The term trance comes from the Latin transire,
which means “to go over” or to move from one state to another.
Although this word is often popularly associated with unusual or
altered states of consciousness, its implied conditions play a vital
role for all human beings and extend in all areas of life, from
shamanic journeys, meditation, dreaming, day-dreaming to watching
television, reading a newspaper or doing housework.
The term "shamanism" comes from saman,
the Russian transliteration of a word used in Siberia, which means
"somebody who sees in the darkness". In recent decades the term
"shaman" has been almost universally adopted by anthropologists and
mainstream culture to identify people who were previously referred to
with other names, such as "medicine man, witch, wizard, magician", and
hundreds of other synonyms.
A shaman
is a human being who, out of his will, is able to enter into an
altered state of consciousness to relate with realities that are alien
to ordinary human beings and use this connection to get wisdom,
ecstasy, power, or for healing purposes. In engaging in their
activities shamans move between a so called ordinary state of
consciousness and a non-ordinary, or shamanic state of consciousness.
In those states the distractions of ordinary reality lessen their pressure on consciousness, making it possible for shamans to focus on the aspects essential to their healing work and reach a condition of spiritual ecstasy or enlightenment. Yet, differing from mystics or other advanced beings on the spiritual path, shamans do not aim at enlightenment for its own sake. Their main purpose is that of moving into other realms and then coming back to help and heal their community.
In those states the distractions of ordinary reality lessen their pressure on consciousness, making it possible for shamans to focus on the aspects essential to their healing work and reach a condition of spiritual ecstasy or enlightenment. Yet, differing from mystics or other advanced beings on the spiritual path, shamans do not aim at enlightenment for its own sake. Their main purpose is that of moving into other realms and then coming back to help and heal their community.
To
experience a state of trance or enter a shamanic state of consciousness
means to achieve an ecstatic awareness and perception that extends
beyond the ordinary physical senses and conventional functioning of the
mind. What we perceive in everyday life is merely the result of what we
have decided to see in accordance both to the consensus reality (agreed
by our social environment) and our specific role in that context. We have
conditioned ourselves to see the world through the development of defined
programmes, but when we shift our awareness beyond the ordinary mind,
which keeps repeating those programmes, then we perceive the world in a
different way.
In
shamanism there is no separation and everything is perceived as part of
the same unity. The chief trait of shamans is their clear perception
of that unity. They are very familiar with states of consciousness that
allow visions and explorations of the dimensions that exist beyond the
conventional reality. In order to travel to these spaces, shamans use
various tools and receive the support of Spirit Guides (also called
guardian spirits, power animals, spirit allies, angels, etc.).
The
relationship with these beings is one of the main characteristics of
shamanic culture. Shamanic wisdom includes information on the geography
of non-ordinary realities that allow movement in those areas knowing
where to find Spirit Guides, allies, power, grievances, blocks, etc.
One
of the basic experiential assumptions of shamanism is that I am not a
separated physical being: I am an energy field or I am part of the
whole. Actually, from a more genuine shamanic perspective, the entire
notion of I, seen as separate from you and them, does not make
any sense at all. In bygone ages, human beings lost connection with
this awareness and have since confined themselves almost exclusively to
identification with the physical body and the idea of being a
fragmented unit (no matter whether I call it ego, personality, self or
soul). Shamanic experience is one way in which it is possible to
perceive others, the world and ourselves in their original united forms
again.
Trance
and shamanic states of consciousness are part of the genetic structure
of mankind. Each one of us has an inner biological need for ecstatic
experience. The problem is that such experiences, as is emphasised by
the terms used to define them (altered or non-ordinary states of
consciousness, hallucinations, trance, etc.), are often regarded as
abnormal or dangerous. In the majority of contemporary human cultures
they do not find space in the official educational or scientific
context and tend to be socially unacceptable. As a consequence, this
unmet need often ends up being expressed through harmful manifestations
such as alcoholism, drug addictions, perversion, sex addiction,
criminality, etc.
Shamanic
states of consciousness represent the major taboo for the ordinary
perception of the world as they cause its deceptive structure to vanish
and expose to the secrets of our origin, that is where we truly come
from and how and why we got to be here.
According
to various researches, ecstatic experiences and the relationship with
non-ordinary dimensions constituted a daily routine for the people who
once inhabited our planet. These were nomad hunter-gatherers that later
gradually abandoned their customs and moved to horticulture and
animals husbandry. As a result, human beings retreated into limited
territories and began to lose the connection with the rest of nature
and existence, which they once knew so well. In their spiritual
practices, however, they continued to keep the link with the
experiences of former cultures. Through the metamorphosis activated by
trance states they could again enter into ecstatic states of
consciousness and activate their relationship with other realms.
Shamanism
developed as the attempt to preserve and access those connections. For
this purpose various methods and tools were transmitted until, with
the expansion of belief systems based on separation, shamanic states of
consciousness became incompatible with the consensus reality that
prevailed on most parts of our planet.
In
recent societies, perceptions beyond the physical body have been
generally ignored or disregarded. The forms we see with our physical eyes,
identified with names and specific shapes, have been extracted from
their original unity and transformed into fragmented pieces. They are
seen as definite configurations and separated from each other by areas
termed as nothing or void.
The
acknowledgement of these separated units and the denial of the forms
found in the empty spaces represents the basic assumption on which the
current perception of most human beings is founded. We see and identify
the physical spaces to which we have decided to attribute meaning, yet we
do not see anything in the areas that exist between those spaces
because we have decided that they do not have any meaning.
