Combining the concepts behind shamanism and Reiki into a single healing session increases the benefits of the beliefs and practices of both. Shamanic Reiki draws its foundations from concepts of shamanic journeying and channeling the living energy to create healing techniques that are powerful and effective in alleviating anxiety, depression, stress, fatigue, and even illnesses.
This Reiki technique fully encompasses treatments on the spiritual and energetic levels, allowing the practitioner to discover new ways of healing.
Shamanism is a very old system of beliefs whose roots can be found in pagan traditions and practices that uses the products of the Earth to heal. You’ll find different kinds of shamanism but all practices healing techniques that incorporate the use of herbs and communicating with spirits.
Other similarities of the different forms of shamanism include the belief that shamans are able to control or cooperate with spirits for the benefit of others that existing spirits can be good and bad, and that shamans are capable of treating sicknesses and illnesses. In other words, shamans are often seen as not only priests that communicate with the living world and the world of spirits but as healers, magicians, and teachers as well.
When integrated to the Japanese Reiki, shamanism becomes more encompassing and a lot interesting. With shamanic Reiki, the spiritual energy is used to see where exactly in the body do we need to concentrate healing techniques. In shamanism, the healing process revolves around the seven chakras in the human body. Determining which of the seven chakra or life forces are blocked will determine which area to concentrate healing techniques.
Once the area has been determined, shamanic Reiki practitioners combine traditional concepts of chakra healing techniques, the use of stones and crystals, as well as the use of medicinal herbs, all of which draws foundations from ancient shamanic healing. Combining these shamanic elements to channeling energy techniques from Reiki, and the results can be quite effective.
Among the most popular techniques used in shamanic Reiki is the use of crystal during the healing process. More specifically, practitioners of this Reiki technique use quartz, rose quartz, and amethyst as a means to channel the life force energy from the hands of the healer to the person being healed. The shamanic Reiki energy, together with the crystals helps increase the flow of spiritual energy regaining the balance that was lost. Mental, physical, emotional and spiritual imbalances will be regained after sessions of shamanic Reiki procedures.
To increase efficiency, there are combinations of crystals that seem to work well doubling the healing process. Shamanic principles are at play when choosing combinations of crystals, mostly pairing them with the colors that correspond to the chakras of the human body. For example, tailbone chakra would require black, red, or brown stones and the heart chakra would need to be paired with pink or green stones. The crown requires a white stone or crystal while the throat area requires blue stones.
Also, shamanic Reiki incorporates other shamanic healing elements like shape shifting techniques, the use of symbols, the use of spiritual guides and even the shamanic time journeying or astral travel. Shamanic Reiki can be complicated but the idea is rather simple.
The use shamanic traditions and techniques to channel the life force energy in all of us to induce healing. Everything boils down to this.
Even though you find many people will scoff at the idea that people have psychic powers, there are a lot more believers than non-believers. This is the reason that psychics have always been part of our culture.
Mongol on Jurkie Shaman with drum, Central Asia - Photo: Wikimedia Commons
There will always be skeptics and those who are simply terrified of the prospects of someone else knowing everything about them or having the ability to do amazing things, but for the most part people are accepting if not appreciative of what a psychic brings to society.
Some psychics have learned to be psychics, while many more were probably already born with this power inherently in them. Psychics themselves don't know where this power comes from, as they will freely state, and they don't understand everything about it. But they do know that the ability to see into the past or the future, or to discern more about the present than most people do, is very real and very established.
In technical terms, it is called ESP, or extra sensory perception. As you might expect, this simply means that a natural psychic, or a person who has undergone psychic training has the ability to see or know more than other can perceive with their five basic sense.
While it's unclear exactly how many individuals possess psychic abilities, it is probably safe to assume that the number is small. This likely has something to do with the fact that the majority of psychics have never undergone any psychic training and aren't really aware that they have a gift. Of course, these people are probably aware that they are different from others and realize that they have some unique insights, but they usually dismiss this as nothing more than intuition. They would never consider calling themselves a psychic.
