Shamanism

[Euphoric]

willow....
finding your spirit guides...some people find their totem animal by pulling a card from a deck of cards portaying totemic animals (such as the shamanic medicine cards or a deck of celtic animal cards).maybe the best way is to try and find someone qualified to guide you through it...but of course it can be done by yourself. its more personal that way any way. heres some links that might help you..

http://www.manataka.org/page291.html

http://www.phoenixarises.com/spirits/spiritshome.htm

or do your own search... good luck! i always look up the meaning when i cross an animal's path or find animal symbols

[willow]

I just started reading from theladyoftheearth web site and have already found alot of info. I do believe that the deer may be a power animal for me since they are around me alot and do look for me. I know they like the apples that I feed them but I believe that it is more than just that. I am also wondering about Hagrid. He was around again this afternoon watching me as I walked the trails in my woods. I'll look at the websites you suggested. Thanks for your help. Willow

[willow]

Here I am again. I have spent alot of time tonight looking at the websites. They are really informative and I hope that I can learn alot. I am pretty sure that the deer is one of my power animals and also the dog. I have always had dogs, have two now and I communicate with them all the time. They are truly my best and sometimes only friends. I don't think that I can become a shaman or a witch, although I would like to. I will have to be content and accept who I am and try to channel love and light from my being. Hope to hear from you again. It has been enlightening to hear from you. Willow

[boywonder]

that is true with the animals i nevr really thought of them like that. they dont moan about shit happenin thats like the main reason i dont get on with alot of people.

[Euphoric]

happy to be of service :) im no expert really, ive been reading about this for about a year. but ive had some intense experiences with it...a few months ago i spent a few days randomly calling out "psychicly" for my animal spirits to appear. erm, some people might call it praying. whatever..anyway..then i had this dream with an owl and a lizard. it was so real...the feelings i had when i saw them it was like i was meeting some very old dear friends or guardians. i dunno. but thats why i think the owl and the lizard are my main totems. cya :)

[Euphoric]

that is true with the animals i nevr really thought of them like that. they dont moan about shit happenin thats like the main reason i dont get on with alot of people.

werd to that :cool:

[Euphoric]

WOOHOO TRIPLE POST sorry :o
Deer/Hart's Wisdom Includes:

* Gentleness in word, thought and touch
* Ability to listen
* Grace and appreciation for the beauty of balance
* Understanding of what's necessary for survival
* Power of gratitude and giving
* Ability to sacrifice for the higher good
* Connection to the woodland goddess
* Alternative paths to a goal

[willow]

This evening I went out to my circle and lite some candles. It is really dark out there in the woods. I meditated, gave honor to the four directions, even sang and danced a little. Hagrid flew over and called out. So maybe an owl is also my power animal. I am sure the deer are. I have had deer born, grow up and die here. Even conceived here (I saw them doing it once) Right now I have a mama deer and two babies that were born last spring that come everyday. I usually have apples for them but today I didn't so I just talked to them. I think they understood. One of the babies injured it's eye and now it looks like a pink marble. Named it oneeye, the other is twoeye. My dogs are really important to me too and they are my best friends. Found alot of info on the websites you suggested. boywonder is right - animals never moan or complain, they just love. They teach the inner spirit of humans if you are open to them. Thanks again eurphoric, you are an inspiration. Willow

[Euphoric]

hm the hagrid doll presided over an interesting chess game last nite at a party. i dunno, my friend kept picking it up.
i meant to take a picture but my camera didnt have batteries
so i thought itd be interesting if u saw the owl around the same time or maybe theres another coiencidence of some kind. if not then ummm nevermind hahaha peas

[willow]

Hagrid hasn't been around for a few days now. I don't know where he could be but I did a smudging the night before last and asked that he come back safe. Tomorrow is the solstice and the sun is in capricorn at 4:42 am PST, that's my sign so I hope that is means good luck. I'll visit my circle tomorrow night and do another smudging. I'll say hi to you then, see if you get the vibes. Happy solstice, may Gaia guide your spirit. Willow

[Euphoric]

Raven's Wisdom Includes:

Rebirth without fear
Ability to tear down what needs to be rebuilt
Renewal
Ability to find light in darkness
Courage of self-reflection
Introspection
Comfort with self
Honoring ancestors
Connection to the Crone
Divination
Change in consciousness
New occurrences
Eloquence

[greenfrog]

I've had animals, wild animals, come right up to me when im smoking, trips me and the other people out. The freakiest one was a baby skunk that ran up to me and sat in my lap i was a little scared it would do its smelly deed. But it didn't. Maybe the skunk is my shamanic animal. What does that mean? I smoke skunk? LoLs rofl , ouch!~

[Euphoric]

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.

http://deoxy.org/shaover.htm

[Euphoric]

