Definition of a Shaman

Susan Seddon-Boulet

from Oriah Mountain Dreamer (https://www.facebook.com/Oriah.Mountain.Dreamer):

A shaman is often described as one who walks with a foot in both worlds ~ the realities of spirit & matter (that are inseparable in this lifetime only in our thinking). It can be tempting to use experiences of the essential unity of the underlying reality to move away from the very real losses of a human life. But what if our human experiences are just as important as our "spiritual" visions? What if the point of those glimpses of a bigger/deeper reality is to help us stay present & open-hearted? What if being human offers us the experience of being an ensouled body NOT as something to be endured, but something to be cherished, celebrated & savoured?

Shamanic practice brings together the worlds we often see or claim as separate. It's a way to join our spiritual sense and being with the physicality of the world around us. For some it's an easy flow. That's their life. But there aren't many who find it so.

For others, it's a constant slipping in and out of the ordinary and extraordinary times. It's a fluid space-time to be, to find a moment of our personal existence. Walking between the worlds, with a foot in each, demands our vigilance. We continue to slide and move as we determine which reality we are in moment by moment. Neither one is 'right' nor 'wrong', 'better' nor 'worse'. Both carry us forward.

How do you walk between the worlds? How do you define the 'shaman' within you?