Feb 16, 2024 | FSS Polestar
Core Shamanism, by definition, is based on universal principles of shamanic methodology, and does not borrow ceremony and practices from indigenous cultures.
“Core Shamanism consists of the universal, near-universal, and common features of shamanism, together with journeys to other worlds, a distinguishing feature of shamanism. As originated, researched, and developed by Michael Harner, the principles of Core Shamanism are not bound to any specific cultural group or perspective. See Core Shamanism, as distinct from indigenous cultural shamanism and neoshamanism.
For more context and background, see Dr. Harner’s book Cave & Cosmos, pages 45-46, and appendix D. In his discussion of Core Shamanism in Cave & Cosmos, Dr. Harner elaborates on why Core Shamanism does not borrow practices and ceremony from indigenous people (see p. 46). There are also related statements from Dr. Harner in The Way of the Shaman documentary.
In some FSS advanced trainings, occasionally specific practices are offered that were freely given to Dr. Harner by the indigenous people he worked with, along with permission for him to teach these practices to his students. When these practices are taught, the FSS credits the source and provides the context in which they were given to the Foundation.
For a deeper dive into these issues, see Bill Brunton’s article The Reawakening of Shamanism in the West.
These are complex issues. As interest in shamanism continues to grow in contemporary societies, the FSS remains committed to teaching authentic methodologies that are powerful and effective, without resorting to cultural appropriation.
Narrye Caldwell
FSS Faculty
Polestar logo design by Carolyn Fee ©2010 Foundation for Shamanic Studies
FSS Polestar highlights some of the questions we are frequently asked about contemporary shamanic practice. “Polestar” is defined as “something that serves as a guiding principle.” It reflects our commitment to helping practitioners stay oriented to authentic shamanic methods and ethics, while maintaining their own independent spirituality, which comes from learning directly from the compassionate spirits. Send us your practice-related questions for consideration for Polestar. Email info@shamanism.org with “Polestar” in the subject line.
Feb 11, 2024 | FSS Polestar
In My Path in Shamanism, the interviewer asks Michael Harner: In addition to the compassionate spirits, are there malevolent spirits?
“Yes. Here in the Middle World the spirits have the whole range of personalities that also occur in ordinary reality. What is ‘malevolent’ is an interesting thing. Other species may view us as malevolent, such as when we kill and enslave them. But we don’t view ourselves as malevolent, and we don’t see our whole species as malevolent. So a lot of the so-called ‘evil spirits’ are often basically just trying to make a living and exist in their own way just as we are. More often than not, they don’t even know they’re dead. They’re just doing the same old thing, but they’re doing it in a Middle World of nonordinary reality.”
—Michael Harner, My Path in Shamanism
If we can label something as malevolent or evil, some people think that that gives us the right to do evil back. From a spiritual standpoint, many spirits in the Middle World are, as Michael notes: “Simply trying to make a living.” Similar to a spider in your bed, for example. Out of respect for the principle that “everything is alive and has spirit,” from a shamanic perspective, it is preferable to remove it to a place where it can do no harm—no need to label it or hate it. “Evil” might be considered as the intentional doing of harm. In Core Shamanism, we call using spiritual means to do harm “sorcery.” We work with fully compassionate spirits to help and heal and do not use the spirits’ power to do harm. Does that mean that we do nothing help and to address pain and suffering? Absolutely not!
If we have a client who is receiving some kind of spiritual influence or attack, we work to fully protect the client (with their permission obtained in advance) by empowering them, as with extraction and soul retrieval, and importantly, reconnecting them with a power animal. This creates a kind of spiritual immune system, where such attacks can no longer reach the client spiritually. We do not respond to attacks with further attacks of our own. If people are doing harm to others or the environment, we can ask the spirits what we can do in ORDINARY REALITY to help resolve the problem. Then, we can take spirit-inspired action in ordinary reality. This is practical hands-on work in everyday life, not magical thinking.
One thing I have learned from practicing shamanism for decades, is that shamanism in the larger sense is really about evolving as humans—moving beyond hate and fear to “compassionate neutrality.” We come to understand that we ARE the Earth and that when we advance spiritually, the whole world transforms.
Susan Mokelke, JD
FSS President & Faculty
More on this topic:
Ethical Considerations in Shamanic Healing
Shamanism and Personal Transformation
Shamanism & Personal Transformation online workshop
Shamanism for Inspired Local and Global Change: ONLINE or IN PERSON
Polestar logo design by Carolyn Fee ©2010 Foundation for Shamanic Studies
FSS Polestar highlights some of the questions we are frequently asked about contemporary shamanic practice. “Polestar” is defined as “something that serves as a guiding principle.” It reflects our commitment to helping practitioners stay oriented to authentic shamanic methods and ethics, while maintaining their own independent spirituality, which comes from learning directly from the compassionate spirits. Send us your practice-related questions for consideration for Polestar. Email info@shamanism.org with “Polestar” in the subject line.
