The quest to become a shaman is a timeless pilgrimage, drawing individuals from all walks of life to venture beyond the boundaries of the known into the boundless realms of the mystical and the sacred.

To become a shaman is to embark on a transformative quest to purify the mind, body, and spirit, allowing the initiate to become a clear channel for the spiritual world to communicate through.

A shaman can navigate between the seen and unseen landscape of spiritual exploration and self-discovery, but can anyone become a shaman?

The spiritual journey is one of healing, transformation, and self-awareness. It’s about taking your power back and realizing your true potential. You have received “the call”, but you may feel lost or alone. “What is my purpose?” you may be asking yourself.

In the tapestry of spiritual exploration, the question of whether you are meant to be a shaman echoes like a distant drumbeat, drawing seekers toward an understanding of their unique purpose.

To embark on this quest is to navigate the vast and intricate landscape of one’s own soul, seeking clues, resonances, and sacred patterns that may reveal the latent potential for your shamanic practice.

On the path to self-discovery, many individuals find themselves pondering a pivotal question: “How do I know if I’m a shaman?”

This inquiry unveils a fascinating exploration into the realms of spirituality, ancient wisdom, and the inherent calling to bridge the seen and unseen.

Not everyone who experiences the signs listed below are meant to be a shaman; there are many similarities and cross-overs between the signs of a shaman and an empath (highly sensitive individual).

Both the shaman and the spiritual seeker may have similar experiences and characteristics. Are you meant to be a shaman or are you an empath in need of shamanic healing and protection from absorbing negative energies around you?

1. Call to the Spiritual Path: Feeling a strong, persistent calling or pull towards spiritual practices and a desire to explore deeper levels of consciousness.
2. Connection with Nature: Having a profound connection to nature and feeling a deep affinity for animals, plants, and natural elements. Spending time in natural surroundings or with animals can be rejuvenating and grounding.
3. Heightened Sensitivity: Heightened sensitivity to stimuli such as light, sound, and touch. You may feel overwhelmed in crowded or noisy environments and may need time alone to recharge. May be able to sense “dark” energies in people or places.
4. Intuition Insights: Possess a strong sense of intuition and often rely on gut feelings to navigate situations. They may have a knack for accurately assessing people and situations without relying on explicit information.
5. Absorbing Others’ Emotions: Empaths have a tendency to absorb and mirror the emotions of people around them. They may pick up on others’ joy, sadness, anxiety, or stress, even if these feelings are not explicitly expressed.
6. Feeling Others’ Pain: You may experience a phenomenon known as emotional or physical empathy, where you feel emotional or physical sensations of others. This can occur even when there is no obvious reason for them to share those sensations.
7. Tendency to Nurture and Help: You have a natural inclination to help and support others. You often find fulfillment in assisting people through difficult times and are drawn to professions or roles that involve caregiving. However, people may also unload their “baggage” on you.
8. Emotional Exhaustion: Constant exposure to the emotions of others can result in feeling emotionally exhausted and needing regular periods of solitude to recharge and maintain their emotional well-being.
9. Boundary Challenges: You may struggle with setting and maintaining emotional boundaries, especially if you weren’t taught to at a young age. You may find it challenging to differentiate between your own emotions and those of others, leading to emotional overwhelm.
10. Difficulty Saying No: You may find it challenging to say no to others, even at the expense of your own well-being. You may prioritize the needs of others over your own, sometimes to the detriment of your mental and emotional health.
11. Spiritual Experiences: Experiencing visions, dreams, or altered states of consciousness that provide insights, guidance, or messages from the spiritual realm.
12. Healing Abilities: Demonstrating a natural ability for healing, whether it’s physical, emotional, or spiritual, and feeling compelled to help others in this way.
13. Empathic Sensitivity: Being highly empathic and sensitive to the emotions and energies of others, with a deep desire to alleviate suffering.
14. Crisis or Initiation Experience: Going through a personal crisis, near-death experience, or a significant life event that serves as an initiation into shamanic consciousness.
15. Connection with Ancestors: Feeling a strong connection with ancestral spirits and seeking guidance or wisdom from them.
16. Ability for Soul Retrieval: Having an innate ability to navigate the spirit world and conduct soul retrieval, helping individuals recover lost aspects of themselves.
17. Shamanic Journeys: Experiencing shamanic journeys, where one travels in a trance-like state to connect with spirit guides or retrieve information for healing purposes.
18. Visionary Art or Creativity: You may have a deep appreciation for creativity, art, music, writing, storytelling and other forms of expression to channel your emotions and experiences.
19. Community Recognition: Being recognized as a shaman by the local community or spiritual peers. In traditional settings, acknowledging one’s shamanic role often involves the community’s acceptance and validation.

