An Introduction Course to Shamanic Practice is a great way to give you a good sense of what Shamanic practice involves. But they also bring many important benefits in themselves.
This article gives you a brief overview of what you might gain from joining an introduction course.
Shamanic practice is ultimately a path of spiritual development that also includes training in different healing methods and approaches. An introductory course will give you a flavour of both the essence of the practice and introduce you to some basic methods. Look for a course that will be experiential and that will be sufficiently long enough to immerse you in Shamanic practice. See my article on what to look for in an introductory course here.
An introductory course often brings benefits beyond simply getting a sense of the practice. These benefits are unique to each person, and there is no guarantee that you would get the same. But here are a few common ones that some of my past participants have shared with me:
Learning some basic tools and methods: An introduction course in Shamanic practice will often teach you the basic tools of Shamanic practice. These methods, one learned, can be used well after the course has ended. They provide a powerful way for you to gain insight to help guide your life and wellbeing.
Opening your mind to other ways of knowing: Shamanic practice is about learning to switch off your normal cognitive mind and tap into a wider intuitive sense of the consciousness of which we are all a part. A sufficiently immersive introduction course should give you an experience of this, and most people find it comes easy to them when they are in a safe space to try. If you are not used to doing it, it can be an enlightening and powerful experience. Some say that it shifts their sense of themselves and how they relate to the world.
Getting a sense that you are part of something bigger: As you learn to open your mind to other ways of knowing, you begin to get a sense that you are part of something bigger. While an introduction course would just be the beginning, many participants do come out with renewed sense of joy and awe.
Establish a relationship with beings from a wider consciousness: A common aspect of introduction courses is to learn how to find a spirit guide. If you aren’t familiar with this, think of the tradition in many North American indigenous people of engaging with totem animals. Such peoples are well versed with communicating and learning from this sense of ‘spirit’. Even though engaging with spirit guides is outside most peoples experience in the west, they do find it quite easy when they give themselves the permission to do so and when they are taught some basic approaches. Its also a very practical way of engaging with the wider energy that is around us. You don’t have to believe in the guides to experience them. Many who start on the path, for example, like to view them as a metaphorical way their mind makes sense of the energy and connection with the world around them. Nevertheless, for most people who come on the courses, it is a real surprise when they find they can tap into this consciousness.
Peace and healing: Many of my participants find that after only a single weekend course, they have attained a greater sense of peace and may even have shed something or attained some deeper form of healing. This will be different and unique for each person, but for many, simply stepping back for a weekend outside of normal life, spending some time in nature and with like-minded people, and opening-up to a new way of engaging with the world can often be profound.
Setting them out on a longer-term path: Even though an introductory course my be short, it sometimes leads to someone dedicating themselves to a new path of learning. This can even be the case for some who did not initially intend to go further. For some, it feels like ‘coming home’. This was the case for me personally, and when I embarked on my first introductory course, I almost knew nothing about what Shamanic practice was. But I was fortunate that, once I had begun the journey, a series of synchronising events allowed me to quickly start to learn from a highly experience teacher in a much more extensive way.
For me, Shamanic practice helps me learn how to walk in the world differently, and with more grace, openness, compassion, courage, direction and conviction. If you are curious about this, the best way to learn more is to give it a go.
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