Of course, there are even people who have absolutely no psychic powers but who put on the act in order to make a living. Some do readings over the phone or Internet while others read tarot cards for a living. Most people who go in for these readings are doing it in good humor, though some may really believe in a particular psychic's abilities.
On the other hand, there are more altruistic psychics who use their very real abilities to help other people. Probably the most respected of these psychics are those who help the police locate violent criminals. In the past, police psychic have given the authorities invaluable clues that have lead to the arrest of countless killers.
Now, about you. Do you think you are psychic? Before you simply say 'no,' let's take a look at one simple fact: many respected psychics do believe that everyone has at least some innate psychic ability. However, it's blocked because most people aren't willing to open themselves up to the possibility that they are psychic. It may also be true that they haven't received any formal training (but need to), such that psychic abilities continue to be dormant, for so many.
We do believe that this is often true, and that with some educational intervention and some effort, you can learn how to tap into your psychic gifts, too. This 'educational intervention' can take the form of psychic training.
For anyone interested in psychic training, the first step is to clear the mind of anything negative. You want to do deep meditation, stretching, and other forms of relaxation and train the mind to focus on positive things, removing the negative thoughts and attitudes prior to beginning psychic training.
Any real psychic will tell you that fear and negativity will cloud both your mind and your senses which make it impossible to tap into your true abilities. Meditation is used in more scenarios than just psychic training. Many people use meditation to get rid of stress and open themselves up to their psychic abilities without even knowing it.
Meditation should be a part of the psychic training, and you should do this for half and hour each session. You should meditate in a quite place where you will not be disturbed. Many of the advanced students also meditate outdoors.
This is going to be the first and most important thing you do with your psychic training, so do some meditation every day. If you happen to dispense with regular sessions, when you go back to meditation, you're probably going to notice that you've lost a lot of ground since your previous training.
During your meditation sessions, be sure you use deep breathing techniques. These special breathing techniques are perfect for releasing negative energy. They are also perfect for helping to reveal you hidden psychic talents.
One important note is that when you train to uncover your psychic abilities, there is no set timetable. Instead, this is a personal journey all your own. When you feel you are ready, then it's time to go onto the next step.
New psychics ultimately develop and strengthen their skills by practicing with tarot cards. These are a main staple in the psychic's arsenal, so it is only fitting that new students pick up their own deck and start practicing at some point.
Most of all, remain patient and have fun. Offer to give free reading to your family and friends. Get lots of practice. If you take these steps you will undoubtedly find that your abilities are rapidly becoming sharper, clearer, and a lot easier to control.
To discover more, please visit the popular http://www.psychic-info.com site. Discover for yourself how easy it is to do a psychic test. Visit here and get over thirty free psychic training audios and videos on DVD!
Traditionally, shamanic practices are rooted in small communities and tribal societies that lived a primarily pre-modern life. While all shamanic cultures are most likely not expressions of the idyllic state of oneness with nature that is commonly portrayed, it is at least safe to say that shamanic cultures were certainly much more in tune with and nature-based than typical modern society.
Shamanistic elements also can be traced back to virtually every religious and spiritual tradition, including the more widely-practiced monotheistic traditions of today. This is not to say that every religion or spiritual tradition is shamanic, but that there are common elements and practices inherent to these traditions that have roots in these older ways of relating to and understanding the world.
