Hey ArmsMerchant. I've never actually had a direct conversation with you, but judging from your posts on &totse, I can see you have great wisdom and knowledge.

I was recently talking to my mother's boyfriend, and it turns out that he was a Mi'kmaq Shaman or 'Medicine Man'.

I have become very intrigued by this (since I, also am partially Native American).

I was just wondering if you have any insights on the pursuit of Shamanism, and/or any resources online. I have googled it and came up with limited and varying opinions of what it means to be invloved in Shamanism. I have a good idea, but I value your opinion much more than some internet site.

Thanks, Diehard.

There was a very good thread on shmanism recently which had a lot of info in it. Best books include Way of the Shaman (Harner), Soul Loss and Retrieval (Ingerman), Screts of Shamanism (Stevens).

A few quick basic facts--shamanism is worldwide, and is all about healing--if no one gets healed, it ain't shamanism. (Okay, you can do dhasmanic curses, too, but cursing is just inverted healing.) What I do is known as "core shamanism"--that is, it focuses on results, transcends cultural limits and minimizes ritual--i.e., window-dressing.

What distinguishes shamanism from other forms of psychic or spiritual healing is that the shaman works in an altered state of consciousness (the theta state--normal waking consciousness is beta, light trance is alpha, sleep is delta), which can be attained in numerous ways.

ArmsMerchant, I have just read the first chapter of The Way of the Shaman by Harner, and I must say, this is quite amazing. I am intrigued even further, but I am also quite frightened about what visions I would see if I were to participate in such a ritual.

I've heard that many North American Natives journey into the wilderness for days at a time carrying nothing but water and natural hallucinogenic drugs with them (mushrooms, cannabis, etc.)

Have you had any experiences as such?

If you want to ask ArmsMerchant a question you can e-mail him. This is an open discussion board.

Cheers,

Lost