Hinduism and Shamanism

Many indigenous shamanic traditions throughout the world used to maintain a sacred connection to Nature. They had sacred sites in natural places which they revered and pilgrimaged to. They had spiritual healers and guides who served the community. They had knowledge of spiritual forces around them and certain customs and traditions and rituals centered around these forces. For them, "spiritual" and "natural" were synonymous; and they had access to certain spiritual realms and states of consciousness and lived in cooperation with certain natural forces which have been largely forgotten in modern society. They remained in contact with their ancestors and certain spiritual beings who guided their lives and guarded them in their work. 

They made regular offerings to appease various spiritual forces and they lived in accordance with the will of various benevolent forces in nature. They had a reverence for the fire and wind and the rivers and mountains. They were much more connected to nature and they were much more aware of spiritual forces around them. They viewed all of nature as a manifestation of the Supreme and worshipped God in Nature itself.

Today most indigenous cultures have lost their connection to the spirit of Nature to a large extent. They have abandoned the beliefs and traditions of their forefathers in favor of the ways of modern materialism. The people's respect and need for shamans has disappeared and so the shamans whose role it was to connect the people with the Divine forces of nature have vanished. These mystical shamans have been replaced in many cases by money hungry con-artists and drug pushers selling sex and narcotic herbs and other forms of worldly indulgence as an experience of other realms. Their true spiritual traditions having been denigrated and desecrated by the propaganda of imperialists, colonists, and evangelists, many have turned to black magic and find themselves connected to dark forces instead of to spiritual light. Yet the traditions of previous generations of ancestors remains in the form of stories of miracles, supernatural powers, astral travel, unseen forces, possession, hauntings, curses, angels, forest spirits, fairies, elves, dwarfs, gnomes, trolls, ghosts, vampires, demons, aliens, yetis, shape-shifters, mermaids, unicorns, dragons, and banshees. But the people who see these spiritual beings are no more and the shamans who helped the people to navigate the worlds of such spiritual forces have become extinct in much of the world today. Many major faiths have written off such spiritual experiences as heretical or superstitious, and many rational people have come to find the notion of receiving messages from the Universe or hearing God speak to them as delusional. Prayer has been transformed from an experience of communing with spiritual forces around oneself in Nature to a distant cry to an inactive and unresponsive divine Ruler. It is no wonder that many people around the world feel spiritually unplugged and are longing deeply to reconnect with the spiritual ways of their ancestors. ​

Many New Age practices aim at reconnecting with the spiritual forces our ancestors experienced. These modern practices are not however rooted in the beliefs and spiritual customs of our ancestors, and because they are being taught by the uninitiated, they are ineffective in most cases. Without some awakened shaman or guru to connect people to the higher vibrational forces around them in nature, many people are connecting inadvertently to dark forces instead. Hinduism is one living tradition which has maintained its spiritual connection to nature through the ages, despite the efforts of centuries of colonial rulers to errode and erase its traditions. By studying and practicing the living Hindu tradition, modern people can gain insight into other allied traditions otherwise lost to time in their native places.

The mystical awareness unlocked through the practices of the Hindu tradition can also give us mystical insight into the spiritual roots of the Abrahamic faiths, which have been losts as the early teachings of mysticism and spirituality have been by and large written out of their creeds. Mystical rituals and sacred chanting traditions which were previously passed down from one generation to the next, are being discontinued and forgotten in many spiritual traditions, and offerings for the angels and other spiritual beings are being neglected by humanity. This has caused a worldwide disconnect from spirit which has led to great suffering for humanity. 

