Shamanism is a specific set of beliefs and practices used by shamans in serving the spirit world and their own people. It is the shaman's job to keep the people in harmony with nature and the spirit world, and to heal them or bring them back into harmony when needed.

Shamanism is not a religion. It is an outgrowth of the oldest spiritual belief system, animism.

Gathering-hunting peoples, nomadic animal herding cultures, and some other animists who live in small, mobile groups or isolated villages still depend on shamans for healing and spiritual protection in many parts of the world.

When a culture turns to farming (depending on raising large quantities of a few crops and staying in one place), the spiritual belief system gradually changes from animism to something else, such as the worship of human-like gods and goddesses, and shamanism usually dies out.

Yet even when people turn to horticulture (gardening) to supplement their gathering, hunting, and/or animal-herding, and as their religion changes, shamanic practices may persist.

This site is dedicated to classic shamanism, even though in a modern, industrial culture we can only hope to practice core shamanism. as Raven Kaldera so eloquently explains in the article "Classic Shamanism and Core Shamanism: Basic Differences." To truly understand what we are trying to do here, please read Raven's article. It is well worth your time!

These pages provide more information on what shamanism is and what shamans do:

* Animism

* What Is a Shaman?

* What Do Shamans Do?

* Shamanism Today

For information on women as shamans, see Origins of Shamanism.

The Shaman Links site also provides a wealth of information on shamanism

More information on shamanism is coming soon!

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