Shamanistism

Dr of Shamanic Theology Degree Course Essay

Doctor of Shamanism Final Essay

By Rev. Scott Randall Bobbitt

I have mixed feelings about the course, The Shamanic Method, as it is written. It is obvious to me that a lot of study and work went into it, but it is also obvious to me that it written from a perspective of study and not from a perspective of knowing. It is stated over and over in the text that most of what is written about is difficult or impossible to have first-hand knowledge of, and that is simply not true. One does not have to be a certified “shaman” to intelligently work with and use many of the principles that are outlined in the course. The Shamanic Method is by in large an outline presentation of a great deal of research on the subject of shamanism. This research is well documented and an extensive bibliography is presented at the end of the last discourse. Almost all of the research listed is itself presented from an observational point of view. These observations may have been have made by scholars, but the associated conclusions they reach indicate little or no real understanding of what was observed, and the information presented is basically sterile.

There is almost no first-hand experience or information presented. It is stated many times that only shamans can know the true nature of the realm of the shaman, but only information collected by non-shamans is presented. If there were no books or information available written by shamans or apprentices, then such an oversight would be understandable. Again, this is not the case. I will present a list of references that give first-hand information in this paper. Some of the references are quite well known, standards of the genre even, and I hope that is not the reason they have been omitted from this course. The reason that some of the books I refer to have been popular and well received is because they are well-written and offer first-hand information that can be understood and sometimes used appropriately.

The most disturbing thing to me, and the best evidence concerning the lack of understanding about what has been observed, is the overemphasis on the use of entheogens. While it is true that they are used extensively for various purposes in shamanic work, it is not true that all shamans, apprentices, and shamanic practitioners use them all the time, if at all, or that entheogens are even necessary for all shamanic work. In my own experience and research, hallucinogenic substances are primarily used to introduce the mind of the shamanic apprentice to “non-ordinary reality“, and to help the conscious mind with the acceptance of it. “Non-ordinary reality” is the standard term used to describe the realm of the shaman. Although “other realities” and “different realities” are referenced in the text, I did not see the standard term used, even though it is widely used in all of my shamanic and anthropological references.

One of the most popular series of books on the shamanic experience and the associated apprenticeship was written by Carlos Castaneda.

The primary series of books authored by him are as follows:

The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way Of Knowledge (SBN 671-21555-8)

A Separate Reality: Further Conversations With Don Juan (SBN 671-20897-7)

Journey To Ixtlan: The Lessons Of Don Juan (SBN 671-21399-7)

Tales Of Power (ISBN 0-671-80676-9)

Carlos Castaneda was an anthropology student at the University of California in 1960 when he was introduced to Yaqui Indian (Mexican) brujo (sorcerer/shaman) Don Juan. After many conversations and meetings, Don Juan accepted Castaneda as his apprentice. What followed was an extraordinarily detailed account of Yaqui Indian shamanism, which include extremely detailed descriptions of the gathering, preparation, and use of the entheogens peyote, datura, and mushrooms. If one was to read only the first book in the series, it would be reasonable to assume that shamanism is all about the use of hallucinogens, but this would be a mistake. As the apprenticeship progresses over the course of four years, the shaman relies less and less on the use of entheogens until reaching a point where they are not used at all. It is finally revealed and understood that they were used primarily to introduce Castaneda to the many aspects of non-ordinary reality and experience. 

In addition to the first-hand account, the books also include anthropological analysis of the actions and events. The books listed above are required reading for the shamanism part of the Philosophy of Religion Courses offered at the three universities I have attended, and they certainly should not be left out of this course. I appreciate the amount of research that went into the discourses on the various aspects of entheogens and now as a result, I have a great deal more information on the subject than I had before the course. Many thanks!

Other books that give first-hand accounts of shamanic experience that I highly recommend are:

Secrets Of The Talking Jaguar - A Mayan Shaman’s Journey To The Heart Of The Indigenous Soul (ISBN 0-87477-900-6) by Martin Prechtel

Spirit walker - Messages From The Future (ISBN 0-553-37837-6) by Hank Wesselman

Medicinemaker - Mystic Encounters on the Shaman’s Path (ISBN 0-553-10774-7) by Hank Wesselman

The Four Agreements - A Toltec Wisdom Book (ISBN 1-878424-31-9) by Don Miguel Ruiz

Huna - A Beginner’s Guide (ISBN 0-914918-03-6) by Enid Hoffman

The Way Of The Peaceful Warrior (ISBN 0-915811-00-6) by Dan Millman

The second list of books offer a wide range of first-hand experience and information concerning the varieties of shamanic experience. Even though all of them deal extensively with non-ordinary reality, no entheogens are recommended or used by any of the shaman masters or their apprentices. There are other effective methods for becoming attuned to non-ordinary reality and alternative healing methods, and The Shamanic Method does touch on some of them such as meditation, sensory deprivation, sweat lodge, drumming, and hypnotherapy.