Shamans from several cultures at Shamanic Teachings in the Netherlands. Shamans are (from left to right): Ayako Goh from Singapore, Haka-teacher Klaus Wintersteller, Maori matakite Wai Turoa Morgan, Jew Orna Ralston, Aztec indian Nopaltzin, Siberian shaman Ahamkara, Afro-Cuban sangoma Elliott Rivera, North-American chief and medicinman Dancing Thunder (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
As small, earth-oriented societies began to condense, diversify, and eventually move towards more stationary, technologically-focused and complex systems, shamanism went through a similar transformation. The traditional role of the community's shaman was multifaceted: healer, sage, priest, ceremonialist; and sometimes political chief and war leader. These roles were not always held in concert by a single person or practitioner, but often the scope of the shaman's duties was to fulfill several of these various functions. The movement away from small communities to larger societies began to unravel these once unified roles into separate, specialized positions. Today we see these same needs being satisfied through a number of more refined roles: doctors, therapists, religious or spiritual leaders, and so on.
Shamanism has never truly been replaced or lost, however. It is a nicely packaged misapprehension that shamanistic practices and traditions are relics of the past. As already mentioned, there are traces of shamanism in the most widely recognized religions of today. In many places around the world there are active, historically rooted traditions that continue to serve communities and individuals. Moreover, and especially over the last several decades, shamanism has also seen a rise in popularity among traditionally non-shamanic, Western people. There are many avenues and expressions of shamanism still operating beyond the thin veneer of materialism upheld by modern Western culture. Some of them do exist in the far reaches of the world, and some are right smack in the backyard of this urban madness.
It would be more accurate to say that Western culture has gone through a process of losing its shamanic roots. The evidence that people are scrambling to get them back is apparent. There is an undercurrent of dissatisfaction and spiritual longing that seems to come hand-in-hand with the growth of modern society. Essentially, this is a crisis of meaning that points towards a deepening loss of identity, authenticity, and genuine spiritual connection. This meaninglessness could be acknowledged as both symptom and sickness -- a self-perpetuating, illusive and illusory spiritual emergency that leads its sufferers towards any number of possible outlets that promise answers and resolutions to the crisis.
One of these outlets is, or has become, shamanism. People come to shamanic practices looking for something that's missing. They are looking to solve the riddle of their life, to have the emptiness inside finally filled with something that makes sense, with something that makes them feel like they are alive again. They want purpose. Meaning. Or they come just as people have for millennia: to heal any and all illnesses sourced in any and all dimensions -- physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual.
People often look to shamanism as a way to help them live more fulfilled lives. But these needs and perceived deficiencies are not uniquely answered or sought after through shamanic means. Indeed, these questions are at the root of spiritual seeking itself. A devout Christian or Buddhist would undoubtedly find answers in their respective traditions. But for people who have no religious pedigree; or for those whose spiritual inheritance has proved to be arid, what choices do they have?
I know this path because I walked it. I still do. And the more people I see treading the shamanic current, the more I see how pervasive this longing for authenticity really is. How deeply people suffer for lack of meaning and purpose in life. How the fantasies of modernity have betrayed people. Sure, there are those that fit snugly into their seat, with seatback pockets nicely tucked, seatbelts on and tray tables secured. But there are many who just can't sit still. They stir. They writhe. They want to know. Is this real? Is there something more? Does magic exist? Where is Spirit?
Shamanism is not the answer to everybody's perils. It is not a panacea. But there is something that is peculiarly transformative about the shamanic path. This hearkens back to the role traditional shamans held. There were typically only one or a small number of practitioners that served a group or community. The training that was required of a young apprentice to grow into a fully functioning and capable shaman has been described in many ways, but it is usually said to be a path that brings you face to face with life and death. This is not just a metaphor; the student shaman went through the deepest trenches of darkness, death, hell, and sickness in order to ascend into realms of light, healing, medicine and knowledge. Usually this process took several years. Many times a student shaman would face a near-death experience at the beginning of or during their training.
Unlike the way that some contemporary people idealize shamans and shamanism, this was not necessarily a sought after vocation traditionally. There are many anthropological accounts describing the tremendous resistance and fear that new apprentices would cling to when their time came. They knew what was coming: a level of change and transformation that was going to require them to put everything on the line, leaving no stone, thought, fear, or desire unturned. Despite the gravity of the responsibility and sacrifice required, if undertaken with courage and determination, the outcome was inevitable transformation.
