Shaman are spiritual beings with the ability to heal, work with energies and ‘see’ visions. Shamans work with the spirit healing illness at the soul level, using knowledge and insight gained from working with the spirits of nature such as rocks and trees, the land, and from the spirits of animals and humans such as their ancestors. For the shaman, everything is alive and carries information.

You can call this spirit, energy, or consciousness. In order to communicate with the spirit or consciousness of these things, the shaman will shift his or her own state of awareness. Shamans can do this through various means, such as meditation and repetitive sounds such as that of the drum or rattle.

For centuries, shamans have also been involved with earth healing by using their ability to communicate with land, bodies of water and other such natural features of their landscape.

Whether by determining why crops would not grow in a certain location, or the reasons for drought; working with growing things, the weather, and the land has been a traditional activity for the shaman.