IIn many indigenous cultures shamans act as healers and intermediaries between the invisible world of the ancestors, gods and spirits and the human community. They are supported by allies from the other world to retrieve lost parts of the soul, or they embody these allies to heal illness and give advice and clues to the community. These allies do not necessarily speak our language, they have a different way of expressing themselves. The shaman is their translator.
Illness as an Initiation
The stories of how shamans experience their calling show the same elements and patterns all over the world: Often future shamans suffer a severe illness through which “the other world” tries to get in touch with them. They do a lot to be healed from their illness and ignore their calling. After a long struggle, when all healing attempts have failed, they surrender and start their training as shamans, often under the guidance of an experienced teacher. Thus, they become healers who have healed themselves.
The idea of healing, as embodied by shamans, reveals illness to be an expression of a profound impulse of transformation.