This kind of traditional training was very intense and all-encompassing. It required your entirety, and it changed your entirety. And it didn't and still doesn't necessarily change an initiate "for the better"; towing the line and having your integrity and duality tested is built into the path. There is no guarantee sainthood. There is no ingrained pedestal. Full-on shamanic training was and remains to be a serious and perilous path. But it is a path that changes you.
In physical and social environments that are already embedded with an active shamanic tradition, it wasn't necessary for everyone to go through the rigors of initiation and training. However, the services of the ones who did were not only available but an integral part of the social, spiritual, familial, mythological and personal lives of everyone who participated in society. The society itself was setup so that shamans were supported such that the mutual support from the shaman was offered to the society. All parties benefited.
Today, we don't have this kind of social structure that enables an apprentice or seeker to endure a traditional learning experience. Modern, urban society doesn't support it. The path isn't naturally lain. It has to be forged, the trail blazed. To go the traditional route, you would have to find yourself in the jungles of South America, somewhere in Central Asia, or amongst a tribe in North America. For most, this sort of committed pilgrimage isn't a very viable option either. For many, it feeds a deeply-rooted fantasy and longing that gets to the heart of what's really gone amiss. Hence, although intimately nostalgic, this "old path" may not be an option at all, and is certainly not the way it's imagined to be in storybooks. By definition, traditional training scenarios don't actually exist in the modern scene. Which brings us back full circle to the original impulse that craves some kind of return to the ancient and magical.
But this may not be what's needed. Perhaps ditching the modern world and life as you know it -- although it can certainly seem like a brilliant idea at times -- is not what's being appealed to. This is not what's really drawing seekers towards shamanism. Perhaps what draws people to the way of the shaman is the transformation that's offered. The power to change. To really change, and grow, and transform; not just fantasize about it while telling yourself you are going to do it. But to really harness the innate capacity for change that life offers you. Life is already a transformative experience. Your body changes. Your mind changes. How you think and what you know about the world changes. Life experience transforms you. You don't have to do anything special. You will change as you experience time. Shamanism can be looked at as a way to guide this process, to harmonize with the natural transformative flow of life.
So perhaps this calling is not to "become shamans" in the traditional sense, but to redefine what life means through shamanistic experience and practice. The way I like to see shamanism is not as a spiritual practice, but as a life practice. It is a way of being, a way of living life and exploring everything that life has to offer. Ultimately shamans are explorers and guides: of other realms, of consciousness, of the mind, body and spirit, and of the environment. And the environment around you is your life. You don't need a different life to deepen the experience of and find meaning in the one you already have. Shamanistic skills, tools, ceremonies and other forms of practice can provide you with a platform from which to engage your life that can ultimately solve the riddle. Not because you are going to get the answer, and live in a "New Age of Love and Light" fantasy -- but because there will be meaning in what you are doing. There will be clarity and consciousness in your thoughts and actions. There will be connection to your spirit and a world of spirit around you.
At the end of the big show, the quest for fulfillment is not found in the adoption of an identity attached to some external "thing". Fulfillment can't be consumed into being. It is not "shamanism" or "yoga" or "being spiritual" or "Burning Man" that fulfills you. Fulfillment is a mystical art, rooted within you that blossoms out into the world as you express what it is that you truly mean. Finding meaning is the true path, the calling for authenticity that hails you. This could manifest as anything. Being a gardener. An artist. A parent, friend, or teacher. It could be as healer. An athlete. A writer. Anything.
If it is a shamanistic calling -- then by all means, there are multitudes of transformational tools excitedly dancing their dance, waiting for you. Not because of anything else other than just: that is what they do. Spirits, journeys, other worlds, means of healing and purging and releasing, access to knowledge, access to spiritual resources, explorations of consciousness... But if it is not a shamanistic calling, and you find yourself groping into these realms because there is something missing, something that you are looking for... Then your true path awaits you not in the crafting of an illusory mesa or practice, but in the quest for authenticity and meaning. The quest to honestly discover what it is that lives you, as you live life.
