It is believed that shamanism is the most ancient form of spiritual work found on Earth.
In the beginning there was a harmonious relationship between the Creator, the spirits of nature, humans, animals, plants and all that was created. The humans alive at this time were our primordial ancestors who had the vision of the divine and started communicating with the spirit worlds in times of hard natural calamity and also in times of great joy.
The divine Creator, humans, spirits and all the components of creation walked hand in hand. When humans started reasoning and made presumptions, they lost this communication with the divine. Then diseases came, and the malignant spirits came into existence.
Humans started looking towards the sky and the spirits, asking for help, and so the divine Creator bestowed power on selected humans so they would be able to communicate with the spiritual world, not only for their welfare, but for the well being of all that was created. Here the first shamans came into being.
Like the element ether, shamanism is everywhere. If we go deep in Hinduism and Buddhism, we find they have their base in shamanism, although now there is a difference between these institutionalised religions and shamanism - the original earth spirituality.
But shamans on the whole get on well with Buddhists and Hindus, there are shamans who follow these religions as members of the community, but they still practise shamanism.
The shamans do healing, divination, exorcism and in some cases peace making - acting as mediators, whereas the religious priests may not do these tasks. So there is no real contradiction between shamanic practitioners and religious practitioners, and the religious practitioners seek the help of the shamans, and the shamans go to the priests and lamas for religious instruction.
It is a harmonious coexistence, and we believe this harmony will remain in the days to come also.
