Week 4 - Alyssa Vang

Alyssa Vang - ASA 189B - Week 4 - All as Humans

When people hear 'Shamanism', most of the time they think its a negative thing. I use to tell my friends that I was Shaman and they would tell me "Ouuuuu, isn't that black magic??" I would have to tell them no because black magic is its own thing from Shamanism. Shamanism is about being connected to the spirit and soul in another dimension. When I read the article from Collective Revolution of the "We Are Not Alone" The Shamans of the World Tell Us, it says nothing about the use of black magic but simply connecting with our roots and nature. Plus, being a shaman does not make you a bad person. My grandpa himself was one and he was an amazing man that everybody went to when they had troubles. He was happy and tender with his family until it was his time -- as the article states, THEY KNOW HOW TO HAVE FUN ALSO! They don't just base their lives on it but they implement it into their lives. This was the method used before even science came along. Science didn't even existed until after shamanism or other spiritual connections were created. There are lots of ways that people connect themselves to the spiritual world and they don't need to be called a shaman to do so, for example doing yoga and meditation. It's more of a less negative way to be seen as a shaman. But at the end of the day they're made from blood and flesh just like everybody else.