Shamanism

I am always fascinated with spiritual world; the reason why we exist, the meaning of life, what happens after we die and so on. The reason I chose this topic is because I’m a shamanist myself. It’s a belief of indigenous people, not so many have people heard of it. Before giving a definition of shamanism, I’d have to explain about spirits.

Spirit

As the scientific technologies grow day by day, people of this day only believe more in the things that they can see, hear or feel; in their common senses with proven assurance. Here are some facts. An eagle's eyesight is capable of seeing fish in the water from thousand feet above. Similarly, 3-year old children and dogs can see the aura (subtle, luminous radiation surrounding a person) of people. It also can be seen through a special device. But a person would deny them, if he can’t SEE through his own eyes. Suppose an eagle and a man look into the water for fish from a few hundred feet of high altitude. What would the man say? “There’s no such thing as a fish,” but there are probably fish in the sea, right? Therefore, we cannot just deny the fact of the existence of spirits.

So if we give away the doubt, then there has to be PROOF. Some scientists said they had found proof, but some still don’t believe it. The term SHAMAN is the biggest proof of spirits.

Do you think people die and disappear? The answer is NO. Even though their bodies graved in the ground, their souls still go with their mind, memories, and even have the bruises and marks from the body. Also souls reincarnate, if their life wasn’t worth good enough, would be born as a human again. If worth it they’d go up and up and become spirits and higher ranks. Worse ones become a species of animal. Sometimes they can’t even find their kind and extravagate around the in-between world. Therefore, each soul have different place and kind to-be born. They all have different ranks. Just like normal human beings. There are bad spirits and good ones as well. But most importantly they are capable of influencing people; us.

Afterlife

You, me, us humankind will die someday for sure. Well, what happens after that? When we leave our bodies behind, we go directly through the Jury of God. It’s the most accurate and fair system. (Which every religion agrees) Without it, everything would have been in chaos. Anyone who’s living in this materialistic world would think, “Who’d believe that mythical gag?” I’ll tell you the proof.

Shaman

Is there a way dead can connect to us? Yes, and that’s what Shamans, called uliyachi, are also for. They are the “messengers” between the two worlds. We can meet our ancestor’s spirit through shamans. They would talk and act just like the way they did when they were alive, even have the same memories, and would also slobber and preach to their children. They might even tell you where they’d hidden a treasure.



Siberian Shamanka

 WHERE ARE SHAMANS FOUND?

Mongolian Shaman in trance

Shamans are found in many parts of the world, but they generally do not exist outside of animist cultures. That means shamans hardly ever exist except in gathering-hunting, nomadic animal-herding, or horticultural (gathering and gardening) communities.

Indian Shaman - Yakut Shaman healer - Thunderbear (Canadian Mohawk)

Once a culture turns to agriculture, the religion changes from animism to something else, usually worship of goddesses and/or gods, and shamanism disappears, though some cultures retain some elements of shamanic practice longer than others.

    South African Shaman witch doctor                            Mapuche Shaman in Chile

Shamanism

Shamanism is a specific set of beliefs and practices used by shamans in serving the spirit world and their own people. It is the shaman’s job to keep the people in harmony with nature and the spirit world, and to heal them or bring them back into harmony when needed.

Shamanism is not a religion. It is an outgrowth of the oldest spiritual belief system, animism. Gathering-hunting people, nomadic animal herding cultures, and some other animists who live in small, mobile groups or isolated villages still depend on shamans for healing and spiritual protection in many parts of the world.When a culture turns to farming (depending on raising large quantities of a few crops and staying in one place), the spiritual belief system gradually changes from animism to something else, such as the worship of human-like gods and goddesses, and shamanism usually dies out.

References

As I was doing this research, I found this documentary feature film that follows the quest of an American guy and his wife in trying to find healing for their autistic son. After discovering that their son's condition appeared to be improved by contact with horses, the family leaves their home in Texas and go on a journey to seek help from the traditional shamans in Mongolia.
                 You can get insight into the shamanic tradition and healing process from this movie.

                                                             The Horse Boy (2009)



Isaacson's Family in the steppe



http://www.horseboymovie.com/

 

More Information:

http://www.tengerism.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamanism

http://sped2work.tripod.com/shaman.html

                                                           ©2012 

                                                            Nomin Yeru



  

Art Mirrors Life

In this 21st century, information era that we live in, the most popular and demanding art medium is in the form of visual television series. During the ancient Greek period where sculptures and paintings were the popular mediums to display artistic images, the shift can be seen in the financial backing of the art work. The nobles paid thousands of dollars on art through sculptures and statues. Today the entertainment industry, the likes of fox and ABC, finance television series up to hundreds of millions dollars per episode.