Embarking on the journey to become a shaman is a profound and transformative process, encompassing various stages and experiences.

While the path is deeply personal and can vary across cultural contexts, there are common steps that aspiring shamans often encounter.

One pivotal phase is “the call,” a powerful inner summons that signals the beginning of becoming a shaman.

1. The Call

The shamanic journey often begins with a distinctive calling – an inner prompting or spiritual awakening.

In essence, “the call” to become a shaman is a sacred invitation to embark on a transformative journey that transcends the ordinary and propels individuals toward a life dedicated to healing, wisdom, and the interconnectedness of all existence.

If the call happens abruptly it can cause confusion, and even psychosis, in some individuals. (Read: What A Shaman Sees In A Psych Ward).

For others, the call may be more gentle manifesting as a compelling invitation to explore the realms beyond the visible, prompting the individual to listen attentively to the whispers of their soul.

2. Self-Exploration and Introspection

Following the call, aspiring shamans engage in deep self-exploration and introspection. This involves reflecting on personal experiences, understanding one’s strengths and vulnerabilities, and recognizing the unique gifts that may contribute to the shamanic path. Introspection is crucial for acknowledging the call and preparing for the transformative journey ahead.

3. Connecting with Nature

A profound connection with nature is fundamental to shamanic practice. Aspiring shamans spend time immersing themselves in the natural world, recognizing the inherent wisdom present in every element. Nature becomes a sacred teacher, offering insights, signs, and lessons that contribute to the shamanic understanding of interconnectedness.

4. Mentorship and Guidance

Seeking guidance from experienced mentors or elders is a crucial step in the shamanic journey. Established shamans can provide valuable insights, share traditional practices, and offer support during the initiation process.

Mentorship serves as a bridge between the aspirant’s personal experiences and the accumulated wisdom of the shamanic tradition.

Without mentorship and guidance, the path to becoming a shaman can be very difficult and lonely, as the average person doesn’t even believe in the spirit world.

5. Initiatory Experiences

The ultimate initiation is when someone experiences the call to become a shaman while exhibiting psychotic symptoms.

When a member of an indigenous tribe experiences the symptoms of psychosis it is celebrated because they know the spirit world has chosen him/her to become the next shaman.

When the spirit world chooses someone in this way is the ultimate initiation to become a shaman because it marks the beginning of a path that they did not choose, and ignoring the call will only lead to more suffering.

For others, their initiatory experiences may be less drastic and by choice, often marked by rituals, ceremonies, or trials that symbolize the transition from the ordinary to the shamanic realm.

These experiences may involve vision quests, sun dances, ceremonies with sacred plants, or encounters with spirit guides or other entities.

For example, ayahuasca has become quite popular amongst non-indigenous peoples and is a type of initiation ritual that provides healing and temporarily opens the participant’s psychic abilities so they can “see” the spirit world for themselves.

Initiations are transformative, signalling a commitment to the shamanic path and fostering a deeper connection with spiritual forces.

6. Learning Shamanic Practices

When someone is called to become a shaman they may not even know what a shaman is! All they know is that something “spiritual” is happening.

Especially in the beginning of one’s spiritual journey the shaman-in-training may feel scared, lonely, and lost.

In search for answers, the shaman-in-training may study different religions, healing practices, and self-help resources, keeping what works and tossing aside what doesn’t. The path to becoming a shaman is dynamic, learning and growing from experience, rather than following rigid religious dogma.

Aspiring shamans dedicate themselves to learning, healing, and transforming suffering into wisdom and compassion.

7. Journeying and Trance States
Central to shamanic practice is the ability to enter trance states or altered states of consciousness. Aspiring shamans learn to journey to the spirit realms, communicate with spirit allies, and receive guidance from the unseen.

This skill is honed through meditation, mantras, deep breathing, yoga, rhythmic drumming, or other techniques, allowing the shaman to access wisdom beyond the physical realm.

