Shamans have been performing healing ceremonies for a very long time.
They can be found in every culture around the world, and are highly revered by many communities for their mystical abilities.
Shamanism is an ancient art that began long before people recorded their history.
The human experience has been deeply mysterious and spiritual since the beginning, and shamans have played key roles as guides and healers.
Shamans help people navigate life and death, and guide people between the physical world and the spiritual world.
The physical world is where humans live everyday and is made up of the five elements: earth, air, fire, water, and energy.
The spiritual world is non-physical, and is made entirely of light and energy.
Life in the physical world adheres to the laws of time and space.
Life in the spiritual world is eternal and there is neither time nor space.
The role of the shaman in the physical world is to help people travel to the spirit world and return safely.
Shamans are also healers and help people learn how to take care of and heal themselves.
They accomplish this by maintaining a safe space in the physical world to help others’ explore their bodies, minds, and spirits.
When people are suffering from disease and in pain, they are usually disconnected from their original, spiritual, natural self.
Shamans help people remember their original self, which is balanced, capable, and lives in harmony with Nature and the Universe.
Shamans help people remove their fears, doubts, and ‘shadows’, in order to reveal their own inner light and spirit.
Everybody has an aura, or spiritual light that surrounds their physical body.
The aura stores memories and emotions felt in life.
The aura is affected by trauma, anxiety, and depression.
Trauma, if not released and processed, can stay in the aura and physical body and negatively affect health and well-being.
Shamans use various techniques for removing energy patterns caused by trauma from the spiritual aura.
Some of these techniques include drumming, singing sacred songs, smudging with incense, and concentrating and projecting spiritual energy (also known as reiki).
Shamans also may invite benevolent spirits to perform non-physical healing.
Since shamans have the ability to navigate between the physical and the spiritual world, they may invite certain spiritual beings into the physical world to perform miraculous healing.
Benevolent spiritual beings are capable of manifesting miraculous healing, and can remove disease from the body and aura with ease.
Shamans will also invite the spirits of one’s ancestors and deceased loved ones into a healing ceremony.
Feeling the presence of one’s ancestors and loved ones who have already departed this world can be deeply healing and offer profound insights to the nature of life.
Shamans may also invite the presence of certain animal spirits into healing ceremonies.
Spirit animals are guides and friends to people navigating the spirit world, and offer protection, companionship, and magical healing to those who connect with them.
Common spirit animals many spiritual people connect with are the Eagle, the Lion, the Jaguar, the Bear, the Owl, the Fox, the Dolphin, the Wolf, the Dog, and the Cat.
Each have their own unique qualities, teachings, and abilities, and one can connect spiritually with any or all of them, but usually only one or two at a time.
One can connect with spirit animals at any time in their life, and a shaman does not need to be present in order for the spiritual connection to occur.
If one has no experience connecting with a spirit animal, a shaman can help show them how to do it.
In ceremony, shamans may make a small altar that focuses on the four natural, physical elements.
Each of the four physical elements, Earth, Air, Water, and Fire, each has their own magical teachings and abilities.
Earth can calm the mind, air can stimulate the imagination, fire can provide vitality, and water can soothe and cleanse the body and mind.
These are just a few examples of the healing magic that each of the four basic elements has to offer.
A shamanic healing ceremony will involve all or some of the techniques mentioned earlier.
A shamanic healing ceremony can be done one-on-one with the shaman and the person receiving the healing, or it can be done in groups of people.
There is no limit to how many people can receive the shamanic healing at once, but a group of 10 people is considered to be very large, whereas a group of 3-4 is considered to be small and manageable.
When practicing shamanism, there is an unofficial code of ethics that must be adhered to, in order to maximize healing and minimize potential harm.
When in ceremony with a shaman, the shaman has a role as facilitator and guide, and as such, must be dedicated, respectful, reliable, honest, and trustworthy.
People receiving healing in shamanic ceremonies are vulnerable and open to influence from the shaman, and it is paramount for the shaman to adhere to strict boundaries regarding intimacy, romance, and sexual advances.
It is unethical for a shaman to make romantic or sexual advances to a person receiving shamanic healing.
Just like most careers in medicine or education, it is very important for shamans to be strictly professional while facilitating healing ceremonies.
While in ceremony, if a shaman is unreliable and untrustworthy, the healing ceremony can become a traumatic experience, thereby negating the healing potential and in fact, expand the suffering of the individual who wanted healing.
Most shamans are reliable, trustworthy, and adhere to professional ethics, but just like in all professions, there are people who break ethical guidelines.
Determining the background of the shaman one wishes to work with as well as speaking with people who have worked with them already are good practices for developing a relationship with a shamanic healer.
People who participate in shamanic healing ceremonies always have the right to end the session before it is over.
The intention of a healing ceremony is to aid the person in need of healing, and to enhance their life.
A healing ceremony is not supposed to be an opportunity for the shaman to flex their ego and show off their skills.
Shamans who are ethical and trustworthy can be amazing healers, teachers, and friends, and many people throughout history have benefited from the spiritual healing techniques that they have to offer.
Shamans who have learned to live in harmony with themselves, Nature, and the Universe, have a child-like sense of wonder as part of their character, and know that their life journey is deeply impactful on the world and the universe in which they live.
Shamans have the ability to share the deeply mysterious and mystical aspects of life with other people, and as such, have a responsibility to be morally, ethically, and spiritually healthy, respectful, and wholesome.
A shaman’s goal should be to act, speak, and think in harmony with Nature and the Universe.
When living in harmony, the incredible mysteries of life and death can be understood and appreciated fully.
“Beauty above me, Beauty below me, Beauty to the left of me, Beauty to the right of me, Beauty ahead, Beauty Behind, Beautiful outside, and Beautiful within.”
The beauty of the spirit is all around, and if one loses sight of this truth, a shaman can help open ones’ eyes again.
The Fire Within 