well the tribe is called shamanism, so you can be part of it even if you are only interested in shamanism.

look after this topic..if u wanna know the basic " I wanna know the real meaning"

And being interested in shamanism doesn't mean u are a shaman...is not a rule

i must respectfully bring to your attention that this appears to be a set up or trap of some sort to substantiate your negative ideas about people.

might be beneficial to ask yourself why you post and what you are trying to accomplish?

This raises the question, yet again, of what you consider to be a Shaman. I commune with spirits. I use various methods for healing and balancing out situations, yet I wasn't brought up in a "Shamanic" culture, so I never would have called myself a Shaman, but I think that is just some generic label. We are who we are, whether it comes across in an online forum or not. Just because we don't preach about our ancestors and our history and what we have been taught, doesn't mean that there isn't some natural instincts guiding us to commune with spirit, or the divine, or other energies and frequencies around us. Some of us just know how our world works, how we live our lives, how we heal ourselves and our loved ones, how we work at creating the best possible existence for ourselves. It comes from within and we recognize it as something sacred and special that was blessed upon us. I guess by your definitions, based on your previous posts about the seemingly strict guidelines of what you consider to be a Shaman, then I guess I am not a Shaman. But something brought me here, to this tribe, to share, to learn, to grow. Even the oldest, wisest person in the world still has more to learn, and thus more to teach. So we are all students of the Universe, of the great Shaman in the sky (cheesy, I know). And no one is better than anyone else. One may be more suited to perform a certain task more efficiently than another, but that doesn't make them a better person, or more deserving of beauty and happiness than the other. We are all perfect. We are all shamans over our own worlds, our own existence, our own minds.

Does one have to be an artist to enjoy art? My "job" is not to *be* a "shaman" and I can't afford the time to 24-7 talk to the spirits. I have bills to pay and a family to enjoy. The internet IS a spiritual tool, as we need not our bodies to communicate with one another. Therefore, I can check in here and read what others have learned; not so much to take "short cuts" in my own quests, but to feel reaffirmed in some ways, learn some things from others, partake in a community of like minds, and to get ideas.

Forgive me for being here if this is some exclusive club.

Bless our Kalona. Ultimately, his intentions are good. "Shaman" is a catchy sounding word and has been popularized by books on the subject. For me, it is someone who protects and heals people that he has an obligation to by asking spirit to intervene. Without an obligation the person cannot be considered a shaman; a mage or sage possibly but, not a shaman. Members of a tribe have an obligation to each other. As everyone's priorities change the strength of their shared obligations wane. That's why some tribes and marriages eventually split up. Also, when your obligations are weak to begin with you can change your priorities easier. Kalona was able to pick up and leave because he had no obligation to stay. Maybe he'll develop some healthier priorities. If you love with all your heart your obligations are more likely to be permanent. People stay married until they day they die and your shaman is the same one that helped your momma give birth to you and heal you when you got back from Iraq. So, if you have an obligation you would never give up you have an idea of the level of commitment a real shaman or medicine man has for his people. Aloha, Kahuna Lamaku.