8. Integration and Healing

Becoming a shaman involves personal healing and integration. Aspiring shamans address their own wounds and traumas, understanding that the healing journey contributes to their ability to facilitate healing for others.

This integration process fosters authenticity and empowers the shaman to serve their community from a place of wholeness.

Integration is also required following a plant spirit ceremony. For example, ayahuasca is a very powerful plant medicine that can make it difficult to integrate back into society; it would be beneficial to have a shaman healer to continue the healing work without the use of hallucinogens.

9. Service to Community

Ultimately, the path to becoming a shaman culminates in service to others and the community. The shaman acts as a healer, guide, and spiritual leader, addressing the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual needs of the community. This service is grounded in compassion, humility, and a deep understanding of the interconnectedness of all beings.

10. Continuous Growth and Evolution

The journey to becoming a shaman is not a static process but an ongoing evolution. A shaman commits to continuous growth, learning from each experience, refining their skills, and adapting to the changing needs of their community. This dynamic aspect of the shamanic path reflects the cyclical nature of spiritual exploration and discovery.

Embracing the call to become a shaman involves a profound commitment to self-discovery, spiritual exploration, and service to the greater community. It is a transformative journey marked by initiation, learning, and continuous growth, with “the call” serving as the catalyst that propels the seeker into the sacred realms of the shamanic journey.

The Quest for Shamanic Mastery

In the realm of spiritual awakening, the quest to become a shaman is a journey of self-realization, connection with the sacred, and an exploration of one’s inner depths. The path is diverse, drawing inspiration from ancient shamanic practices rooted in indigenous cultures while adapting to the contemporary seeker’s quest for meaning and purpose.

Understanding the Shamanic Calling

A pivotal aspect of learning how to become a shaman is recognizing the calling. Often described as a profound inner yearning or a series of spiritual awakenings, the shamanic calling beckons individuals to explore the unseen dimensions of existence and develop a unique relationship with the natural world.

Embarking on a Personal Odyssey

The journey toward shamanic mastery is deeply personal, guided by intuition, dreams, and a heightened sensitivity to the energies that flow through the universe. Aspiring shamans navigate their own odyssey, embracing introspection, self-healing, and communion with the spiritual forces that shape their path.

Seeking Guidance from Elders and Mentors

Traditionally, those aspiring to become shamans sought guidance from elders and experienced practitioners. Mentorship plays a crucial role in transmitting knowledge, rituals, and the subtle nuances of shamanic practice. In a modern context, this mentorship may extend to workshops, courses, or apprenticeships with seasoned shamans.

Communing with Nature and the Spirit Realm

An integral component of the journey is the connection with nature. Learning how to become a shaman involves immersing oneself in the natural world, recognizing the sacredness of all living things, and forging alliances with spirit guides. Nature becomes the sacred classroom, offering profound teachings to those attuned to its rhythms.

Rituals, Ceremonies, and Altered States of Consciousness

Shamans engage in rituals and ceremonies to enter altered states of consciousness, facilitating communication with the spirit realm. Learning these practices involves honing skills in meditation, trance, and the use of sacred tools, enabling practitioners to navigate the unseen realms with respect and reverence.

Integration of Modern and Ancient Wisdom

In the contemporary landscape, the journey to become a shaman integrates ancient wisdom with modern perspectives. Aspiring shamans explore diverse spiritual traditions, draw inspiration from global shamanic practices, and adapt their learnings to address the challenges and opportunities of the present era.

Honouring the Role of the Healer

Central to shamanic practice is the role of the healer. Aspiring shamans learn to address physical, emotional, and spiritual ailments, understanding that healing oneself is interconnected with healing the community and the Earth. The shamanic journey emphasizes the importance of compassion, empathy, and the responsible use of healing practices.

Embracing the Shamanic Lifestyle

Becoming a shaman is not merely a set of skills; it is a lifestyle. It involves embodying the principles of humility, gratitude, and service to others. Aspiring shamans cultivate a deep respect for the interconnectedness of all life and recognize their role as mediators between the visible and invisible realms.

A shaman is forged in the fires of pain and suffering. While some who experience pain and suffering become angry and resentful, the shaman transforms it into compassion.

Training to become a shaman is a culturally specific and often deeply personal journey. The process can vary widely across different shamanic traditions, and there is no standardized or universal curriculum.