Secrets Of The Talking Jaguar by Martin Prechtel is about a Native American from New Mexico’s journey to Guatemala, his acceptance by a group of Mayan Indians as part of their village, and his first-hand experiences as a shaman’s apprentice, and later as a full-fledged shaman over the course of 15 years. The book is very well-written and quite detailed. Native tobacco (nicotine) is occasionally smoked in native made pipes, and it is clear that it is done primarily as a social behavior, partaken of by many of the villagers and not just by the shamans and chiefs.

The books by Dr. Hank Wesselman describe, in great detail, spontaneous, shamanic dreams experienced by the author over a period of several years. Dr. Wesselman has a PhD. in anthropology, and each chapter of shamanic experience is followed by a chapter of anthropological explanation and analysis. The explanation of non-ordinary reality as experienced by shamans of different cultures worldwide is quite fascinating.

The last two discourses in this course concern shamanic behavior and ethics. I think that it is appropriate for this course to touch on these things as they are very important considerations. Again, these take the form of instructions and information with no real insight into the shamanic reasoning behind them. The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz is a book that addresses exactly that. Don Ruiz is a Toltec Indian (Mexican) shaman master who explains the primary morality of not just Toltec shamans, but for all people, as seen from a Toltec point of view. This is another book with a wide ranging popularity that has become a classic in the field.

Huna - A Beginner’s Guide by Enid Hoffman takes the reader into the world of the Kuhuna or Hawaiian/Polynesian shaman. This is another book that deals extensively with non-ordinary reality and the nature of human consciousness. Huna divides spirit into three parts: a nature spirit or low self called unihipili, a human spirit or middle self called uhane, and Divine spirit or high self called Aumakua. It is clear that Polynesian shamans understood the nature of consciousness long before the advent of modern psychology.

The Way Of The Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman is not a typical “shaman book.” It does however describe, in first-hand detail, a master/apprentice relationship within the context of non-ordinary reality, that takes place within a contemporary (Berkeley, California) setting. Interestingly, Millman’s follow-up book, Sacred Journey Of The Peaceful Warrior, takes place in Hawaii and involves direct Huna shamanic experience.

I was familiar with these books and others, many years before taking this Doctor of Shamanism course. While I would never call myself a shaman, I have studied, experienced, and employed shamanic methods since the mid-1970s. I am also a long-time student and practitioner of Druid and Wiccan methods, magic and witchcraft, Kabalistic and Gnostic mysticism, Hindu methods, and Zen Buddhist meditation to mention but a few. I would not label myself as any one of these either. I am a certified transpersonal (body, mind, spirit) hypnotherapist, and certified in several alternative healing arts including four disciplines of Reiki, Orthobionomy, and human energy field work (chakra, meridian, and outer body energy clearing and balancing). I guess what I’m saying here is that shamanic practice crosses over into all of these realms of thinking and experience, and all have value within the realm of experience.

Living in Santa Fe, New Mexico gives me an unusually large and varied opportunity to have shamanic experiences and to incorporate them into my daily life. One cannot leave the city in any direction without finding yourself on Native American land (pueblos). Each pueblo has its own holy man/woman or shaman. Santa Fe also has a wide variety of shamanic practitioners from which to choose for a reading or treatment. The very first day I entered town, I consulted a shamanic practitioner who also has an advanced degree in psychology. While she did employ drumming and chanting, and used tools such as rattles and an eagle feather, she did not use entheogens in any way.

I very much appreciate the copious amounts of information presented in this course. It has increased my informational reference on the subject tremendously. Information does not become knowledge however, until it is actually experienced. Collecting lots of information only for the sake of having lots of information makes one a librarian or scribe, and will never give anyone actual knowledge. Reference information becomes useful if and when it is applied to the living of one’s life. Undertaking the direct experience of any or all of these practices should be done only after much study, great deliberation, and with clear intent and heart. None of this should ever be done for the hell of it or for some anticipated thrill! I would also like to repeat that valid shamanic experiences may be obtained without the use of entheogens. My own experiences have proven that to me.

Thank you very much for making such an interesting and relevant course available to us! I am already enjoying the two courses that I have enrolled in since this one.

Be well and blessed be,

Scott

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