There comes a point in time where an art form becomes groundbreaking and dramatically alters the way any art preceding it would look like. During the 480's BC that revolutionary piece of art came through the beautiful marble sculpture of “Kritios boy”. With the Kritios Boy the Greek artist has mastered a complete understanding of how the different parts of the body act as a system. This stance, known as contrapposto, forces a chain of anatomical events: as the pelvis is pushed diagonally upwards on the left side, the right buttock relaxes, the spine acquires an "S" curve, and the shoulder line dips on the left to counteract the action of the pelvis. During this period the artists were able to fully depict all of the shapes, curves and stance of a human, nearly close to perfection; Thus, becoming the major driving force behind the Hellenistic era.

Typical to human behavior, once you’re able to draw a perfect human, for some strange reason, we tend to draw a superhuman that is far from a realistic human being. As seen in the popular art pieces of the Hellenistic era the sculptures are of non-realistic humans.

                   

“They quickly realized it was boring, that they had to do something interesting with the image, distort it in specific ways, not randomly distort it, but lawfully distort it, in order to exaggerate the brains aesthetic responses.”

Modern pop culture is also leading toward that same behavior. One of the most successful shows on T.V today, which depicts the behavior and direction of our society, would have to be ABC hit show Modern Family. What makes Modern Family different from most shows on television is the diversity of the characters, the unique family dynamics, and the unbelievable daily situations that viewers can relate to. However, while the show’s name and distinctive family structure imply progressive character portrayal, the show still maintains traditional family roles. In most household the average amount of electronic devices that are capable of accessing the internet is 5-10, the show does a very good job of intergrading that reality.  Nearly every scene is refracted through a digital funhouse: an iPad screen, a cellphone camera, a baby monitor, a YouTube video. Unfortunately, with all of those good wholesome qualities that modern family shows, it still doesn’t get nearly as much attention as MTV's reality show, Jersey Shore. Similar to the ancient Greek art culture, where exaggerated art were the most popular.

The show has a great ability of displaying a wide variety of human behavior that come about when surrounded by friends (while mostly intoxicated); drugs, lies, sex, cheating and fights. A lot of critics speak very badly of the show, disgusted with the images and stereotypes that are displayed in the show. The men are made out to look tan, built, dumb Italians that get laid a lot. The women all wear pounds of make-up, have some sort of plastic surgery operated on them, and consistently pounce around showing their “goodies” without any moral regard.

Human behavior from all walks of life, are similar in a scene that they can clearly distinguish the difference between realistic and non-realistic images. For some apparent reason people are more fascinated with the fictional, over exaggerated, artificial art; compared to pieces of art that hold believable, obtainable, realistic values they hold in dear to their heart. We tend to gravitate toward the more juice drama or entertainment and that aspect is not going to change starting from prehistory time, 'til modern times, all that probably won’t stop until the end of mankind.

By, Jonathan Asfaw

World Main Religions

The main religions that we will have a look at are Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.  These five religions share similarities in having a sacred text, worship, and a belief of a superior being. Sacred texts are the guides of the religions which help the follower stay focused in the belief and develop specific morals. Worship can be expressed in different forms through prayer, meditation and yoga that all serve as a gateway for communication with the Ultimate. We will discuss how each of these religions practices their beliefs in the order of establishment on Earth.

Hinduism 

Brahman is their Ultimate power making this religion Monotheistic. Yoga is their type of worship and there are four forms of Yoga. The four types of yoga are Jnana Yoga (knowledge yoga), Karma Yoga (action), Bhakti Yoga (devotion), and Raja Yoga (Royal/Psychological).

Bhagavad-Gita is the sacred text in Hinduism.

Buddhism

 

Nirvana is the Ultimate goal. It is considered a goal instead of power, because in Buddhism they view each and every one of us and our surrounding as one. The main goal is to reach Nirvana as the one ultimate position which is destined by Karma. The reason I view this religion as monotheistic is because we are all one (one Supreme Being that governs us).

The form of worship for Buddhism is meditation.

The sacred text is T[r]ipitaka also known as the three baskets.

