Reiki and Shamanism
Shamanism
For many of those who were raised in the Christian church, Shamanism is considered heresy or blasphemy. And, indeed, some of the cultures who studied and practiced Shamanism in the pre-Christian era have documented instance of cruel cultural practices, especially in warfare. It must be pointed out that this is equally true in many Christian cultures.
Wikipedia has a write-up on Shamanism; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamanism .
My experience with the Shamanic mind-set is limited to readings, conversation, and meditation. Web-search on the subject shows that sites abound of practitioners making money from the practice. Each time I have been tempted by a work-shop on the subject, something has kept me from it.
When looked at in the light of 'comparative spirituality' (see that discussion), Shamanism can be found to have some sound and practical concepts for spiritual study and practice. It dovetails well with my study of 'The Four Domains' with what seems to me to be vivid and accurate descriptions of processes occurring in the human spirit. Additionally, once these concepts are reviewed, you can easily find descriptions of the same type of process in Christian writings.
Spiritual Intrusion and Soul Loss
From Michael Harner; 'From a shamanic point of view, all people have a spiritual side, whether they recognize it or not. When people get angry, jealous, or have a hostile emotional attitude, they can vent not only verbal and physical abuse, but spiritual abuse without even knowing it. In other words, if somebody is ignorant of shamanic principles, they can do damage to other people on a spiritual level.'
Shamanic Healing: We Are Not Alone, page 3
An Interview of Michael Harner by Bonnie Horrigan
© Shamanism, Spring/Summer 1997, Vol. 10, No. 1
'Dark, twisted cords' vs. 'luminous bands of light'
Wikipedia has a write-up on Shamanism; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamanism .
My experience with the Shamanic mind-set is limited to readings, conversation, and meditation. Web-search on the subject shows that sites abound of practitioners making money from the practice. Each time I have been tempted by a work-shop on the subject, something has kept me from it.
When looked at in the light of 'comparative spirituality' (see that discussion), Shamanism can be found to have some sound and practical concepts for spiritual study and practice. It dovetails well with my study of 'The Four Domains' with what seems to me to be vivid and accurate descriptions of processes occurring in the human spirit. Additionally, once these concepts are reviewed, you can easily find descriptions of the same type of process in Christian writings.
Spiritual Intrusion and Soul Loss
From Michael Harner; 'From a shamanic point of view, all people have a spiritual side, whether they recognize it or not. When people get angry, jealous, or have a hostile emotional attitude, they can vent not only verbal and physical abuse, but spiritual abuse without even knowing it. In other words, if somebody is ignorant of shamanic principles, they can do damage to other people on a spiritual level.'
Shamanic Healing: We Are Not Alone, page 3
An Interview of Michael Harner by Bonnie Horrigan
© Shamanism, Spring/Summer 1997, Vol. 10, No. 1
'Dark, twisted cords' vs. 'luminous bands of light'