It was late into the night that I drank a mixture of what appeared to be pulverized herbs.
The haunting sounds of a song suddenly appeared around me, intensifying my feelings of being utterly lost in an alien universe. The sounds that kept drawing me in, had a pleading quality that made me want to weep with sorrow.
As I started singing, I realized my song was inviting the spirit of the herb to move into my body. I wanted it to stop, to be over but in that moment I knew it was too late, I had left this reality.
I was canoeing through the infinite stream of the unconscious mind, and the song was my solitary paddle. It was up to me to avoid the rapids and control the currents by making the song more beautiful, by begging the Spirit of the herb to guide and heal me.
This was my initiation into shamanism. But before this experience, I had to first understand and identify the signs of my shamanic calling.
What is a Shaman?
At its most basic level, shamanism can be understood as a collection of ancient techniques that help to awaken and expand consciousness, as well as heal humanity’s inner wounds.
Shamanic practice is the earliest known form of religion that our ancestors experienced. The different number of spiritual techniques used to expand our conscious and provoke mystical experiences was astonishing. These techniques ranged from chanting, fasting, and nature immersion, to incessant trance dancing and ingesting hallucinogenic plants.
Unlike most religions where the main concern is finding answers, the Shaman is more interested in provoking you to ask the right questions that will lead you to experience truth. The Shaman doesn’t pursue meaning: he or she creates it by bringing the sacred to an otherwise mundane reality.
The word “Shaman” first originated in Siberia as the word “samarambi” meaning “to excite oneself,” and “sam-dambi” meaning to dance. The shaman, therefore, excites himself into a divine frenzy or ecstasy through drum beating and dancing, until he passes into a trance when his spirit leaves his body.
The scholar of comparative religion and anthropologist Mirca Eliade gave us the most simple shaman definition as “specialists in ecstasy,” with an impressive list of abilities including thought-reading, clairvoyance, firewalking, and spirit interaction, just to name a few.
It’s these moments of ecstasy, of ego death, that provide an experience of reality that is larger, deeper, and infinitely more exquisitely beautiful. Shamans worldwide know that in order to understand society and live more fully attuned to reality, they need to go wild, travel out of their normal minds, and visit the invisible world of Spirit, which is the undercurrent of the visible world.
By accessing the invisible realm, Shamans can tap into a powerful way of guiding their lives and the lives of others.
Training as Wounded Healers
By the time we become adults, most of us are so alienated from ourselves and the earth, indoctrinated by media, and deluded by “false needs” created by the consumer culture, that there’s little hope for us connecting with the other worlds surrounding us.
In tribal cultures, shamans or healers often experienced an illness that gave them the insight they needed to heal themselves and then bring wisdom to their people. This experience echoes Socrates notion that “Our greatest blessings come to us by way of madness.“
It’s often through great struggle that Shamans break free from their illnesses and awaken to the truth. By learning how to cure themselves, they also learn how to cure others.
It’s because of this initiation process that Shamans are often called “Wounded Healers.”
11 Signs of the Shamanic Calling
There are three stages of becoming a Shaman: the Calling, Training, and Initiation process.
In the past, you were trained by a mentor or an older Shaman but in today’s world, most Shamans won’t know how to recognize their calling to even begin their training. Most people undergoing a shamanic calling won’t understand what is happening to them and will, therefore, feel overwhelmed by fear.
But it’s through training that the Shaman-in-making becomes a master of the sacred; of being abe to effectively find, protect, and use the creative but intense energies of the sacred for therapeutic or other beneficial purposes.
Here are some of the signs you might experience if you’re being called to the Shamanic path:
1) You feel a strong connection to nature
Shamans understand “the web of life”; that everything on Earth is deeply interconnected through the web of Spirit. Nothing embodies this understanding better than nature, how it nurtures us, and how we nurture it in a mutually dependent relationship.
2) You enjoy solitude and find it hard to fit in with others
Shamans in most cultures were solitary individuals (often living in the outskirts of the village), and they were often considered eccentric or “different.”
However, they were respected because of the wisdom they shared. Because of their unique gifts and sensitivities, Shamans could never fit into typical society because they acted as the bridges between this world and the unseen worlds.
3) You’ve experienced a near-death, out-of-body or mystical experience
To be a Shaman you must experience a complete “death and rebirth,” and often this can present itself as a temporary illness or shocking crisis of some kind that ignites an existential crisis.
It’s through overcoming and healing from this terrifying ordeal that the Shaman-to-be surrenders everything they know as true for whatever wisdom they’re meant to learn.
4) You’ve felt a subtle healing energy in your hands
Many Shamans are born with the capacity to act as “curanderos,” as masters of living energy. In other words, they have the ability to control and manipulate the energy in their bodies and the bodies of others.
Carrying healing energy is often manifested as having good circulation of blood in your hands. Your hands will almost always feel warm to the touch (or even boiling hot) and you might sometimes feel subtle energy emanating from them.
5) You have the ability to “read” others
Some Shamans are born with the gift of “vision” or the capacity to look at other people and see the illness they may be carrying or spiritual obstacle they must overcome.
People with a shamanic calling frequently report psychic abilities such as clairvoyance, clairaudience, or other paranormal experiences.
6) You have ancestors who were healers or medical herbalists
Many cultures believe that the gift of being a Shaman is inherited and can only be passed down through generations.
Of course, in today’s world, it’s almost impossible to know whether any of our ancestors were healers as our recent ancestors, much like ourselves, never claimed and cultivated this Shamanic gift.