Judaism

 

 Judaism Ultimate power is Gd. They believe only in Gd, making this religion monotheistic. Jews perform prayer between 3 to 5 times a day. Tanakh (TNK) is the sacred text of Judaism and is comprised of three subdivisions called Torah, Nevi’im, and Ketuvm. Torah (teachings) includes laws, morals, ancestry, and rituals. Nevi’im (prophets) is spoken in Gd’s name (ex: Joshua, Isaiah, and Ezekiel). Ketuvm (writings) describes morals, social situations, and ideas for laity.

Christianity

God is the Ultimate power. This religion is also monotheistic because of the belief in only one superior being. There are no set times of worship but it is typically done as a prayer to God. Prayer is generally the acknowledgement and thanks to God for the beginning and end of each day and the blessing of food (approximately 3 times a day). The Bible is the sacred text for Christianity.

Islam

 

Allah is the Ultimate power in Islam. There is no greater power than Allah. That is why Islam is monotheistic as well. In Islam you must pray five times a day. There are set times throughout the day you must pray. The five times of prayer are as follows: 1) Dawn, before sunrise 2) Noon 3) Mid afternoon 4) Sunset and 5) Night. The exact times of prayer are announced by a Muezzin from a Minaret. The sacred text in Islam is the Qur’an.  

Woman’s Similarities with in Religion  

Since we are talking about similarities in religion I want to touch on an area that has drawn interest to me through my research. When we see someone dressed differently, we wonder why they are dressed that way. In particular, we see it in Muslim women. They are covered from head to toe covering their precious jewels. What is our thought when we see a Muslim women covered? Is it that she is being oppressed by her religion? Take a minute and reflect upon the following image.

Do you see any similarities? They all cover their hair and wear long loose clothing. Are all these women being oppressed by religion? In different sacred text it states, the female should respect herself and dress modestly. Even though we see Christian women dress in a more modern style that does not make it modest under the sacred text description. Therefore are Muslim women being oppressed or does the Muslim community have more obedient followers of the sacred teachings?

Final Thought

Looking back at these religions, are we all really that different? We are all humans and all have the need or want to answer questions such as: Who or what created us, a supreme power? What guidelines do I follow? Will there be life after death? What is my purpose while living? Even though all of these religions are considered different they seem to serve the same purpose and it is to make us a better person or show us how to live a better life while on earth. 

Other lnformation

The links that follows gives you information of where you can learn more of each religion in the Tampa Bay area. These links are in regards to every single religion discussed earlier.

Hinduism: http://www.htflt.org/

Buddhism: http://www.meditationintampabay.org/

Judaism: http://www.shoreshdavid.org/

Christianity: http://www.stlawrence.org/

Islam: http://www.istaba.org/

Marilyn Medina 



To Give Life Meaning is the Meaning of Life



Whatever it is that makes ones life worth living is that person’s meaning of life. In other words, the meaning of life is the constant pursuit of happiness. I believe this has been true all throughout history. What may vary from person to person or from one period of time to another is what exactly a person might pursue in order to gain that happiness. In the Paleolithic period fulfilling that need may have been as simple as catching a large game to feed the whole tribe or being able to survive the winter. The Sumerians may have found happiness in creating some form of art such as sculptures or music. King Hammurabi probably found a great  sense of achievment in the creation and enforcement of Hammurabi's code. As callous as it might sound, a woman of this time may have felt a great deal of happiness when she was able to give her husband a son. In ancient Egypt the people may have felt that their meaning of life was to prepare themselves for happiness in the afterlife. Sophocles, I can imagine, had a feeling of success when he received positive feedback from the crowds that attended his plays. It can probably be assumed that Alexander the Great found his joy every time he conquered a new territory.

In my opinion, the most prominent desire that gives life meaning, is to love and be loved. The love I speak of is not necessarily the love between someone and his/her significant other. This can be the love of a mother for her child, the love of a child for his/her grandparents, a love between friends, or a general love for humankind. I know that in my life, my children, more than anyone give me that happiness and joy that I need. Their lives give my life meaning and most everything I do in life is to make their lives better.



After careful consideration I am led to believe that the desire to love and give love has always existed and that it is part of the human nature. We can speculate that this need dates back to as early as 200,000 B.C. because humans would perform rituals for their dead to insure preferable afterlives for those people. Without love for that human being, what would be the point of a ritual? Why would someone care what happened to that person in the afterlife? No one would care, and the dead would have been buried merely for sanitary reasons. The artworks of King Akhenaten and Queen Nerfertiti depict them showing emotions and affection which could lead someone to believe that people of this time openly sought out love. In the time of ancient Greece, it is obvious that the people desired love because they worshipped Aphrodite, the goddess of love.