In traditional societies, becoming a shaman typically involves a combination of personal experiences, initiation, mentorship, and a deep connection with the spiritual realm.

Once a shaman receives “the call” it can take years of training, self-exploration, and healing before they are ready to help others.

Indigenous Shaman Training

In a tribal or religious setting, the initiate is taught ancient practices, such as drumming, chanting, mantras, visualization, meditation, yoga, deep breathing, sacred dances, or the use of plant medicine or offerings, finding solace and purpose in these time-honoured traditions.

These methods and rituals can induce a trance-like state and open one’s psychic channels, thereby, creating a gateway into the mystical and providing a means to commune with spirit guides, unlocking the deeper mysteries of existence.

Western “Modern” Shaman Training

In a Western, non-indigenous, setting training a shaman can look quite different.

Becoming a shaman in the Western world presents a unique set of challenges, primarily due to cultural differences, societal perceptions, and the intersection of ancient traditions with modern contexts.

In the West, the ways of the indigenous peoples were swept under the rug, to put it lightly.

However, since the beginning of the internet, we now live in a global community and have access to the ways of the shaman in all corners of the world.

If an individual in the Western world receives the call to become a shaman and exhibits symptoms of psychosis there is a good chance they will end up in the psych ward.

While indigenous cultures celebrate this type of event, it is more of a cause for concern through the lens of Western medicine.

Although we have come a long way in reducing the ignorance around mental health issues, many people are still burdened with the weight of the stigma, an additional component that needs to be overcome in the shaman’s journey.

After “the call”, shamanic training looks very different from our ancient tribal roots.

Instead of an elder shaman, we have a doctor or psychiatrist and instead of hallucinogenic plant medicine ceremonies, we have pharmaceutical medications.

In addition to the help of doctors, it’s important for a shaman-in-training to find as much support as possible. Due to the demands and nature of becoming a shaman, it can be difficult to hold down a full-time job, thereby, limiting one’s resources. However, it’s still possible to create a support system:

• Mental health team (no cost)
• Other non-profit groups (no cost)
• Counsellor/Talk Therapist in training ($50/hour)
• Long walks in nature (no cost)
• Community Centre gym or non-profit yoga ($50-$100/month)
• Guided meditation and breathing (Free on Insight Timer)
• AA or NA groups for addiction support (no cost)
• Pet therapy – cat or dog (cost of food)
• Shamanic healing (sliding scale)

Training to become a shaman in the West can be a very lonely period, even when surrounded by people, due to general ignorance or disbelief of the spirit world.

Shamanic practices often emphasize a strong connection to community and collective well-being. In the Western world, where individualism is often prioritized, it can be difficult to find like-minded people.

The Western world, with its scientific and rationalistic worldview, may view shamanic practices with skepticism or even stigma. Aspiring shamans may face challenges in gaining acceptance or recognition for their spiritual path, both within their communities and in broader societal contexts.

Many shamans-in-training in the Western world must also navigate the complexities of work, family, and societal expectations while dedicating themselves to a spiritual path that often requires time, solitude, and introspection.

Despite these challenges, many individuals in the Western world successfully navigate the path of becoming a shaman by creating a support system (see list above), seeking authentic spiritual teachings and guides, and integrating shamanic principles into their lives with respect and mindfulness.

Training to become a shaman in the West is quite different than in a tribal setting now or in the past. It takes courage, determination, resilience, self-reliance, persistence, and perseverance.

The birth of a shaman is not a literal event, but rather a transformative process that an individual undergoes on their spiritual journey. Becoming a shaman is often seen as a calling or vocation that requires specific experiences, training, and initiation. This process varies across different cultures and traditions, but there are common elements that can be found in many shamanic practices.

The birth of a shaman typically begins with a profound and often mystical experience or a series of events that lead the individual to recognize their calling.

This can manifest as visions, dreams, or encounters with spirits or supernatural forces. The individual may feel a strong sense of purpose, a connection to the spiritual realm, and a deep desire to serve their community as a healer, guide, or intermediary.

Ultimately, it is the spirit world that chooses the individual who is meant to walk the Shamanic path and, oftentimes, their journey begins with what the Western World would refer to as psychosis.

“The psychotic drowns in the same waters in which the mystic swims with delight.” – Joseph Campbell.