Most
mankind seems to live in a symbolic reality where only that which is
conventionally accepted is acknowledged as real, whereas everything
else disappears from sight and dwells in a dimension surrounded by fear
and mystery.
This
causes enormous damage to our planet and ourselves. As we have split
with the Earth, we have also disconnected with the dimension of the
Sky. Through a blind adherence to religious and social conditionings,
we have denied a natural and direct access to Spirit, resigning
ourselves to the power of religious teachings or hierarchical
structures to operate as mediators between us and God.
Through
shamanic work each one can obtain visions and spiritual experiences
without any mediation. This is not a question of mounting opposition to
political and religious authorities; this is what we have been doing
throughout history and it has resulted only in even more grievances and
separation. To achieve ecstatic experiences and visions we need to give
up being a victim. It is the attachment to this condition that
prevents us from taking responsibility and pushes us into a frantic
search for a well-being that will never come.
by Pierre Cendors |
Often
it is necessary to be simple and see the world with the ingenuity of a
child. For example, you can go among the trees in nature, and take care
of them or speak with them, both in the imagination and also by
actually communicating. Trees will find a way to reply and to tell you
something about yourself.
What
is the difference between men and plants? Plants do not judge. We
create complex problems with our judgements and the conviction that our
problems are due to something that was done to us or that exists
outside. When this happens, we create further separation and this
contributes only to increasing our pain. Alternatively, we can relate to
the ordinary activities of everyday life: working, washing, cooking,
talking, playing, walking, driving from the perspective of their true
but hidden and shamanic essence.
In
the western world what counts is the goal. To reconnect with the Earth
and the Sky what matters is the present, not the destination. Trance or
shamanic states of consciousness have to do with the present and with
getting out of the most dangerous trance: that of our conditioning and
daily conventions.
The
fact is that on the Earth we are always in some kind of trance and the
actual work consists of learning to balance such states and of being
aware that you cannot go into a new trance without moving out of the
one you are already in. When there is unbalance we live in a state of
hallucination where we perceive pain, anger and all kinds of grievances.
When there is balance we choose consciously to open only to the trance
states that bring love, ecstasy, peace and blessings to ourselves and others.
Opening
up to shamanic states of conscience and non-ordinary realities means
to truly say yes to life and to be fully responsible. It means to
accept becoming a conscious part of the universe, choosing to trust a
divine purpose, identifying with the maximum expressions of our being
and moving further to project this potential on all that surrounds me.
It is a process that requires our sole individual consent. After all, it
is a choice between a state of total responsibility regarding our
perception of the world and a condition of passive victim to events
determined by others.
The
process of taking responsibility develops gradually, through a
progressive healing work that, through our attempts and experiences,
releases blocks and grievances. It is a painful process because the
ego’s inability to identify culprits outside itself prevents it from
finding a refuge to preserve its hallucinations. At the same time, this
process is an act of love aimed at carefully determining the access to
one’s inexhaustible tools of power.
A
more operative method consists in employing shamanic techniques. Their
task is to create gaps in the awareness and therefore facilitate
access to new channels of communication.
The
basic experience of shamanic states of consciousness is ecstatic and
an important way to accomplish it consists of employing particular
stimuli, able to produce alterations in physical perceptions. In this
regard various possibilities have been transmitted according to
traditions. Sometimes they are ferocious methods, of complex or
difficult management, such as the employment of poisoning substances or
hallucinogenic plants, intensive temperature conditions, sensory
deprivation, painful practices of initiation, etc.
In
other contexts non traumatic and playful tools are used, such as
chant, dance, drumming or other auditory aids, massage, body postures,
or other simple ritual practices. While the first methods expose us to
the risk of dangerous repercussions on the physical or mental plane and
generally require a complex preparation hardly accessible to
contemporary man, the latter, besides being very efficient, are safe
and within easy reach of anyone who honestly wishes to have a shamanic
experience.
Despite
the strong oppositions and conditioning of the consensus reality,
shamanic states of consciousness are regularly experienced by all human
beings. What is missed is solely the willingness to acknowledge them
or consider them significant. For those who are available to open to
this path, the answers arrive sooner or later. An ecstatic world
defines itself in all its particulars and give a sense of
indescribeable love and beauty. When this happens, the classical
question that most people ask themselves is: “Did I make it all up by
myself?”. The answer to this question is the secret key of shamanic
work.
© Franco Santoro, info@astroshamanism.org. All rights reserved.
________________________________
For details on individual consultations see http://www.astroshamans.com/p/consultations.html
For our books and CDs, see http://www.astroshamans.com/p/products.html
For our programmes, see: http://www.astroshamans.com/p/events.html
If you would like to organise a workshop or for any information, please contact info@astroshamanism.org or see http://www.astroshamans.com/2013/08/organising-astroshamanic-and-holistic.html
© Franco Santoro, info@astroshamanism.org. All rights reserved.
________________________________
For details on individual consultations see http://www.astroshamans.com/p/consultations.html
For our books and CDs, see http://www.astroshamans.com/p/products.html
For our programmes, see: http://www.astroshamans.com/p/events.html
If you would like to organise a workshop or for any information, please contact info@astroshamanism.org or see http://www.astroshamans.com/2013/08/organising-astroshamanic-and-holistic.html
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