Shamanic State of Consciousness - Spencer Beeson

There are numerous ways of entering into SSC including sensory deprivation, fasting, fatigue, hyperventilation, dancing, singing or chanting, drumming, exposure to extremes of temperature, using hallucinogenic substances, and the setting dictated by the beliefs and ritualized ceremonies of the culture. Which methods used is highly cultural and truly depends on the personal preference of the shaman and the tradition of the community. For example: Tibetan shamans emphasize the importance of drums in the journey, Australian shamans look towards the healing powers of crystals, Central and South America, as well as parts of Africa, use hallucinogenic substances to elicit a trance state, and some Native American shamans actually depart on a physical vision quest to find healing. This is a very basic overview and often numerous devices are used; the items used are completely based on the community and what works best for them. It’s important to note that in some practices, such as the use of hallucinogenic substances, the patients will also participate in the altering of consciousness. In Native American communities a bond is often created between the shaman and the patient by smoking from the calumet, which is a long sacred pipe that contains a strong type of tobacco with hallucinogenic effects; the ingestion or smoking of peyote has also become popular in the last two centuries of Native American culture. The ceremony will often begin around dusk and continue on for hours, sometimes until dawn. The trance state that the shaman enters provides spiritual powers that allow him or her to see into the past and future allowing the shaman to determine the cause of the problem or how to act wisely in the future, a process referred to as divination. A shaman who practices this will be slightly different from one who heals mental illness by trying to find a cure or improve quality of life. The point being that there are numerous ways a shaman can use their “magical” powers, not always for the better of the community.