This suffering has caused many people to hunger for true spiritual connection which they are seeking in various ways. Many well-intentioned, but misguided efforts to revive or revamp the ways of our ancestors have been attempted. Our ancestors received the teachings and traditions from their awakened ancestors. The father and mother initiated the son and daughter's spiritual practice and were able to do so on account of their own connection to the spirit of Nature. Modern people have lost an understanding of the crucial role of the shaman and have developed the delusion that they can initiate themselves or be initiated by the uninitiated. Without the blessing of their ancestors and some spiritually awakened guide in the physical realm that they experience, their effort to expand their spiritual awareness are dubious at best

Hinduism is one of the few of the major world religious traditions (along with possibly Taoism, Buddhism, Jainism and a few others) which has maintained its shamanistic roots and spiritual connection to nature. Hindus revere certain natural places like rivers, oceans, mountains, and large old trees.  We have particularly sacred trees (like Parijata). mountains (like Kailas), Lakes (like Manasarovara), and rivers (like the Ganges). Despite our reverence for certain especially sacred sites, we tend to revere all trees, mountains, lakes, rivers, and oceans as sacred. Our Sages have told us that the Vanadevas and Yakshas (forest spirits) are more active in these places.  We climb mountains to sit and meditate and commune with God and pray on the banks of rivers and dip in their cleansing waters to purify our pranic body. Even where a river or pond does not exist, we build temple tanks so that people can benefit from the purifying and healing power of water.  ​

We view all life as sacred. We hold the cow to be especially sacred (a gentle forthbringer of wealth and fortune). We view many other animals to be sacred including the crow (the harbinger of coming trials or misfortune and the granter of fortitude to endure such hardships), the elephant (a symbol of strength and success), the lion (the rulership and sheer power of God), the snake (the signifier of spiritual awakening), the eagle (the signifier of perseverance and its ultimate victory), and the bull (the tenacity and brute force required to connect with the Nature of the Divine). Many species of plants are considered sacred and used in nearly every prayer ceremony like the betel leaf, banana leaf, turmeric, sandalwood, camphor, coconuts, betel nuts, darbha grass, druva grass, bilva leaves, tulasi leaves, neem leaves, and mango leaves.  And plants themselves are sacred. 

They are all thought to have great healing powers which we believe comes to them from the Moon. We say the Soma plant is the Queen of herbs, and refer to the healing power within herbs as Soma, which is also a name for the Moon. Today, many Hindus keep a sacred tulasi plant growing near the door of the home and view her as a living Goddess whom they worship regularly to keep away negative forces and increase fortune. We live and work by the phases of the Moon and avoid certain inauspicious Moon phases for any auspicious ritual or undertaking. The founding of India after emancipation from British rule was timed astrologically and the colors of the India flag were selected intentionally to give strength to the Planets which were most benefic at that given moment.  ​​

We honor certain sacred times of the day and year. Millions of Hindus arise in the morning and bathe in a river and at the moment of Sunrise (and Sunset) offer prayers and libations to the Sun Goddess. We live and pray by the movements of the Sun and Moon and Planets, and observe certain sacred festivals when a particular Lunar or Solar transit occurs. We see God around us in time and within the forces of nature. We view certain forces of nature as sacred and worship them as Gods like the Sun /  Surya, the Moon / Chandra, Dawn / Ushas, Fire / Agni, Water / Apas, and Wind / Vayu. We have certain sacred chants revealed by our Sages passed down for countless generations to help in the case of poverty, obstacles, or bad relationships. We have rituals for healing and increasing spiritual connection. We have rituals to help carry the souls of the ancestors to the inner realms. 

There are certain simple mantras chanted at home by everyone and also specialized hymns and elaborate rituals which are performed by well trained priests. We make regular offerings for the ancestors for their blessings and to ensure their spiritual elevation. We respect the ancient Sages and elders in general, and look up to certain particularly wise elders for spiritual healing and guidance. Many such teachers and healers refer to omens, astrology, and other forms of divination to receive guidance from the Devas in order to know how to best serve the people. Such awakened souls act as guides and intercede for the people to speak to God through nature. ​​

Whenever we get a new house or ring or vehicle, we have priests bless it by offering fruits and water and flowers and fumigating it with various purifying herbs. The offerings made relate to the Natural Elements: Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Space. The priest invokes God into the house itself - since the Lord permeates all of Nature - and worship God manifest as the house, ring, or vehicle. Before construction, we make certain offerings to Mother Earth to help mitigate the bad effects of disturbing natural forces and spiritual beings dwelling around the land.  The orthodox make regular offerings at natural places to pacify certain malefic spiritual beings. Special amulets called torans are made from garlands of mango or banana leaves or woven from sacred grasses and hung over doors to prevent negative energy and spiritual forces from entering a home or business. 

