Since they said that it was necessary, I took that brew in 1961, and the results were so revolutionary in terms of what I learned that I continued studying. I was blown away by the world I had entered. I did not seek out learning about shamanism; it just is something that happened to me. Once I entered that world of non-ordinary reality and discovered how real it was, and how we Westerners had underestimated its reality and significance, I started pursuing it seriously under the Conibo shamans' tutelage. Then, later, I went back to the Shuar people, studying there as well, in the same way.
Tana: Please tell me a little bit about The Foundation for Shamanic Studies.
Michael: The Foundation has, as a major purpose, saving shamanic knowledge. It is extremely important. It has taken thousands of years to develop this knowledge of non-ordinary reality, the methods for healing and helping people, divination and so on. It is a pity to see it destroyed along with the indigenous cultures and what they have to share with us. The Foundation has three missions: to help preserve that knowledge, to study the knowledge both published and unpublished, and to bring it back to the whole world.
Tana: From your perspective, what is a shaman vs. someone who studies shamanic teachings (journeying, etc.)?
Michael: People cannot really declare that they are or are not shamans. It is really up to the community's opinion whether they are doing shamanic work, and it is up to the spirits whether the spirits keep helping them in doing that work. The shamanic practitioner is entirely dependent upon the helping spirits. Those spirits can come and go. Also, does this person produce results?
Tana: Please describe the shamanic journey.
Michael: It is a method of soul or spirit travel, moving from the Middle World (the world we live in that has both ordinary and non-ordinary reality; both spiritual and non-spiritual aspects) to the Upper World or Lower World, both of which are entirely spiritual. The journey of the shaman is a method of traveling to these worlds for the purpose of healing, divination, and other serious missions.
There is a remarkable consistency cross-culturally when entering these worlds. There, one learns from the spirits themselves. Most cultures use the drum or other percussion sound to alter the state of consciousness, but a small percentage uses psychotropic drugs to enter this hidden universe.
Tana: What is an example of how to use the shamanic journey?
Michael: For example, in the divination journey, you are seeking answers to questions that are puzzling you, or solutions to problems you have. In those situations, you will start getting information that is incredibly valuable and accurate. You can easily become overloaded with everything you need to know, so vast is the amount of information that comes from journeying, that you don’t implement the new information in your life. You can become preoccupied with enjoying journeying without tending to your homework of using what you learn.
Tana: We live in the Information Age, a fast-paced, technological world. How can using this ancient cross-cultural form, the shamanic journey, benefit us in this time?
Michael: We need a lot of wisdom. We have a lot of information, but that is not the same as wisdom, and there is incredible wisdom available from the spirits outside of time, ancestral spirits, animal spirits, and other helping spirits. Also, in this Information Age, which is an outgrowth of technology and science, we’ve come to a crisis of confidence in the concept of faith. People want information that they can trust, and are somewhat dubious that they can trust information developed in another culture, thousands of years ago, to guide them in their lives today about spiritual matters. This provides a direct method for the shamanic practitioner, whose information is not based on faith, because the shaman is a person of knowledge. He or she interacts directly with the spiritual realms and does not engage in faith. The proof is the accuracy of the information received.
Tana: I understand you have a project underway with your Foundation where you are gathering maps of the Lower, Middle, and Upper Worlds from your students. What do you have in mind with this project?
Michael: We call it the mapping of non-ordinary reality; just as astronomers try to plot the heavens of the ordinary reality universe, we are plotting the non-ordinary universe. Early on in my research, I was astonished by the similarities in the cosmologies and experiences the shamans had, even on different continents from each other. Shamans have been the explorers of this hidden reality for thousands of years.
Our project is an attempt to organize, in permanent record form, the discoveries by shamans, both indigenous and Western, and of people doing shamanic journeys, whether shamans or not, and what they are discovering. We intend to correlate these discoveries and to present this information to the scientific community. The implications are enormous. It will suggest that there is another universe that has been ignored by science, and that the universe of non-ordinary reality has tremendous implications for the universe we live in.
Tana: Do you feel that your studies and teaching are having the kind of impact on anthropological science that you set out to accomplish?
Michael: I never set out to change anthropology. I learned long ago that academic paradigm shifts occur very slowly. My concern was saving this disappearing knowledge.
To me, this is a conservation, or rescue, effort. Bringing back this knowledge has been a privilege, and I’ve done it with the help of many others. Indigenous people are also bringing it back for themselves as well. This knowledge will help future generations, and has great relevance to the survival of our planet, our species, our own lives and happiness.
Michael Harner will be lecturing Friday, November 19, at 7:30 p.m. A workshop will follow on November 20-21. Both events are at Seattle Unity Church, 200 8th Ave. N. Call (206) 622-8475 ext. 127 for information and reservations.
Tana Hamiter owns Unity House in Skagit Valley and is a shamanic practitioner and Reiki Master/teacher. She can be reached at (360) 856-1428 or <
