|
Shamanism: how were you "chosen"?
When I first began to look into Shamanism, and even nowadays when I find sites or books about it, I often notice that it is said a shamanic practitioner is "chosen" and must have a sign such as being struck by lightning, a near-death experience, or being bitten by a poisonous snake.
Oddly, in my experience I've met a few people who have been shamanic practitioners and yet didn't experience as dramatic an experience as that. Often, when I talk to people who can or have the potential to study this practice, I see them withhold action for fear of not being "chosen", as they haven't had one of the experiences that is a traditional requirement. Yet, often they feel a deep resonance with the practice and feel they are meant to follow it.
I'm curious to hear from those of you who are shamanic practitioners what it is that drew you to it, if you had one of those or a similar traditional experience, and also to hear from those of you who support or don't support the traditional requirements. Why do you feel the way you do?
__________________
"Sometimes you will act as an angel to others, perhaps without even realizing it. One day a woman comes up to you and says 'You saved my life'. You look at her astonished, trying to remember the last time you even saw this person before, the meeting meant so little to you at the time. 'Don't you remember? I was standing on the bridge, staring at the water, and you passed and said 'Good morning'."
|
Threaded Mode