What is "Shamanism"?

Let's get the first and foremost thing out of the way. There's no such thing as a 'shaman'. Shaman is a word that has a root derived from a Russian word, though it is argued to come from Manchu-Tungus. The generally believed definition is "to know" and to translate the title as 'one who knows'. In the West, we use that word to identify people of a medicine path (witch doctors, priest/priestess, literal 'medicine men/women'). 

People of a medicine path or medicine way are found in cultures all over the world--from Europe, to Asian countries such as Korea and Japan, to Latin America (Ecuador, Peru, Puerto Rico, Chile) and the famous Amazonian tribes, Australia and New Zealand, to Native American and Canadian Tribes. Most in common, the tribes often were indigenous or nomadic, and worked solidly with the earth and the environment. In particular, the Spirits and Spirit world connected to the elements present in their environment.

Currently, today, it's important to understand there is a divide in the community over the use of the word 'Shaman' and the way many cultures seek to protect their own medicine paths. Ethically, it's important to understand that many cultures do this actively today and keep their paths secular and do not train those outside of their lineage or traditions because they're in threat of their way being annihilated. We need to protect and conserve these medicine paths. Examples of these traditions is Native American, Innuit, Canadian, and Aboriginal medicine peoples who are in threat of having their culture die out due to pressure to assimilate. Efforts to destroy their cultures continue today, and so it's with the utmost respect and delicacy that we honor their desires to keep their practices closed. 

When we're connecting with medicine paths, it's most often best to respect that we should have lineage and years of training in a tradition or medicine path before we connect into that lineage in name. Though by blood I may have certain Latin American lineages that connect to indigenous tribes, I cannot say I am of that tribe actively practicing. I honor and respect the heritage, but cannot say I have learned that medicine way. 

In many of these cultures, medicine men and women are trained from the time they are children and this is merely a part of their life. This is a way of life for them. 

In our lineage, we were honored to have the privileged experience of having Peruvian tribes share their traditions (in portion) with us. They require years if not decades of dedicated practice before they can gain the title of Paqo (Priest) in the Q'ero lineage, and it was their collaboration with Alberto Villoldo that made it possible for us to connect with their lineage. We are Mesa carriers, medicine people, but our tradition is a short hand version of what in their lives is much more detailed and has many more practices we have not even been handed yet.

Why?

This is actually due to their desire to keep us safe. 

Many cultures will say their way is stolen by us, and there is validity and truth in this. We have to understand and honor the delicate balance between cultural appropriation and understanding truly what it means as a Westerner living in a very different world what it means to be a 'Shaman' in the modern day.

How we incorporate and heal the world in a fast paced society not surrounded by the mountains, and woods, and trees, and birds and just... Pachamama. The Universe guides many of us in Earth-Based traditions to evolve, grow, and blend the old with the new. The old is tried and true. It works. It has worked for hundreds and thousands of years.

But in the new, where we learn something and move on quickly in life, we have to ask how we are weaving this into our life?

Why did we become a 'Shaman'?

What did we bring to the world and into our life, except a title?

These are the thoughts we have to take away when we endeavor to learn a medicine way. This is not merely a path--this is a lifestyle. We honor it, cherish it, and preserve our medicine brothers and sisters still facing persecution by society.

​Kat--

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