Shamanism is the oldest spiritual practice on the planet. it has been a part of society on six continents for tens of thousands of years. Definitions of shamanism vary: however shamanism is consistently viewed as a series of methods for enlisting the help of the spirit world, and honoring the spiritual aspect of everything found in nature. The term "shaman" comes from the Tungus people of Siberia. traditionally, shamans play amny roles in their communities, including priest, healer, magician, leader, psychic, psychopomp, hunter, herbalist, mystic, ambassador, and warrior. Shamanic practitioners today may be called upon in similiar capacities.
Michael Harner asserts, "The enlightenment of shamanism is the ability to light up what others perceive as darkness."
"Shamanic Journeying is a joyful path to regaining the knowledge of how to bring our lives back to a place of harmony and balance." Sandra Ingerman
A shaman straddles two worlds, the spiritual and the ordinary, everyday reality. While in ordinary reality, or the "ordinary state of consciousness," the shaman obeys the rules of the consensual reality of her group. In modern western cultures, for example, those rules include gravity and the linear progression of time. In non-ordinary reality, or the "shamanic state of consciousness", however, those rules are quite different. While journeying to the spirit worlds, the shaman or shamanic practitioner moves outside the construct of linear time and is able to access the past, as well as the future. The shaman is experienced and skilled in the operating systems of both worlds and acts as an intermediary between them. After entering the spirit world, she engages her spirit allies to obtain benefit for an individual or the community, by asking for healing or retrieving information. There are essentially three levels of commitment to shamanic practice: community member, shamanic practitioner, and shaman.
(Information about shamanism and shamanic practices obtained from Inner Divinity, written by Mara Bishop)