What does a Shaman do that makes it any different from anything else? A Shaman is a traveler.
The Shaman travels (or Journeys) to the World of Spirit to gain wisdom and information, and to bring it back to the World of Form. This is the basic definition of a Shaman, but of course there is much more to it than that. A Shaman may travel to the Spirit Worlds for many reasons; all of them for the good. (A Shaman understands that it is very dangerous to ever harm another , therefore always strives to keep their intentions pure.) Some of these reasons include healings (sometimes called "Soul Retrieval"); to gain information from the past, present and future (reading the Akashic Record); and finally, to meet with Spirit Guides (or Totems, or Teachers) to gain greater personal soul-wisdom.
So what do I mean when I say "travels to the World of Spirit"? A Shaman recognizes many different layers of reality than the one we commonly interact with. The world we live in, in all of it's physical manifestations, is usually referred to as "The World of Form" (or Substance). Beyond the World of Form are other layers, (equally real, yet intangible), called the World of Spirit. A Shaman "travels" to these other worlds in many different ways, but most of them involve allowing the conscious mind to wander free of the physical body, by means of trance or meditation.
In studying Celtic Shamanism, I learned to associate with three distinct spirit worlds that I call: the World Above, the Middle World, and the World Below. These are merely "geographic" distinctions, and do not imply concepts of heaven or hell. When on a Journey, you can travel in three directions: up, down, or laterally. (Well, many more... but these are the basics.)
If you choose to go to the World Above, it is to gain perspective on a situation, as well as where the Akashic Records are kept. This is a very airy realm, filled with beings made from energy and light. It is easy to get disoriented here, and is usually imperative to have an established relationship with a Spirit Guide before wandering too far in this direction.
A Shaman travels to the Middle World easiest by being very aware of the world around them. The Middle World mirrors the world we live in. When here, everything has a visible aura, yet duplicates the world we know. (your computer has a spirit double!) Travel to this world is commonly used for direct healing and magic working. The World Below is commonly the direction to go when searching for a Spirit Guide. This realm is very solid, filled with all of the things you might expect to see in the World of Form... only somehow they seem ~more~ real, if that's possible. Colors, odors, textures all can seem much more distinct here. This is usually where the Shaman meets Spirit Guides for lessons. This is also a good place to look for healing energy for a person. Introduce yourself kindly and request a guide when entering this World for the first time.
In most cultures, a person is "summoned" or "called" to be a Shaman. In my experience, it's more of a matter of "do you have the knack for it?" I think what's being recognized is that some people seem to have a natural inclination for this kind of Spiritual Journeying, and others just can't quite get there. So if you have a healthy interest in this, perhaps that is your first inner prompting that this IS something you should be exploring.
~Flame RavenHawk
June 14, 1996