Shamanism Overview
Shamanism is a belief in the power of the supernatural, specifically in deities and spirits that oversee the events and actions of the human world. Although the supernatural world of spirits constantly engages with the human world, ordinary people are not capable of communicating with them or learning about their intentions and guidance.
There are, however, a few selected people, known as shamans, who are able to communicate with the spirits of dead ancestors, nature, and the landscape. It is these people who use rituals to mediate between the human and supernatural worlds. Because shamans were thought to fix problems that result from misunderstandings between humans and the supernatural world, many cultures respected them and thought very highly of them. Shamans supposedly can alter one’s state of consciousness and lead them into the spiritual world. As they lead people into the spiritual world, they are being led by their own spirit guide who steers them in the right path away from malevolent spirits. Various historians have argued that shamanism also played a role in many of the pre-Christian religions of Europe, and that shamanic elements may have survived in popular culture right through to the Early Modern period. Various archaeologists and historians that specialize in religion have also suggested that shamanism may have been a dominant pre-religious practice for humanity during the Paleolithic. Shamanism was very popular in many cultures. One of the most popular cultures being the mongols. The mongolian shamans were known to wear long white robes and carry around multiple items that they needed for ceremonies. One of those being a drum with an angled drumstick that they played during certain ceremonies and when they were traveling they let the drumstick rattle against the drum to keep evil spirits away. Shamans had different attire in every culture.
There are, however, a few selected people, known as shamans, who are able to communicate with the spirits of dead ancestors, nature, and the landscape. It is these people who use rituals to mediate between the human and supernatural worlds. Because shamans were thought to fix problems that result from misunderstandings between humans and the supernatural world, many cultures respected them and thought very highly of them. Shamans supposedly can alter one’s state of consciousness and lead them into the spiritual world. As they lead people into the spiritual world, they are being led by their own spirit guide who steers them in the right path away from malevolent spirits. Various historians have argued that shamanism also played a role in many of the pre-Christian religions of Europe, and that shamanic elements may have survived in popular culture right through to the Early Modern period. Various archaeologists and historians that specialize in religion have also suggested that shamanism may have been a dominant pre-religious practice for humanity during the Paleolithic. Shamanism was very popular in many cultures. One of the most popular cultures being the mongols. The mongolian shamans were known to wear long white robes and carry around multiple items that they needed for ceremonies. One of those being a drum with an angled drumstick that they played during certain ceremonies and when they were traveling they let the drumstick rattle against the drum to keep evil spirits away. Shamans had different attire in every culture.