What is shamanism?
Shamanism is the most ancient spiritual practice known to humankind. Dating back a possible 100,000 years. The word 'Shaman' comes from the Tungus tribe in Siberia and means spiritual healer or one who sees in the dark. In the Native American culture these healers were called Medicine Man or Medicine Woman. The Shaman interacts directly with the spirits to address the spiritual aspect of one's wellness, alignment and power. Shamans can be men or women. It is believed that the first Shamans were female. Shamans could also be responsible for good hunts, the weather and community cohesiveness among other things depending the people/tribe. In some places there were Shamans who specialized in different healing/journeying techniques and people would take their loved ones or visit different tribes for the help of a particular Shaman, such a ‘bone Shaman’ for broken bones, if needed.
Shaman a difficult word with many connotations that contemporary people have used as an umbrella term for something that is deep and ancient.
Shamanism is not a religion, though Shamans do believe that everything has a spirit. This is often referred to as animism. Shamanic healing is energy work and should not interfere with any religious beliefs or practices.