Coconuts, pumpkins, cooked rice, or limes are offered to absorb negative energy from the home. Amulets made from limes and chili peppers are hung to avert dark forces.  We wear certain amulets made of sacred plants and metals and stones and seeds or shells or pearls or coral. We believe in the protective, the energizing, and the fortune bringing power of these sacred natural substances. We have mystical awareness of our subtle body and its connection to certain natural forces. The orthodox pierce the ears (and nose for women) in order to stimulate certain energetic points on the body and shave the sides of the head to draw awareness into subtler realms of the chakras of the head. We wear sacred substances like turmeric vermilion, sandalwood, mud from the ganges, and ash of cow dung on our forehead and arms and chest in certain designs which signify our lineage. 

Traditional women wear kumkum and turmeric on the feet for spiritual protection, and married women wear an alchemical preparation of mercuric vermillion at the parting of the hair for protection and fortune. Rings are worn on the toes to help increase fertility. Black collyrium made from lamp soot is used to mark the face of babies to protect them from demonic entities lurking nearby to hurt or kill them in their susceptible developmental years. Amulets are blessed with sacred hymns and kept where babies sleep to protect them from dark forces. Sacred threads are tied around the wrists of brothers by sisters to protect and bless them, and priests and gurus bless devotees in this way also.  A sacred thread is worn over the shoulder for initiated men after a grand spiritual initiation sacrament involving days of chanting. This thread is worn as a reminder of the man's vow to God and it is used in his daily prayer and meditations. We believe that nature has a way of returning energy to us and we try to help and please others in order to generate fortune and merit leading us to success and happiness.  ​​

We believe that we are connected to nature and see the forces of nature in the body. The power of digestion in the body is called agni (fire). The movements of the body are called vata (wind). The mind is seen to be connected to the Moon. Certain sacred mantras, songs, hand gestures, and physical postures have been passed down by which we can harness the forces of nature. Healing practices involve fasting and performing religious vows, spiritual rituals to avert evil forces, natural herbal remedies, and Ayurvedic treatments which rely upon an awareness of the subtle body and its components and their connection to certain natural forces. We believe in energy transferred by others through glaces and have many customs to protect ourselves from this and other negative spiritual energies around in the world. 

We avoid certain places and practices for their ability to open us to demonic entities and dark forces. We give certain herbal concoctions to children to protect them and to help them to grow strong and know natural herbal remedies passed down by our revered Sages to heal the full range of diseases. Women wear certain herbal preparations in the hair to calm their minds and to keep the hair from falling or graying. We have certain herbs we offer to the bodies of the dead to help their souls to exit this physical realm and reunite with spirit. We have certain rites of passage for various crucial points in development from birth, through childhood, and up to death. We greet each other saying namaste and bowing to the power of the Divine which is the Life of the life. We touch the feet of respected teachers and elders with the intention of receiving some of their wisdom through energy as it leaves their body through the feet. ​

There are too many countless examples to include in a short article like this. From those listed and many other examples, it is clear that Hinduism is one of the few major spiritual traditions in the world which has maintained such a profound connection to nature despite the pressure of worldwide evangelism and colonization. There is great wisdom in the Hindu tradition which is aligned with the shamanistic wisdom of the natural and spiritual world around us. It has been passed down through the generations from the original insight of the Sages.  Each region once had its own Sages, seers, gurus, and prophets keeping alive the tradition of shamanistic spiritualism which allowed people to see and commune with God in the forces of nature.