Nov 2, 2023 | FSS Polestar
Interesting questions often arise during discussions of Animal Spirits, such as Power Animals, and other types of Animal Spirit helpers. People are curious to know whether it’s possible to have plant spirits as spirit helpers too.
Power Animals and other Animal Spirits upon whom shamanic practitioners rely for power and protection in their work, are not nature spirits per se, but transcended spirits of the upper or lower worlds. As such they are unconditionally wise, compassionate and powerful. They are able to do healing and divination, and to bring power to clients in partnership with the shamanic practitioner.
Plant spirits, as people generally use the term, are nature spirits of the middle world. They are conditional, and may be benevolent or harmful, or may simply have agendas of their own. Shamans in many cultures work with the spirits of certain plants, both for healing and to cause harm. They also use entheogenic plants to alter their state of consciousness, as is well known.* Additionally, shamans in many cultures famously have strong relationships with particular trees. They connect with the spirits of those trees for knowledge, and to assist in their journeys to the upper world. These various kinds of plant spirits would not be helping spirits in the same way that Animal Spirits are.
If someone wants to work with a plant spirit of the middle world, they should do so with the understanding that it is not an unconditional spirit. It would be wise to prioritize learning about that spirit first from their Upper or Lower World helping spirits. Bear in mind that in cultures where shamans work with plant spirits as a matter of course, they have thousands of years of culturally specific shamanic knowledge and traditions upon which to draw in their work. They are able to know exactly what they are doing in ways that are not possible outside of that cultural context.
All that said, it’s not impossible that a person who knows how to journey could encounter a plant spirit in the Upper or Lower World, which would be an unconditional spirit in the core shamanic view, and which could be seen as a helping spirit.
Robbie Staufer, MA, MS
FSS Faculty
* Harner, Michael. The Jívaro: People of the Sacred Waterfalls. University of California Press, 1972. Hallucinogens and Shamanism. Michael Harner, ed. Oxford University Press, 1973.
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Polestar logo design by Carolyn Fee ©2010 Foundation for Shamanic Studies
FSS Polestar highlights some of the questions we are frequently asked about contemporary shamanic practice. “Polestar” is defined as “something that serves as a guiding principle.” It reflects our commitment to helping practitioners stay oriented to authentic shamanic methods and ethics, while maintaining their own independent spirituality, which comes from learning directly from the compassionate spirits. Send us your practice-related questions for consideration for Polestar. Email info@shamanism.org with “Polestar” in the subject line.
Oct 6, 2022 | FSS Polestar
When Michael Harner first introduced The Way of the Shaman in 1980, shamanism was little known outside of academia. The renaissance of contemporary experiential shamanism is largely due to his pioneering work over the last several decades researching, developing, and originating the methodologies of core shamanism.
As a result of Dr. Harner’s groundbreaking work, today tens of thousands of the Foundation’s students and many thousands more who have learned from these students are practicing shamanic methods of direct revelation from the spirits—a welcome phenomenon that offers hope for our Earth and its inhabitants. At the same time, the rapid growth of interest in shamanism and the resulting proliferation of programs and trainings that claim shamanic roots has resulted in much confusion and misunderstanding about what core shamanism is and about its power and efficacy.
As taught in the workshops and training programs of the Foundation for Shamanic Studies, core shamanism:
- Consists of the universal, near-universal, and common features of shamanism, together with journeys to other worlds, a distinguishing feature of shamanism.
- Offers students the opportunity to learn and practice authentic, powerful, and effective shamanic healing and divination methods to high ethical standards–working with guidance and power provided by the compassionate helping spirits.
- Is an independent spirituality, a path of direct revelation from the helping spirits.
The Foundation’s training in core shamanic methods provides the basis for a shamanic practice. To practice successfully, however, in addition to the methodology, one must build strong connections with the helping spirits, who provide the power for effective healing. These connections develop in strength over time through disciplined training and experience. Ultimately, we have found that success as a shamanic practitioner is dependent upon:
- Developing spiritual power through working with the compassionate helping spirits over a period of time.
- A disciplined and ethical application of the core shamanic healing methods taught in the workshops and trainings under the guidance of one’s own helping spirits.
For more about Foundation training, see the Getting Started guide: https://shamanism.org/workshops/shamanic-training-getting-started.pdf
A great starting point for learning about core shamanism is the FSS workshops FAQ page: https://shamanism.org/workshops/faq.php. Many common questions are addressed, such as:
What is a shaman?
https://shamanism.org/workshops/faq.php#faq1
What is core shamanism?
https://shamanism.org/workshops/faq.php#faq2
What about the quality and authenticity of the Foundation’s training programs?
https://shamanism.org/workshops/faq.php#faq4
If I complete the training programs of FSS, will I be a shaman?
https://shamanism.org/workshops/faq.php#faq11
FSS ONLINE TRAINING. We now offer fully experiential online training via Zoom in the Shamanic Healing and Knowledge & Power series. FAQ Shamanic Healing Online Training Program.
