"How Do I Learn Shamanism?
I want the exercises you give to me to become a part of who I am; therefore, I have lived the experience many times before I actually sat down to post." This... is how we learn shamanism. It becomes part of us. It settles in our bones.
This is actually a very good, and not a simple question.
So, how does one learn shamanism? Very simply, you've got to build a three-legged stool, which is very stable, yet which requires all three legs in order to stand firm and do what a stool is supposed to do!
The first 'leg', is the personal hard work of developing the person who is the shamanic practitioner who reaches into their compassionate heart with a purity of intention, along with developing the skill and knowledge base of what a practitioner must know. The student must learn how to find a balanced lack of self-interest combined with a deep desire to serve others in a healing manner. It is the releasing of all our 'grip' into a flexible orientation towards reality, with the wide opens eyes and acceptance of an expansive and keen awareness. It is this conundrum; of flexibility firmly resting on solid groundedness and stability, that is what one must solve. These are the dimensions of the person who wants to develop as a shamanic practitioner: characteristics that often seem contradictory. Who we are as a person, is as least as important a part of our education as are the experiences we must have experienced, and the knowledge base of things we must know. Yes, there are many practices, rituals, and technical things which encourage a healing or divinatory capacity, there are all sorts of them, and they can be a challenge to master. However, it is who the student is - the person in whom the practice manifests, that is at least as important as what that practitioner knows. This is the 'who' upon which all of one's shamanic healing ability ultimately rests.
Second, it is a matter of the spirits. You are not in this alone... far from it! We are actually more-or-less 'along for the ride', for it is they who have the power that allows any shaman throughout history, any practitioner, to effectively enable healing or discern divination. It is the spirits who choose the practitioner... not the other way around. It is the spirits, not us, who decides with whom they will work, and it is entirely up to them whether they chose to stay with and work with a practitioner, or not.
Thirdly, it our community: our clients, their families, and friends and friends of friends who will determine whether one is a shaman (or as we more frequently label, shamanic practitioner) or not. It is certainly not ourselves. There are many words for people throughout the world who have in various cultures been recognized as having the knowledge, the personal characteristics and the proven ability to serve in divination and healing. However, it is the community that decides to call a person by whatever the local term is, that indicates shamanic ability.
One of my students wrote to me as part of her regular assignments and explained why a particular lesson took her an extra week or so to accomplish. She wrote:
"In the weeks following my last post, I have engaged in the practices… on many occasions and on many different levels. I have been ‘living’ my shamanic practice and have been so grateful for these gifts. Shamanism is not something that should be ‘studied’; rather, it is a gift of living and experiencing.
It is not what we know, but who we become.
Coursework begins with registration of interest
Courses here at Shamanism 101 progress, class by class through three levels in a stepwise manner that well assure a solid foundation and preparation before moving forward to the next. There are 36 separate units divided into groups of 12 units each.
I will be with you the whole way. Each 'class' is automatically as small as it can get: you are working with me one-on-one. Some, who study here with me through the internet classes offered through their own college or university, have the additional support of each other in their school's cyber-forum. It seems even the traditional university system has discovered that the advantages of the internet approach to conveying a lot of information in a personalized way.
Though shamanism can be explained differently by different cultures, every student will alone choose the 'hows' or 'whys' that shamanism has effectively provided healing for thousands of years. The last thing I want is for any student of mine to simply incorporate my understandings. It is actually, the nature of the shaman to challenge the automatic consensus of reality. In fact, such a challenge is the shaman's expertise.
Send me an email so we can get started. Ask questions, tell me a little about yourself, and let's see about whether this is a good fit for you. I am at drserr@shamanism-101.com
If you would like to speak with me, Steve Serr. I am happy to field any questions about enrolment or course content. If you are in the US, email me a phone number and a good time to reach you, and I can talk with you directly.
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