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What Makes a Shaman a Shaman?
It may not be what you think.
Currently trending now in the spiritual marketplace is people calling themselves a shaman, or saying they are “doing shamanic work”.
What does it mean?
I admit I’m pretty confused myself.
Sometimes it seems these shamans don’t know either.
The word shaman comes from the Tungus word saman, “one who knows”, and refers to a spiritual leader of a community.
It describes a person who has entered into the spirit world for healing, information and knowledge.
They are messengers between the spirit world and the real world, as they go into trance through meditation, drumming or ingesting plants.
In my experience, a true shaman, or healer, does not walk around calling him/herself a shaman.
Well, at least the ones I know and trust.
Historically, in indigenous communities, the title of shaman was given to them by others after they had demonstrated healing abilities.
In Peru, the term curandero, translated as healer, is more commonly used. Usually the the expats and foreigners in Peru will use the word shaman, and the word is used rather loosely.
