Spirit lodge, a Northern American shamanistic séance
Scripta Instituti Donneriani Aboensis January 16, 2019 DOI: 10.30674/scripta.67022 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Altered states of consciousness MDMA |
| Keywords | Shamans Shamanism -- definition Trance |
| Key points | Argues that the Spirit Lodge is a variety of shamanism characterized by divination rather than curing, with the shaman summoning spirits for journeys instead of undertaking them personally. |
Abstract
The Spirit Lodge is a variety of shamanism characterized by its divining functions. Herein lie its limitations: the shamanistic trance is there, and so are the helping spirits, but the curing activity so typical of shamanism is absent, or principally absent. The act of divining shows a certain affinity with the shamanistic pole-climbing performances and may originally have been related to these. The shaman does not himself make soul journeys to distant regions during the conjuring performance, except among the Arctic peoples where such journeys belong to the regular shamanistic pattern; instead, spirits are summoned and asked to make the necessary expeditions. These spirits represent different categories, but their leader, the control, is a ghost in several quarters. The spirits visit the shaman whilst the latter is in a trance; where soul journeys and, possibly, possession occur the ecstasy may be very deep, but this is not typical.