Master Shaman Secrets: Four Powerful Ways!

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Wednesday, 18 September 2024

Written by Marcela Lobos

Master Shaman Secrets: Four Powerful Ways!

The term shaman is thought to have come from the Tungus and Evenki words saman from the natives of Siberia, and it means “one who knows”.

In the 18^th century the term became popular in Europe when anthropologists began using it as an umbrella word for indigenous medicine people who contact the spiritual world while in an altered state of consciousness.

Yet, nowhere in the world does a traditional healer call herself 'shaman' unless he or she is from Siberia. For example, the medicine people of the Peruvian Andes are known as paqos while in Southern Chile are machis and in Tibet they are known as amchis.

However, since the word shaman is now popular in the modern world, I can add that it refers to those who have been summoned to become healers or be in service to their community and have gone through a substantial initiatory journey to awaken to the invisible world of Spirit.

The shamans I am speaking about having achieved a high level of ethics and generosity, and don't pursue knowledge or power for personal gain only. One reason why shamanism has brought up confusion and mistrust in the western mind is precisely because some individuals wear the mantle of shaman to manipulate others. For our School, the abuse of power is recognized as sorcery, and the people who practice are seen as sorcerers.

After arriving at common ground on who we call a shaman, we can identify a variety of expressions which in our School we group into the four directions of the Medicine Wheel as explained below.

In the South, we have those who help mainly by attending the physical body. These are healers who are hands on their patients. They adjust bones, prepare herbal ointments, calm the nervous system or make dietary recommendations.

In the West are the shamans who track the toxicity in the emotional body. They understand how their patients hold a judgmental or shameful relationship with themselves or unhealthy attachment to others. They can find curses that have been passed down from one generation to the next.

In the North are the wisdom keepers who enlighten others with the stories they tell. These shamans are dedicated to passing on the wisdom of their tradition by reinterpreting and updating what has become rigid or obsolete.

In the East we find the shamans who contemplate reality from inner stillness. They are known as the ones who dream the world into being – and a healthier and more peaceful humanity. Plus, they help the dying cross the veil to the spiritual world.

In summary, a shaman can have abilities of all four directions but may feel drawn to one or another one of these gifts at different times in his or her life.

It is important to understand that all four 'types' of shamans are different from modern therapists or western doctors because of their conscious connection with Spirit and the world of subtle energies.

As a modern shaman, to which direction and abilities do you feel yourself drawn to?

Blessings!

Marcela Lobos

Credit

Alberto Villoldo PhD is a medical anthropologist who has spent the last 30 years investigating the healing practices of the shamans of the Amazon and the Andes. He is the founder and director of the Four Winds Society, and author of Shaman, Healer, Sage, Mending the Past and Healing the Future with Soul Retrieval, The Four Insights and Yoga, Power and Spirit. Alberto is founder of the world-renowned Four Winds Society and of the Light Body School. In his teachings and writings, he shares the experience of infinity and its ability to heal and transform us, to free us from the temporal chains that keep us fettered to illness, old age and disease.