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Shamanic belief systems have a long history and deep cultural heritage around the world from the Native American Indians, to Australian Aboriganies, Tibetan and Celtic Mysticism to name but a few.
Shamanism is classified as an archaic magico-religious phenomenon in which the Shaman is the great master of ecstasy. A Shaman may exhibit a particular magical specialty such as control over fire, wind or magical flight. When a specialisation 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.
Shamanic healing focusses on integration of the physical and energy bodies with the higher self, with the objective of reconnecting us with our inner purposes and reason for being.
Typical shamanic healing methods include dream therapy, shamanic journeying to alternate realities, finding our animal spirits, soul retrieval to overcome past trauma, loss or abuse, and assemblage point therapy to realign our energy bodies.
The results of Shamanic healing are often reported to be life affirming and transforming - sometimes of a similarlly dramatic nature to near death experience.
Traditional Shamans developed techniques for lucid dreaming and what is today called the out-of-the-body experience. 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.
The Call to Shamanise and become a Shaman is often directly related to a near death experience by the prospective Shaman. Among the traditional examples are being struck by lightening, a fall from a height, a serious life-threatening illness or lucid dream experiences in which the candidate dies or has some organs consumed and replaced and is thus reborn. Survival of these initial inner and outer brushes with death provide the Shaman with personal experiences which strengthen his or her ability to work effectively with others. Having experienced something, a Shaman is more likely to understand what must be done to correct a condition or situation.
The Toltec belief system may be viewed as an extension of Shamanism focusing on our relationship with Universal energy. It comprises two principal techniques The Art of Dreaming, and the Art of Stalking - one focusses on our inner experiences and fluidity, the other on our awareness of and relationship with the world around us.
Combined with loosing attachments and erasing self importance these form what many recognise as a powerful methodology leading towards personal enlightenment and freedom.
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