Schizophrenia & Shamanism

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The Shaman Sickness

Schizophrenia, I propose, can be defined by the following :

* It seems that the whole world and every tiniest instance of anything within it is speaking to the schizophrenic of his/her singular destiny. Every utterance, whether by friends or the TV, every reported news item, every passing vehicle or fluttering leaf provides the schizophrenic with another piece in the jigsaw of the design that destiny has decreed for them. This perception is due to a dying or dead and lost ego. The normal perimeters between the individual and the rest of the world have cracked or broken, and the self finds itself identifying with anything and everything within its scope of consciousness. It is because of this primary state of ego loss that psychosis and mystical experience are so inextricably bound. When someone is able to return to an ordinary state of consciousness, society may view their experience and insights as mystical; when they are lost and unable to return, society will err toward a psychotic diagnosis.

* Every thought or word or deed of the individual or of those around them seems to become translated into causal reality, for which s/he feels an intense responsibility. This is the reason why the schizophrenic may feel him/herself to be lord of all the world, the ultimate magician, Jesus. The (unmedicated) schizophrenic may appear to family, friends and clinicians to be lacking in emotion, but in reality is in a state of intense and inescapable empathy.

* Extreme sensations of joy and fear are usual. This is bound within the first point, as indeed is probably the whole schizophrenic experience. If the self is identifying wholly and completely with an intensity that has probably not been experienced since childhood, if the subject of the identification is the incomparable experience of a fledgling bird first taking to the air, for example, or peace being declared in a war torn land, extreme joy will result, a joy that is beyond the confines of a separated sense of self typical to an ordinary person. The destiny of the world, inseparable from the perceived destiny of the schizophrenic, for there is no separateness, is on track. A Heaven on Earth is achievable. If, however, the subject of identification is, say, a mother unfairly chastising a small child, or a report of famine, the schizophrenic feels that it is s/he who is responsible for this, they are doing something wrong, are not up to the job of being God's prime magician, and the world will suffer for their inability. They fear that their lack of impeccability can only destroy the whole world and any chance it ever had of being beautiful. In short, the schizophrenic may believe that s/he is the only one in the world with free will, upon which everyone and everything else is dependent.

* It appears to the schizophrenic that everyone else in the world is living in an enlightened state, albeit without free will. The schizophrenic believes that s/he is the only one who cannot attain this sacred state, despite the whole world waiting for them to make that final leap of consciousness. Everyone else appears to be aware of a secret language beneath the apparent meaning of words, a magical subtext which creates and shapes the world, but use it without conscience, for they have invested their free will and hope of salvation in the schizophrenic. The schizophrenic meanwhile becomes so bogged down in the secret meaning of words that they can sometimes only be computable to them as individual syllables. Thus "warm" can equate with "war", for example, a state to be avoided. Even words with particular sounds can become diseased, for example the "p" in "happy" can make it an undesirable state.

* Very often the schizophrenic will pay heed to things revealed to them which other people's senses do not pick up. These experiences are considered symptomatic of an illness, yet there are historic and contemporary parallels which bring such an assumption into question. These are recorded instances of shamanism, throughout the world, in Western prehistory and even up to our own time. The one chosen for shamanism must suffer badly, for his/her soul is stolen by the black spirits, and their only hope is to rescue their soul and pay heed to a delicate balance which exists in the natural and the supernatural world.

The Shaman Sickness - Shamans from around the world talk about their periods of sickness.

Methods of gaining control used by apprentice shamans are of considerable help to people diagnosed as having schizophrenia. Drumming a repetitive beat on hand drums, long adventurous walks, rubbing stones together, painting or sculpting things seen in dreams, removal from society, immersion in the new consciousness, allow the schizophrenic to gain control of a chaotic consciousness, yet psychiatrists are far keener on prescribing debilitating medication which addresses symptoms and ignores the cause. For psychiatrists admit that they do not know the cause. They cannot say who will be touched by shamanism and who will not. Schizophrenia seems to run in families, so the link is believed to be genetic. Amongst tribal societies it is believed that the shaman ancestor spirits tend to favour their own bloodline. Only once an individual is in the grip of anti psychotic medication - which is very bad for you! - is s/he really schizophrenic, for they are being tugged helplessly at one end towards a state of empty normality by the medication, at the other towards the mystery which will not go away yet cannot be fully embraced. In comparison, an apprentice shaman is busy learning about the secret underside of life, gaining experience of natural magic and honing an ability to heal and concretise visions and be of use to his/her society.