We have always sought many things in order to give our lives meaning such as love, success, knowledge, and among many other things, a sense of belonging. I believe that at some point or another we all yearn for the same things in this life.

 

Stephanie Luke

Comparative-Civilization. The United States of America is (or is not) the next Roman Empire. You may take the positive comparative angle or the decline/fall angle.

                Through my research, I strongly believe the United States of America is the next Roman Empire in certain ways.  I take the positive angles, such as the fact that they both are centered upon a strong military, the best equipment and best training, they both are the super powers of their times, and also controlled much land.  The positive angles of the Roman Empire and the United States of America are undeniable in comparison.

There is no doubt about it; the United States and the Roman Empire have the best military equipment and training of their respective times.  The United States currently spends more than nine countries combined on military spending and like the Roman Empire are feared by most countries because of military supremacy.  Also, it is said the Romans had the best equipment of their times and that’s why they were so successful in battle and how they rose up so quickly, just like the United States, with the technological advantages they both had it’s no wonder they were so dominate in everything they did.  The Romans also built roads and aqua ducts just to help their military move more quickly, as did the United States when we started making highways.  They both also always had military forces at the ready and would use them at the first sign of trouble.  The United States is very much alike the Roman Empire’s military in the way they act and are feared by many. 

                The Roman Empire and the United States were also the super powers of their times and also controlled vast lands.  The Roman Empire conquered much land before their fall.  At the peak of the Roman Empire they controlled most of Europe and North Africa.  The United States currently owns land in nearly every country through military bases and such that we have conquered.  It fascinates me how similar are entire infrastructures are basically the same and how much we took from Roman Empire’s government and military structure. It’s also amazing how long the Roman Empire was a super power in there era, seeing as how they were disease ridden and empires that big normally didn’t last long with the way they were setup.  I mean a lot of people don’t realize that the Roman Empire lasted up until about the fifteenth century with a large empire and a government setup very similar to ours, which is actually why our government is setup the way it is, our founding fathers studied the Roman Empire very closely and used a lot of the same ideals they had to make our country as powerful as it is today.  Even the lecture slides agree with me on this, the comparisons between the United States Government and the Roman Empire are there, they both shared a balance of power, had a senate and a house of representatives, some sort of presidential figure (Consul), and courts with independent power.  I believe that if it wasn’t for our founding fathers studying the way the Roman Empire ruled, that we wouldn’t be the same super power we are now.   

Jayson Terry

Art & Culture. The greatest literary work of ancient civilization is The Epic of Gilgamesh

I would have to say the greatest literary work of ancient civilization would have to be The Epic of Gilgamesh written by the Sumerians. It's the oldest known literary work on this planet. It was written on cuneiform tablets around 1900 B.C.E and found in the library of the Assyrian king. I feel it's the foundation for epic stories throughout civilization and shows that mankind has had a very vivid imagination since day one. It's a legend written about Sumer's most famous King, Gilgamesh and is written hundreds of years after his death. In the story he is king of Uruk, part human and part god and goes on different adventures throughout the story. Enkidu was a primitive man sent by the god of Anu who eventually becomes best friends with Gilgamesh and they go on epic journeys together even though they fought each other at first. After one journey, where the dynamic duo kills the Bull of Heaven, the gods retaliate by sending an illness to Enkidu leading to his death. Gilgamesh was devastated by this and tries to find the secret of everlasting life from the only immortal, Utnapishtim. He fails but learns that he can't live forever but humankind will.

What's really interesting about this story is that it has many similarities to the Christian bible, such as the serpent in the Garden of Eden.  In the The Epic of Gilgamesh, Enkin, god of water, eats eight plants that Ninhursag, the mother-goddess had planted. Infuriated, Ninhursag curses Enki to die for his actions. This part of the story is similar to Adam and Eve being punished by God for eating from the forbidden tree. Also, the story of the flood is similar. Enki notifies Utnapishtim that the gods are going to kill all the humans for their intolerable ways and that he should build a boat to save his family. In the bible, Noah is instructed by God to build an arch because he was going to wipe mankind off the earth because of their wicked ways. The stories are not exactly the same but are to similar and I think Sumerian literature has found its way into the bible through out civilization. How it exactly did it happen? I have no clue.   

