SHAMANISM AND SEXUALITY

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Sex is a wide topic discussed by many, and people practice it often. Sex has existed since time immemorial. Herein is about shamanism and sexuality, including; describing shamans and shamanism and what entails shamanism and sexuality.

A shaman is someone held in high esteem due to the belief that they have special access to the spiritual world and intermediates through a trance-like state. They can tap into healing or divine intervention. Dell’Arciprete et al. (2014) stated that shamanism is also used to describe indigenous group members whose role is to heal sick community members, more like a traditional medicine man. Shamanism started in Northern Asia before seeping into the rest of the world. Evidence of shamanic beliefs dates back to the 17^th century in some parts of Asia. Shamans were placed on a higher pedestal than the rest of the community. They also engaged in sexual behaviors. Below is what to know about shamanism and sexuality.

Defining Shamans and Shamanism

Classic healing practices like acupuncture, Ayurveda, and yoga have found their way to Western societies over the past years. However, shamanism is a topic that is engulfed in mystery despite it being a well-known act. A shaman is an ancient word for a healer. Shamans master the subtle art of trance, being the medium between the living and the underworld and the ability to meet the needs that other practitioners can't. In several communities, shamans lead their people to wars and act like the community's leaders. Their healing techniques focus on cleansing the soul before anything because it is the body's temple. Everything carries insight and knowledge. Therefore, they work closely with spirits embedded in nature, animals, and ancestral spirits. Shamans can reveal information meant to direct your life to greater heights due to a close relationship with the spirit world.

Shamanism and Sexuality

Sexuality and the polarity principle constitute fundamental doctrines in shamanism, with sexual energy viewed as a powerful rejuvenation tool. Sex is seen as a great influence on a transformative healing process. Shamanism tries to do away with duality. The separation of things into two distinct categories lie male and female, day and night, hot and cold. The art of duality is attributed to a Westernized way of thinking. It also encourages the concept of sexuality and gender as fixed and unchanging. Most shamanism teachings are based on animism-a Latin word, anima-the belief in spirits in the metaphysical universe.

Animists believe that nature is sacred and that nothing can top the art of being natural than sex, as Taylor (2001) stated. Whenever a shaman goes on a shamanic journey, they altered state of mind induced by the sound of a drum; the drum is part of their regalia. The spirits move to the shaman, into the drum, or their souls, and they can communicate with the spirits. Sometimes, the shamans use sex to induce trance. However, the primary role of sex goes deeper. Often, communities hold ceremonies, and cults form to glorify sex organs. Body fluids like semen and menstrual blood are used in magic rituals. Sexuality also has a pivotal role in the life cycle since it is connected with death in a complementary yet opposite role.

A book on Tibetan Buddhism, “The Tibetan Book of The Dead," comprises old Himalayan shamanic practices and describes dying as a journey towards rebirth. As it goes through various stages, it passes through Sidpa Bardo, the last stage of the journey before its rebirth. In the Sidpa Bardo, the soul is opened to karmically induced hallucinations. Some shamanic teachings are embedded in the Varma Marga, the left-hand tantric. The Varma Marga is an act in which multiple taboos are broken. The initiates are asked to visualize their spouses as decaying corpses or as the dark goddess, Kali, slitting their bodies into halves during the climax of an orgasm.

Redmond (2021) stated that Shamanic practices also hold female mystical energy in the form of feminine energy in high regard. However, women spearhead shamanism, and men take up these roles. They often showcased the behaviors of the other gender. Shamans exhibited qualities of the third gender-neither, a man, woman-and transgenderism. In classic Chinese, the matrilocal shamanic tradition, a woman called the "wu" led the role of the shaman who did not conform to the laid-out gender norms at the time. The wu used weird methods to contact the spirit world. Sometimes, they stripped to officiate the entire ceremony. On other occasions, the wu asked for beautiful youth to carry out their work efficiently. The wu did not have any sexual restrictions on earth and applied to the upper world. They had the freedom to engage in sex with the inhabitants of the upper world.

When Chinese society started making steps toward patriarchy, they crushed Wu's role. Civilization birthed religious beliefs, and the animistic beliefs knew no place in society. The shamanic beliefs of the feminine principle and sexual liberty were replaced by male chauvinistic ideas and imposed strict rules on sexual conduct. According to Sontag, S. (1975), the shamanic beliefs also viewed sexual freedom as the antidote to dictatorship ideas. Since the 1960s, there has been a strong need to reach a more natural level of spirituality and sexuality. The globe is going through an anachronistic come-back of shamanism. There is also a newfound interest in paganism and several indigenous belief systems.

The Bottom Line

Shamanism is a religious belief centered on the shaman, directing links to the underworld world of intermediaries and spirits. They are also thought to escort the souls of the dead to the underworld. A shaman acquires his place through vocation, inheritance, or instruction from the spirit world. He fulfills his role through trance or direct communication with the spirits. Ancient shamanism did not conform to the normal ideologies of gender because shamans were women. The ideology of shamanic sexuality is based on sexual liberation, bliss, and the return to our authentic selves. Shamanism is a religion like any other, a path that people choose to follow in the hope of finding their ground in today's world. It glorifies sexuality and allows people to identify who they want to be and what the human race needs.

References

Dell’Arciprete, A., Braunstein, J., Touris, C., Dinardi, G., Llovet, I., & Sosa-Estani, S. 

(2014). Cultural Barriers To Effective Communication Between Indigenous Communities And Health Care Providers In Northern Argentina: An Anthropological Contribution To Chagas Disease Prevention And Control. International Journal For Equity In Health, 13(1), 1-10.

Redmond, L. (2021). When The Drummers Were Women: A Spiritual History Of Rhythm. 

Echo Point Books & Media, LLC.

Sontag, S. (1975). Fascinating Fascism. The New York Review Of Books, 6(02).

Taylor, B. (2001). Earth And Nature-Based Spirituality (Part I): From Deep Ecology To 

Radical Environmentalism. Religion, 31(2), 175-193.