The Reality of the Soul

"The only thing of value in a man is the soul. That is why it is the soul that is given everlasting life, either in the Land of the Sky or in the Underworld. The soul is man's greatest power; it is the soul that makes us human, but how it does so we do not know. Our flesh and blood, our body, is nothing but an envelope around our vital power."
Ikinilik, an Utkuhikjaling Inuit

The following is taken from Holger Kalweit's excellent Dreamtime and Inner Space: The World of the Shaman

Ideas about the nature of the soul are similar throughout the world. They are, in summary, as follows:

* The soul is described as wind, vapour, a shadow, an image, a sketch, a mirror image in water, a phantom, an outline, a reflection, an echo, a double, life-spirit, spirit, a will-o'-the-wisp, that which is immortal in all humans, a form, a similarity, an appearance, a representation, a half-light, breath.
* The soul is the life-principle, it can exist without a body, it is the pre-requisite of consciousness, The body only lives by virtue of the soul, is of secondary importance, and is completely dependent on it.
* When no soul is present the body is unconscious or as if dead. It continues to function in a purely mechanical manner, but is incapable of generating wakefulness. Comprehension declines and the body collapses. It is exhausted, weary and feels cold, growth is impeded, and so on. The soul is the source of health, strength and warmth.
* The soul is present throughout the body or only in certain parts of it, such as the head, the heart or the belly.
* The soul can leave the body through all bodily orifices, such as the mouth, the anus, the nose, the fontanelle, the ears, the eyes, or the navel.
* Under the following conditions the soul is disconnected from the body: during sleep, in dreams, in a state of shock, fear, or unconsciousness; in battle or when excited, during the delivery of a child, in illness, and during emotional fluctuations in general.
* The soul leaves the body some time before the actual moment of death.
* The return of the soul into the body is indicated by sneezing. A sleeping person should be woken up gently to avoid startling the soul, which might be away on a journey; this applies especially in the case of shamans.
* Some people can see a person's soul before that person dies; this is a sign of impending death. When someone dies, the spirits of his ancestors are awaiting the soul. When it has completely separated from the body the relatives accompany it on its journey to the Beyond.
* After death the soul remains for some time in a human environment, near or in the place where it lives, or by the graveside - sometimes until the body begins to decompose, but never after that. It then sets out on its journey to the Beyond.
* Defensive rituals are performed because people fear the soul of a dead person. All possessions of the deceased are destroyed so that nothing remains to remind him of his earthly existence and he can thus leave the world of man without becoming homesick. The soul or ghost of a person can cause fear and misfortune; but it can also bring good luck if used as a protecting spirit.
* A distinction is made between people who have only just died, ghosts or haunting spirits, and souls of the dead. A ghost, ie a lost or roaming soul, will walk abroad in the neighbourhood of the living. The soul that goes straight to the Beyond is called the dead-soul. It can enter people and possess them, and represents a temporary state. It has to pass through further states of existence in order to develop itself spiritually or finally dissolve completely.
* Both dead spirits and ghosts can become visible, frequently in human form, but more ethereal in appearance and surrounded by a phosphorescent aura of light. They can also reveal themselves as animals or in an amorphous form.
* The spirits of the dead can transcend space and thus are able to move from one place to another in no time. They are capable of taking on any shape. Soul substance adheres to fingernails, hair, excrement and saliva. These can therefore be used for all kinds of diagnostic purposes as well as for negatively influencing or affecting the person in question. The soul substance adheres to all things with which the soul has been in contact.
* The souls of children and sick people can easily be abducted by spirits of the dead. The soul is never safe against abduction by spirit beings. A soul can be recalled into a corpse by magic or sorcery. As a result of this a zombie comes into being.
* Before a battle the soul can leave the body and fight its enemy in a disembodied state.
* The shaman is the specialist of the soul; with his soul he is capable of healing but also of causing harm. It is visible only to seers and shamans.
* Because the soul is not bound by time and space, it receives information in an extrasensory and acausal manner. It can recognise objects over vast distances, journey quickly to remote countries, and associate with mythical beings. The soul knows the psyche of people.
* Since other beings and objects also have a soul, the human soul can establish contact with them.
* Man consists of a body, his life-force, his psyche and his soul. The life-force (vital soul) is identical with our bodily functions, such as the circulation of blood and energies as well as biochemical processes.

Many notions of magic may be derived from the idea of a subtle energy body. A summary:

1. Other living entities such as animals or plants - but in our understanding also dead bodies - have a second body, which is of a spiritual nature.
2. The cause of illnesses resides in the soul body. Healing must therefore concentrate on harmonising this soul body.
3. The Beyond, in which the soul lives, is subject to laws and conditions of space, time and causality known in our world, but at the same time embodied in the qualities and capabilities of the soul.
4. Since all material forms not only possess a soul body but at the same time are bearers of the spiritual essence - mana, power, ch'i, prana - our soul is directly connected with them: the soul and the ensouled universe are a whole.
5. By altering the structure of their consciousness, people of all cultures acquire access to the soul body, to the Beyond, and to a nonmaterial cosmic reservoir of energy.