The Native American Shamans: America's Spiritualist Healers
By Robin Ohara
There is no temple just for Native American shamans or for their training.
These spiritual healers live among us and have "regular day jobs," just like their ancestors, who were hunters or farmers, and were a part of the every day life of the tribes they belonged to.
Unlike the expectations put on holy men of today, they were allowed to get married and have children, and were not set apart from the rest of the community-other than the respect afforded to them. Also, about half are and were women.
More along the lines of being spiritual guides, shamanism reflects the ability to change ones consciousness in order to help or heal-using medicines and prayer to restore balance to the sick-rather than physically heal fractures or cuts. However, they do have an understanding of medicinal herbs and other plants which promote physical as well as spiritual healing.
My own experience with Native American healers takes place in a sweat lodge on a local reservation. I had the honor of being invited to the sweat lodge for a healing ceremony in which we hoped to make contact with our spirit guides and asked this guide to seek answers to help with the daily stress of our lives. Apparently I had seen too many movies, for I expected him to enter dressed in elk hide and feathers. While he did sport an eagle feather, he was wearing blue jeans and a t-shirt.
The history of shamans dates back to prehistoric and beyond; and I suppose began when the first people looked to the skies and wondered how to make sense of it all. One man (or woman) practiced deep mediation and talking out loud to the animals, plants, and elements (the first forms of prayer, in my humble opinion) and began to gain an understanding of the ways of the earth. They then used their knowledge to help the others in their tribe attain balance and harmony.
By the way, it didn't happen during this sweat session, but eventually I found my spirit guide to be a turtle, and when I remember to, I can be comforted with the knowledge that there is so much more to everything than what the mundane world holds. Happy Seeking
This is an over simplified view of shamanism, you can find out more about the topic by visiting any of the links or typing "Native American shamans" into your search engine.
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