Earthpulse Blog

Before moving on to the second part of my series on shamanism I would like to present my considered response to the views of Dougler Gallant who kindly took the time to comment on my post. To read the article and comments visit Part 1 .

Impressive v Enchanted

In that article I mentioned those people who deny a spiritual dimension to life, referring to this view as ‘cold and disenchanted’. Whilst I agree with Dougler Gallant (who I will refer to as DG from now on) that knowing how a magic trick is performed doesn’t necessarily make it any less impressive I would like to make a necessary distinction between what can be described as ‘impressive’ and what can be described as ‘enchanted’. An easy example to pick would be the use of atomic power to destroy Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Here, scientists discovered how the trick of atomic fusion worked but the results of the catastrophic explosions were far from ‘enchanting’ and to call them ‘impressive’, one would have to be taking a very ‘cold’ viewpoint.

Also, I don’t agree that there is a ’scientific view of existence’ as such. There is agreed scientific methodology (which itself has variations) but this approach could be, and is, attached to any number of belief systems since science is about proving and disproving hypotheses, not commenting on metaphysics, epistemology or ontology.

This, of course, is the arena of the philosopher but then there are so many philosophers and philosophies to choose from that what is to determine which we take seriously and which we dismiss? I would like to tentatively suggest that ‘faith’ or ‘belief’ is that determining factor. I feel that many in ‘modern’ society seem to duck the work of examining their beliefs. DG does not specify what he (I am assuming Dougler is a male name) believes although I would make an educated guess that DG is atheist at this moment in time. If DG would be prepared to continue this debate I would like him/her to address the following:

How do you know that your realization is correct while the realizations of those who have a religious faith are ‘foolish’? Which scientific studies/philosophical debates have you drawn on to come to this decision?

In the arena of spirituality, what has science proved or disproved? What have philosophers proved? What evidence can you use to convince a reader that these approaches on their own have ‘worked’ better than alternative approaches that don’t feel the need to ‘reason out … emotions and reactions’.

I would like to round off by examining DG’s views on religion, shamanism and divination.

Religion

It is very tempting to try and evaluate a religion based on the personal experiences we have with adherents to that religion together with information gathered or absorbed from the wider public.

DG has clearly experienced frustrations whilst exploring different faiths and a lot of this seems to have come from a reaction to the credulity and lack of critical application encountered in others. However, I think DG is making the common mistake of stereotyping all religions and their followers based on such encounters. I think it is more important to turn a critical eye on the substance of the faith itself before dismissing everything it has to offer. For example, what do the various traditions have to say about evil, about the purpose of life, about the creation of the universe, about the existence and use of subtle energies? How does that compare with the accepted ’scientific’ knowledge handed down through our universities and schools? If DG looks closely I think he will find this knowledge riddled with inconsistencies and assumptions.

Personally I don’t believe there needs to be a dichotomy between logic and other tools of truth appreciation (intuition, emotions, bodily reactions, etc). As a teenager I once decided, logically, that religion was an illusion and the truth was to be found in text books. Then, one day I was waiting for a bus, head buried in a physics book and a man came up to me, out of the blue, to tell me that the universe was full of vibrations. Days later a lady from the nearby traveller’s site told me exactly the same thing. In both cases the feeling of enchantment was tangible, as if the universe had responded to my questions by sending me messengers disguised as people. Were they inspired to talk to me? Allowing for the possibility that the universe may want to communicate with us in a variety of ways is not the same as neglecting logic.

