Shamanism is one of the oldest healing methodologies on Earth. It has been practiced on every continent except Antarctica, and continues to be practiced around the world in many traditional cultures. There are people from various religious traditions who practice shamanism — there are Buddhist shamans, Christian shamans, Hebrew shamans, Hindu shamans, etc. and, of course, indigenous societies, each with their particular spiritual practices, including shamanism. In these cultures, the shaman provides a “bridge” to the spirits for the community.

A shaman is one who has trained for many years, and apprenticed with the spirits with whom he or she works. A shaman is one who enters an altered state of consciousness, at will, to travel to the spirit realms and, working with the helping spirits with whom he or she has developed a relationship, brings back information, power and healing to an individual or the community. A shaman may also be called on to bring the presence of Spirit to gatherings and rituals intended to mark significant passages in the life of an individual or the community. It is the community that bestows the designation “shaman” on one whose service to the community is true and effective; it is not a title someone claims for oneself.

Originally, shamanism developed as a method of healing, of gleaning divine wisdom and guidance for a community and its members. More recently, particularly in Western cultures, the “shamanic journey” (the process of traveling to the spirit realms to interact with personal spirit helpers) has become a practice for many people who wish to live spirit-led lives even as they may not be called to become shamans. Their interaction with the spirits is more self-directed — problem solving, personal growth, seeking guidance in their particular life circumstances — rather than dedicated to service for others. We at Sacramento Shamanic Center call these journeyers Pathwalkers.

Shamanic healing addresses the spiritual aspects of illness and works by “mending” the soul — retrieving for the client that part of the life force that may have been lost as a result of trauma or substance abuse, for examples; by “extracting” or removing from the individual any misplaced spiritual energy that is causing problems; and by reconnecting the individual to his or her personal source of spiritual power.