world of a few others on the path of the shaman. These topics will examine the nature of urban shamans and the different roles urban shamans play within society; roles such as teacher, advisor, healer, mentor, clown, storyteller and guardian. However such roles are not static and often they blend together, as they are subject to the needs of the time, place and person. Through the examination with these roles, with them acting like mirrors, I hope to reveal a reflection of the urban shaman’s view of society.
The topic of urban shamanism is far more expansive in its scope to do it justice in this a work of this size, however I shall try to be as concise and precise as possible to convey a general overview of this life path; path being what we term as our journey through life. Though this work is intended to fall within the field of sociology and anthropology, at times some elements may touch on other disciplines, as the nature of the topics in question, are as such, that attempts to separate the material into different fields of study, would detract from the overall feel and organic flow of the writing. In relation to specific language and the lexicon, which from time to time I will utilize, I will attempt to explain the meaning of the words and term as best I can; this is not so different from any other profession that a utilizes a specialized form of language, to convey details, that are specific to the particular discipline. I will also endeavor to keep the writing in a plain style of language, that is try to avoid cryptic and metaphorical explanations when possible, however such elements may creep in as they are often second nature to myself, and often the only way to convey such ideas; so I would ask the reader to be patient if my writing may sound somewhat ‘mystical’ at times. Shamanism is not a religion, though the practice often connects with mystical aspects of various religions; therefore I would like to inform the reader that at no point do I seek to preach, or seek to ‘convert’. Shamanism is the practice of shaman, as cooking is to the chef, nothing more. The material here is thus only a reflection of a particular world view, and the words written an act of love.
Urban Shaman
All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree.
(Albert Einstein)
What is an urban shaman? How do such individuals differ from more traditional notions of shamans and shamanism? There are many pieces of work that discuss the practice of shamanism and shamans within the fields of anthropology and the history of religions, Eliade’s Shamanism is a good source of the different elements that seem to link such practices, from different cultures, together, even though such cultures are geographically far removed from each other. However rather than trying to define what constitutes a shaman as opposed to a sorcerer or a medicine man, which only serves to confuse with the problems that come attached with trying to seek a definition, via the road of categorization and codification, instead I will try to define what I perceive as being a shaman. A shaman is an individual who through the process of shamanic initiation becomes a healer, guide and protector of his people and the world.
The process of shamanic initiation differs for each individual; however such a ‘path’ is connected to a process of a change in consciousness, brought about from self discipline, the study of practices and techniques related to shamanism, and ultimately through a strong faith in the mystical aspect of existence, the source of oneness. Many elements within the process of mystical initiation are similar throughout the world; as the shaman’s consciousness begins to change, they develop a greater connectivity to world around them and also to the spirit world. From the spirit world, which to the shaman is not separate to ‘normal’ reality, the shaman gains a deeper insight into existence and gifts which allow them to help heal their communities and the wider world. To the shaman all aspects of existence are intimately linked to each other, themselves included; these links, these threads, collectively weave together to form the fabric of reality. Thus anyone who has past through such an initiation and then works as a healer, regardless of cultural background, is a shaman; as all shamans are connected by their shared connection to the expanded reality, the unity of existence.
Serge Kahili King wrote an interesting book on shamanic techniques and practices, taken from the Huna shaman tradition. King described how such knowledge could be utilized to heal within the urban environment; as such practices could go beyond the more traditional association of shamanism with primitive societies. King stated that the shaman, as a healer, heals themselves as they heal others, and through the process of changing themselves, they change the world (King, 1990, p. 16). I chose to use the notions of the urban shaman and urban shamanism to link with King’s description of such people who practice shamanism in urban environments, as a useful way of describing such individuals and practices.
However I wished to attach another element on to King’s description of urban shamans, that being that such individuals were born into societies where the traditional knowledge of shamanism has long since been lost or forgotten; that essentially such individuals started to travel along the path of the shaman, without the benefit of an existing shamanic tradition, to help facilitate such transformations and lessons that the shaman experiences on their ‘path’ through life. Urban shamans thus are no different to shamans elsewhere in the world, the only subtle difference is that when we felt the pull towards the spirit world and a greater connectivity to the expanded reality, it was against a modern world backdrop, which had no understanding of such changes within its cultural makeup; often the only classification available to such individuals was to be classified as being schizophrenic. I myself only managed to avoid such a fate due to a combination of being perceived as being somewhat an eccentric child growing up, and in later life, through a combination of being within a community that recognized the spiritual dimension to my shamanic transformation. The other mystical guides I met along the way, also helped me come to understand more in relation to the path of mysticism. However some were not as lucky as myself, and ended up trapped by a mental health system, that is by practice, as a consequence of its paradigm, unable to recognize shamanic initiation; it is a sad fact that in western society if someone claims to see spirits, they are often labeled as being insane.