As I prepare to receive a BSc in Psychology, I have learnt to appreciate both the merits and limitations of logic. I really hope that DG continues to question everything because ’science’ (sic) may have its areas of enigmatic beauty but it also has darker regions of revealed ugliness. DG says that religion is never a good thing, even if the intentions are of the purest qualities. What about the millions of people who find comfort and meaning through their faith or the countless little acts of good will carried out in the name of religion? I can understand why many might look at world conflict and other problems, some of which do have a significant religious element, and decide that religion is to blame, but if we strip away spirituality altogether what else do we have to guide us? Material gain? Social power? One of my favourite sayings is that we should judge a religion by its saints not its sinners (perhaps a reader could source this for me) ;-P

DG says that religion “…preys on emotions…normally using chanting and dancing to work people up into a frenzy…They feel a common energy and refer to it as God or God’s will…” There are of course elements of dance, celebration and heightened emotions at many religious gatherings, some less restrained than others, but are these not all part of being fully rounded, liberated human beings. There are equally other occasions where solemn reflection is observed (the Christian Easter, the Hindu festival of Nyepi, observed in Bali) or restrictions on lifestyle imposed (Lent, the Islamic period of Ramadan).

Shamanism

If I was given a pound (or a dollar for US readers!) for every time I read a version of the following sentence I could be sunning it in Hawaii right now.

‘Concepts such as shamanism are potentially harmful to society as they tend to be counter-productive to the advancement of our species.’

With respect, in my opinion statements of this kind are a relic of cultural imperialism with an obsession with ‘civilisation’ of primitive cultures by the more advanced (i.e usually wealthy and powerful) nations. It evokes the notion of a straight, unerring pathway from ignorance to wisdom but where does this path lead? Does DG know? Does he even think about it? It seems that the advance of our species has come at huge cost; a population that is outstripping the resources on which it depends, polluting the space in which it lives, decimating the other species that it lives alongside. Fortunately, development in academic fields such as ecology has led to scientists, followed by the media, government and ourselves to an uncomfortable species-wide self-consciousness about our irresponsibility and lack of respect for the life around us. This sense of interconnectedness and mutual honour are not only ‘concepts’ of shamanism, they are fundamental to the cosmology of shamanic cultures throughout time and space. I would ask DG to read the following, famous Cree proverb and to tell me if he still thinks that shamanism is necessarily harmful and counter-productive.

“Only when the last tree has withered, the last fish has been caught, and the last river has been poisoned, will you realize you cannot eat money.” (Wikiquote, 2009).

Divination

Finally, I would like to concede that DG has a very relevant point about divination, although one that is debated within religious and spiritual traditions as well as outside them. Divination can cause problems, sometimes due to the beliefs and style of the reader and sometimes due to the attitude of the person receiving the reading. Belief in a fatalistic, deterministic Universe can blind some people to the opportunities and choices they have in the present which is why, in my opinion, a good diviner will concentrate on the present and reiterate that the future is still unshaped and in the hands of the client.

One final point I would like to make concerning divination, and cartomancy in particular, is regarding the notion of a ‘random event’. Randomness or ‘chance variation’ is often presented as some kind of ‘law of chance’. It is worth pointing out that such a law doesn’t really exist, even in the ’cause and effect’ world of science. When a scientist or statistician talks about a random event they are really telling us that the observed effect was subject to numerous subtle causes, too complex to intepret. This still leaves room for spiritual or ‘divine’ influence although I personally favour Jung’s notion of an ‘acausal connecting principle’. This hypothesizes that there exists a relationship between seemingly disparate things (e.g. a fall of cards and life events) that bring them into alignment (or ’synchronicity’). This belief fits well as a rational starting point for the explanation of astrological relationships, improbable coincidences and the appearance of omens. It is enshrined in the famous Hermetic axiom ‘as above, so below’ but a shaman would probably have a different term for it – the web of life. And as Chief Seattle’s famous saying reminds us:

‘Humankind has not woven the web of life.
We are but one thread within it.
Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.
All things are bound together.
All things connect’
(Unahi Mindanao Inc, 2008)

References:

Unahi Mindanao Inc, 2008, ‘Native American quotes about nature’, http://www.unahi.org/quotes/native-american-quotes.htm,last accessed 5 Oct 2009
Wikiquote, 2009, ‘Native American proverbs’, http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Native_American_proverbs#Cree, last accessed 5 Oct 2009

Coming next: Shamanism: Part 2

Do you have any personal experiences with or opinions on Shamanism that you would like to share? If so, please leave a comment below.