Monique Joiner Siedlak - Shamanic Magick

Practical Magick

Wiccan Basics

Candle Magick

Wiccan Spells

Love Spells

Abundance Spells

Herb Magick

Moon Magick

Creating Your Own Spells

Gypsy Magic

Protection Magick

If youre reading this book, chances are youre searching for purpose or looking for ways to live a more meaningful life. Youre not alone in this journeya lot of people go through a period of uncertainty. Stressors at school, work, or home often lead us to question our current way of life.

Right now, you might feel like youre trapped in a small boat in the middle of the open sea with no land in sight. Maybe youve come across a fork in the road, and you dont know which direction to take. Perhaps youre in a phase of transitiona succession of changes has made you feel untethered and unsure. No matter what your current situation is, the principles of shamanism can help you find clarity and give you the gift of peace.

This book will take you on a worthwhile adventure. We will talk about shamanism as a religion that connects us to nature, the cosmos, and our higher selves. We will look at the foundations of the religion and how its traditional principles, practices, and tools can help us in the modern world.

We will start our discussion with the basics of shamanism. In the first chapter of this book, we will answer two central questions that will help us gain insight into what the religion is. One, what is shamanism? And two, where did it originate?

From there, we will talk about the shamanic consciousness, territories, dimension, and journey; the psycho-spiritual work of shamans and the power and beauty of ceremonies and rituals; dance, the medicine wheel, and sacred plants as essential tools in shamanic work; the sanctity of nature and the cycle of life; and the dream world and its significance in shamanism.

Theres so much to learn from this book. Hopefully, by the end of it, you will learn how to apply the guiding principles of shamanism in your life so that you can be free from the troubles and woes of the modern world. I want you to release yourself from the chains that bind youchoose freedom by embracing the shamanic way of life.

One

What Is Shamanism?

Some say that shamanism is the earliest form of religion. Though considered a religion, shamanism does not believe in a Supreme Being. It does not follow a strict set of rules like the Ten Commandments of the Jews or the Five Pillars of Islam. At its core, shamanism is the belief that there is a spiritual connection that exists between everyone and everything in the universe (Turner, 2004). It believes in the collective experience. You can say that shamanism is a way of life that allows you to expand and explore beyond your physical limitations. To be able to connect with what you cant see, you need to set your soul free.

The origins of shamanism are not clear, although most scholars agree that it has existed since prehistoric times. Native and aboriginal tribes all around the world had elders and spiritual leaders who can be compared to modern-day shamans. Rock art, hieroglyphs, and other prehistoric relics also point to the existence of shamanism or, at the very least, practices that highly resemble it. Cave drawings in Europe, for example, showcase figures that bear a resemblance to the human form and that are surrounded by tools and objects that were used for rituals (Harvey & Wallis, 2016; Hoppl, 2013).

The etymology of the word shaman is often attributed to Tungusian languages in Eastern Siberia. But the Tungusian word saman actually derives from the Chinese word a-men, which derives from the Pali word samana, which derives from the Sanskrit word ramana, which refers to a person who practices extreme self-discipline and abstinence for religious reasons or the pursuit of a higher consciousness (Laufer, 1917).

The term shaman did not surface until the 17th century. A Dutch merchant named Evert Ysbrants Ides was tasked by the Russian Czar Peter the Great to make contact with Chinese Emperor Kangxi. His mission was to establish trade relations and to initiate talks about finalizing the border between the two nations. During his journey, he encountered someone he described as a diabolical artist from a Tungusic tribe in Siberia. He called this person a shaman in the report that he sent back to Russia. However, Adam Brand, the secretary of the expedition, who was also of Dutch origin, was the first to use shaman in a brief report that he wrote about the journey (Bremmer, 2016).

Some will argue that shamanism is the religion of uncivilized hunters and gatherers or that it doesnt belong in modern society. However, most literature about shamanism is biased with Eurocentric ideologies that discredit it as an illegitimate religion (Harvey & Wallis, 2016). As we all know, Western Europe is responsible for spreading Christianity as a religion throughout the world. From the exile of the apostle Paul in Greece to the Crusades to overseas expeditions, Europeans used Christianity to exert political power over other countries around the world (Pelikan, 2005).