How Does Shamanism Work?

When I’ve asked the Q’ero, indigenous shaman from the Andes, this question, their answer has been surprisingly simple: all illness stems from an imbalance with the natural world. For them, living in the high Andes, it’s self-evident that you should have a conscious and healthy relationship with the local mountains, rivers, and lakes. Of course, that was in addition to the sun, moon, and stars above.

If your average Western asked me how shamanism worked and I replied, “I mediate your relationship with nature,” their reaction would range from unsatisfied to suspicious! But, in truth, that’s all I do. Granted, it’s a bit more sophisticated than that and requires skill and training, but that is the essence of my work.

Nature also includes you, which means my work examines people's relationship with themselves. In our modern era, that’s where most of my focus goes, though always within the context of the larger world around you. The Q’ero are masters of this process and have a very simple four-step structure for how their sessions are conducted:

1. Clear out all of your Hoocha (heavy energy)

2. Fill you back up with Sami (refined life-giving energy from nature)

3. Call back all the lost pieces of your soul (soul retrieval)

4. Call on the natural world to restore Ayni (right relationship)

Shamanism works by re-establishing your energy body to the rhythms of nature. Once done, the heavy energy will fade away, light will return, you’ll recover your wholeness, and feel restored to balance.

There are all sorts of nuanced layers, ranging from beautiful to downright spooky, but the bottom line is that all energy work can be placed into one of these four categories. Shamanism works by returning all your relationships to their proper place. From there, well-being follows.

If you're interested in experiencing energy medicine for yourself, I offer individual sessions tailored to your needs.