Neo-shamanism

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Neoschamanen from different cultures at a meeting in the Netherlands (2010), including Nopaltzin (fourth from right) and Dancing Thunder (first from right), which by critics as "plastic shamans" are called

Neo-shamanism (sometimes also called neo -shamanism or pejorative "pseudo-shamanism" ) describes a modern spiritual movement that takes up traditional worldviews and rituals of indigenous tribes or peoples known as shamanistic , recombines ( eclecticism ), mixed ( syncretism ) and for members of the western world Wants to make culture understandable and applicable. The complex and dynamic movement is shaped in many ways by spiritual knowledge and rituals from a wide variety of cultures and has in turn influenced and changed many traditional shamans worldwide.

The phenomenon extends in a very heterogeneous range from dubious commercial charlatanism - who place little value on authentic knowledge transfer - to serious " new religious movements ". The boundaries in between are fluid and unclear, so that classification is often extremely difficult. Historically, neo-shamanism as a whole is often classified as part of the New Age movement.

The essential conceptual difference to traditional theories of shamanism lies in the individualization of shamanic abilities: Every person is accordingly able to have visions, to heal and to reach “higher states of consciousness”. The practice of neo-shamanistic techniques is used for individual self-realization and self-help.

history

Michael Harner

The development of neo-shamanism or “modern western shamanism” began in the late 1960s and is associated with a growing interest in non-western spirituality , the emergence of environmental protection, the turning away from the church and the search for existential alternatives . In particular, the historical Indian cultures of North America became a model for an earthly worldview. A well-known example is the unsecured and falsified speech by Chief Seattle . This already shows a weak point of neo-shamanism, which has been criticized again and again since then: the mediators of indigenous wisdom mix reality and fiction intentionally or unscientificly due to ideologically falsified representations and the users take over these constructs of ideas uncritically.

In the following years, the shaman became a new edition of the romantic image of the “noble savage” who has access to wisdom, higher worlds, spirits and medicinal herbs. Indian shamans presented themselves at esoteric fairs. Workshops on “shamanistic healing”, sweat lodge ceremonies to meet one's own “ power animal ” and drum courses were well attended. For some Indians, such demonstrations and rituals were a source of income that also served to preserve their cultural assets. Based on these models and ethnographic records of the “religions of the primitive peoples” , new interpretations of the “traditional” shamanic practices in a western, urban context emerged.

This development was decisively influenced by Mircea Eliade's theory of global shamanism and his assumption that humanity can return to harmony with the sacred through contact with original myths, which aroused great interest among the spiritual seekers of the New Age movement .

Central to the development of neo-shamanism were the publications of the anthropologist Carlos Castaneda , who, in the context of the description of his shamanic teacher Don Juan Matus (whose existence or Castenada's contact with him, however, remained unproven) dealt with “non-European interpretations of reality and the search after in-depth knowledge of the interrelationships of the cosmos ”. Castaneda's controversial work attracted thousands of people in search of spirituality, sparking a new movement. In the academic discussion, however, the authenticity of Castaneda's accounts and the existence of don Juan have been questioned. Hence, part of the academic world set itself apart from Castaneda's popular scientific literature, while others welcomed him as an example of a “new ethnography” that consciously incorporated fiction and subjective coloring in scientific representation.

A second important work for neo-shamanism was Michael Harner's "The Way of the Shaman: A Guide of Power and Healing" (1980). The anthropologist - who calls himself a shaman - was introduced to the shamanic world by various Indian groups and, in contrast to Castaneda, was able to prove that he was actually there. Harner made it his business to pass on his shamanic knowledge to a western audience. Based on his own experience and comparative studies, he tried to find a common denominator for the various shamanic traditions, which he calls Core Shamanism . The "Harner Method" was institutionalized through the establishment of the Foundation for Shamanic Studies (FSS) in 1979, which became the most important center of neo-shamanism.

The appropriation of shamanism or the figure of the shaman in art of the 20th century should also be seen in this context; popular artists such as Jim Morrison and Joseph Beuys publicly referred to themselves as shamans.

