"When the earth is ravaged and the animals are dying, a new tribe of people shall come unto the earth from many colors, classes, creeds, and who by their actions and deeds shall make the earth green again. They will be known as Warriors of the Rainbow." -Old Native American Prophecy Shamanism is the practice of the principles and techniques of shamans which involve working with the powers of Nature that exist both inside and outside the individual self as both manifest forms and unmanifest potentials. Shamanism is a way of learning by direct personal experience. Its methods transcend the intellect since they form part of the ancient Science of the Spirit. Many cultures from around the world practice Shamanism by many different names. You may have heard them referred to as a Medicine Man/Woman, a Shamanka, a Snake Woman, etc. These are just the terms of a particular culture of healers. In essence, they all practice a form of Shamanism that is indigenous to their area of the world. A Shaman is a person who understands that there is life in everything, which has direct personal experience of realms of non-ordinary reality and is able to function within them. A shaman is primarily a �harmonizer�, one who �heals� at all levels � physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual � and in a particular way. In the Celtic cultures, it is believed that one will recieve a "calling" from the realm of the sidhe (faery), if they are to become Shaman. There are many tales of people being taken by the faery and given a debilitating illness for a period of 7 years. Their families tell of night sweats and trembling, and also describe the person as being "out of it".This is said to make the intended more aware, so as to be able to heal those around them better. One must endure the pain and illness while being swept off to the sidhe for nightly visits, throughout the 7 year period, only to be learning all the secrets one needs to become a Shaman. At the end of this period, the intended Shaman becomes perfectly healthy and remembers nothing of the other realm that they visited so often. The faery play a very important role in Celtic culture. They contain knowledge that is thousands of years old. Our Celtic ancestor's relied upon the help of the faery on many occasions throughout the wheel of the year. {{More coming soon!}} Email the Webmistress! Sign View