The New Shamanism

 The very essence of Shamanic practice is the root of all mystical workings, magic, and what we think of as the occult or the arcane in our world today. Every single method of magic or mysticism owes to Shamanism what it is in some way, shape, or form.  Yet as time has moved forward the idea of Shamanism has kind of taken a back seat to the methodologies of what we would call structured magic, ritual magic, or the concept of high magic. This is due in large part to the very nature of the printing press, and how these systems exploded into popularity at the same time as the written word became available to the masses.

  While many practice their own forms of Shamanism, it's good to note that Shamanism is an overarching term in the same way that high magic, or ritual magic, are overarching terms. These are broad descriptors for systems of magic that work along a certain set of lines. Shamanism by its very nature is usually used to mean a tribal method from an anthropological standpoint. But in modern mysticism when we talk about Shamanism what we're talking about is working with spirits to achieve goals. This is a forming of relationships with spirits so that we know their likes and dislikes, finding ways to work with them that give them power through things like song, dance, rituals, words of power, or other such things. This is very different from most forms of high magic that we see, as well as most forms of what we would see in things like Wicca, or other practicing methods, because the Modern Shaman works with spirits for which they know their name and know their likes and dislikes instead of Higher or Lower powers for which everyone knows their name and preferences.

 This means that the very essence of the modern Shaman is also the very essence of the modern Spirit Keeper. These two practices overlap so nearly completely that to the outside individual they are indistinguishable from each other.  Spirit Keepers are often asked what it is they do, and how they see their mystical workings. And I've come to a point where I think the best thing to say to anyone is that it's a modern form of Shamanism. It's the most complete description of what it is a Spirit Keeper does when they ask spirits to help. The only difference for most Spirit Keepers is that they go to an outside practitioner with more experience for the forming of the bond, or the initial gaining of information. In a real sense after those parts are completed the Spirit Keeper acts as a Shaman for that spirit. The Spirit Keeper is the one who makes offerings, they're the ones that guide the direction of the Spirit's action, they are the ones that are guided by the Spirit. When you look at modern Spirit Keepers and Spirit Keeping through a Shamanic lens this is not some distant relative; it is more a sibling than a cousin. They stem from the same root practice of working with spirits, knowing the spirit's name, knowing what the spirit likes and dislikes, and having a personal practice that is unique to each Spirit Keeper in the same way that Shaman have their own unique practice from Shaman to Shaman.

 The next time that you're thinking about how to do what you do as a Spirit Keeper, think more like how a Shaman sees things, ask where you're being guided and where the spirits are helping guide you to the next thing that you're seeking. When you ask them to help, recognize this is not just a new modernized method of working with spirits; it is an ancient tradition that has been passed down since the start of mysticism within humanity.  When you're looking at setting up an altar or sacred space for your spirits, listen to your intuition to guide you as to what offerings, representative symbols, working tools, and other things you could place in the space that act as an amplifier for your spirits. Intuition is one of the key ways in which spirits communicate with us and provide us information as to what they need us to do next, but likewise your intuition is your strongest metaphysical tool for looking into the other realms and seeing what aligns to make changes here and now.