Since the 1990s, the efforts of the Tuvan ethnologist Monguš Borachovič Kenin-Lopsaŋ - who founded the shaman society "Düngür" after the end of Soviet rule in Tuva - have led to a lively exchange with neo-shamanistic circles in the West. Modern shamans are ready to learn from traditional role models. Kenin-Lopsaŋ pursues the goal of reviving the shamanism and animism (“Everything is animated”) of the Tuwins and to train new shamans. However, this example of an intensive exchange in both directions has triggered a clear cultural change in the Altai , which is accompanied by a falsification of traditional shamanism.

Main concepts of neo-shamanism

“One is a shaman through the shamanic activity that one does for oneself and for others. Your experiences are real and essentially interchangeable between all shamanic cultures. The shamanic method is the same: the human mind, heart and body are the same; only the cultures are different. "

- Michael Harner

The neo-shamanistic scene is not a homogeneous field with uniform concepts and methods. The American Harner and his center became a kind of central authority of modern shamanism, especially in Europe; in America itself there is a somewhat broader spectrum. Distinctions are often not only due to content-related aspects, but also to the increasing competition between the various groups in a competitive market.

The new shamans are providers on the market of healing options, because neo-shamanism is a technique for reaching extraordinary states of consciousness and experiences or is used to develop inner images and powers that are supposed to free people from psychological stress. Illness and health take on a spiritual dimension and a deeper meaning. Many interested parties see in shamanism a return to originality, to the sources of ancient wisdom and to unity with nature; all things that can no longer be found in modern reductionist medicine, psychology and religion.

The Scandinavian Center for Shamanic Studies is also closely linked to the Harner method . The Swedish anthropologist Galina Lindquist, who as an ethnologist analyzed the shamanic courses at the center, described the following ideas as central to the neo-shamanic discourse:

  • “Individual nature” of shamanism : Every person basically has the ability to have shamanic experiences. However, this can be hidden due to cultural patterns and must therefore be rediscovered.
  • “Non-everyday reality”, spirit helpers and power animals: The goal is an authentic experience of a different state of consciousness . It is important to discover a spiritual world that is apparently parallel to the physical world and has its own existence. This world is filled with personal, energetic spirits, which z. B. in the form of power animals and can be asked for help. Power animals are animals that are associated with special qualities and originally represent "natural" symbols of their own culture. In contrast to descriptions in many traditional cultures in which spirits are known to the whole community, in neo-shamanism they consist of personal images that belong to the individual.
  • Imagination and shamanic journey : In Western discourses the term imagination is often used to negate extraordinary occurrences. However, it is precisely the imagination that is needed to make the spiritual world visible. In neo-shamanism, the imagination, which not only includes sight but also all the senses, is used as a source of information in order to make non-everyday reality a part of life. The shamanic journey begins - often accompanied by drums and rattles - with the visualization of places that ultimately become a concrete "world" into which the neo-shaman can enter. In many courses, these imaginations are later reproduced in a narrative, through which they become actually experienced, enter into personal experience and receive transformative power.
  • Healing : The shaman's task is not only to experience other states of consciousness and, in particular, to acquire knowledge and decision-making aids, but also to advise individuals and heal the sick. The main activities are to find and bring back lost power animals or soul parts as well as to identify and extract so-called spiritual intruders in order to restore the original energy balance.

This healing is scientifically explained, among other things, by the placebo effect , which is based on the fact that thoughts influence the body and the patient can be healed by changing his thinking (intellectual approach). The symbolic approach of Lévi-Strauss (1958), on the other hand, emphasizes that the shaman provides the patient with a new language that enables him to understand, express and transform the conflicts underlying the disease. This approach is illustrated in the psychoanalytic approach of shamanism. From the point of view of more recent psychology, the often profound change in the emotional state is seen as essential for the psychosomatic changes experienced.

