disturbance on the spiritual plane. This usually is the result of an emotional imbalance within the body and can be mended fairly easily. Rattles, drums, and singing are thought to help restabilize the imbalance by first disrupting the harmony of the imbalance, removing it, and refilling the empty space with compatible vibrations. The energy used to refill the area cleaned of the imbalance acts as a ’spiritual scar tissue’ and mends the fragmented ends together. In order to do what they do, a Shaman must not confine themselves to the physical world. Sometimes, mostly, the soul leaves the body to ascend into the sky to visit the heavens or down into the earth to the underworld. This is called a Shamanistic Flight, one when the shaman travels beyond the limitations of the physical body. In addition to traveling to other worlds, Shamans also enlist the help of different fetishes. These fetishes are believed in some circles to provide the Shaman with his/ her healing power. The fetishes are representations of the animal spirit medicine men. Combining the two, there is an act called a parashamanistic technique. There are actually four of them; all involve direct intercourse with the supernatural world. However, only one is characterized by the spirit-possession trance. In this trance, the healing spirit takes over the Shaman’s body. There are innumerable ways to be chosen to be a Shaman. The common thread throughout is that once they has been chosen, they must be trained. There are special taboos that must be learned in order to become a Shaman, but not all of these teachings hold constant through the different tribes. For instance, there are several taboos concerning eating; forbidden to eat outside and cannot eat head, heart, intestines, or liver of an animal. Some tribes have their young Shaman refrain from sexual relations, although other cultures allow marriages. It is even accepted in other tribes that the Shaman be a...
