"Fear is the mind-killer..."

While this is a quote from a book of fiction (Dune, by Frank Herbert), truer words were never written. Fear shuts down the logical, analytical mind and causes us to react on a purely instictual basis, often to our own detriment. While I have endeavored to keep this blog free of national party politics (and will continue to do so) I have been absolutely appalled at the news of the U.S. engaging in the torture of suspected terrorist prisoners and by the lack of public outcry against it. We have kidnapped, imprisoned, and tortured people that we admittedly cannot even prove have committed any crime against us or anyone else, purely on the basis of suspicion. When I reflect on this and wonder, "Why?!?", this quote springs to mind. Fear is the mind-killer. People in this country (obviously not everyone, but enough) are afraid of the nameless, faceless criminals collectively known as terrorists, even though we are thousands of times more likely to die in a car wreck than a terrorist attack. Some people in the public eye try to stoke this spark of fear to serve their agenda of siezing even more power for the central government at the expense of civil liberties. And why does the public allow this? FEAR. Fear drains us of the motivation to do anything but attempt to allay our fear. It causes us to abandon logic, reasoning, compassion, foresight, love, and most of the other higher qualities that separate us from other animals. Fear of rejection causes people to ignore, or even lash out at, those who we care about or are attracted to. Fear of failure can stop us from reaching our true potential. Fear of loss causes people to minimize their connection to others, including their close family. Fear of God(s) causes people to limit their relationship with the Spirit. It is the most limiting and most damaging of emotions. While fear has a purpose (keeping us from leaping off cliffs without a parachute, for instance) it can overpower our better nature and lead us into the bondage of imagined evils. Fear IS the mind-killer. And, I would add, the soul-strangler.

What is Shamanism?

I thought I'd tackle this one even though I know it is an incredibly charged question. Part of the answer depends heavily on the context of the question. For instance, shamanism as a world view is very different from shamanism as a spiritual tradition (there isn't really a unified shamanic tradition) or shamanism as a practice. I intend to answer the question in the context of shamanism as a practice. Shamanic practice is held by many (and I will post the references in the comments to this post) to be the first verifiable religious exercise conducted by humans, although this belief tends to confuse animism with shamanism, a distinction I will address a little later. So, enough dancing around the question--what is shamanism? According to the Foundation for Shamanic Studies, founded by Michael Harner, "Shamans are a type of medicine man or woman especially distinguished by the use of journeys to hidden worlds otherwise mainly known through myth, dream, and near-death experiences." Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of World Religions defines "shaman" as a "religious diviner or healer." Shamanism itself is a set of techniques employed to interact directly with the spirit world, usually through altered states of consciousness or trance. These altered states or trances may be induced through a variety of means, depending on the culture of the shaman. Common methods, in no particular order, are: drumming, rattling, chanting or other rhythmic sounds; use of psychoactive plants or combinations of plants; dancing, sleep deprivation, or other forms of intentional exhaustion; and many other ways of altering one's perceptions in order to focus on the spiritual world rather than simply the physical. I personally prefer to journey to the spiritual realms through drumming. While any journey in alternate realms is not without some danger, drumming carries less intrinsic danger to mind, body and spirit than methods such as ingesting large amounts of entheogens (psychoactive plants, particularly hallucinogenic) or extreme exhaustion or other forms of physical duress. Defining shamanism in any way is rather bold and presumptive, but I believe that labels and definitions, while of limited use, can be helpful in understanding our world. We live in a society that is, for better or worse, heavily dependent on labels and categories; it is a large part of how we comprehend our surroundings and those with whom we come into contact. And our brains are wired for language. While spiritual experience, including shamanism, is often beyond language, we cannot talk about it or share it with others effectively without the benefit of words. Any definition of shamanism can, and usually will, stir controversy because we all come to the practice with our own baggage--preconceptions, expectations, preferences, etc. I realize that I am not immune to this and my own belief system colors my perception of these ancient traditions. I also understand that language, and the English language in particular, is woefully inadequate to describe the shamanic experience. After all it has been noted that, "the map is not the territory." And the English language is a map without a cultural understanding of this practice. However, even a rough map can be better than no map at all. We just have to understand the limitations of its application. For instance, if someone asks you what shamanism is you can now rattle off a definition that may satisfy their curiosity, but if you come to the spirits with that definition they will likely laugh and then procede to scare that self-satisfied smirk right off your face (and mine). To really understand what shamanism is, one has to experience it. This is not a dogmatic religion based on revealed text that people can sit and debate for hours; it is an experiential path that is unique as the individuals who practice it and is limited only by the pity of the spirits for our finite minds.