Criticism of neo-shamanism

Sitting Bull , representative of the Indian models of neo-shamanism

“The neo-shamanistic groups are about romantic projections and the European longing for the perfect world, for“ holism ”and an earthly paradise. These ideas have little to do with the reality of Indian life and thought. Parts of neo-shamanism are shaped by modern progressive thinking and permeated by the delusion of feasibility, even if this is denied. Shamanism becomes technology and market share. Many who take part in seminars try to escape Western thinking and still remain attached to it. "

- Gabriele Lademann-Priemer

In keeping with the tight time budget of Westerners, one can acquire neo-shamanistic practices relatively quickly and without problems. For traditional shamans, on the other hand, the training involved a long and potentially dangerous apprenticeship: They went into the wilderness and exposed themselves to the elements. Their world views are based on myths that are thousands of years old and the "wild thinking" of traditional ecosystem people , while neo-shamanic wisdom mostly comes from foreign cultures that are "easily digestible" for modern thinking.

Another important criticism is directed against the retroactive effect of the very active neo-shamanistic scene on the indigenous traditions. Real shamans - initially from Siberia and North America in particular - used the interests of the western world to secure and spread their traditional knowledge . The dialogue with the esoteric scene, however, has in many cases led to adapting the traditions to the wishes of the followers, including foreign ideas and entering into an open dialogue with other cultures. There are examples of this today from all continents. An extensively documented example is the new shamanism of the Māori (whose traditional healers are not regarded by most authors as shamans). Esotericists live in New Zealand who have integrated shamanic elements from the Zulu (South Africa), Shipibo (Ecuador) or Yaqui (Mexico) into Maori culture. In this way, neo-shamanism evolves into the "indigenous underpinned concept" that shamanism never was. The critics, however, point out that the methodology , which is often shaped by wishful thinking, consumption and modern lifestyle , destroys the holistic- traditional contexts and ultimately leads to a reductionist-synthetic worldview, which therefore has to remain inauthentic and not really people's desire for religiosity can satisfy.

The critics Daniel C. Noel and Robert J. Wallis see Harner's teachings as a false Eurocentric interpretation of the cultures that he has experienced and classified incorrectly. Geary Hobson sees the use of the term “shamanism” in the New Age movement as the cultural “straightening out” of indigenous American culture by “whites” who have removed themselves from their history. Critics think that Harner's work in particular laid the basis for the massive exploitation of indigenous cultures by “plastic shamans”.

Pseudo-shamanism and "plastic shamans"

Jorge Nopaltzin Guaderrama, an alleged Aztec shaman. The Aztecs had complex priesthoods, not shamans.

"We hereby and from now on declare war against all persons who stubbornly hold on to the exploitation, abuse and misrepresentation of the sacred traditions and spiritual practices of our Lakota, Dakota and Nakota tribes."

- Wilmer Stampede Mesteth, Darrell Standing Elk et al. Phyllis Swift Hawk

The sharpest criticism is directed against so-called pseudo-shamanism , which is characterized by considerable commercialization (sale of books, cult objects and fee-based courses) and deliberately dubious methods: Its representatives advertise in the media using terminology and symbols traditional shaman. As a rule, they glorify the profane, superficial aspects of indigenous rituals and pretend a real spirituality, which they actually do not have. There is a great difference between shamanic rituals, which are carried out on the basis of instructions from books, and the profound wisdom that lies in the spiritual practices of traditional peoples. The original shamanic wisdom is still carefully guarded today by medicine people. These guardians are not known to the “plastic shamans” of the West or are even maligned by claiming that there is no monopoly on traditions and no ownership of access to the spiritual. In return, the indigenous people perceive the work of such people as defiling, disrespectful and humiliating. Against this background, spiritual leaders of the Lakota Indians try, for example, to defend themselves with a clear "declaration of war against the exploiters of Lakota spirituality".

The term “plastic shamans” also originally comes from the Lakota, who use it to designate unauthorized (often white) shamans who pretend to be initiated medicine men in order to capitalize on them. They arbitrarily combine traditional knowledge of their (alleged) culture with foreign content and modern knowledge. Often they give themselves imaginary names, appear in clothing that appears to be ethnically and historical, and make up a suitable résumé in order to appear authentic. Often the western image of the Indian is served by mixing cultural elements of the plains Indians into the outfit and the supposedly traditional ceremonies. In most cases, “plastic shamans” do not orientate themselves towards a certain indigenous culture, but towards the demands of their customers. Only in exceptional cases are real medicine people who commercialize their culture in this way. Two well-known "plastic shamans" are Jorge Nopaltzin Guaderrama (an alleged Aztec - the Aztec culture, however, had a complex priesthood, no shamans) and Dancing Thunder from Florida (an alleged medicine man of the Susquehannock - the tribe was completely exterminated in the 18th century, lived in Pennsylvania and did not wear prairie Indian clothing).

