Shamans are often called « seers » or « people who know » in their tribal language because they are involved in a system of knowledge based on first hand experience. Shamanism is not a belief system. It’s based on personal experiments conducted to heal and to get information. People ask me, «How do you know if somebody’s a shaman?» I say, «It’s simple. Do they journey to other worlds? And do they perform miracles?»

Michael Harner, 2020-2024

In 2014, as I was going into the dark night of the soul, a medium told me that one way to solve my problem was to find a shaman to retrive a part of my soul. I asked «where do I find such a practionner?» «I don’t know, he said, look and see.»

Three years later, a friend invited me to a Shamanic Circle in Ottawa. We were going to experiment the Medecine Wheel and learn about its power. One thing leading to another, the Elder whom was initiating us, half a dozen of neophytes, to this way of healing invited me to participate to the Grand mother’s lodges (twelve months). And further on to a Shamanic Dreaming group online lead by a different person. She was a Shaman of the Dreaming, so was she called by her followers. She associated herself to the Malécites First Nation group which she says had dissapeared. However, this group who was established from The Lower Saint-Laurent River to The Atlantique Ocean, is now sharing a land in Cacouna by the river. This group is now called Wolastoqiyik Wahsipekuk.

So, this is how I got into this and it represents my first steps into the World of Shamanism. After sometime (close to 2 years) with the Dreamers group, I found out about the Foundation of studies of Shamanism (FSS) located in the United States with teachers and Faculty members established all over the World, including Canada. I have been learning, practicing, working, journeying with them for the last 4 years. I have learned from three Teachers. I now offer sessions to people needing my services. My experience as a practitioner will be shared in a different posting. For now let’s understand better what is Shamanism, who is the Shaman, and finaly understanding the world of shamanism as well as its tools.

What is Shamanism

When we look at Shamanism, one need to understand first what it means. In general, it is a spiritual practice in harmony with the Spirits of Nature, where every things is alive. Although some call it a religion it is not one. In traditional indigineous tribes, the culture they celebrate is included in their practice. For example, some spicific spirits known from a particular tribe may be one of the Spirit of the Nature that the Shaman will meet to receive messages. It may also be the ceremonial aroung the Shamanic practices, like the herbs being offered, the prayers, the costumes being weared. However, it can also be used without the culture just like the antropologist, Michael Harner (1997) who created the Foundation of Studies of Shamanism, explain that the shamanic practices that he has put together is a simple basic ones and is not including the cultures practices he has seen while working and studying the topic with Indigeous people from various countries.

The practioners of Shamanism need to be able to get into an altered conciousness to visit the realms of the Helping Spirits. It is a communion and a communication with the world of the unseen used for divination, for helping the soul that needs healing and for whom/what is alive, may it be Humans, animals, houses, lands, a journey abroad, etc. It is possible to help the souls of those who are passed away but not yet the other side by passing them over to the realms where they will be taken care of. The souls of living ones can also be helped through soul retrievals. The Shamanic practitioner is humble in its practice and in mundane day to day life even though he or she is able to connect with everything that is alive. A Shaman has some kind of mystic aura, so let’s try to explain how one becomes chosen.

Who is the Shaman

A Shaman is determined by its community and is able to journey to other worlds. The Shaman or The Seer can comminicate with the Helping Spirits of Nature by receiving messages, teaching using the five senses: seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling, tasting. That person can be a woman, a man, a two spirited, a trans or any other diversities. For the benefice of the readers, I will use she or he according to the sex the person was first born with in order to simplify the text. Therefore, to become a Shaman one needs to be in service to its community and the members of his or her community consult him or her for healing, divination, helping in various ways. A shaman can also be called a Seer, someone who sees into the world of Spirits of Nature. He or She also has first hand experiences with journeying, knows how to translated the information received and communicate it according to the culture the consultant lives in. When who is a Shaman is unable to see results, then nobody will come back to receive healing or other care. Then he or she cannot be call a Shaman as the Spirit of the Shaman is gone.
To become a Shaman in a communty is not an easy task. The path of a Shaman is quite hard going. Although being protected by its Helping Spirits, the Shaman when practicing needs to be clean, no drugs, no alcool, no abuses of its body what ever the form. It is often a solitary role. It often comes to a person after many difficulties or traumas has been suffered. Images, words come to him or her and if the information received to become a Shaman is not respected, more difficulties will be suffered by this person. Thus, there is no other choice but to become a Seer and be in service to its community and its people. The practionner of shamanism is humble, also has to be able to understand the worlds he or she is visiting and to use the tools to journey into it.

Understanding the world of shamanism, its tools

Shamanism is a journey into the worlds of the unseen. These worlds varies from the non-ordinary reality, may it be upper world, lower world, middle world, which are contrasting with the ordinary world, the mundane world where everyday life is happening for us Human Beings. By using altered conciousness to visit these realms, the shamanic practitioner uses a way and invisible tools to reach them. Then once the practitionner has acheived its journey, he or she communicated with the Helping Spirits of Nature for information and messages to the question that needs answers. As I mentionned earlier, the information comes in images, words, perception of odors, tastes, or physical sensations. In fact, all senses are aware and waiting to receive answers.

