Shaman - who is this? Origin and meaning of the word

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

Who is a shaman? “This is the one who runs around with a tambourine and mutters something under his breath,” many will answer. And they will not be entirely right, because such an interpretation is far from complete and does not reveal the true meaning.

Shamanism as an ancient art appeared in the Paleolithic times and was spread all over the planet. People communicated with spirits and mastered the relationship of man with nature. And surprisingly, shamans around the world came to a common understanding of the world, although they never communicated with each other.

Modern man can lift the veil of secrecy and learn ancient traditions and practices. Unless, of course, he is ready to face his roots and the spiritual reality of being. Let's try to figure it out, a shaman is who he really is and what he does.

Who are shamans?

First of all, these are people who have certain knowledge. The shaman, entering a state of trance, passes into the other world. It is from there that information and experience come to him, which are then used for the benefit of mankind. Such a person can be called a guide to the afterlife or an intermediary between the worlds.

What else do they call people with secret knowledge? folk healer,scientist, priest, guardian of the ancients, sorcerer, magician, mystic. All these names boil down to the fact that a shaman is someone who owns natural methods to maintain or obtain well-being, good he alth for oneself or others.

The guardian of the ancients draws all this knowledge from helper spirits, which most often appear in the form of mystical animals. Their shaman meets in another reality - the lower world. On average live people live. The upper world is inhabited by divine beings who possess superconsciousness. All these realities are connected by the world tree. Its roots pass through the lower world, and a high crown ends in the upper one. This is the shamanic understanding of being.

Meaning of the word "shaman"

If you look at explanatory dictionaries, you can see that they give several interpretations of this word.

According to one definition, a shaman is a person who, according to others, has a special magical power. That is, he is a sorcerer, or in another way a wizard.

Another definition says that a shaman is a person who comes into contact with supernatural forces through a ritual. This is a special ritual ecstasy achieved through special techniques. This will be discussed a little later.

There is another meaning, according to which the shaman acts as a provider of services of a religious, ethnic and medical nature. He does this in a state of consciousness similar to ecstasy. It is believed that supernatural forces take part in healing.

The origin of the word "shaman"

The term "shaman" is spread all over the world. Although the languages of different peoples are fundamentally different from each other, the pronunciation of this word is generally consonant. If you think about what a shaman is, then you need to disassemble this term by composition.

One version of the origin is associated with the Tungus-Manchu language. At the head of the word is the root "sa", which means "to know". There is also a binding - the suffix "man". And it turns out that a shaman (saman) is a person who loves knowledge. For comparison, we can give another example, not related to healing practice. "Asiman" is "lover of women". Also at the root "sa" you can find derivatives with similar meanings. For example, "savun" is "knowledge", and "sademi" is "to know".

According to another version, the term comes from the Sanskrit "shraman", which literally translates as "spiritual ascetic", "wandering hermit". This word penetrated into Asia along with the Buddhist trend, and then, together with the Even language, spread among the Russian and Western population.

Every nation calls shamans in its own way. Even in the same area, different names can come across. There are also entire classifications, according to which shamans are divided into categories and perform various functions.

What do shamans do

What functions does a shaman perform? In fact, the work of a healer-guide is not simple dancing with a tambourine, as many people think. Shamans, having entered a trance, determine the disease and treat it, remove troubles and misfortunes fromtribesmen, are looking for missing things and even people.

During astral travel, the keepers of the ancients come into contact with other realities. Therefore, they can communicate with the dead, accompany those who left the earth to the world of their ancestors, and perform conspiracy rituals that protect against evil spirits. By communicating with phantoms, shamans are able to not only communicate with them, but also control them.

It is believed that astral projections and travel to the heavenly and underground worlds allow you to predict the future. Therefore, you can turn to a shaman for help in making a forecast of a particular situation. The interpretation of dreams is also a hobby of folk healers.

Shamans are inextricably linked with nature, and therefore they can control the weather and natural phenomena. This ability is often used to ensure a rich harvest or successful hunting.

As you can see, the Guardian of the Ancients has only good intentions. But the shaman-sorcerer uses the connection with other worlds for selfish purposes in order to profit or harm someone.

Characteristics of a shaman

• Has special knowledge and magical qualities.
• He is a guru, a spiritual guide.
• Able to enter a trance state using special dances, meditations and rituals.
• Knows how to release the soul from the body, create an astral projection and visit other worlds.

• Understands the division of spirits into evil and good, knows how to control them. When necessary, the shaman cooperates with phantoms for the welfare of the community.
• Has healing powers.
• Using the help of broadcasters - animal souls.
• In rituals he uses a very important attribute - a drum or a tambourine.

How did one become a shaman?

Shaman is a person endowed with a gift. It doesn't matter if he wants to get it or not. In ancient society, only the gods and spirits chose a traditional healer, marking him with a supernatural mark. Most often, it was some kind of distinctive sign on the body. This rule even extended to those who inherited abilities.

