10 SECRETS OF SHAMANISMShamans and Society
According to anthropologist Michael Harner, an expert
on shamanism, shamans have always been pragmatists, doing
whatever worked best to increase their reputations as power-
ful healers and visionaries. If the shamans' methods worked,
they earned respect and a good reputation. If the shamans'
methods did not work, they lost credibility. Through trial and
error they found what actually proved effective and then ap-
plied their newly found knowledge with astonishingly suc-
cessful results. In this way shamanism has survived through
the ages despite a variety of persistent widespread attempts
to wipe it out by: missionaries, who felt that it represented a
threat to the vertical authority structure of their religions;
the advance of science, which considered shamanism un-
scientific and subjective; the age of reason, which discarded
shamanism because of its nonrational approach; the advent
of technology, which superceded the nature-based shamanic
perspective.
Despite earlier interpretations that shamans were simply
tolerated psychotics, recent anthropological studies have re-
vealed that shamans are actually the most productive, stable,
and intelligent members of their communities. They often
provide for many dependents through their efficient and
shrewd handling of goods, livestock, and items of trade.
Thus each community and tribe depends heavily on the local
shamans for their knowledge and guidance because they
have dedicated themselves to gaining knowledge and access-
ing power for the good of others.
Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of shamanism is the
fact that it is truly a grass-roots phenomenon. There exists no
dogma, no organization, no special texts (although we will be
giving you examples and suggested exercises in this book),
no leaders, no regulatory board. Anyone can practice its
techniques and derive benefit from its methods. Historically
any male or female who exhibited the talent or who had an
intense desire for this personal spiritual quest could practice
it. Shamanism has always been a people's spiritual practice.
Each shaman has the right to access new information and
new knowledge with no threat of expulsion or condemnation
from any organized belief system.
The Making of a Shaman
How does one become a shaman? Typically individuals
are initiated into shamanism in three ways: they are either