It is not always easy to distinguish between serious and dubious neo-shamanism. "However, there are serious and critical discussions going on within the scene," as Gabriele Lademann-Priemer, long-time sect and ideology representative of the North Elbian Church and voodoo expert, writes.

See also

literature

  • Jeanne Achterberg: The healing power of the imagination: healing through the power of thought; Basics and methods of a new medicine. (Imagery in healing, 1985), Scherz Verlag, Bern, Munich, Vienna 1987, ISBN 978-3-502-13010-9
  • Jane Monnig Atkinson: Shamanisms today. In: Annual Review of Anthropology 21, 1992, ISSN  0084-6570 , pp. 307-330.
  • Karin Barve: Neo-Shamanism: The Art of Healing or Charlatanry? About the social and psychological logics of neo-shaman healing rituals. Publishing house Dr. Kovac, Hamburg 2013, ISBN 978-3-8300-7165-5 (dissertation).
  • Mircea Eliade : Shamanism and archaic ecstasy technique. 11th edition. Suhrkamp, ​​Frankfurt am Main 2001, ISBN 3-518-27726-X .
  • Michael Harner : The way of the shaman. Ariston / Hugendubel, Munich 2007, ISBN 978-3-7205-4024-7 .
  • Michael Harner: Hallucinogens and Shamanism. Oxford University Press, New York, NY et al. 1973.
  • Mihály Hoppál (Ed.): The Book of Shamans. Europe and Asia. 2 volumes. Ullstein, Munich 2002, ISBN 3-550-07557-X .
  • Mihály Hoppál, Keith D. Howard (Eds.): Shamans and Cultures. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest 1993, ISBN 963-05-6590-0 ( International Society for Trans-Oceanic Research - ISTOR books 5).
  • Åke Hultkrantz : Shamanic healing art . Eugen-Diederichs-Verlag, Munich 1994, ISBN 3-424-01166-5 .
  • Galina Lindquist: Shamanic Performances on the Urban Scene. Neo-Shamanism in Contemporary Sweden . Stockholm University - Department of Social Anthropology, Stockholm 1997, ISBN 91-7153-691-4 ( Stockholm Studies in Social Anthropology 39), (also: Stockholm, Univ., Diss., 1998).
  • Gerhard Mayer: Shamanism in Germany . Ergon, Würzburg 2003, ISBN 3-89913-306-4 .
  • Klaus E. Müller : Shamanism. Healers, spirits, rituals. 3. Edition. Beck, Munich 2006, ISBN 3-406-41872-4 ( Beck'sche series 2072 Wissen ).
  • Winfried Picard: Shamanism and Psychotherapy. Param-Verlag, Ahlerstedt 2006, ISBN 3-88755-245-8 .
  • Alfred Stolz: Shamans. Ecstasy and hereafter symbolism. dumont, Cologne 1988, ISBN 3-7701-1894-4 ( DuMont pocket books 210).
  • Kocku von Stuckrad : Shamanism and esotericism. Cultural and scientific historical considerations. Peeters, Leuven 2003, ISBN 90-429-1253-7 ( Gnostica 4).
  • Michael T. Taussig: Shamanism, colonialism, and the wild man. A study in terror and healing . University of Chicago Press, Chicago IL et al. 1991, ISBN 0-226-79013-4 ( Anthropology / Latin America studies ).
  • Barbara Tedlock: The Art of the Shaman. Peter Hammer Verlag, Wuppertal 2007, ISBN 978-3-7795-0156-5 .
  • Nicolas Thomas, Caroline Humphrey (Ed.): Shamanism. History and the State . University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor MI 1999, ISBN 0-472-08401-1 .
  • Roger Walsh: The World of Shamanism . Llewellyn, Woodbury MI 2007, ISBN 978-0-7387-0575-0 .
  • Andrei A. Znamenski (Ed.) Shamanism . 3 volumes. Routledge, London et al. 2004, ISBN 0-415-31192-6 ( Critical Concepts in Sociology ).
