What sort of artifacts do we find in the toolbox of the Shaman? It matters not what culture or century you explore. The artifacts are always the same. Symbolism of form, colors, musical instruments, costuming specific to the ceremony at hand, repetitive ritual movements and intonation, acting out of spirit communication through herbal trance, drumming and dance. Is it all not a preparation for an upcoming shared experience by psychic alignment of the participating group? What is the practical difference, if any, between Shamanism and modern day entertainment? Sounds like a rock concert to me. This is the stuff of life at its most organic, most experiential and most personal.
It is difficult to resist the notion that, in Clan and Tribe Shamanism, we find the historic source of theatre, dance and music performance as originating in religious ceremony. It is precisely the escape of the Shaman’s craft from established religion towards a more general audience that has paved the way for a more humanistic view of the natural world, free from the rigid scientism and strict social norms of our modern life. And above all, we musicians and artists have escaped as well. I am pleased to report that shamanistic practices are no longer an indigenous novelty of history, of the Siberian, or Amazon basin, but are firmly embedded in the modern homo sapiens resident psychology represented by 21st century modern rock concerts.