To journey, the Seer uses the drumming, the ratles, the masks, the costumes, the Power animals, his/her soul and his/her voice to sing, to move, to dance. Once all is done and the conciousness is altered, the Seer will connect with the Spirits of Nature guiding him or her to messages, profond teachings and informations received by the senses. The shamanic practioner is also able to work with dreams, may it be night dreams or daydreams. These dreams are symbols for healing or for divination, messages of the Spirit worlds and of Ancestors passed the other side. Another power of the Shamanic practitioner is passing souls in the other world or retriving one into the persons that have been thraumatised by accidents, abuses, crimes, wars, etc. One other tool that can be used is the Medecine Wheel and is organized according to the Culture of its communuty. The next part of this text discuss about it.

The Medecine Wheel

According to authors (Aktá Lakota Museum & Cultural Center, 2024; Bopp,Bopp, Brown, Lane, 1989; Sam, 1992) the wheel can be use in different ways and for many aspects of life. Each tribes and clans use it according to their culture. Here in next Figure (1), we can see the various shapes of a Medecine Wheel described in the Canadian Encyclopedia –

Now, the photos bellow are representing the Wheels of medecine made of natural rocks. These were used while I was participating to lodges with a small group of persons lead by an Elder. Even my late dog, Missy, assisted to some of those lodges using the Sacred Medecine Wheel, procuring healing to participants just by being there, quiet, resting near who needed to receive her peace time.

The organization of a Medicine Wheel is a profound reflection of the interconnectedness of nature and spirituality. The meticulous arrangement of natural rocks into three distinct loops holds deep significance and symbolism for those who engage with this sacred structure.

The exterior loop, fashioned from larger rocks, represents the cardinal directions and the powerful forces associated with each, the Winds. As the wheel emanates from the East, the direction of new beginnings and childhood, it extends through the South, West, and North, symbolizing the stages of life from young adulthood to the golden age. The intercardinal directions, including the Northeast, Southeast, Southwest, and Northwest, mid-Winds, are potent but selective, reserved for occasions requiring heightened spiritual energy and strength. Each direction is bound to specific roles such as Firekeeper, Dreamer, Initiator, Healer, etc., embodying the fundamental energies that shape human experiences.

Moving inward, the second loop, sculpted from smaller rocks, delineates the lunar cycles connecting with the spectrum of human emotions. Aligned with qualities essential for problem-solving, this inner loop traverses the wheel from the East to the North in a clockwise motion. The Wheel Keeper, entrusted with interpreting messages from the Helping Spirits, guides these intricate shifts, attuned to the messages from the dreams and the whispers of the spirit world.

At the heart of the Medicine Wheel, the center loop unites the seven clans, such as the Grandmothers, Turtles, and Thunderbird, among others. Within this realm, every juncture where rocks meet signifies a gateway, guarded by distinctive animal spirits and overseen by vigilant Keepers. These gates hold the power to open or close, allowing passage only under the watchful permissions of the Guardians and Keepers. Through this intricate web of symbolism and spirituality, participants gain insight into the unfolding tapestry of their lives, navigating the Red and Black paths that define their earthly journeys.

The Red Path, an embodiment of the spiritual journey, spans from the North Wind to the South Wind, embracing the healing forces that shape human existence. Conversely, the Black Path, stretching from the East to the West, embodies contrasting elements, including the struggles with addiction, the lure of material wealth, and the shadows of the soul. These paths stand as profound metaphors for the dualities of human experience, guiding individuals along their distinctive paths on the sacred pilgrimage of their actual life upon Mother Earth.

The following Table 1 describes all that is linked with the four Winds. It is described by A.l. MacDonald.

The Wheel of Medicine holds significant cultural and spiritual relevance, extending into the realm of Dreaming where its essence takes on a profoundly different nature. Within this ethereal dimension, the interpretation of dreams intertwines with the Healing Medicine Wheel and all its symbolic connotations. Engaging in Intentional Dreaming encompasses a myriad of profound experiences, firmly rooted in reverence and wisdom, as opposed to a casual or frivolous pursuit. These experiences range from profound acts such as Shapeshifting and Communicating with Ancestors, to encountering fellow Dreamers and journeying across diverse Realms, spanning across time, space, and alternate dimensions.

This profound connection to the Dreaming is not taken lightly, as it requires a deep sense of purpose and a call from within, beckoning individuals to navigate this extraordinary world with respect and understanding.

Sources

Bopp, J.,Bopp, M., Brown, L.,& Lane Jr., P. (1989). The sacred tree: Reflections on Native American spirituality. Twin Lakes, WI: Lotus Light
Publications

Aktá Lakota Museum & Cultural Center, 2024. Lakota Medecine Wheel. https://aktalakota.stjo.org/lakota-culture/lakota-medicine-wheel/
St. Joseph’s Indian School, 1301 N. Main St. Chamberlain, SD

Shamanic Healing: We Are Not Alone, page 4
An Interview of Michael Harner by Bonnie Horrigan
© Shamanism, Spring/Summer 1997, Vol. 10, No. 1

SAMS, Jamie. (1994). The 13 Original Clan Mothers: Your Sacred Path to Discovering the Gifts, Talents and Abilities of the Feminine Through the Ancient Teachings of the Sisterhood. US: New York, Harper one and Harper Collins.