  • Andrei A. Znamenski: The Beauty of the Primitive. Shamanism and The Western Imagination . Oxford University Press, New York NY et al. 2007, ISBN 978-0-19-517231-7 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Dawne Sanson: Taking the spirits seriously: Neo-Shamanism and contemporary shamanic healing in New Zealand. Massay University, Auckland (NZ) 2012 pdf version . Pp. I, 28-31, 29, 45-48, 98, 138, 269.
  2. ↑ a b c d e f shamanism . Information text with sources in: Glaub-und-irrglaube.de, website of Pastor Gabriele Lademann-Priemer, representative for sect and ideology issues of the North Elbian Ev.-luth. Church from 1992 to 2011, accessed April 12, 2015.
  3. ↑ Znamenski 2004, pp. Ixiii.
  4. ↑ Internalization: Core Shamanism. In: Galina Lindquist: Shamanic Performance on the Urban Scene: Neo-Shamanism in Contemporary Sweden. Studies in Social Anthropology, Stockholm 1997, ISBN 91-7153-691-4 , p. 53.
  5. ↑ General Introduction - Adventures of the metaphor: shamanism and shamanism studies. In: Andrei A. Znamenski: Shamanism: Critical Concepts in Sociology. Routlegde-Kurzon, London / New York 2004, ISBN 0-415-31192-6 , Vol. 1, pp. Xix – 1xxxvi, xlvi – xlix.
  6. ↑ Modern Western Shamanism. In: Kocku von Stuckrad: Shamanism and esotericism: cultural and scientific historical considerations. Peeters, Leuven 2003, ISBN 90-429-1253-7 , p. 153.
  7. ↑ Znamenski 2004, p. Lix.
  8. ↑ Karin Riedl: artist shamans. On the appropriation of the shaman concept with Jim Morrison and Joseph Beuys. transcript, Bielefeld 2014, ISBN 978-3-8376-2683-4 .
  9. ↑ Anett C. Oelschlägel: Plurale Weltinterpretationen - The example of the Tyva of South Siberia. Studies in Social and Cultural Anthropology, SEC Publications / Verlag der Kulturstiftung Sibirien, Fürstenberg / Havel 2013, ISBN 978-3-942883-13-9 . P. 31, 60 f.
  10. ↑ Michael Harner: The Way of the Shaman. 3rd edition, Harper & Row, San Francisco 1990.
  11. ↑ Stuckrad 2003, p. 171.
  12. ↑ Lindquist 1997, pp. 53-121.
  13. ↑ Lindquist 1997, p. 114.
  14. ↑ The effectiveness of the symbols. In: Claude Lévi-Strauss: Structural Anthropology I. Suhrkamp Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 1977, ISBN 3-518-27826-6 , pp. 204-225.
  15. ^ A b Daniel C. Noel (1997): Soul Of Shamanism: Western Fantasies, Imaginal Realities. Continuum, ISBN 0-8264-1081-2
  16. ^ G. Hobson: The Rise of the White Shaman as a New Version of Cultural Imperialism. In: Gary Hobson, expanded edition. The Remembered Earth. Red Earth Press, Albuquerque, NM 1978, pp. 100-108.
  17. ^ A b Declaration of War Against Exploiters of Lakota Spirituality. Distributed by: Creighton University, Omaha (USA), accessed April 16, 2015. ( Memento of May 8, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
  18. ↑ Christian F. Feest : Animated Worlds - The religions of the Indians of North America. In: Small Library of Religions , Vol. 9, Herder, Freiburg / Basel / Vienna 1998, ISBN 3-451-23849-7 . P. 31.
  19. ↑ Joana Breidenbach u. Pál Nyíri: Maxikulti: The clash of civilizations is the problem - does the economy show us the solution? Campus, Frankfurt am Main 2008, ISBN 978-3-593-38618-8 , p. 62.
  20. ^ Graham Harvey: Historical Dictionary of Shamanism. Rowman & Littlefield, 2015, ISBN 978-1-442-25798-6 , p. 22.