Exploring when Shamanism and psychology collide: The Shaman Archetype

Goodday Ladies & Gents & Other

For many years I have been trying to find the words to many concepts and how to explain them properly. Sometimes it takes an accumulation of resources to do so, even the studying and understanding doesn't always translate into a cohesive anything when communicated leading to miss-understanding concepts. For many decades, Shamanism has been one of these highly misunderstood concepts. Many of us unknowingly implement these concepts naturally, conscious awareness creates a multiplication of the effect with greater balanced control over many aspects of life in general as we implement and ponder them further.

Having a weird brain injury that I'm not fully sure about since it happened when was a baby. Since I was a kid did some weird shit to say the least and maybe see places I probably shouldn't but not necessarily voluntarily. I mentioned in some of my earlier posts a few of my weird unexplainable experiences over the course of my life, in order to explain much of it, studying aspects of shamanism was a great help into deciphering dreams and other things and why I was seeing them. The information itself is overwhelming when you don't know what to do with it or even what it is. I'm not a trained shaman in anything, just a person trying to get a better understanding of the things within myself, Where they come from and how I can consciously change what I can by understanding the deeper meaning of things.

I did mention in an earlier post about the creepy gift of necromancy witch most would associate with pagan practices, occultism and other baneful magic. If used inappropriately yes indeed. The Shaman learns to balance the light and the dark within oneself to pull information required to heal their tribe. That is necromancy. Mediums that bring you messages from your passed over loved ones, that is also necromancy...so are those who can see ghosts apparitions. It sounds scary and creepy but it's all in the user of the information or wisdom gained, our own human duality decides which way the wind blows. Which wolf we feed. Many humans unknowingly posses this and that can cause detriment not knowing what it is or what you are supposed to do with it. Severe emotional trauma can also induce shamanic states by accident as a form of escapism when the human brain can't handle the circumstances they are under, things like inescapable long term abuse and such or extended unchecked depressive states.

For this post, I have gathered various forms of information, some on a more psychological understanding of the duality of the self including some of Carl Jung's literature and diary on personality Archetype. Carl Jung was the grand-father of paranormal psychology that led to him being at odds with the more conventional Freud who was once his mentor. I highly suspect, even if he couldn't recognize it or have the modern term for it, he had the same capabilities to see the unseen and interpret his experience for others to learn to better analyze their own shadows and bring into balance with light. Soul alchemy, evolution of the mind and soul as one being.

Carl Jung journaled his own experiences with the self and it had been locked away for many years. The Red Book based on the rough version of The Black Book recently released and translated in our modern times brings together a valuable tool in understanding what fuels our own dark emotions at the root of the problem to re-emerge from the darkness like a phoenix with a better integrated human self better capable of helping their surroundings as a result. Learning to see things from a higher perspective. Learning to walk two independent realities and merging them into one better more balanced being, a conscious way to not get swallowed by our own personal demons is to observe and understand. Carl Jung wrote his own road map to doing so as he experienced it.

Having a better conscious understanding of our own duality can also help us better recognize it outside ourselves and begin to recognize how or actions or words impact others and take better care of how we proceed in the future leading with a better example even if just to ourselves. Being better then yesterday. In order to be better then yesterday, we have to dig deep into our shadow selves aka demons and overcome, rise above. One cannot rise above what it doesn't see or isn't conscious of.

This book, I have read a few times, it's been in my work bag for a while but it is another professional analysis from a PHD accredited mind that decided to study the correlation between mental illness and shamanistic mind, to get a better understanding of the similarities and differences and if the two crossed paths in any way, if so, how. He went on a journey to associate directly with various Shamanic cultures mostly across South-America while experiencing many traditions from different experienced Shamanic circles and their practices including altered states of consciousness, mind altering substance induced visons and the impacts on the mind after completing his Schooling and gaining a deep understanding of various mental illnesses getting a glimpse of both concepts with an educated professional opinion.

I personally don't condone the use of mind altering substance induced visions but I still don't poo-poo the concept for those who are into it just because I don't understand it. I wanted to learn more about it because I have a curious mind without going there myself. Just FYI, meditation or when we go to sleep and dream is a form of altered consciousness, so are day dreams, once again, the concept isn't quite as sinister or occult as the general public make it to be and we all practice some unconscious low levels of it in one form or another. Shamanism just takes it the extra step and gathers the why's and how's of things with intent therefore acquiring greater knowledge or understanding of the situation at hand.

With that being said, if you are like me and open minded to learning about the concept but without actually trying it, this was a good review for drug induced Shamanic rituals done with a long standing sacred tribal traditions, this is the analysis for you. It was eye opening and made me realize how much our own dreams were similar to a micro-journey of the same concept except we can't always remember our dreams, this is just, more deliberately done but the journey isn't for everyone, obviously such concepts can aggravate an already existing mental illness rather then a healing journey. Much like our dreams, our emotional state and intentions affects the type of visions one gets.

