Concept in Definition ABC

In most cultures there are people who consider themselves uniquely gifted and possess high knowledge. In the religious sphere these people are the priests with their different denominations (priests, rabbis, imams, etc). In the context laic there are scientists, scholars or sages, but the word guru is also used to refer to an expert in a subject.

In some spiritual traditions the character with a singular power is the shaman

Shamanism is a belief according to which there are two differentiated and parallel realities: the earthly world and the world of spirits. Between the two there are invisible forces that can only be understood by an expert, the shaman.

Shamanism arose in Siberia and spread throughout America across the Bering Strait thousands of years ago

The word shaman comes from the language Tungú, a language spoken in some territories of central and northern Asia. In a sense literal means "the one who knows". It should be noted that in the tundra Siberian there is a tree with this

denomination and according to the inhabitants of this region it is a tree with unique properties.

They exist in all kinds of cultures and in popular language they are known as witches and sorcerers.

These individuals are a mix of warlocks, healers, mystics, and priests. They are highly valued in their communities because they know how to access the spirit world and, on the other hand, because they have healing powers.

They have advanced knowledge, since they know the healing power of plants and the rituals to avoid suffering. It is said of them that they connect with the spirits of the afterlife.

According to experts in shamanism, these individuals have a special gift to perform their functions and, therefore, not everyone can achieve this condition.

Many shamans turn to hallucinogenic plants to interpret the human spirit. These plants, for example ayahuasca, are used to heal different physical or spiritual disorders.

From the western perspective, primitive shamanism was a way of asking questions of nature and guiding human beings in an environment shrouded in mystery.

Anthropologists who have studied this phenomenon affirm that it is a way of understanding the mysteries that surround life. Thus, primitive man had the need to face the complexity of the world through a belief system.

On the other hand, the knowledge of shamans has a dimension formative and therapeutic within a community.

Photos: Fotolia - Sbabanin / Ammit

Themes in Shaman