7) You have vivid or prophetic dreams
Some Shamans are born with the natural ability to travel between realms, to bring back information, and even see visions of future events through their dreams.
8) You are visited by spirit animals
Animals or hybrid animals (half animal half human) play a big role in the Shaman’s journey. Spirit animals serve as Guides that share vital information and serve as reminders whenever we require their help.
9) You see things that others can’t see
The ability to access other realms and hidden dimensions can start at a very early age. To be an effective Shaman you must have the fluidity of mind to be open and receptive to new information.
It’s this unique trait that has resulted in many Shamans being labeled and prescribed as mentally ill by modern medicine.
10) You have physical abnormalities that set you apart
In the past, many physical characteristics such as being born with extra fingers, toes or with a caul (thin membrane) covering your head at birth were considered spiritual signs or omens that a person has a special relationship with the spirit world.
11) You feel a calling to help, heal or ease the suffering of others
Ultimately, Shamanism can be seen as a practice of balancing or self-correcting our relationship with others and the natural world around us.
Whenever a Shaman sees suffering, they’ll feel a strong desire to heal it in order to re-establish that lost harmony within the web of life.
***
The fact that you’re looking up or reading this article on Shamanism is a sign you’ve been guided to learn about something very few people are interested in.
These signs may be general and can happen to a lot of people, but in truth, many of us are being called by spiritual forces, yet few of us answer that calling.
Some may be able to go through life without listening to this spiritual calling, while others might experience depression and physical illness the more they close off and neglect to listen.
So what happens once you do listen to your calling, how can you find training? Ideally, nothing is more effective than training and learning under a mentor or spiritual guide. Shamanism is a spirituality that is experienced, not thought about or theorized. The internet can be useful in allowing you to look up local practitioners that may offer apprenticeships, though be discerning and aware as this field is open to much trickery.
For those who can’t find local mentors, I’ll continue writing and training further in future articles. This might not be the same as a real-life apprenticeship, but it provides the fundamental information necessary to prepare you for your (usually unexpected) initiation.
I need help I have so many questions and I think I’m having my calling and I don’t want to ignore it and to be honest I think I have been but I don’t realize it I don’t understand it yet can someone please help.
I was born as unwanted second child in a poor family, almost died after exiting mothers vagina because belly rope got two times around my neck.. I was not loved. At least i didnt sense it. All i remember was leather belt and parents counting numbers when they hit me.. still i loved my parents… but i loved nature and animals, my imaginary friends were aliens. I loved flowers, clouds… I was fashinated by plants animals, birds, mushrooms, biology, geography, i knew much more than any other kid 6yo. Nature removed the pain people gave me for just being happy and positive.. (mom sociopath- hated when kids were happy or sad) I was systematically mentally terrorized by my uncle. Uncle told me avary day that some ghost man kills me when i fall asleep… I hated school time too. It was something i needed to pass. I had weak grades but i worked very hard to get at least these. I was bullied eventho i was very strong mentally and physically. Mostly i got into biggest fights when i protected the weak ones.. I hated violence and bullying, and i was fearless when group of kids were attacking me.. got beaten down so many times.. because of i had no supporrt by home, teachers or other people. Grew up with people.. but totally alone. I was creative, and in a very good physical shape, so many were jellaus that i always won contests and had records.. when i got 21 i fell sick very severly. Possibly life treathening situation, nobody know what happened, bain got inflamed, blood flow to brain was almost cut off, and facial neuralgia pains were 24/7. But im sure i survived because i had good physical strenght and strong mental side. My family left me disabled in bed for weeks never fight for me to get hospitalized,.. then year after year.. nothing changed.. only when my sociopathic mother went to another country my helath got better, i become my own master… looking for a medical help, without anyone trying to stop me… (mom wanted to be useful, and didnt let real help through) the pain lasted 12 years.. during that period i had countless contacts with the otherside, some were wery disturbing… some paralizing, some just fearful… simply, because i was so much in a fear of ghosts.. it was terrible times… still time after time i got more and more fearless… Now i am okey.. i can read people, ghosts, demons and all evil. i study alot about the topics that matter to me.. i have no mentor because some strange things happen with the mentors who try to help me… and our contacts end. People are afraid of me.. im lonely, still I have so much love and hope inside haha. I know what i can do for people, how i can help them.. but im paralized by all the options…. “Shamanic call”?… I can also contact universe quite easily, (no trans, substances or psychosis never needed) and control how and what beings or entities are coming by. There is nothing to romantizise at least for me, because … i have no idea I dont call myself a shaman because.. to me its just a title, or im not ready haa… I just need to make right choices for myself to survive, and for the world to fulfill my highest purpose. Take care all of you!!! Life is beautiful because it is always about life and death for each and everyone. :)
I truly believe that this is the path I was lead to take. Everything in my life has led me to this, people have called me a shaman, I’m a musician who wants to make a difference. My love life is in shambles because I only want to be with the broken women because I want to help them, give them something to live for.
I have died when I was younger and drowned in a public pool from being bullied. Brought back to life and my life was never the same.
People have said I sometimes go into a musical trance and it’s as if I left my body.
I just want to know more information and if there are anyone locally that I can connect with.
i have the calling to be a shaman a calling from another life a past life there i was a shaman of an indian tribe in southwest america around 1500 ad…. this life ive had some illnesses one physical and one mental….physical i had arthritis when i was 3…..mental i was labled bypolar and scitsofrenic…but im acually an empath that can see visions…….