Nancie LaPier - What is Shamanism

The term shaman, is a word of Tungus (Siberian) origin, meaning “to heat”, and refers collectively to those indigenous tribal members who responsibility for their tribe centered on healing through spiritual means. These individuals were our first philosophers, prophets, priests, mystics, counselors, psychologists and doctors. Through ceremony and prayer ritual, the shaman explored exalted states of consciousness and their ecstatic spiritual experiences were responsible for bringing forth the information and methods, which ultimately evolved into our current religions and medical practices.

The shamanic perspective is that everything on earth – from the trees, grasses & waters, to her creatures and human beings – is alive and has a spirit. No human being is viewed as loftier on any hierarchical scale; rather every spirit manifesting in physical form is viewed as being an aspect of God, or the one Great Spirit. All beings are seen as relatives and each spirit is accorded honor and respect for it’s special gifts, or “medicine”. It is this humble, devotional perspective which sets up harmonious relationships and reciprocity between the species, and develops a compassionate heart for the “people”. And it is the compassionate heart that compels a shaman to explore the spiritual realms in order to bring help and empowerment to their brothers and sisters, whether human, animal or elemental, and provides the shaman with their access to power. All powers of the shaman belong to the Creator alone and are drawn through the compassionate heart by the beings(s) in need, for whom that grace is intended. A shaman understands that the heart is the gateway to the spiritual realms and the purpose and function of their spiritual disciplines is to develop an open heart. True shamans can be recognized by their refusal to lay claim to any personal power to heal, and will dedicate their lives to doing whatever is necessary to become a clear vehicle through which miracles can be made manifest. They have been referred to as “those who walk between the worlds”, bodhisattvas, yogis and saints and can be recognized within virtually every organized religion of the world.

A shaman’s primary relationship in life is with Spirit; their primary focus when considering suffering of any type is the spiritual nature of the disorder and how that correlates to whole health and well-being. Spiritual diagnosis results in recommending therapies and "treatments" that may address any one or combination of the four levels of the body, i.e., physical, emotional, mental or spiritual, and can range from the very practical to extremely “out-of –the-ordinary”. All are aimed at returning a being to balance and harmony by providing opportunities for a fully-spirited life. (Read published articles)

Four classic shamanic therapies are employed to diagnose the spiritual body and return it to harmony, often resulting in healing at the physical level. These are the arts of divination, extraction healing, soul retrieval and psychopomp.

Divination is art of “seeing, feeling, hearing and speaking" to the Divine. Motivated by a desire to facilitate healing, shamans are proficient in this art form and use it to ascertain specific knowledge and advice on behalf of their clients. From looking into the future potential or past experiences of a client, to diagnosing “spiritual intrusions” or the root cause of illness, divination provides that therapeutic information which is essential to returning one to a state of well-being.

Soul Retrieval. A belief found to be common throughout various ancient spiritual and current religious systems as well as within many modern-day psychotherapeutic paradigms is that traumatic life experiences can cause parts of the "self" to fragment off. A shaman sees these parts as having gotten "lost" in the spiritual dimensions. Intense pain, terror and/or grief can cause "soul loss", leaving one with less vital energy and personal power and therefore, vulnerable to "intrusions". Through a shamanic healing journey, the shaman retrieves these lost soul parts and brings them back to an individual, enabling them to be more powerful and "spirited".

Extraction is a form of energy healing which involves the removal of inappropriate "intrusions" from the spiritual body which are seen to be the root cause of physical disorder. When a shaman sees “intrusions” in a body, this is the symbolic communication referring to instances where we may have taken on another’s worldview, belief systems, emotions, patterns, etc., which are not in harmony with our personal integrity. Intrusions are an inevitable side affect of our socialization and culturalization process. The removal of these erroneous energies allows us to return to a state of freedom, independence and sovereignty.

Psychopomp, meaning “conductor of the soul”, applies to those practices in which a shaman engages in order to help guide the souls of those passing over (or who have already passed and are still in need of resolution on the earth plane) and to counsel, support and offer relief to those who are grieving through Mediumship (personal messages of comfort and advice from our departed loved ones), spiritual teachings on the dying process and suggestions for ceremonies of honor and remembrance to help us heal and move on.