Many tribes of the past and present view psychosis very differently than the psychiatric model of the West. When a member of a tribal community exhibits symptoms of psychosis, the event is welcomed, celebrated, appreciated, and respected for what is it: the birth of a shaman and healer.

Just as when a baby is born, the individual needs to be nurtured, trained, and supported by one of the elder shamans. One or more of the elder shamans takes the individual into the forest, away from the tribe, to undergo his, or her, training.

Training may include meditation, rituals, mantras, chanting, visualizations, drumming and, in some cases, working with entheogenic plants.

The objective is to help the individual find peace in the chaos, gain control over negative thoughts and emotions, transform ignorance into wisdom, cut the root of ego attachment, and help the initiative to realize their true potential.

In time, once the process is complete, the individual can reintegrate and step into their role as a powerful, independent, competent, and valued member of society.

The process described above is similar to what Joseph Cambell refers to as the “Hero’s Journey”, which can be summarized in three phases: The Departure, The Initiation, and The Return.

In the departure part of the narrative, the hero or protagonist lives in the ordinary world and receives a call to go on an adventure (Psychosis). The hero is reluctant to follow the call but is helped by a mentor figure (The Elder Shaman).

The initiation phase begins with the hero then traversing the threshold to an unknown or “special world” (The spirit world), where he faces tasks or trials, either alone or with the assistance of others.

The hero eventually reaches “the innermost cave” or the central crisis of his adventure (Death of the Ego), where he must undergo “the ordeal” where he overcomes the main obstacle or enemy (Negative thoughts and emotions, delusions, and ego), and gaining his reward (Becoming a channel, or conduit, for higher vibrational energies and spirit communication).

In the return phase, the hero must return to the ordinary world (His tribe or community) with his reward (The ability to provide guidance, healing, and wisdom).

The hero again traverses the threshold between the worlds, returning to the ordinary world with the treasure or elixir he gained, which he may now use for the benefit of his fellow man and woman. The hero himself is transformed by the adventure and is rewarded with wisdom and spiritual power over both worlds.

While the psychiatric community views psychosis as something that needs to be stopped or suppressed, the tribal communities view it as a breakthrough that needs to be nurtured, supported, explained, and integrated into the life of the individual experiencing the chaos, confusion, and instability of the experience.

One of the reasons why individuals experience psychosis as an entry point into becoming a Shaman is because their psychic abilities become activated.

This can be an overwhelming, chaotic, and often scary experience requiring lots of work and training to understand and integrate into one’s life. It is a journey that explores the realms of spirituality, intuition, and extrasensory perception.

Shamans, as spiritual practitioners, have long been revered in various cultures for their ability to bridge the gap between the physical and spiritual worlds. They act as intermediaries, connecting with spirits, deities, or other entities to gain insight, healing, and guidance for themselves and their communities.

Psychic abilities refer to the intuitive and extrasensory capacities that some individuals possess. These abilities may include clairvoyance (clear seeing), clairaudience (clear hearing), clairsentience (clear feeling), claircognizance (clear knowing), and other forms of psychic perception, giving them the ability to access information beyond the physical senses.

Possessing these expanded perceptions enables the Shaman to connect with energies, entities, or intuitive insights that may not be readily apparent to others. This intuitive faculty forms the foundation for their work, albeit in different ways. However, in the West, we are taught that hearing or seeing things are symptoms of psychosis or schizophrenia that need to be addressed with medication.

​​Shamans utilize their psychic gifts in different ways depending on the individual. Different people “specialize” in different areas depending on their own unique gifts and capabilities.

In order to effectively tap into their abilities different techniques may be implemented to calm the mind and raise their vibration or enter into an altered state of consciousness; some of these techniques include drumming, chanting, reciting mantras, advanced breathing techniques, yogic practices, or even the use of entheogenic plants.

In these states, shamans can navigate the spirit realm, communicate with spirits, access other dimensions, and gather information or healing energy.

Additionally, they may receive visions, powerful symbols, or messages, providing guidance or revealing hidden aspects of a person’s life or community.

Shamans that specialize in healing usually have the ability to tap into the subconscious mind and energetic field of an individual to gather information and insights so they can provide guidance and counsel on one’s spiritual path, as well as identify and clear harmful energies, negative emotions, or malicious spirits.