Conflicts of all kinds, diseases, discrimination and hate speech sweep the world. As the world bends and bends in time under their influence, we also try to produce innovative, progressive and sometimes disconnected solutions to the situations we are in. Perhaps we need to take these recovery efforts much more seriously, as all turbulent times have experienced the same search for transformation and movement, and can only be pushed forward and continued through breaks. Any perspective that can enable us to overcome the difficulties of the present and reach a different state and discover other kinds of beings can play an important role in the progress of all living things.
It may be a good start to be able to scan the wisdom lived in the world and get the necessary help from the ancient teachings for the formation of these perspectives; One of them is "Shamanism", whose roots are claimed to go back almost 50 thousand years ago. The way we can grasp the nature of consciousness may be hidden in this teaching.
Traces of shamanism can be found in the ancient Mesopotamian civilizations, Scandinavia, Siberia and other parts of Europe, as well as in Mongolia, Korea, Japan, China and Australia, South America, Meso-America, Africa and most of the known parts of the world, including North America. is seen.
Shamans who are recorded in the historical process are usually people who have spent a lifetime after their ascension call, and have been adept enough to create confidence in their experiences.
The healer of shamanism can also be defined as the person who can somehow communicate with and work with spirits to help restore balance. To restore balance; It may mean healing a sick tribe member, helping the tribe's relationship with nature, or restoring balance to nature through rituals. In Shamanism, as in every belief system, there is an effort to find answers to basic human needs, such as finding an explanation for the states of nature and having some control over natural phenomena. For example, a hunter-gatherer society might offer offerings to spirits that influenced the size of herds or the generosity of forests, while later pastoral societies turned to gods and goddesses who controlled the air to have fertile crops and healthy animals.
Today there are many communities that follow an eclectic Neo-Shamanism. However, it is important to note that many of what is currently presented as "Modern Shamanism" is not the same as the shamanic practices of indigenous peoples. The reason for this, of course, lies in cultural and environmental differences. Modern shamans are often interested in practices that include working with totem or spirit animals, dream travels and vision missions, trance meditations, and astral travel.
Could we use Shamanism's teachings, which contain so many surreal elements and do not appeal to our hardened perception, to reconnect with ourselves and with our wider environment?
The belief that everything from plants to trees, from rocks to animals, everything that can be seen and cannot be seen, and that everyone is part of an interconnected, collective whole; We can argue that it can help deep insights and the transformation that can be achieved on the earth.
According to Shamanism, the soul is always the whole; so the essence of man never needs correction. However, a traumatic experience can damage the connection of the mind and body with the soul, and the individual is constantly questioning, judging, criticizing, staying passive, expressing, or resorting to violence, etc. life in situations.
In fact, most of us have experienced such devastating events. Unless we take the time to focus on healing, we continue to carry these damages within us and harm all living things. Sometimes we can overcome and move on, sometimes we relive the pain every day and stay at the mercy of triggers such as diseases, economic troubles and disconnections in relationships, we drift away. For most shamans, the loss of connection with the soul is the cause of the current crisis in the world now.
One of the main goals of shamanism is to put the person in different perception situations with the intention of creative experience. After all, it is so used to living within the confines of the mind that it is forgotten that there are other states of consciousness and perspectives that can be captured. As Albert Einstein pointed out, we cannot solve problems by looking at the level that brought them up. One of the ways we can regain connection with our soul is through our relationship with creativity. When we leave the physical world where we are constantly manipulated with various stimuli and switch to the field of intuition, we now reach the space of creativity. Because here our intuition guides us, not artificial and trivial things. In the creation process, we neither look for the future nor question the past. Here in Shamanism, one does not exist in the past or the future. It is a "soul" that is fully aware of the "now".
In shamanism, three reasons are shown as the main source of all illnesses and even physical pain:
Fear is the most common cause. It results in anxiety, insecurity, jealousy, or anger. These feelings are all interrelated, and they all feed on an underlying fear. While shamans have known this for thousands of years, modern medicine is now beginning to discover the clear link between these mental states and the manifestation of physical illness.
Incompatibility; It is when the balance of a person's life is shaken by an internal or external event and puts the person in a cycle that leads to some mental or physical illness. For example; The struggle of a loved one to return to a healthy and balanced state may be an indication of this state.