Initiation into shamans is carried out by an experienced guardian of the ancients. During it, the chosen one becomes very ill, he begins to have a headache, vomiting, hallucinations. This phenomenon is called "shamanic disease". The disease only goes away when the person accepts his path and gives himself to the spirits.

The future shaman is most often a little boy. When he was recognized, a special education began. They didn't raise him like normal kids. From early childhood, they were taught to spend a lot of time communicating with nature and animals, using herbs, making shamanic instruments and contacting spirits.

Signs of being chosen

In ancient times, people understood that a person was chosen for a shamanic mission, according to several signs:

• The baby could be said to be "born wearing a shirt".
• He has a vivid imagination.
• He has a special love for nature and animals.
• Always distinguished by silence, sullenness and thoughtfulness.
• A person sees unusual dreams about other worlds, sacred birds or animals.
• There was a strange case in life (contact with the wing of a mysterious bird, wounded by lightning or a stone that fell directly from the sky, and so on).

Does the shaman matter today?

In ancient times, communication with animals and nature was an everyday part of everyday life. But by modern man this skill has been lost and forgotten. People no longer see the need for it.

And only in recent years has humanity come to understand the value of how important it is to return to the spiritual roots of life. Scientists began to seriously consider the existence of the soul and life in other worlds.

Our ancestors had knowledge of this and even traveled to other realities themselves. The modern shaman is destined to preserve and pass on the ancient rites, practices and traditions necessary to summon the ancestral spirits.

Can one become a shaman?

In ancient times, only a supernatural mark said that a person is a shaman. Contemporary history proves otherwise. Today, almost anyone can learn the path of a shaman. So, what conditions are necessary for this.

• There were already shamans, healers or healers in the family.
• The transfer of a serious illness, in which a person's life hung in the balance, can be an impetus for the discovery of abilities.
• If a child has the ability to foresee future events, then it is quite possible to teach him to communicate with spirits.
• An experienced practicing shaman can help unlock your potential.
• If you fixcontact with the spirit of nature, it can help to get shamanic abilities.

To comprehend secret knowledge, people usually isolate themselves from society, become hermits. They go to the forest or mountains for weeks, months and even years to be alone with themselves and their thoughts. This helps to understand whether you have no prerequisites or you are really a shaman. Legends say that to become an intermediary between the worlds simply at will is quite difficult and very dangerous. After all, the mind of an inexperienced person can be taken over by evil spirits disguised as allies.

Shaman practices

All rituals and ceremonies are performed in a state of trance. To go into it, spells, special dances, chants, amulets and even hallucinogenic plants are necessarily used. Also in shamanic practice, such an attribute as a drum or tambourine is very important, which is usually trimmed with animal bones and bells.

The tools are used for different rituals. For example, to perform the rites of carrying and storing phantoms or souls, rattles, bones, a didgeridoo, or a jew's harp are needed. And to determine the totem animal that protects the family, special music is created with special instruments.

The Keeper of the Ancients is in harmony with the surrounding reality and draws natural strength from nature. You can meet another type that differs radically in its actions. He is a shaman-mage. He, on the contrary, uses his own skills - sorcery to change the world.

Sacrifice

These are whole ritual techniques that are performedto establish contact with spirits. Sometimes they themselves move into a person in order to transmit information through him. The ceremony may take several hours, or it may take up to several days. The ritual can frighten an unprepared observer, because it is accompanied by a blackout and convulsions. When the goal is reached, the shaman's soul returns to earth, and he opens his eyes as if nothing had happened.

Before the ritual, you need to put on a costume, apply makeup and prepare the necessary tools. They often call fellow tribesmen and make a fire, around which everyone sits down. The shaman makes a speech and performs a sacrifice. Only after this does the ritual begin - entering a trance, striking a tambourine, dancing and singing.

The rhythm of the dance is set by objects placed on the shaman's clothes. At the same time, the noise gradually increases, and the beats on the tambourine and the singing become louder. Then the ritual shaman fumigates his fellow tribesmen with a special mixture of mushrooms and herbs. This is necessary to immerse everyone present in a hallucinogenic trance. Then you can perform the ceremony that is needed to achieve the goal: medical, commercial, religious, etc. At the end of the ritual, the shaman will definitely thank the spirits.

Legends of famous shamans

Sat Soyzul during the rituals hammered a knife into his chest and froze in place. One would have thought that he had died. But at the end of the ritual, Sat opened his eyes and calmly pulled out his dagger.

Another shaman, Daigak Kaigal, to convince everyone of his abilities, asked to shoot him in the heart during the ritual. could be seenblood, but neither the bullet nor the knife actually wounded him.

Shamans are continuously connected with nature and spirits. And today almost everyone can plunge into this mysterious world.