Neoshamanism

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Can such things be?

Paranormal

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Neoshamanism is a form of neopaganism in which the practitioner fancies him/herself a bridge between the material and spirit worlds. Most neoshamans know something about the popularized version of shamanism, but have done very little real study into the spiritual beliefs of actual shamans, instead focusing on "spirit animals" and "vision quests." Despite the Manchurian roots of the word shaman, most neoshamans describe themselves as continuing a Native American tradition. Most Native Americans are not amused,[1] hence terms like "plastic shamans".

Others, largely involved in Nordic reconstructionist paganism, practice a variety called seiðr, about which little is known historically, except that it was taboo for men to practice it. Modern-day practitioners typically borrow from Finnic and Turkic elements instead.[2]

[edit] Footnotes

  1. The Plastic Medicine People Circle
  2. Jenny Blain, Nine Worlds of Seid-Magic: Ecstasy and Neo-Shamanism in North European Paganism. (Routledge, 2002; ISBN 0-415-25650-X).
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