How to Practice Native American Shamanism

The term shamanism, while not actually used in Native American cultures, describes a system of beliefs that involve communication with the spirit world. Native American culture believes that a shaman is born, not created. However, you can practice shamanism to enhance your life.

Instructions

1. Pray, meditate and exercise to strengthen the spirit, mind and body. Offering your respect through active prayer, centering your energy through meditation and strengthening your body will purify your intent, clear your mind and increase your life force.

2. Take shamanic journeys, also called vision quests or out-of-body experiences. These journeys will bring you knowledge about healing that is not accessible in ordinary reality. The method for inducing a shamanic journey varies for each person, and develops through time, practice and meditation. Some people may easily enter a trance with the right music and dance, others while playing a musical instrument. Some have to isolate themselves for hours or even days at a time, meditating, fasting and praying.

3. Maintain a constant intention to heal and obtain knowledge from the spirit world. Beginning your travels with a goal will work better than trying to induce an altered state of consciousness with no purpose at all.

4. Begin traveling on the behalf of others when you have perfected shamanic journeying. Native American tradition describes the location of the journey as another world, where spirits and guides are present to offer psychic, spiritual and emotional healing. When these other worlds become clear, they resemble lucid dreams in which you can ask questions, seek advice or travel to specific locations.

5. Retrieve power animals for people who have lost their connection with their totem. These animals can restore strength and energy and bestow protection. You can take a shamanic journey to discover someone's power animal and bring it back into contact with that person.

6. Protect the life force in all things. Traumatic situations can alter the life force of any living thing. Often called soul retrieval, a shaman can use visions or shamanic journeys to discover and reveal unhealthy areas of the life force so that a person can begin healing.

Tips & Warnings

• While many people believe that drugs are necessary to enter a trance, others believe that drugs are a negative short-cut to enlightenment, and that true enlightenment can only be found by attaining a drug-like state while perfectly sober. Your method is your own. However, be aware of the dangers involved with drugs, and the possibility that they many create false visions.