By Dana Ford

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When we think of magic, we think of black top hats, black wands, doves, scarves, bunnies and mysterious boxes, right? Magic tricks. Card tricks. But to the Shamans, magic is reality. It’s their way of life.

A Shaman is a person who believes he or she can use magic in order to cure sicknesses, divine the unknown or control certain events.

Shamanism is an analogous religion which is associated with most Central Asian and Arctic people.

A Shaman, also known as the “Medicine Man” is said to cure illness, direct communal sacrifices and escort the souls of the dead to another world.

The magic which is used to perform these things are with a drug called ecstasy. This drug allows for the Shaman to transform his body into a trancelike state.

According to encylopedia.com, “The trance state may be brought on by dancing, singing, drumming, or other methods. The trance brings the Shaman into the spiritual world, where a spirit teacher provides guidance on how to cure an illness or solve a problem. Shamanic healing practices include the use of gongs, rattles, finger bells, dancing rituals, purification ceremonies, physical manipulation, prayer, healing herbs, or removal of something inside a sick person, such as a stone, feather, piece of bone, or other material.”

This Shamanic type of healing was said to be developed in order for these people to have a sense of control over the world they lived in.

Many of the rituals shamans perform are done to ensure good crops, health and other important basic essentials.

A person becomes a Shaman through self-election or inheritance.