Shamanism and Art: The Entry into an Inconspicuous Reality

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Shamanism has not been a concept with one succinct definition. However, there have been varying extents of specificity within the definition. Mircea Eliade defines shamanism as an archaic technique of ecstasy. In Graham Harvey’s Shamanism: A Reader, he does not unify to one specific construe of shamanism in his writings, preferably he establishes the ambit of controversy and diversity between various definitions to foresight the extent shamanism has in comparison to other definitions. Shamanism, History, and the State by Nicholas Thomas and Caroline Humphrey debate that people have been corrupted with finding one definition of shamanism that they no longer take into account the controversy within the definition. The authors argue that there are two aspects of shamanism that include power and knowledge. More over Atkinson in her writings Shamanisms Today gets ridiculed for defining shamanism in a broader sense. Atkinson defines shamanism as having two main concepts: the psychological state of shamans and the therapeutic value of shamanic healing. Atkinson thinks that the identification of shamanism in relation to altered states of consciousness has become so strong that the two terms are sometimes used interchangeably. To this point, it is learnt that shamanism has a broad range of definitions that begins with an altered state of consciousness and can be as specific as identifying the type of altered state, paradigmatic experiences and a shaman’s ultimate goal. The skepticism of the definition leads to the speculation that these traditions have an original source.
Shamanism can be viewed as a framework which works on different levels.
Every act in shamanism revolves around a knowledgeable individual that can be deemed a shaman. T...

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...pathways.
Humans have always struggled in expressing themselves and art is considered to be the ultimate form of human expression. As the famous quote goes, “Art is in the eye of the beholder.” This means that what some consider something another may not. Knowing this yes, there are aspect of shamanism in the art and aspects of art in shamanism, but not everyone may be able to visualize the relationship. Shamanism is a useful term, but it is universally renowned throughout the world just like art.

Works Cited

The Chauvet Cave. Experience Ardèche. Copyright 2014
The Chauvet Cave Paintings: The Oldest Known Cave Art on Earth. Anthropology and History. April 15th 2011.
Mircea Eliade in Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy
Graham Harvey’s Shamanism: A Reader
Shamanism, History, and the State by Nicholas Thomas and Caroline Humphrey
Atkinson. Shamanisms Today

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