In future Polestar columns we’ll talk about a number of these issues in detail, including some inspiring examples of the power of core shamanism in practice.
Polestar logo design by Carolyn Fee ©2010 Foundation for Shamanic Studies
FSS Polestar highlights some of the questions we are frequently asked about contemporary shamanic practice. “Polestar” is defined as “something that serves as a guiding principle.” It reflects our commitment to helping practitioners stay oriented to authentic shamanic methods and ethics, while maintaining their own independent spirituality, which comes from learning directly from the compassionate spirits. Send us your practice-related questions for consideration for Polestar. Email info@shamanism.org with “Polestar” in the subject line.
Sep 19, 2022 | FSS Polestar
The original article, Fire Season 2000: Spiritual Help for the Burning West, was written by Nan Moss and the late David Corbin. (©Shamanism, Fall/Winter 1999, Vol. 12, No. 2.) It was revised and expanded by Nan Moss in September 2020. While originally written in 1999 during the drought in the Western United States, which experienced a series of calamitous wildfires, with drought and fires sweeping many areas of the world, this article is especially relevant today. Then, as now, many shamanic practitioners are moved to ask the compassionate helping spirits for assistance in restoring balance and relieving suffering. We offer this personal story from Nan Moss, one of our longtime faculty members, as an example of compassionate ethical partnership with the spirits in helping to restore balance and harmony in one particular situation. Read the article.
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Polestar logo design by Carolyn Fee ©2010 Foundation for Shamanic Studies
FSS Polestar highlights some of the questions we are frequently asked about contemporary shamanic practice. “Polestar” is defined as “something that serves as a guiding principle.” It reflects our commitment to helping practitioners stay oriented to authentic shamanic methods and ethics, while maintaining their own independent spirituality, which comes from learning directly from the compassionate spirits. Send us your practice-related questions for consideration for Polestar. Use our CONTACT FORM, and put “Polestar” in the subject line.
Mar 1, 2022 | FSS Polestar
Please see TRAINING IN SHAMANIC METHODS TO HELP UKRAINE below for opportunities to train with others to apply shamanic methods to help Ukraine and its people. If you are doing something to help and would like to share with the shamanic community, please visit Core Shamanism Chronicles: Help for Ukraine and leave a comment.
The Foundation for Shamanic Studies has been receiving requests for advice and assistance from people who would like to work together with others to respond shamanically to the tragic events unfolding in Europe. We have also received announcements of various group efforts and shamanic ceremonies that are being organized by others. The situation in Ukraine and Russia, and increasingly across Europe, is truly heartbreaking. How it will resolve is unknown, but it is clear that many are suffering, and will be feeling the effects of these events for a long time to come. We are grateful to be part of a caring and compassionate community that is motivated by such a strong desire to be of service.
It is important to remember that in situations of great complexity involving many thousands of people, animals, lands and waters, we cannot always know what is best, or what should and should not be happening. It’s also important to remember that the ethical practice of shamanism relies on having conscious and informed permission from any individual for whom we want to do shamanic work. These two factors mean that, if we want to be effective, we cannot simply send our helping spirits into a complex situation and ask them to bring about the outcome that we would like to see. Appropriate ethics are an essential part of the effective and powerful use of shamanism – without knowledge of ethics, one may do more harm than good. Please see this FSS Polestar entry.
For those who know how to journey and have connections with helping spirits of the Upper and Lower Worlds, and who understand the ethical considerations, the spirits are a source of enormous wisdom, power and creativity. They are able to guide and inspire us towards powerful and effective ways to take action in ordinary reality to help alleviate the pain and suffering that are occurring around the world. This would be an important time to journey and seek their guidance, and perhaps to form groups with other shamanic practitioners. More about working with the spirits for ordinary reality solutions.
May balance, unity, and harmony be restored and compassion prevail.
In spirit,
Susan Mokelke
President
Thanks to Robbie Staufer for drafting this response.
TRAINING IN SHAMANIC METHODS TO HELP UKRAINE: If you would like to join with others interested in applying shamanism and the power of the spirits to find ordinary reality ways to help, please see the Shamanism for Inspired Local & Global Change calendar. Scroll down to the calendar listings and look for an offering that displays “Focus on Ukraine.”
For updates on shamanism and Ukraine and other important issues, add your name to our email list on the home page. To subscribe, go to shamanism.org, scroll down to the “FREE E-NEWS” on the bottom right and enter your email. Or, join the Circle of the Foundation as a member.
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Polestar logo design by Carolyn Fee ©2010 Foundation for Shamanic Studies
FSS Polestar highlights some of the questions we are frequently asked about contemporary shamanic practice. “Polestar” is defined as “something that serves as a guiding principle.” It reflects our commitment to helping practitioners stay oriented to authentic shamanic methods and ethics, while maintaining their own independent spirituality, which comes from learning directly from the compassionate spirits. Send us your practice-related questions for consideration for Polestar. Use our CONTACT FORM, and put “Polestar” in the subject line.
