Category: Shamanism

The World Of Shamanism

The world of shamanism is an ancient and powerful system of healing that is based in what many refer to as earth medicine. The word “shaman” itself is Tungusic in origin, harking from the ancient religious practices of the Mongols and the Turks in Northern Asia.

There are many who argue that because true shamanism originated in the forests of Siberia and Mongolia, only the native healers from these regions can be referred to as actual “shamans”. But many native healers from the Americas, Africa, and beyond who practice similar methods utilizing altered states of consciousness also refer to themselves as shamans, and we at The Sacred Science don’t mind that one bit.

What is a shaman?

Fussing over proper terminology when trying to describe something so universally relevant seems to miss the point and complicate what would otherwise be fairly straightforward communication. Words are very tricky things that have the power to either free or enslave the speaker, depending on how much weight is put into their value.

Our definition of “shaman” is as follows (and does not discriminate based on geographic location or tribal origin): A shaman is a benevolent individual who uses altered states of consciousness, whether induced by drum, sacred plant medicine, or any other environmental variable, to connect with the spirit world in order to heal the sick.

Many striking similarities can be found in the magico-religious practices of various native cultures across the 6 habitable continents of this earth. It boggles the mind that medicine men and women from tribes in different corners of the world could know the same healing rites and methods of tapping into the essence of who we truly are as human beings. How could this be?

Welcome to the beautiful mystery of shamanism.

It is often referred to as “a lineage of direct transmission”, because this school of knowledge is passed down word-of-mouth from generation to generation, without any written account. In their teaching, a shaman shows his or her apprentice not only the ceremonial practices and medicinal herbs, but also demonstrates through their actions how to be in this world.

Throughout the course of creating The Sacred Science film and also this blog community, we have grown to know and deeply respect these men and women. But they do not share their knowledge lightly. Centuries of oppression as well as the exploitation of their native traditions have all but wiped out many of these lineages. Most of the true wisdom keepers who remain have learned to keep their ancestral knowledge safe, sharing it only with a select few that they trust.

When Western Medicine Meets Shamanism

Medical Professional Drumming Over Patient

If you mixed the ivory towers of Western Medicine with the back jungle villages of the native shaman and shook them up with Pop Rocks, you’d wind up with something that starts to resemble the way I have sometimes worked one-on-one with patients and clients. At least that’s what other people who hear me talk […]

Life After Ayahuasca – Shamanic Truth

Art of Humans Sitting with Nature Energies and Spirits

All I could share with the eager group of strangers who were sitting on the floor in front of me was, “I know my name, Itzhak, but I no longer know who I am and I’m no longer sure of what reality is.” My throat was dry, and I was choosing my words carefully. I […]

A Dance with Depression: Finding Light in Your Darkness

Black and White Image of a Woman Pondering Thoughts

If you have ever embarked on a spiritual path of any kind you’ve probably heard the terms ‘dark night of the soul’ or ‘shadow self’. As heavy as those words can be, sometimes with quite negative connotations, they constitute a part of us that needs to be acknowledged, and when the time calls for it, […]

You Were Born With This Knowledge. Remember?

About three years ago, my wife Michelle gave birth to our first child, River, and our lives have taken on a whole new meaning ever since. As one of my teachers once told me, “If you think that shamanic medicine is strong, watch out! Children are the strongest medicine of all”. I cannot express how right […]

The Spiritual Weight Of Money

A challenge that many of us encounter on our paths is the inner conflict of receiving money for healing work. Many feel that authentic healers should be free and accessible to everyone, or that in traditional societies money was never exchanged for this type of practice. This is a complex subject and today’s piece is intended as a starting point for […]

The Science Behind Shamanism – Non-locality.

Light Spiraling Out from a Human Figure's Heart Center

What if there was concrete scientific proof that shamans, energy workers, psychics, and other traditional healers were truly tapping into a higher realm to help others? Well, it looks like we may have finally gotten there. For centuries, scientists have been searching for the ultimate ‘theory of everything’ and there have even been times when […]

The Doorway To Undeniable Truth

I have a special video interview to share today that we filmed on a high jungle plateau in Peru. But first, a little backstory. Twenty two years ago, a clinically trained physician from France, Dr. Jacques Mabit, opened up a remote healing facility in the Amazon known as Takiwasi. Employing a variety of shamans, the […]

Ayahuasca 101: Hard-Earned Truth

The first time I ever experienced an Ayahuasca ceremony was seven years ago. It wasn’t in a remote jungle hut in the middle of the Amazon, or in some fancy Californian ashram. My first encounter with the legendary “vine of souls” (sometimes referred to as “vine of death”) was in a snow covered New England country […]

Do You Know Why You’re Here?

Person Walking Down Stone Steps Towards Tree Covered Path

First off, thank you Nick Polizzi for the opportunity to share my story with The Sacred Science Community. Four years ago, I was at a crossroads. Despite reaching a place of material “success” or “happiness,” I felt completely empty inside. My body was dangerously unhealthy and my mind was distracted. I had hit a roadblock and […]

Lost in Translation: Communications From Spirit

Abstract Art of Hands Opening Up to Third Eye in the Clouds

Walking the shamanic path often challenges us to be receptive to messages from the beyond. For millennia, people have embarked on spiritual journeys or pilgrimages to receive communications from higher consciousness. In Central and South America, this is often done through Temazcal, Ayahuasca and Huachuma ceremonies, while in the Northern Native American traditions, examples include […]

Ayahuasca: Before, During, and After

Person Offering a Cup of a Plant Medicine to Another Person

Many people today are talking about a sacred and ancient plant remedy from the Amazon rainforest called Ayahuasca. For those of you who are drawn to this medicine and its other-worldly effects, I’d like to give you a heartfelt caution. We Americans and Europeans come from a culture of conquest and convenience, and many of […]

Patience, Permission and Respect

I’ve heard it said that the medicine is everywhere, we just need to learn how to find it. Last week, I was taught a lesson that took my understanding of this concept to the next level. I had the honor of sitting down with two distinguished medicine workers from the high Peruvian Andes. You often […]