Another aspect of shamanism is divination, which, in my definition, is getting one's questions answered. Shamans use all sorts of things with which to divine. For example, the shaman may divine using natural objects, such as rocks, twigs, clouds, etc. (think of the bone throwers in Africa or even the use of tea leaves). The shaman would select objects she felt "pulled" to, and then journey to see what those objects *meant* for divination. In the journey, she could also ask the proper method to use to cast the objects to answer someone's query. Divination journeys are also undertaken without the use of objects, per se. The shaman simply journeys to non-ordinary reality (NOR) to ask questions of her spiritual helpers (power animals and teachers) for herself, for the community, for individuals.*
Shamans know that death is *not* the ending, but just a wonderful transformative experience for each of us as spiritual beings. It has been said that the shamanic journey is indeed "preparing for one's death." The shaman spends her time exploring the regions and levels of the upper and lower worlds, becoming acquainted with the territories and beings in those realms. The more she knows, the more adept she is at healing and gaining answers to bring back here to ordinary reality. At the time of death and dying, the shaman can be a real help. The shaman seeks to heal both the living and the dead, and when one is dying, the shaman can assist that person in contacting spiritual help to make the transition easier. Also, after one has already "passed," the shaman can act as psychopomp--or "conductor of souls" to help that person's spirit to move on to a place where he or she will be comfortable.
I have heard Michael Harner say that "we are like rechargeable batteries." If we are disconnected from the loving power of the universe, we could be viewed as batteries running down. So, the shaman undertakes to "plug" the person back in, to find at least one spirit who is willing to connect with that client. The shaman journeys out into NOR to look for the client's power animal. This journey is usually made to the lower world. The shaman finds that power animal (after viewing it four times for confirmation) and brings it back, and blows the animal (physically) into the client's body.
The actual, physical process is very similar to power animal retrieval. The shaman lies next to the client; both are on their backs with their sides touching. The client just sort of "hangs out" (doesn't journey and tries to remain consious and receptive) while the person in the role of the shaman does the work. The shaman's arms might move around as she finds soul parts and embraces them (in both realities). Once the shaman has found all the parts that are presently coming back, she will journey back and blow the soul parts back into the client's body, in two places: the heart chakra and the back of the head.
It makes sense that if someone has soul loss, she will have hole in her spirit/soul somewhere, and into that void, an intrusion may come to nest. Intrusions can appear in all different forms: insects, knives stuck in the side, barbed wire, whatever--(I once took a bike out of a man's knee who later told me he'd screwed his knee up in a bike accident a few years before; and one time took a wrench out of someone's back who later told me she'd "wrenched" her back earlier. . .) the only criteria is that it doesn't seem to belong there in the person's body. Also, please keep in mind that the shaman is NEVER working alone; she is always working with her spiritual helpers. When I do any shamanic work, I, without fail, consult with my spirits on every thing I take out or put it.
Thus, the shaman does a few things to remove these instrusions. She often takes a "diagnostic journey" first to get an idea of what type of healing the client needs. Her power animals and teachers will give her some advice and diagnoses. The shaman would then stand or sit over the client who is lying on his back and begin to look for and then remove the intrusions she finds. There are at least two method for removing intrusions: the hands, or scooping, technique and the sucking technique. Both are very effective, but the Foundation teaches the hands technique, perhaps thinking it safer. This is different than psychic surgery in that the shaman's hand does NOT penetrate the client's skin and pull out a physical tumor or something. Extraction occurs on a spiritual level only. So the shaman is seeing with shamanic eyes, and pulling out something that is invisible to the onlooker. The shaman, using certain techniques and spiritual helpers, sends or throws that intrusion to a place to neutralize or cool off, often a body of water.
The shaman attempts to heal both the possessed client and the possessing entity. She doesn't approach the entity with an adversarial stance to attempt to "exorcise" that spirit. Perhaps priests believed all possessions to be of satan and thus tried to force that possessing entity out in a very confrontational manner. This of course would serve to scare the heck out of the entity and cause it to freak a bit, perhaps jumping out of the host's body and into the priest. The shamanic approach is much more loving and gentle and the shaman gently talks with the possessing entity, explaining that it's not in the right body and helping that entity to "move on" (similar to psychopomp work) to a more comfortable place NOT in this body it doesn't belong in.
This, obviously, is a very delicate and complicated procedure (involving certain tools and often the use of a trained medium) and it, along with most of the methods on this page, should not be attempted without proper training and practice.
The Foundation for Shamanic Studies offers training in all of the above methods as well as others.
