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Religion
A Few Links here to African Religion/belief systems: there are a number of traditional African Religions:
General (from WIKIPEDIA) and RELIGION/MYTH.
Its all about what you believe, how you go about your life, and what you do with it.
The Sahara has a rich legacy of belief systems stretching back thousands of years.
We don’t know what belief systems or religions were followed in very ancient times.
The Sahara has mostly Islam and Christianity in some places, but there is also a degree of animism, surviving in pockets in more isolated areas. There is perhaps even shamanism - terminology relative here.
A few notes about Shamans & Shapeshifters
Defining what shamanism is could be quite difficult; here is the best version I’ve found, it is taken from:
p69 in ‘The Nature of Shamanism: Substance & Function of a Religious Metaphor’ Michael Ripinsky-Naxon, 1993 publication, reprint of the original, 1944 ‘Shaman’ is derived from the Tungus-Mongol, or Tugus-Manchu, noun-word saman (pronounced shaman) constructed from the Indo-European verb-root, sa-, meaning “to know, the cognate saman conveys the literal meaning of “he who knows ‘[he’ is non-gender specific, my emphasis]’ Ripinsky-Naxon, chp 3, p69.
A small number of articles have been written, namely by French and Italian scholars. Some, like GIORGIO SAMORINI cover the use of entheogens, that is, plant extracts used for releasing/acquiring hallucinations. If this link doesn’t work for any reason, search on your browser for Samorini.
Shape-shifters and shamans exist in a world undefined by physical parameters - aside of their physical bodies that they inhabit, like the rest of us. However they can become whatever they want to become - although to do so is not without risk.
There is a link here to some noted references on Entheogen usage
RELIGIONS
The Sufi element of North African Islam means there might well be an ancient shamanic quality to worshipper-clergy relationships. Sufism is also allied with animism, and these two will be discussed in a little more detail below:
ANIMISM
SHAMANISM
The following gives you a little information on the differences between Core & Classic Shamanism, as there is a difference:
Their LINK provides more information than this table alone.
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Is theoretically open to anyone who is sincere. Some people who are more talented in energy-moving techniques may do better, but no one is technically banned from the practice
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Is open only to those who are clearly chosen by the spirits. Although one can offer one's self to the spirits, they may or may not accept.
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Is generally entirely voluntary. The individual chooses the path, rather than being chosen for it by the spirits. Although the seeker may feel "drawn" to shamanic practices, they are not in danger of illness, insanity or death for refusing to follow a particular path. They may choose their own human teachers, and they may stop at any time; although their lives may be poorer for it, they will not usually be penalized by the spirits unless they have made specific bargains.
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Is generally entirely involuntary. The individual is chosen by the spirits, often with no warning, and is not allowed to refuse the "gift", or they will suffer illness, and/or insanity, and/or death. They can never stop being a shaman so long as they live, or it will recur.
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Is not generally accompanied by severe life-threatening experiences
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Is nearly always accompanied in the early stages by severe life-threatening experiences, including but not limited to chronic serious illness, psychotic break, and/or near-death experience.
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May engender growth of personality and an empowering change of life path, but is not generally accompanied by a traumatic death-and-rebirth experience. No one specific image, vision, or symbolism predominates across the board in the early stages of shamanic work.
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Is nearly always accompanied by a traumatic death-and-rebirth experience, after which the personality is radically changed. A visionary experience of being dismembered and rebuilt differently by the spirits is evident cross-culturally in the accounts of many tribal shamans, and is almost a hallmark of the experience.
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Causes slow and gradual change to part of the aura and astral body due to working with the various shamanic techniques. The process is usually largely under the control of the seeker.
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Causes radical, unusual, and permanent changes to the aura and astral body. This process is inflicted onto the shaman by the spirits, and is entirely out of their control.
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Shamanic practice can occupy however large a space in the individual's life as they wish. It can be a part-time hobby or a full-time occupation, as they decide.
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Shamanic practice occupies the main focus, time, and energy of the individual's life for the rest of their existence. All mundane careers, projects, loyalties, and relationships are secondary to the shaman's career of spiritual service.
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Primarily taught by human teachers, although in the more advanced stages the seeker may work with divine and/or spirit teachers.
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Primarily taught by divine and/or spirit teachers, although in the beginning stages the novice is usually taught the cultural context and symbolism by another shaman.
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Often taught in groups, or in books.
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Never taught in groups; always one-on-one as an oral tradition.
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Taboos are rare, and taken on only as a deal with a particular spirit. Violation of those taboos generally only result in loss of power, although bargains with powerful spirits may result in traumatic incidents.
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Lives are bounded with dozens of increasing taboos, violation of which generally brings immediate illness, pain, or other physical and spiritual retribution.
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Can work shamanic practices alone, or see clients unattached to any demographic group.
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Cannot work entirely alone; must be attached to a tribe. If no tribe is in evidence at the time of their shamanic rebirth, one will be provided for them by the spirits. Ability to see clients outside their demographic group varies, usually depending on their tradition and their particular patron spirits.
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Can be seen as a path of service, or as a lucrative career.
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Ability to see clients outside their demographic group varies, usually depending on their tradition and their particular patron spirits.
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Can be seen as a path of service, or as a lucrative career.
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Is almost always seen primarily as a path of service to a particular tribe.
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Mental illness as rare or prevalent as it is in the ordinary population demographic, and unrelated to shamanic practice.
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Mental breakdown or temporary psychosis common to the early "death-and-rebirth" stage, after which shamans have been tested and found to be comparatively extremely sane and stable. Mental illness never returns as long as they continue to do their jobs.
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Can draw from any cultural contexts, or create their own.
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Generally requires one specific central cultural context, although they may borrow from neighbouring (and thus not radically different) cultures. The symbolic context seems to be a useful "anchoring-point" for the training of beginning classic shamans, and aids in bonding them with the tribe that they are to serve.
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Often seeks to have a relationship with the gods and/or spirits that is "equal", or even "mastery over the spirits" in order to gain access to their powers.
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Relationship with gods and/or spirits ranges from propitiating/coaxing to being their outright slave, for which the shaman gains access to their powers.
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This SITE is useful for those interested in the Northern Tradition, very much a tradition of my ancestors and my tribal affiliate peoples of North and Eastern Europe
MYSTICAL TRADITIONS
Hebrew - CHRISTIAN
Judeo-Christian - CHRISTIAN
Islam - SUFISM
Jewish - QABBALAH
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