Shamanism Rituals

Shamanism is a part of society today, as well as, back in the past. A Shaman is a person who has access and influence of spirits, typically a man. During rituals he enters a trans like state and practices divination and healing. Shamans think that everything is connected, and spirits can cause an event like illness or disease. In this paper I will examine how shamanism is performed with ritual acts. I will look at how ritual acts such as trances effect the healing of individuals, community, and spirits. Shaman preform rituals to heal individuals in the community or bring good wealth to the community. Performing these acts effects the brain in a physiological way. When people believe that a spirit is going to heal the sick, their life force
Shamanism practice is like glue, it connects the community together to perform certain tasks and roles. “At the upcoming sundance we will sweat and dance in the sun without food or water for four days, praying very hard for all people. We are honored greatly to be invited to not only participate in this sacred event, but also to help in the visioning or "remembering," that is part of their ceremony” (Cameron par. 9). Shamanism rituals are a way for people to get together and be with friends and family. They drum, pray, and vision for 12 hours. They go on an altered journey together and tell stories after. The community supports each member in his or her quest. Seeing an animal on their journey represents what they need to do as a community. “Seeing a bear might mean some healing is needed. Seeing a buffalo might herald a return to natural ways. We can ask for specific directions for the community in our journeys. We also go on vision quests and bring back other pieces of the puzzle for the group” (Cameron par.13). Within the community they all respect each other’s differences, therefore, there is not one person superior to the others. This creates a climate for coexistence among each
“Native American shamans in the Southwestern United States who eat hallucinogenic peyote cactus buds in order to have spiritual visions” (Piers et al. par. 13). Cactus bud is just one example of drugs shamans use. The most common drug they use is tobacco and alcohol. Since it is found naturally where they live, shamans bring the drugs from the natural area for the ritual. Shamans strictly use drugs for rituals, they do not use drugs for their own personal preferences or recreation. Since shamans believe that spirits possess objects or spaces, the drugs are not tools to go into a state of consciousness but the spirits themselves enter the shaman’s body. When shamans ingest the drugs into their body, they believe they are using the spirit’s power to travel to the spirit world or the spirit takes over their body. Traveling to the spirt world is very dangerous and can impact them physically or