But remember... this comes at a price. The price for meaning and authenticity is your delusion and fantasy. It gets really real... really, really real when you jump that ship and wander into the depths of who and what you truly are.
Matt Toussaint has been studying and training in shamanism for the last 12 years. He offers a unique blend of traditional and modern practices, incorporating the best of what he knows as a way share and explore the shamanistic path of healing, empowerment and transformation. For more information about Matt and what he offers, please visit: http://www.shamanicevolution.org
Or email him at: matt@shamanicevolution.org
Article Source: EzineArticles
Both shamanism and Reiki are methods of healing. Shamanism has been around for at least 40,000 years and had a presence in most world cultures. The origin of the word shaman and shamanism has its own levels of disagreement. Reiki came on the scene in the 1920s.
Like shamanism, Reiki has its share of inconsistent origin stories. According to William Rand, Mikao Usui, while at a retreat, received Reiki. The word reiki is a Japanese word for universal energy. He used it on his family, friends and passed it on to others. Because of his own background as a student of qigong, medicine, psychology, religion, and the art of divination, he added those skills to his practice. He passed the learning and techniques to others, particularly to former naval officer and medical doctor, Chujiro Hayashi. He made some modifications to accommodate his own style. He trained Mrs. Takata who then introduced the form of Reiki healing called Usui to the West.
Does the fact that one predates the other make it a superior approach to healing? Personal experience dicates an unequivocal no!
A comparison will help. Both call upon the universe for healing energy and both use supplication in their efforts to connect with universal energy. Both function as conduits for healing energy. Shamanism viewed many of mankind's ills to be caused by the loss of spirit/soul; (Life energy) while the Reiki healer recognizes energy drain and incorrect energy flow.
The shaman uses an altered state of consciousness to travel to another realm where he or she seeks a solution to a patient's health or emotional issues. A Reiki Master does not travel or journey as it is sometimes called. The Reiki Master uses sacred or secret symbols, each containing its specific healing purpose. The shaman uses sacred objects to surround a patient; whereas, the Reiki may draw the sacred symbols on the patient using a finger to do so.
Doña Ramona, a Seri shaman from Punta Chueca, Sonora, Mexico (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
A Reiki Master will use incense as does the shamanic healer. Generally, this is used for cleansing the area around a patient. Soft music is the choice of sound for the Reiki Master; a monotonous drum beat serves the shaman's purpose of driving out evil spirits, altering the state of consciousness of the patient, or changing the direction of the energy flow.
The Reiki Master uses his or her hands to change the energy flow of a patient. The hands are allowed to choose the place where the physical issue is located. With patient permission, the Reiki healer will physically touch the patient. During a Reiki healing session, the healer remains quiet; whereas, a shamanic healer may be chanting, have a flute played, and depending on the location, may dance around the patient.
Thanks to Michael Harner, many of the world's best shamanic practices have been transferred to Western culture. We now have shamanic practitioners. They are different from a traditional shaman in that they are trained for the specific purpose of healing; a traditional shaman has other duties to perform.
If you are inclined to use an alternative healing approach, be sure you check the credentials of the practitioner, ask for references, and remember, you are the one who decides.
Dr. Wilson is an authority on shamanism with several books and dozens of articles published about the topic. His books include Shamanism What It's All About, Shamanic Manifesting. He is a Reiki Master Healer, Level Three.
there are a lot more believers than non-believers. This is the reason that psychics have always been part of our culture.
and aren't really aware that they have a gift. Of course, these people are probably aware that they are different from others and realize that they have some unique insights, but they usually dismiss this as nothing more than intuition. They would never consider calling themselves a psychic.
. These special breathing techniques are perfect for releasing negative energy. They are also perfect for helping to reveal you hidden psychic talents.