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		Nancie LaPier Shamanic Therapist, Healer & Medium Specializing in Divination and Animal Communication What is Shamanism? The term shaman, is a word of Tungus (Siberian) origin, meaning “to heat”, and refers collectively to those indigenous tribal members who responsibility for their tribe centered on healing through spiritual means. These individuals were our first philosophers, prophets, priests, mystics, counselors, psychologists and doctors. Through ceremony and prayer ritual, the shaman explored exalted states of consciousness and their ecstatic spiritual experiences were responsible for bringing forth the information and methods, which ultimately evolved into our current religions and medical practices. The shamanic perspective is that everything on earth – from the trees, grasses & waters, to her creatures and human beings – is alive and has a spirit. No human being is viewed as loftier on any hierarchical scale; rather every spirit manifesting in physical form is viewed as being an aspect of God, or the one Great Spirit. All beings are seen as relatives and each spirit is accorded honor and respect for it’s special gifts, or “medicine”. It is this humble, devotional perspective which sets up harmonious relationships and reciprocity between the species, and develops a compassionate heart for the “people”. And it is the compassionate heart that compels a shaman to explore the spiritual realms in order to bring help and empowerment to their brothers and sisters, whether human, animal or elemental, and provides the shaman with their access to power. All powers of the shaman belong to the Creator alone and are drawn through the compassionate heart by the beings(s) in need, for whom that grace is intended. A shaman understands that the heart is the gateway to the spiritual realms and the purpose and function of their spiritual disciplines is to develop an open heart. True shamans can be recognized by their refusal to lay claim to any personal power to heal, and will dedicate their lives to doing whatever is necessary to become a clear vehicle through which miracles can be made manifest. They have been referred to as “those who walk between the worlds”, bodhisattvas, yogis and saints and can be recognized within virtually every organized religion of the world. A shaman’s primary relationship in life is with Spirit; their primary focus when considering suffering of any type is the spiritual nature of the disorder and how that correlates to whole health and well-being. Spiritual diagnosis results in recommending therapies and "treatments" that may address any one or combination of the four levels of the body, i.e., physical, emotional, mental or spiritual, and can range from the very practical to extremely “out-of –the-ordinary”. All are aimed at returning a being to balance and harmony by providing opportunities for a fully-spirited life. (Read published articles) Four classic shamanic therapies are employed to diagnose the spiritual body and return it to harmony, often resulting in healing at the physical level. These are the arts of divination, extraction healing, soul retrieval and psychopomp. Divination is art of “seeing, feeling, hearing and speaking" to the Divine. Motivated by a desire to facilitate healing, shamans are proficient in this art form and use it to ascertain specific knowledge and advice on behalf of their clients. From looking into the future potential or past experiences of a client, to diagnosing “spiritual intrusions” or the root cause of illness, divination provides that therapeutic information which is essential to returning one to a state of well-being. Soul Retrieval. A belief found to be common throughout various ancient spiritual and current religious systems as well as within many modern-day psychotherapeutic paradigms is that traumatic life experiences can cause parts of the "self" to fragment off. A shaman sees these parts as having gotten "lost" in the spiritual dimensions. Intense pain, terror and/or grief can cause "soul loss", leaving one with less vital energy and personal power and therefore, vulnerable to "intrusions". Through a shamanic healing journey, the shaman retrieves these lost soul parts and brings them back to an individual, enabling them to be more powerful and "spirited". Extraction is a form of energy healing which involves the removal of inappropriate "intrusions" from the spiritual body which are seen to be the root cause of physical disorder. When a shaman sees “intrusions” in a body, this is the symbolic communication referring to instances where we may have taken on another’s worldview, belief systems, emotions, patterns, etc., which are not in harmony with our personal integrity. Intrusions are an inevitable side affect of our socialization and culturalization process. The removal of these erroneous energies allows us to return to a state of freedom, independence and sovereignty. Psychopomp, meaning “conductor of the soul”, applies to those practices in which a shaman engages in order to help guide the souls of those passing over (or who have already passed and are still in need of resolution on the earth plane) and to counsel, support and offer relief to those who are grieving through Mediumship (personal messages of comfort and advice from our departed loved ones), spiritual teachings on the dying process and suggestions for ceremonies of honor and remembrance to help us heal and move on. Other Services • Power Animal Retrievals • Crystal Healing • Ceremonial & Ritual Healings • Sound Therapies • Laying on of Hands Healing Therapies • Divination • Rites of Passage Ceremonies: • Weddings, • Birth, • Passage to Adulthood, • Funerals, etc. • Animal Communication & Healing Nancie LaPier is available for private in-person or telephone sessions, private instruction and apprenticeships, gatherings, lectures and workshops. Please phone (860) 344-9299 or e-mail nancielapier@aol.com.