This story leads me to conclude that this literature influenced many stories ‘til this day. For example, The Lord of the Rings epic trilogy is similar to this story in my opinion. It's about Frodo and his buddy Sam going on an adventure fighting weird monsters and facing life's obstacles to save mankind and that compares to the topic. It's a journey about good vs. evil, power of friendship, destiny, loyalty, and many similarities to the topic. Until we find previous literature that has similar stories, I believe The Epic of Gilgamesh paved the way for it all.        

Carlos Rodriguez

Origins. {Creationism, Evolution, Alien, or other}

How did we get here? How did mankind become a resident on this planet we call Earth? Ever since we have had the ability to question the natural world around us, we have wondered this. Some people believe a deity waved it's magic wand and, boom everything was created at once. Other people think we evolved from the creatures that were already here. Some even go as far as believing that we are the spawn of some type of extraterrestrial life form .Taking these things into consideration, I think all three of these ideas have connections to one another and paint a larger picture of the origins of man. I feel the most logical explanation, is that several extra terrestrial civilizations have influenced the way we have developed as a human species over the course of time.

In the new King James Version of the Holy Bible, it states in Genesis, "let us make man in our own image, according to our likeness". This passage could be interpreted, that our creators were from some other place and numbered more than one. In the same Bible, Mary gives birth by Immaculate Conception to the son of God. The only way this is possible is through artificial insemination, and at that time mankind did not have that technology, so it must've been done by the extra terrestrial life forms developing that area. Perhaps at this time the extra terrestrial's were not happy with this regions development and felt it necessary to intervene. 

This was taken from a response of a YouTube video 

John3:13 but HE THAT DESCENDED OUT FROM HEAVEN, even the Son of man, who is in heaven.

Eph4:10 HE THAT DESCENDED is the same also that ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.

John6:41 HE SAID, I AM the bread WHICH CAME DOWN OUT OF HEAVEN.

John18:36 Jesus said,“My kingdom is NOT OF THIS WORLD...But now my kingdom is from another place(IN THE SPACE).

Mark16:19 , he was taken up into heaven(SPACE)..

~ "The Madonna with Saint Giovannino" ~

Above Mary's left shoulder is a shining, or glowing, disk shaped object.

A man and his dog can clearly be seen looking up at the floating object in the composite below. Painted in the 15th century, Palazzo Vecchio lists the artist as unknown ~ although attributed to the Lippi school.

Upon closer inspection, the man seems to be looking away from the UFO, behind him and over his shoulder. Or, more likely, the notably out of place object may be imagined floating above the ground between them. From either perspective, could Mary be seen as blocking the two babies from the flying saucer's view? Perhaps the dog glimpses the hovering object ~ with it's mouth open, it could even be barking at it. But what is that dark, sparkling, disassembled figure beside them ~ a dwarf, or an ethereal being? A body, legs, head, and tail can be made out. Could this represent a type of alien, or demon? Also, Mary's halo seems a bit shadowy ~ more like a vaporous disc than a ring of light.

~ "The Baptism of Christ" ~

Fitzwilliam Musuem, Cambridge, England - Painted in 1710 by Flemish artist Aert De Gelder, depicts a classic, hovering, silvery, saucer shaped UFO shining beams of light down on John the Baptist and Jesus. What could have inspired the artist to combine these two subjects?

Aliens of different origins probably developed different regions of the world, thus giving us our many diversified races. This would also explain why some races are more adapted to certain climates as others. Maybe Homo Habilis evolving into Homo erectus was expedited by alien intervention. Maybe Cro-Magnon's defeat of the Neanderthals was the result of a wager made by two competing extraterrestrial civilizations. Not only can you see alien intervention in human development, it is also apparent in many ancient buildings and monuments throughout the world.

Puma Puku, located in South America this entrance is made out of of granite and diorite and the only stone harder is diamond, these ruins are more than 1,000 years old. Obviously some superior, intelligent life form either created this or helped the indigenous people to create it.

“From Southern Mexico, Pacal the Great ruled over the Mayan city of Palenque, during the seventh century. He was buried inside a pyramid called the Temple of Inscriptions. The intricately carved lid of his sarcophagus has become a classic work of Mayan art and also proof and evidence for ancient alien theorists. In their view, Pacal is pictured in a spaceship during takeoff, with his hand on a control panel, his foot on a pedal and an oxygen tube in his mouth.”  (ancientaliens.wordpress.com)

As long as man is alive, he will wonder as to his origins. Whether he was created by magic, evolved from apes, or whether he has an alien in his family tree. It makes sense to me that all of these are true.

This Clip is one of a series that talks about a man that supposedly had contact with an extra terrestrial race known as the Pleadiens.

By Jason Cross