I Festival Of Shamanism & Ancestral Traditions
„Message From Mother Earth. From Ancient Wisdom To New Consciousness.”
On 2 – 7 July 2024
"Here And Now" Center Poland
MODERN SHAMANISM
“Can a Western person, not rooted in the tribal shamanic tradition and not knowing its teachings, go on a shamanic journey? Definitely yes. Nine out of ten people are capable of shamanic journeys. (..) However, it should be noted that undertaking shamanic journeys (practicing shamanism) is not the same as being a shaman. An important difference between shamanism and shamanic practice is related to the issue of responsibility for others.”
/Arvick Baghramian, "The Magic of Shamanism"/
Today's man usually imagines the figure of a shaman as a madman in a strange costume, beating a drum, jumping around a fire and singing strange songs in monotony. In a lost tribe somewhere in the jungle or a loner among wolves in the steppe... But shamanism is not only a costume, a drum, wildness, trance and primitive cultures – it is something much, much deeper... It is a connection with nature and our multidimensional reality at the deepest invisible level. It is respect for everything that exists. Taking care of nature and the environment – locally, but also the entire planet. It is living in harmony with the rhythm of nature, the phases of the moon, the energy of the Sun and the stars. It is seeing what has been lost and hidden by the materialistic-rationalist modern world. It is a connection with our heart, our soul, intuition, and feeling the flow of life. Opening to what is invisible, to worlds and other realities that mystics and shamans have always talked about, and which are only now timidly being discovered by new physics. It is a conscious and responsible life – in balance, respect for ourselves and the world around us.
A shaman is one "who sees and feels more." He sees what has always been available to healers, people working with energies and spirituality.
Because shamanism has been practiced all over the world and in all cultures, we can rediscover and feel that the shamanic heritage is still within each of us. We all have the capacity for shamanic insight and shamanic journeys into the spiritual world. It is part of us, our lost culture, our roots. It is a bridge between the past, present and future…
Modern shamanism combines the ancient wisdom of our Ancestors and Nature, with the latest discoveries of the modern world. It combines various traditions, religious systems, psychology, history, medicine, folk healing methods, biology, and new physics. It draws wisdom from various sources, including medical, cultural, psychological and even philosophical knowledge. It is based on the latest scientific discoveries, especially in the field of quantum physics, psychobiology, and transpersonal psychology.
Through such a broad approach, it creates the opportunity to understand the current processes taking place in our world – the world of concrete cities, disappearing nature, social inequalities. He helps people who are lost in a materialistic world, cut off from themselves, their bodies, emotions and others. It gives answers to the most important metaphysical questions – what is the purpose of my life?, does everything end with death?, is there a spiritual world?, soul?
Modern shamanism breaks down the structures of our perception. It helps us break out of the limitations of mind, ego and matter. The West is rationalism, scepticism, lack of spirituality, separation from nature, getting stuck in matter, and fear of the unknown. Shamanism is spiritual clarity, intuition, mindfulness, conscious perception, opening to what is new and different, living in harmony with nature and inner freedom.
“When we discover shamanism, with it comes respect for the earth and all the creatures living on it, respect for the spirit and for all forms of life. We strengthen our relationship with nature. By learning the laws that govern nature, we rediscover instinctive knowledge, and the path of intuition helps us develop self-awareness. By learning to perceive the energetic bonds connecting man with the earth, we begin to better understand subsequent events and the reality surrounding us. We place more and more trust in the forces of nature. And we have the same message: transformation and healing through energy, according to the laws of nature.”
/Margit Bohdalek, "Shamanism. "Nature's Ancient Wisdom"/
Modern shamanism also restores our true Inner Nature – often wild, crazy, unpredictable, based on intuition and respect for all Beings. It connects us with our Soul, Ancestors and energies. It familiarizes us with the changes of nature and our own transience, it familiarizes us with death, which is only a stage before a further journey.
But it also restores joy, creativity, confidence in yourself and your decisions. It teaches you to use intuition, flow, variability – what fate and subsequent stages of life bring – instead of controlling your life. It teaches gratitude to Life, other people, planet Earth. Shamanism is also service to the community and nature, the entire planet. Taking care of the next generations. Seeing the world in the context of “we”, not “I”.
Modern shamanism is not only about discovering and awakening your own inner Powers. It is rather a personal path of development, which becomes a lifelong path, and each day becomes a life journey. It is a path that teaches that each soul has its own wisdom and knows what it needs... And the shaman helps us recognize this inner voice and personal calling during life's journey, so that we can finally become who we really are.
