Grofians Unauthorized
Discussion Group
Grofian Peyotists
The Shaman's Way - Part I
The following excerpt is from
THE STORMY SEARCH FOR THE SELF
(Grof, C. & Grof, S. 1990)
http://www.erowid.org/library/books/stormy.shtml
--excerpt from Chapter 6:
Introduction
" 'Shaman' is a term that anthropologists use for a special kind of medicine man or woman, witch doctor, or healer who employs nonordinary states of consciousness to heal himself or herself or others, foresee the future, open channels of extrasensory perception, and communicate with animals, elements of nature, and beings in the worlds beyond.
At the very core of shamanism is the notion that during unusual states of consciousness one can make beneficial visionary journeys to other realms and dimensions of reality. The early shamans were the first explorers and cartographers of such inner landscapes.
Shamanism is a universal phenomenon. It is also extremely ancient; its beginnings can be traced back to the Cro-Magnon Man of the Paleolithic era. Many rock paintings and carvings on the walls of the great caves of Altamira, Font de Gaume, Le Trois Freres, and others depict shamanic motifs.
Archeological, historical, and anthropological research indicates that the basic features of shamanism and its technologies of the sacred have remained relatively unchanged through tens of thousands of years. They have survived migrations over half of the globe, while many other aspects of the cultures involved underwent dramatic changes. These facts suggest that shamanism engages levels of the human psyche that are primordial, timeless, and universal.
Throughout the ages, enormous amounts of knowledge have been amassed by shamans around the world, passed on to apprentices, and confirmed again and again by the profound personal experiences of these healers and those they helped. The very term 'shaman' is very likely derived from the Tunguso-Manchurian verb 'sa'--meaning 'to know.' A literal translation of the Tungus word 'saman' is, then, 'the person who knows.' As guardians of the ancient knowledge of nonordinary states of consciousness, shamans represent extremely valuable sources of information about the processes involved in crises of transformation.
Several important aspects of shamanism are of great relevance to the concept of spiritual emergency. Many shamans are launched into their careers as healers by a dramatic episode of emotional and psychosomatic turmoil that often reaches proportions that Western psychiatry would consider psychotic. Yet a future shaman emerges from this crisis in an improved state of health and as a fully functioning individual.
Second, an accomplished practicing shaman has the capacity and the means to enter nonordinary states of consciousness at will, states that again would be considered psychotic. However, he or she can function during these experiences, utilize them for a variety of purposes, and return from them without any negative aftereffects. And third, among the capacities of a shaman is the ability to induce nonordinary states in others and guide them in a way that results in healing or is beneficial in some other way." (pp.116-117)
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