Lauren Rule- Shamanism (Outside Reading #1)

Last night in class we watched The Jacket.  Prior to the movie we discussed shamanism.  I found an interesting website talking about shamanism and animal spirits.  A shaman is supposed to be a healer, he goes on a journey of sorts to find solutions to people's problems.  The article I found describes shamanism as "the ability to travel to the axis mundi (pathway between heaven and earth; or world core) for the purpose of spiritual contacts".  The article goes on to describe shamanism to experience ecstasy and the possible consequences of this.  Some practices of shamanism channel animal spirits.  During most of the journeys a shaman ingests a type of hallucinogenic substance to jump start his visions.  The article lists the soul being felt apart from the physical body, visions of jaguars and snakes, visions of demons and deities, visions of distant persons and place, and the sensation of seeing details of unsolved crimes as common side effects of shaman journeys.  It is common to find the tradition of shamanism in Native American/Indian cultures.  A shaman is supposed to go into his or her visions to help others, but sometimes it could lead to evil possessions.  The spiritual journey of a shaman seems fascinating, but very dangerous.  The main character in The Jacket, had similar properties to a shaman.  Jack went through severe trauma and came out of it helping some of the people around him.  He sustained head trauma during a war and was pumped full of drugs and left for hours on end in a drawer.  Through the trauma, he finds ways to fix the problems of others.  Jack falls in love with the older Jackie and bridges the broken connection between young Jackie and her mother to create a better life for Jackie.  The female doctor was treating a young boy who could not learn or speak because of his seizures.  Jack discovered in the future a way to help the boy, who possibly shot him and caused his head trauma in the war.  The journey Jack embarked on was life changing.  Jack was given a second chance at life and used it help others with the knowledge he gained. 
 

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