Question by Rinaldo: Is shamanism a religion?
Can “shamanism” be identified as a religion?
Best answer:
Answer by Hc_24
what..?
Give your answer to this question below!
Question by Rinaldo: Is shamanism a religion?
Can “shamanism” be identified as a religion?
Best answer:
Answer by Hc_24
what..?
Give your answer to this question below!
Yes, they worship spirits.
No its a cult
They do worship spirits but they also worship the sun like pagans
yes…as long as someone believes it, it is a religion.
yes–in fact shamanism was the original religion in the paleolithic era–in a sense all of todays relgions derive from this one.
True shamanism predated religions and dogmatic foolishness and simply relied on the obvious truths of our environ, if today’s versions are practiced accordingly then “no” is the answer.
Shamanism, or animism was perhaps the oldest and first religion. It is the belief that there are spirit totems in the world associated with various animals such as the great bear spirit or the great lion spirit.
Yes, certainly. But the term Shamanism is also frequently misused to mean any animistic form of magick. It is actually a very specific religion from the Tunguska region of Siberia.
that’s like saying is believing in a god a religion..
there are many types of shamanism, with very different beliefs
Here, everything you would want to know and more:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamanism
Most naturalistic ancient religions worshiping idols were more or less “shamanistic”. The remnants of these ancient cults are known today as magic, shamanism or witchcraft.
Shamanism is a part of the PAGAN religion (Earth worshiping/magick – Healing with the earth not science…)
A lot of religions (earth based) fall under the PAGAN umbrella…. Here is a good link with info on Shamanism:
http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/SHAMANISM/id/182375
The Site says:
“SHAMANISM: The oldest system of healing and magick in the world, probably as old as mankind itself. Shamanism is the art of functioning comfortably in two realities; the ordinary reality of the everyday, waking world, and the non-ordinary reality of the shamanic state of consciousness attained through an ecstatic”
And here is what Paganism is (It mentions Shamanism as being part of this category)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paganism
The Site says:
“Paganism (from Latin paganus, meaning “country dweller, rustic”)[1] is the blanket term given to describe religions and spiritual practices of pre-Christian Europe, and by extension a term for polytheistic traditions or folk religion worldwide seen from a Western or Christian viewpoint. The term has various different meanings, though, from a Western perspective, it has modern connotations of a faith that has polytheistic,[2] spiritualist, animistic or SHAMANIC PRACTICES, such as a folk religion, historical polytheistic or neopagan religion.”
Another great site that explains Shamanism under the PAGAN umbrella is:
http://www.alumbo.com/directory180.html
The site says:
“Welcome to the wonderful world of Paganism, a broad based religion and faith dedicated to the natural world that surrounds us. Through this portal we can and will share the resources of the web on such diverse practices as Wicca, Druidism, Shamanism, Asturu, and so many more. ”
Shamanism also comes in many forms: Wiccan Shamanism, Celtic Shamanism… And is practiced by many including indigenous people who are untouched by any outside religious movements and practice ancient earth based teachings….
No. It is a spiritual thing not a religious thing to be a shaman.
“Four major components of a religion are, a history with a salvific individual, a theology, the holy text, and ritualistic practice. When we examine major world religions such as, Christianity, Judaism or Buddhism, we can identify the leader of each of these religious movements. The leader gathered a following of disciples or students that brought support, structure and further development to their religious beliefs.
Shamans, by contrast, do not have a following. A Shaman is interested in practicing their spiritual healing techniques but generally is not interested in forming a group of people to perpetuate a theology or religious structure”
well possibly yeah
Religion- A sincerely held set of beliefs, values and attitudes; beliefs and opinions concerning the existence, nature and worship of a Supreme Being, supernatural force or god(s).
It’s actually quite positive, and shamans can heal as far as I hear. I wouldn’t think it was “devil worship” or anything like that.
Shamanism is classified by anthropologists as an archaic magico-religious phenomenon in which the shaman is the great master of ecstasy. Shamanism itself, was defined by the late Mircea Eliade as a technique of ecstasy. A shaman may exhibit a particular magical specialty (such as control over fire, wind or magical flight). When a specialization is present the most common is as a healer. The distinguishing characteristic of shamanism is its focus on an ecstatic trance state in which the soul of the shaman is believed to leave the body and ascend to the sky (heavens) or descend into the earth (underworld). The shaman makes use of spirit helpers, with whom he or she communicates, all the while retaining control over his or her own consciousness. (Examples of possession occur, but are the exception, rather than the rule.) It is also important to note that while most shamans in traditional societies are men, either women or men may and have become shamans.
There are a number of relatively common practices and experiences in traditional shamanism which are being investigated by modern researchers. While the older traditional practices are ignored by some researchers, others have begun to explore these older techniques. The emergence of the new field of the “anthropology of consciousness” and the establishment of Transpersonal Psychology as a “Fourth Force” in psychology have opened up the investigation of research into the nature and history of consciousness in ways not previously possible. Outside of academic circles a growing number of people have begun to make serious inquiries into ancient shamanic techniques for entering into altered states of consciousness.
Traditional shamans developed techniques for lucid dreaming and what is today called the out-of-the-body experience (oobe). These methods for exploring the inner landscape are being investigated by a wide range of people. Some are academics, some come from traditional societies and others are modern practitioners of non-traditional shamanism or neo-shamanism. Along with these techniques, the NDE or near-death-experience have played a significant role in shamanic practice and initiation for millenia. There is extensive document- ation of this in ethnographic studies of traditional shamanism. With this renewed interest in these older traditions these shamanic methods of working with dreams and being conscious and awake while dreaming are receiving increased attention.
The ability to consciously move beyond the physical body is the particular specialty of the traditional shaman. These journeys of Soul may take the shaman into the nether realms, higher levels of existence or to parallel physical worlds or other regions of this world. Shamanic Flight, is in most instances, an experience not of an inner imaginary landscape, but is reported to be the shamans flight beyond the limitations of the physical body.
Is it a religion – you decide, now you’ve read that! I would say techniques but it really depends on your definition of religion doesn’t it?
Halcon