I hope you enjoy this, I though people might like a read about such things. It's from my own conscious perspective and as such others may agree or disagree with the words, however this is cool as that is the beauty of having a freewill to have your own conscious perspective to :cool:
No animals were injured in the making of this work, however one humanoid went extra crispy loco :P
ONE LOVE, BIG HUGZ and STORY TIME :jester:
Introduction
Research topics require diligence, discipline and a strong element of impartiality, in the attempt to produce a well rounded and informative piece of work, to be considered acceptable within the realm of academia. However, how does one approach such a topic of urban shamanism, with an anthropological lens, when such individuals’ perception of reality might differ greatly, from the modern western model? Can such experiences and ideas be explained and understood through the medium the written word? When we read a translation of text, how much of what survives holds true to the original writing; to what degree are the words themselves culturally specific, lacking a suitable replacement word or phrase, which can lead to the spirit of the original text being lost in translation. This research on Urban shamanism is thus not only a study of the nature and practices of urban shamanism, and how such individuals interact within society; it is also an attempt on my part, as an urban shaman, to translate my experiences and understanding of the subject into a piece of academic work, in such an endeavor I can only try to do my best.
Originally this work was to be close to an ethnographic study, however as time went on the writing took on a different shape, with it now being something that is hard for me to define. While writing this work I found myself changing as the chapters began to form and reform as I was not happy with the overall feel of the text. During the time I have been writing this work, I have gone through some intense experiences and transformations within my shamanic life path; in a strange way I might say that I have grown as this work began to grow. In trying to pen down such a colorful and at times enigmatic topic, I found that often I found myself trying to catch sun beams with a butterfly net; that words escaped me when I tried to write them down. The result is a piece of work that at times may seem fanciful and might stretch ones imagination, as it roller-coasters through twists and turns; all I can say is that such a subject matter is by nature on the fringes of what might be the norm of academic enquiry. To those who find the material outlandish, I would apologize; however to do so would imply a fault on my part, which is not accurate. This however does not mean on the other hand that the reader is at fault, this work does stretch the term ‘different’ to another level, and might require reading again at another point in time.
As a shaman, an intricate part of my nature is to seek for truth, not necessarily only in an epistemological fashion, but rather to seek a greater connectivity to the oneness of reality, as often deceit and inaccuracy often only cloud our perceptions and lead us away from a deeper understanding; in writing this work I seek to reveal, to the best of my ability, so I will aim to avoid all bias and work towards clarity with the text. Teresa Cotner describes such notions of the insider and the outsider, as being related to how we perceive ourselves and others (Cotner, 2000); for myself as a shaman I am an insider within the practice of shamanism, however also as a shaman I am also intrinsically the outsider, in society, a topic I will further expand on later, however this essentially allows me to shift my focus, thus allowing me to step outside predetermined notions and conceptions, such as cultural filters for example, as such see the wood and the trees. Hopefully these elements will ensure that I avoid the usual pitfalls associated with being so closely linked to the subject matter.
This work seeks to examine the urban shaman and how they interact in modern society; I have chosen to break this piece down into smaller topics in the hope that collectively they will encapsulate a glimpse, a window into my world and the world of a few others on the path of the shaman. These topics will examine the nature of urban shamans and the different roles urban shamans play within society; roles such as teacher, advisor, healer, mentor, clown, storyteller and guardian. However such roles are not static and often they blend together, as they are subject to the needs of the time, place and person. Through the examination with these roles, with them acting like mirrors, I hope to reveal a reflection of the urban shaman’s view of society.
