Am I a shaman? I don't know. It depends, in part, whose definition is used. By some definitions, I am and by others I am not.
I base much of my healing philosophy and methodology on shamanic or shamanic style techniques. I use the state of ecstasy to travel to other dimensions or realities. I work with spirit animals, nature spirits and other entities in non-ordinary reality. While doing this, I maintain my identity and don't become possessed by other entities.
Here are some definitions of a shaman to add to the confusion:
The Shaman is a healer of relationships: between mind and body, between people, between people and circumstances, between humans and Nature, and between matter and spirit. In practicing his or her healing the Shaman holds a view of the world very different from the view most of the world sees and uses, and it is this unique viewpoint which sets the shaman apart from other healers ... shamans base their art on natural human experience.
Serge King, 'Urban Shaman'
A Shaman is a man or woman who enters an altered state of consciousness -- at will -- to contact and utilize an ordinarily hidden reality in order to acquire knowledge, power, and to help other persons.
Michael Harner, 'The Way of the Shaman'
It is well known in shamanism that shamans cross back and forth between worlds at will. The difference between a shaman and a psychotic is that the shaman crosses at will and a psychotic gets stuck being unaware of the reality he is in.
Sandra Ingerman, 'Medicine for the Earth'
A shaman diagnoses and treats illnesses, divines information, communicates and interacts with the spirit world, and occasionally acts as a psychopomp, that is, a person who helps souls cross over to the other world.
Sandra Ingerman, 'Soul Retrieval'
Shamanism = Technique of ecstasy
The shaman specializes in a trance during which his soul is believed to leave his body and ascend to the sky or descend to the underworld
Mircea Eliade, 'Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy'
The Shaman's perception of the world makes it possible for the Shaman to perform feats beyond the ability of others. The normal or accepted world view limits what persons can and cannot do; the Shaman's world view carries no such limits. There are worlds and powers and energies open to the Shaman not open to those limited to ordinary reality. All is open to the Shaman; there are no imaginary forces or places or powers, only several available realities. This is sometimes a difficult concept to grasp but, fortunately, thorough understanding isn't necessary to operate in NOR.
The Shaman's perceptions are often unmeasurable by scientific methods and instruments. This doesn't mean these perceptions are faulty or invalid; it means the methods and instruments of science lack the ability to measure and detect these perceptions. Shamanistic practices test and prove their validity by their success.
The prededing definitions mean a medicine man isn't necessarily a Shaman but could be; an herbalist isn't necessarily a Shaman but could be; a Reiki practitioner isn't necessarily a Shaman but could be; a priest isn't necessarily a Shaman but could be. It's not what they do but how they do it.
Shamans are keepers of a store of knowledge used to maintain health and well-being for themselves and members of their community. The knowledge is remarkably similar for various seemingly unrelated cultures throughout the world. This points to a few conclusions as to the possible basis of Shamanistic principles:
The Shaman shows his patients they are not spiritually alone in their struggles against illness and death. Shamans provide an almost limitless source of assistance. Here are some shamanic concepts of causes of disease and potential shamanic help.
Shamanism is a connection with spirits, the living energy of nature. The shaman works with spirits but is not controlled by them; he is at all times a free agent able to react in an independent manner. Nature expresses thid living energy in all levels through animals, plants, and inanimate objects such as rocks and places, and the elements such as wind or rain.
The Shaman works with his spirit animals and spirit teachers and with other spirits and energies in non-ordinary reality (NOR). The Shaman and his helpers often journey through NOR seeking answers to questions, finding cures for diseases, retrieving lost soul fragments, adjusting past life situations, finding spirit animals, encountering evil entities, and doing what needs to be done. The Shaman is a warrior/priest/adventurer who travels in time, space, and between dimensions. There are no boundaries for the Shaman other than the boundaries of the Universe.
To journey, the Shaman attains an altered state of mind. This altered state of mind, the theta level, is achieved by using a drum, rattle, or other rhythmic device at about 180 to 200 beats per minute; by using special drugs and potions; by using special meditation techniques; or by just doing it.
During the classic Shamanic journey, the Shaman enters non-ordinary reality by passing through a tunnel or similar portal. Each Shaman usually has a special entrance to his tunnel. At the end of tunnel, the Shaman meets his spirit animal or animals and they proceed with the task at hand.
Non-ordinary reality is real. The Foundation for Shamanic Studies is compiling a data base of journeys and is finding correlations as reliable as any travelers logs. When a group participates in a journey, as in a canoe medicine journey, the reports of individual participants correlate extremely well. If anything, NOR is often more vivid and real than OR.
Shamans usually have power objects such as feathers, rocks, etc. These objects come to the Shaman; the Shaman does not go looking for them. These items can be a gift or an item that attracts the Shaman's attention in a special way. These objects and their spirits may protect, heal, or do a myriad of tasks to assist the Shaman. The Shaman always treats these items with respect as they are an ally of the Shaman, not a possession, and the power may leave them if they are treated improperly.
Shamans may also perform rituals and ceremonies given them by their guides and teachers. These rituals and ceremonies may come either from a Shaman they are apprenticed to or be bestowed in a journey to NOR.
Although Shamanism is associated by many with Native American culture, Shamanism exists in many cultures in Asia, Africa, South America, and Europe. Shaman is a word adapted from the Tungusic language in Northern Siberia. There are Celtic, Buddaist, and Catholic Shamans as well as Shamans associated with most cultures and religions. Shamanism is non-denominational. It's not a belief ... it's a KNOWING.