We can consider soul loss as the most extreme form of disharmony. Disconnections occur more often when a traumatic or tragic event shatters the soul. This can result in feelings like hanging in a vacuum and losing yourself.
Shamanic journey
Attention on this journey; It is directed inward and the ability to be aware increases with the process. In the shamanic journey, unlike the practice of focusing on the breath in Buddhism, one gets help from the "voice" to focus his attention.
Before the passenger focuses on the inside; It uses a type of sonic driver that consists of repeating a drum, rattle, another instrument, or human voice. For example, Shamans in Siberia have used drum rhythm to travel to their inner cosmography. This cosmography is an inner reflection of the outer landscape of the natural world. The questioning and judgment of the roots of personal suffering is not the purpose of the shamanic journey.
On the journey, contact is made with helping spirits or teachers in nature forms (such as animals). Experience; It takes the form of a dialogue between the traveler and the assistant spirit, and provides invaluable support for guiding the traveler to face even their most painful personal experiences. If this journey is analyzed as a metaphor; It can be defined as a way that people can use to understand themselves and others by attributing their mental and social abilities to animals, nature and the unknown. The experience lived here is very personal.
Compassionate power fields, defined as "helping spirits" at the beginning of the Journey practice, can also be considered as a part of the core self or as an inner energy field. An important aspect of the crises of meaning we experience is the psychological isolation that many people feel. Working with an inner guidance that takes the form of nature, the passenger will feel accompanied and supported as he descends into the depths of the self and will be able to cleanse from the damage caused by psychological isolation.
Three world conceptions in shamanism
In shamanic teaching, it is believed that everyone is born with the souls of one or more animals. By connecting with spirit animals, people reconnect with the hidden places within them. On the shamanic journey, they can travel to one or all of the three spirit worlds. Let's look at these three worlds…
Lower world
In shamanism, the lower spirit world is by no means abused, as depicted in the stories. Instead, it is the world of nature. Here the passenger; It can communicate directly with nature through things like mountains, rivers, and wind.
During the travel process, you may find yourself in forests or desert planes, but the laws of physics may not be fully valid. You can fly over the forest or swim to the bottom of the ocean. Shamans; he believes that his ancestors and animals of power live in the lower world. These power animals may be those seen in the known world, or they may emerge as completely new species. When approached in a psychological sense, we can say that the "Lower World" represents the subconscious.
Middle Earth
The middle spirit world is the spirit world that corresponds to our ordinary world. This is where the journey begins. Here the shaman; the moon communicates with the spirits of things such as plants, animals, and humans.
This place, which appears to man as the world he lives in, is actually a place where he stays in projection and remote viewing. This world is the domain of those who cannot get beyond this. Shamans regard it as neither good nor bad, but simply believe that it should not be taken seriously. The middle earth represents the conscious mind and ego.
Upper world
The upper spirit world is surreal, unlike anything seen in the world. Traveling here makes the mind realize its true self. This is where the pure soul is located, so according to Shamans, the souls of the upper world should be taken seriously. Spirit guides live in this world helping the shaman with knowledge and healing. They can appear in human-like, animal-like, or any other form. The upper world represents the super conscious mind.
Quantum physics tells us that no matter how small every atom, molecule or particle in this world we live in, there is a gap between everything. And if so, then life is more of a flow of energy than the sum of solid things. The superconscious mind encompasses a level of awareness that sees beyond material reality and harnesses the energy and consciousness behind this reality. Super consciousness is where true creativity resides. Expressions of this kind of creativity are different from those that come from the subconscious. Super consciousness is where ideas for truly great works of art, music, prose, poetry, great scientific discoveries, and deep spiritual experiences are found. It is suggested that the solutions of the diseases can also take place in this area.
Shamanism is not a religion; rather, it is a collection of rich spiritual practices that are influenced by the context of the culture in which it belongs. Taking the wisdom that will work for us from this collection will perhaps enable us to confront them while entering the new year without forgetting their pain and experiences. In order to experience the beauty of the solutions we produce with our hearts, we should not ignore the opportunities offered by this teaching. Instead of decomposing artificially; It is not too late to reach that point of view that our existence, nature and all things are one.
