Shaman Durek’s “The Shaman’s Library”

Hello Tribe,

This library created for you all by the in-house Shaman team and myself, contains a list of articles that go deep in answering the most popular questions I receive about shamans, shamanism and shamanic healing practices.

Here in The Shaman’s Library, you will find answers to important points of conversation about the calling I have answered and will be devoted to for all of my life.

In this time where shamanism and shamanic tools and techniques are ‘the new in thing’, there has been an increasing desire to know “what is a shaman?”, “how do I become a shaman”, and “what is shamanic healing”?

Today, plant medicines are frequently discussed as a rite of passage among people new to spiritual practices. Some of these have been for tens, hundreds or thousands of years as sacred tools of evolution within the indigenous jungle and mountain tribes across the world. At the time of writing this introduction, Ayahuasca, Hape, Iboga, Huachuma (San Pedro), Hikuri (Peyote), El Sapo / Sapito (Bufo), Sananga and Mushrooms are the most commonly shared medicines in these circles, though be aware that there are protocols and ways to work with these powerful plants which should be known before engagement, so pursuing these does not become a potentially harmful form of vanity through ‘Spiritual Tourism’.

A side note about this – if you have interest in being guided through these medicines, read my entry on Plant Medicines so you know what to look for in those events, and avoid causing yourself harm. There’s a lot out there and because it’s a “medicine”, it doesn’t always mean it’s a good thing. In some cases, when fake shamans or otherwise treat it as a crude substance without consideration of what the spirit of the medicine requires, you can create newer problems for yourself.

As a result of this rise in popularity of the plant medicines, a lot of information has appeared in the public around shamanism and shamans, much of which is not correct, and some of it potentially confusing to people. For instance, academics in the top schools like to stubbornly claim it’s a religious practice, which it is not in the majority of shamanic systems; it is a system and way of connecting and relating to the self and everything else in existence.

Shamanism is the most ancient spiritual and healing practice known to mankind, dating back 100,000+ years. It is practiced all over the world in many forms and modalities. 

It is used for the benefit of individual spiritual growth, and the growth of a community. Sometimes, you may see Shamanism defined as “religious” by academics as defining a community value. This definition is incorrect in the popular understanding of what “religious” means. A small number of shamanic systems are specifically tied to a religion.

The depth of shamanism and its wisdom contains techniques and ideas that modern science has only recently become able to comprehend and qualify. For example, one recent major development in popular science, is the discovery of ancestral trauma being stored in the DNA of a person from many generations back; now an accepted concept in the field of epigenetic sciences.

This idea of ancestrally inherited trauma is an old, ancient concept in shamanism, core to powerfully transformative techniques and practices of ancestral healing work that release a person from often deeply rooted patterns of energy they were born with. 

The ideas of ancestral trauma also change modern thinking around ideas like hereditary illnesses, which the science community has constantly tracked as a genetic issue. While inherited conditions have been shown to be a real idea, through evidence and means existing at the time to the scientists, ancestral healing practices open up the conversation to seeing that what we don’t resolve emotionally alters our DNA to manifest as a physical genetic issue, passed down through lineage until it is resolved by the one who breaks the cycle.

Once again, shamans have known and passed down this information for many, many years.

For a while, the idea of the shaman who communicates with the spirit world and heals people has been elusive and portrayed to audiences of popular media as a character or caricature. Well known versions of pop-culture’s comprehension of a shaman exist in games like World of Warcraft, Diablo or Shadowrun, and in movies like James Bond, and Disney’s The Princess and the Frog. 

In movies and books, the shamans depicted are usually just poorly cast medicine men or women – to be clear, a medicine man is not always a shaman, but a shaman can be a medicine man. 

Most times, when the shaman depicted is performing the work of a shaman, they appear scary, whacky, evil, or crazy… looking like the kind of person you would be afraid to approach, for fear of what they might secretly slip into your drink or what spirit they might send home with you to ruin your life.

Today, I’m thankful in the emergence of shamans becoming more understood and almost correctly depicted in the mainstream media. Shamans are now seen as gifted or trained people who are powerful problem solvers in everyday people’s reality, assisting those who are ready to open the door to step into their own empowerment. They’re seen as a source of wisdom and guidance for personal empowerment and rapid transformation. In my practice of shamanism, the end-game is to guide someone to become their own shaman, their own teacher and their own guru.

As part of my work to serve and bring ease to the self-empowerment of others, I – Shaman Durek – am launching this Shaman’s Library to share knowledge that is easy to find and factually accurate, drawn from my 30+ years as a 6th generation shaman, and my love of The Tribe and its growth.

As the Tribe continues to send myself and the team questions, this resource will continue to grow. 

I will add new answers over time, and eventually, turn some of these topics – where relevant – into new Wokeshop webinars and classes at The Shaman School, videos on my Youtube channel or posts on the Shaman Durek instagram feed.

Remember; I love you tribe. My service is to help you all develop a more loving relationship with yourselves, and as a result the amazing world around you. In this service, myself and the Shaman team will do our best to make sure you have the best resources for learning shamanic techniques and ideas for you to live your best life, right here.

Amala àṣẹ,

 

Shaman Durek