The topic of urban shamanism is far more expansive in its scope to do it justice in this a work of this size, however I shall try to be as concise and precise as possible to convey a general overview of this life path; path being what we term as our journey through life. Though this work is intended to fall within the field of sociology and anthropology, at times some elements may touch on other disciplines, as the nature of the topics in question, are as such, that attempts to separate the material into different fields of study, would detract from the overall feel and organic flow of the writing. In relation to specific language and the lexicon, which from time to time I will utilize, I will attempt to explain the meaning of the words and term as best I can; this is not so different from any other profession that a utilizes a specialized form of language, to convey details, that are specific to the particular discipline. I will also endeavor to keep the writing in a plain style of language, that is try to avoid cryptic and metaphorical explanations when possible, however such elements may creep in as they are often second nature to myself, and often the only way to convey such ideas; so I would ask the reader to be patient if my writing may sound somewhat ‘mystical’ at times. Shamanism is not a religion, though the practice often connects with mystical aspects of various religions; therefore I would like to inform the reader that at no point do I seek to preach, or seek to ‘convert’. Shamanism is the practice of shaman, as cooking is to the chef, nothing more. The material here is thus only a reflection of a particular world view, and the words written an act of love.
Urban Shaman
All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree.
(Albert Einstein)
What is an urban shaman? How do such individuals differ from more traditional notions of shamans and shamanism? There are many pieces of work that discuss the practice of shamanism and shamans within the fields of anthropology and the history of religions, Eliade’s Shamanism is a good source of the different elements that seem to link such practices, from different cultures, together, even though such cultures are geographically far removed from each other. However rather than trying to define what constitutes a shaman as opposed to a sorcerer or a medicine man, which only serves to confuse with the problems that come attached with trying to seek a definition, via the road of categorization and codification, instead I will try to define what I perceive as being a shaman. A shaman is an individual who through the process of shamanic initiation becomes a healer, guide and protector of his people and the world.
The process of shamanic initiation differs for each individual; however such a ‘path’ is connected to a process of a change in consciousness, brought about from self discipline, the study of practices and techniques related to shamanism, and ultimately through a strong faith in the mystical aspect of existence, the source of oneness. Many elements within the process of mystical initiation are similar throughout the world; as the shaman’s consciousness begins to change, they develop a greater connectivity to world around them and also to the spirit world. From the spirit world, which to the shaman is not separate to ‘normal’ reality, the shaman gains a deeper insight into existence and gifts which allow them to help heal their communities and the wider world. To the shaman all aspects of existence are intimately linked to each other, themselves included; these links, these threads, collectively weave together to form the fabric of reality. Thus anyone who has past through such an initiation and then works as a healer, regardless of cultural background, is a shaman; as all shamans are connected by their shared connection to the expanded reality, the unity of existence.
Serge Kahili King wrote an interesting book on shamanic techniques and practices, taken from the Huna shaman tradition. King described how such knowledge could be utilized to heal within the urban environment; as such practices could go beyond the more traditional association of shamanism with primitive societies. King stated that the shaman, as a healer, heals themselves as they heal others, and through the process of changing themselves, they change the world (King, 1990, p. 16). I chose to use the notions of the urban shaman and urban shamanism to link with King’s description of such people who practice shamanism in urban environments, as a useful way of describing such individuals and practices.
However I wished to attach another element on to King’s description of urban shamans, that being that such individuals were born into societies where the traditional knowledge of shamanism has long since been lost or forgotten; that essentially such individuals started to travel along the path of the shaman, without the benefit of an existing shamanic tradition, to help facilitate such transformations and lessons that the shaman experiences on their ‘path’ through life. Urban shamans thus are no different to shamans elsewhere in the world, the only subtle difference is that when we felt the pull towards the spirit world and a greater connectivity to the expanded reality, it was against a modern world backdrop, which had no understanding of such changes within its cultural makeup; often the only classification available to such individuals was to be classified as being schizophrenic. I myself only managed to avoid such a fate due to a combination of being perceived as being somewhat an eccentric child growing up, and in later life, through a combination of being within a community that recognized the spiritual dimension to my shamanic transformation. The other mystical guides I met along the way, also helped me come to understand more in relation to the path of mysticism. However some were not as lucky as myself, and ended up trapped by a mental health system, that is by practice, as a consequence of its paradigm, unable to recognize shamanic initiation; it is a sad fact that in western society if someone claims to see spirits, they are often labeled as being insane.