The book doesn't only cover drug induced but the rather more human appropriate rhythmic induced altered states of consciousness using sounds like group drumming and chanting. Our bodies and minds are deeply impacted by sounds and they can be used for many things including the flow of creation, visions, new ideas, new concepts even physical healing. Often practiced in groups highlighting group consciousness or hivemind acting as one in a sacred ceremonial event. It may sound like supernatural mumbo jumbo at first but our mental state affects our stress levels and our stress levels affect other parts of our body and can cause additional risks to stroke, heart disease, digestive issues, overeating and a myriad of other real physical manifestation of actual ailments.

That doesn't eliminate the need for modern medicine but what if getting a better understanding of our own mind, emotions, our causes of stress and learning to eliminate them in a peaceful way as they occur could actually reduce our stress levels therefore avoiding certain increased factors dealt with in modern medicine. It's no secret that emotional state affect quality of life overall good or bad.

Shamanism looks to observe and heal the deep rooted cause of these stresses and how we react to them but in order to know, one must feel to understand(where the silver lining analogy also comes into play), often why those who have been abused tend to have more empathy having been forced to observe these same concepts, the shaman feels and brings a voice to the unseen patterns. Healing the ailments of the soul can actually improve health. Instead of seeing pain as a loss, seen as a tool for transformation and growth. Death of the old self for the rebirth of the new self.

Obviously this is my understanding in my own words, everything is open to interpretation. This isn't meant as solid facts just tools for personal mental explorations and my own journey and understanding. Sharing it with whoever might resonate with some of it and grow their own plant from the seeds. I just like to share my literature that helped shaped my perspective over the years, decades. Our minds and emotions are much more complex then we give them credit for. Life has a duality of it's own much like we do and by understanding the smaller things, we can begin to understand the bigger concepts of duality that we constantly face as we walk thru life.

The two books above are great tools to observe self balancing with various nature interactions and meditative techniques to find the inner peace required to get a better understanding of the greater questions we seek. Often we ask the questions but are to busy to notice when the universe answers. The first book helps us take a breath and learn to observe the natural world around us and our place in it. Keeping the reasoning that the definition is different for each of us, so is the path to discovery.

The second book, Animal Speaks in the image above is to help relate to the interpretation nature is trying to tell us with it's omens via animal presences and other interpretive tools nature provided to a higher understanding and higher being as we learn to be better stewards of ourselves resulting in better stewardship of the things around us as we are reminded that we all have our rightful place equally and sustain each other as one large being. Anyone interested in learning about spirit or Totem Animals and what they have to teach us, this is a neat book. every tribe has it's own interpretation, weaves into the concept of All My Relations with Indigenous tribes. Anything is open for alternate personal interpretation, establishing your own personal omen language with the universe.

A great example of how to implement in interpreting and integrating the concepts of All my Relations. once again, his own journey he recorded in the hopes that others can find their own individual interpretations of personal omens and observing the world around him.

In many Nature centered sacred beliefs, practices and knowledge, it teaches us how different animals have different skills and personal values or life lessons to teach us based on their own behaviors and observing their fight or flight nature, how they thrive, what makes them anxious etc. often times we can associate many of the same attributes within ourselves. Some believe seeing these omens can help us pay attention to areas of our lives or consciousness we may be ignoring or perhaps to point skills and qualities within ourselves we take for granted. Even if you get nothing spiritually out of the experience, watching wildlife and getting a better understanding is always fun to the nature enthusiast. To be fair, you always learn something with every nature trip like it or not!

I mention this series by the trio of the Ruiz father and sons legacy often enough because they are important tool to self discovery, also based in their personal Shamanic family traditions and teachings gifted the rest of the world with their own easy to understand personal analysis divided into short reads that can help us deprogram from society's values and be better observant of our own and a series of exercises to get these personal victories in learning what are our own values or beliefs and those of others and how they impact each other and the why and how to figure out what to do with the information. In other words, tools to better understand our own hidden voice and intuition, personal thought mastery. Their series complements this posts and more tools to aid in observing our own duality.

Any of the books in here, from Carl Jung's early parapsychology concepts and traditional Shamanism may not have had traditional ties but it's fair to say it does go well with the topic at hand in better understanding it's attributes with his Archetype observations and the different personality types and how they manifest in our conscious and subconscious mind and interact directly or indirectly can help better understand the taboo concepts that can be beneficial yet have been misunderstood by modern society for centuries. Personal growth doesn't have a clear path, we make our own and it's fun to share how we each get to our destination on our path we call life. One doesn't need to be a trained shaman to experience some of the less spooky levels of it for personal discovery and mastery. Like anything, choose the shared tools as they resonate and leave the rest...Nothing has to be set in stone unless we chose it to be.

Obviously, I'm not going to go in great details as to what is in the book but rather how the knowledge within it has impacted me. If you want to know what's in any of them, give credit where it's due and buy the books. This is just meant to advertise their great works and give you an idea of what kind of concepts are to be learned/implemented within them and my self-mingling of said information just like they did with their acquired wisdom(s).

Alright, Peace out folks! xox