I've had animals, wild animals, come right up to me when im smoking, trips me and the other people out. The freakiest one was a baby skunk that ran up to me and sat in my lap i was a little scared it would do its smelly deed. But it didn't. Maybe the skunk is my shamanic animal. What does that mean? I smoke skunk? LoLs rofl , ouch!~


Skunk's Wisdom Includes:

Understanding how to "walk your talk"

Reputation

Sensuality

Understanding energy flows

Self-respect

Courage

Will-power

Self-confidence

[hellomandude]

oh sshit, whatup euphoric

my spirit guides a hummingbird :)

shamanism is, in my kinda neo view is practice of the mind

but yea, a shaman is definitely a master of archaic ecsatasy

which basically means master of the mind, right?

i dont know.... stoned....

[Euphoric]

oh sshit, whatup euphoric

my spirit guides a hummingbird :)

shamanism is, in my kinda neo view is practice of the mind

but yea, a shaman is definitely a master of archaic ecsatasy

which basically means master of the mind, right?

i dont know.... stoned....

aha cool :D
how did you reach the conclusion that the hummingbird was your spirit guide? :confused: There are many reoccuring animals in my life and many i feel a strong attachment to yet i can never "pick" one.
I think the mind is only half of the equation since its a practice that goes beyond the physical plane but thats just my opinon. Which would mean that ecstacy would involve the spirit as well as the mind (which is why people involved in the pursuit of purely material gain can not acheive complete happiness) Hmm.

[Euphoric]

Wait a sec..a week ago i was having a lucid dream and i saw a chimpanzee walking along a wall. I instantly recognized it as my spirit guide. Its like some other "voice" told me. The way spirits communicate to each other..no words just a transmission of "knowing"
I was so excited and nervous i didnt approach the ape i figured i could be more respectful by letting him do his thing..cool thanks i forgot all about this..

Chimpanzee's Wisdom Includes:
Intelligence
Understanding societal complexity
Language skills
Dexterity
Connection to the forest spirits
Problem solving
Ability to balance compassion and aggression

[Euphoric]

http://www.uam.es/departamentos/medicina/psiquiatria/comunicologia/animals.html

[hellomandude]

i know my spirit animal is a hummingbird because i always had a fascination with them as a child, I even remember trying to catch them, and the peculiar thing is it seemed they never had a fear of humans or at least me; they showed no resistance when i held them

then last week my friend noticed an odd marking on my wall, in a shape that was scarcely similar to a hummingbird, and, this was rite after my friend and i were trying to determine our spirit animals. if you looks closely it is just different shoe scuffs, but, i think it means something and it definitely sealed the deal for me

hummingbird is my guide

[Euphoric]

T]he archetypal frame of reference has been carefully manipulated, through succeeding historical stages, to destroy conscious, cultural, knowledge of the ancient shamanism. When conscious memory (mnemosyne) is destroyed, what is left is emotion, irrational attitudes dictated by â??parentallyâ?? inculcated compulsions: God-the-Father as Pavlov. Itâ??s not for nothing that the great shaman Plato said that all learning is remembering. The great crime of the nonconforming shaman is that he or she struggles to bring to consciousness that which the authorities, and their compulsive sheep, want forgotten.

http://www.cognitiveliberty.org/1jcl/1jcl39.htm

[Euphoric]

Through this journey, the shaman is able to enter another's reality to retrieve the other's life force, receive guidance and support and remove unwanted inclusions/attachments from the person for healing and growth. In contemporary, historical or traditional shamanic practice the shaman may at times fill the role of priest, magician, metaphysician or healer.

Personal experience is the prime determinant of the status of a shaman.
Knowledge of other realms of being and consciousness and the cosmology of
those regions is the basis of the shamanic perspective and power. With this
knowledge, the shaman is able to serve as a bridge between the mundane and
the higher and lower states
The shaman lives at the edge of reality as most people would recognize it and most commonly at the edge of society itself. Few indeed have the stamina to adventure into these realms and endure the outer hardships and personal crises that have been reported by or observed of many shamans.


A shaman may be initiated via a serious illness, by being struck by lightning, or by a near-death experience (e.g., the shaman Black Elk), and there usually is a set of cultural imagery expected to be experienced during shamanic initiation regardless of method. According to Mircea Eliade, such imagery often includes being transported to the spirit world and interacting with beings inhabiting it, meeting a spiritual guide, being devoured by some being and emerging transformed, and/or being "dismantled" and "reassembled" again, often with implanted amulets such as magical crystals. The imagery of initiation generally speaks of transformation and granting powers, and often entails themes of death and rebirth..


http://www.faqs.org/faqs/shamanism/overview/
http://www.shamanicconnection.com/shamanism.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamanism