I have to confess that I did not know anything at all about Shamanism before starting this series of posts, but what I have learned is fascinating. And now I want to know who my power animal is!
What Is Shamanic Healing?
Shamanism has been practiced for thousands of years by people all over the world. The word “shaman” comes from Siberia and means “spiritual healer” and says it all: shamanic healing is spiritual healing. A person or animal may have lost part of their power, soul, or essence (from physical or emotional trauma), or they may be suffering because of negative energy or spiritual blocks.
When helping a person or animal heal, the shaman travels to a different dimension (or altered state of consciousness if you will) with the help of drums or rattles that create a sound field that changes consciousness. This is called a shamanic journey, and here, the shaman meets up with spiritual guides to find out what the individual needs in order to restore balance and heal. It could be soul retrieval, power animal retrieval, curse removal, cord cutting, soul remembering, extraction, depossession, or house/land clearing.
For example, in shamanism it is believed that when you go through a traumatic event (it could be an accident, death of somebody close to you, abuse, natural disasters, etc.), part 
of your soul leaves your body in order to survive. This is a good thing, because you need your soul in order to be happy and healthy, so it’s better for part of your soul to be fine somewhere else than damaged in your body. However, you need that part of your soul back in order to recover fully from the trauma. You may suffer from depression, chronic illness, or simply just feel disconnected and “not right”, unable to bounce back to your usual self. The shaman will find the lost part of your soul and bring it back to you.
If the problem is that you have lost some of your power, you need to reconnect with your power animal. Everyone has a power animal, similar to a guardian angel, who is with you from birth, watching over you and sharing its wisdom with you. If you become disconnected, you may feel depressed or experience bad luck. The shaman will retrieve your power animal so that you can reconnect and heal.
Once the shaman knows what’s needed, the healing can begin. It is not the shaman, but the Spirit who does the healing. The shaman is a conduit for the Spirit and becomes the bridge between Heaven and Earth, allowing the Spirit to utilize his/her body and mind to interact with the client.
I asked Sariantra Kali, our featured practitioner today: Can anybody learn Shamanism and become a Shamanic Healer?
Sariantra answered:
“Although anyone could try to train to become a shaman, not everyone has talent for it. And it is not for the faint of heart. The shaman is a wounded healer and shamans the world over have generally undergone grueling experiences to prepare them for this work. Spirit calls a person, and once they do it is pretty hard to avoid this path. They will call in dreams, life events… many people try to get away once they have been called. But Spirit knows how to find us. It is a big responsibility but immensely rewarding.”
Meet Sariantra Kali
Our Shamanic healing case study comes from Sariantra Kali, who is a licensed acupuncturist and trained shamanic practitioner. She is the founder and owner of Ancient Rivers Healing Arts in Eugene, Oregon, where she offers shamanic healing sessions both in person and distance, acupuncture, Chinese medical treatments and herbal consultations.
Raised Catholic, Sariantra heard Spirit as a child but had no familial or cultural support for what was going on. It wasn’t until years later, when she was a student at Portland State University, that she discovered shamanism. A lecture by visiting shamanic healer Susan Keiraleyn proved a turning point for her.
Sariantra says: The veil between the worlds was lifted when I went through a very emotionally painful experience. It helped me find my way back to Spirit; I had premonition and I started hearing Spirit again
She became a believer in Spirit, studied with many teachers, and has now been practicing shamanic divination for 10 years.
Shamanic Healing Case Study – Rescued German Shepherd
by Sariantra Kali
I first met Winter, a German Shepherd adopted from the Oregon Humane Society, in 2004. Her age and history was unknown, but we do know she had been shot because she had a bb bullet lodged in her ear. Our best guess was that she was somewhere between 5 and 8 years old at the time of her first shamanic healing treatment.
When I met Winter she was struggling. Her demeanor and behavior was consistent with an animal that has been mistreated. She cowered and kept her ears down. She was fearful most of the time and looked much older than her (estimated) years. She seemed lethargic and depressed. Her eyes were cloudy and she was shy around men.
The owner first approached me because Winter was barking maniacally and incessantly. I did several depossessions and removed the spirits of people that had died. One was of an old lady who had been a shut in. She had been very fearful and died alone. It had taken people some time to find her. As this spirit was helped to the light, Winter looked up. Afterwards her ears perked up and she was happier around people. She also stopped barking.
The erratic barking seems to be Winter’s signal that she needs work. It is her cry for help. Longtime clients tend to show client-unique symptoms that indicate depossession. I have worked with a young boy who talks about “the big guy in his little toe” when he needs a depossession.
Over the years I have done a lot of work with Winter. I have completed repeated soul retrievals for her, bringing back parts of her essence that had left due to the trauma she sustained. I have also brought her a power animal, a Wolf, to help her feel more secure. After each treatment, she is friendly, able to interact with strangers better, less skittish, shows more energy and vitality, her eyes clear up and her ears perk back up.
I continue to work on Winter on an as needed basis (generally 2-3 times per year). This has allowed her to be a happier, more playful dog and integrate into her family situation better.
