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Creativity and Shamanism
Despite the diverse forms of creative expression, a common thread unites them all, transcending their individual characteristics.
To illustrate the universal nature of creativity, I compare the approaches of a painter and a shaman. Though they use very different methods and mediums, there are some striking parallels in their creative processes.
THE PAINTER
The painter wakes up from a dream, lays there in the early morning light with eyes closed, recalling the details of the dream. Vivid symbols and metaphors from his night-time journey dance in his mind. As he reflects, a realization dawns – this dream isn’t just a fleeting nocturnal vision, but a powerful message waiting to be shared. And what better way to bring it to life than through his art?
He gradually crawls from his bed, setting out to brew his morning coffee, continuing to contemplate and visualize what he saw in the dream. When the coffee is brewed, he finds his way to his studio, ready to start painting what he saw and felt in the dream. He fixes paper on the easel, sets up his brushes and paint, then steps back and gazes for a few minutes at the blank surface, preparing to adorn it with the imagery handed to him as he slept.
After a couple of days of intense activity on the piece, he steps back and gazes at it, uncertain at first whether it will need more work before it is finished to his satisfaction. After a few minutes of contemplation, he declares out loud, “finito,” a ritual that he is familiar with, something he does after successfully finishing every painting. It will need to dry for a couple of days before he adds it to his other work, some of which is mounted on the walls throughout the house.
That night he sleeps undisturbed and dreamless, having consummated the familiar task of physically expressing his inspirations. Now he can rest until the next inspiration seeps into his consciousness.
THE SHAMAN
The shaman feels the tug of his spirit guides to create a blessing ceremony for his newborn niece.
He gathers his bandana, drum, candle, palo santo, and feathers to be used for the ceremony. He lights the candle and the palo santo, silently prays to the Creator and his Guides, then with the feathers and the smoke from the palo santo, brushes the smoke in each of the seven directions, honoring and thanking those Spirits that reside there.
He then sits on the floor and drums, embarking on a journey to receive guidance on how to proceed with the special ceremony he has been called to perform. He places the bandana that he always wears with any shamanic journeying or ceremony over his eyes. He drums a steady beat that induces an altered state of consciousness that sends him on his way. Bridging ordinary reality from non-ordinary reality, guided by one or more of his power animals, he finds himself in the Lower World and there meets his designated Teacher.
The Teacher guides the shaman in shaping the upcoming ritual, synthesizing fresh information from Spirit with the shaman’s past ceremonial experiences. After a few minutes he completes the journey, jots down a few notes to help him remember the details, states out loud a simple prayer of thanks to his “spiritual team,” and calls his brother and sister-in-law so they can help with the preparations.
Two days later, he joins them and a few other family members for the event. After some warm greetings, everyone gathers in a circle. The room grows quiet as the shaman enters the middle of the circle where the baby is resting quietly in her bassinet. He then shakes his rattle, encircling the baby three times, as he softly sings a song, thus indicating the blessings ceremony has officially begun.
For the next hour, the ceremony unfolds as each person takes turns softly whispering their personal blessings for the child. The shaman then proceeds to enact various other aspects of the ceremony. Once completed, the group thanks the shaman and continues to socialize, feeling that they have just been a part of something very special.
Whether it be the shamanic journey itself or the enactment of the guidance received from the journey, when compared with a template for the creative process, it becomes evident that shamanic realities and practices are innately creative. In addition, anyone who works in the shamanic realm can readily see how the creative process is intimately woven into the fabric of shamanism and shamanic practices.
Although there are different views of what defines creativity and the creative process, the process can be characterized as movement through four stages, although this is not always linear:
1) INSPIRATION — One definition is “a sudden intuition or idea, or something that arouses your desire to take action.” Another is “to breathe in Spirit.” In the examples above, a dream inspired the artist to such an extent that when he awakened, he was eager to get creative. The shaman was invited to facilitate the blessing ceremony, and this became the spark that prompted him to act. Inspiration can come from either internal or external sources, yet wisdom dictates that Spirit is always the driving force.
2) IMAGINATION — The spark of inspiration ignites the imagination, which is the bridge between the realm of the unseen, the world just behind the veil, and the beginning of bringing that inspiration into physical reality. Note that in the given examples, the creative flow, whether occurring spontaneously as happened with the artist, or within the relative structure of the shamanic journey, as happened with the shaman’s initial intent, is the start of bringing it into the tangible world of the senses.
3) IMPLEMENTATION — Now that the task has become clearer, the planning and preparation begin. The artist, armed with newfound inspiration, retreats to their studio to bring forth what was shown in the dream, while the shaman carefully arranges the ceremonial space based on what was revealed in the journey. Both gather their respective tools to fulfill the vision that was inspired.
4) ACTUALIZATION — This is when all that has come before as described in the first three phases comes to fruition. A project can take minutes, hours, days, weeks, even years to complete.
A great example of the inherent creativity in shamanic practice came from a friend of mine who was inspired to do woodwork, but not in the usual way. When presented with the inspiration to work with a specific piece of wood, he journeyed to the tree from which it came.
Through the process of the journey, he received specific information on how to create the piece. He then journeyed a second time, this time receiving an extensive message for the one who commissioned the work and would be caring for it.
Another shamanic practitioner/artist commented on her process of creating jewelry:
“In a shamanic journey in 2020, I was tasked to carve from wax and then cast four silver rings. Each ring honored an essential part of my journey to becoming a shamanic practitioner. Through my creative process, precious stones of the earth and gold’s perfect reflection of the creator’s light inspired me, and the four rings were born:
A ring in the shape of a domestic feline eye.
A moss agate ring showing my relationship to the trees and the things of the forest.
A turquoise ring with a bold design honoring the four directions and my relationship with the land.
And a golden ring representing my relationship with the creator.
These rings remind me that through this sacred act of creating, I reconnect and become part of creation itself.”
As you carry out any shamanic work, I invite you to be aware of these four stages, identifying how each one fits into the flow of the work. Creativity is the juice of Life!