Hinduism is one of few major traditions like this which remains today unbroken. It understands the soul's connection to nature and it gives us a path for achieving worldly success and enjoyment while also liberating our souls from the cycle of birth and death. It leads us eventually to tapping into spiritual forces within ourselves which guide us through the forces of nature back to our Divine source. It does not have a dualistic view of the world and the Divine, but views these as one and the same. It believes in the unity of all souls and inspires peace and harmony for humanity by illuminating direct perception of this spiritual unity. Many traditions have stories of people communing with spiritual beings, and of spiritual healing, and mystical visions of spiritual beings and supernatural light. The ways of achieving these mystical experiences have been forgotten by most, and many people in the world are not often having these sorts of experiences today. ​

Many Hindu's lives are centered around their spiritual experiences which have come through years of disciplined practice of certain mystical techniques inherited from our ancestors. The living Hindu tradition has always maintained the teachings and practices which lead to these spiritual experiences. It has maintained a respect for elders and guides and gurus and ancestors which helps to empower the spiritual practices of the people. The people of different nations longing now for spiritual connection must turn to the ancient and living spiritual traditions like this in order to revitalize the spiritual connection which has been lost from their own traditions. It was not a mistake that Jesus' first act of teaching was to seek to be baptised by John. He was giving a teaching of the timeless principle that our spiritual awakening must be initiated by some spiritual awakened teacher already connected to the light we seek. Grace always comes from beyond for a soul caught in ignorance and egoism. It is not within the ability of the ego to transcend its own nature. For our awareness to expand, we must humble ourselves to faithfully follow the spiritual disciplines laid out by our ancestors and we must bow at the feet of a living master whose power to free us comes from beyond what binds us. Then only is it possible for us to come to know our own nature and to see that we transcend the body and its mind and senses. 

The human soul is a force of nature. It springs from the Divine prana which guides all movements in the universe. When we connect with its spirit, we see that we pervade all the universe and that nothing is apart from our inner nature which is one with the Divine throughout creation. The practices and customs which enabled people in the past to experience these spiritual truths have been abandoned by most of the world in modern times in favor of seeking more tangible seeming things in the physical realm. The spiritual traditions have been extinguished though many people profess that religion is a quite important aspect of their lives. They do not experience the spiritual things which are described in their scriptures. For them religion is an intellectual concept which has little bearing on their life or experience. Having become extinguished, their spiritual traditions cannot be rekindled without an active spark shared from one of the living traditions which has maintained its connection to the highest light of God. ​

Hindus do not wish to convert anyone to their views or practices. Our Sages have praised the diversity of beliefs and practices of various traditions as equally capable of leading people to Divine realization. Our ancient tradition does however have much to share which can help to revive the genuine essence of the mystical traditions which have become misunderstood and veiled by years of disuse. It is said that a single drop of rain will fall to Earth and follow the course of streams and rivers until eventually it merges with the infinite ocean. Each droplet must follow its own course. Not all rivers run in the same direction. But each droplet must follow a very specific course, laid out by the nature of the terrain it traverses. Hinduism has maintained knowledge of the lay of the land so to speak. Its beliefs and practices are deeply rooted in the mystical awarenesses of the ancient Sages about the soul's nature and its place within the natural world. It understands that nature originates in God and that God manifests in nature. In knowing our own nature, we come to know the nature of all the world and of God itself. This realization is our highest aspiration for us as embodied souls and the ultimate goal for all humanity. Knowledge of this truth frees us from suffering and from even death. ​

The practices to awaken this awareness are many and varied within the Hindu tradition. Thousands of years of wisdom have been built upon the realizations and traditions of previous generations and have been passed down through the millennia. There is no other tradition on Earth so ancient, vast and complex. The spiritual path is perhaps nowhere else understood and described in such elaborate detail by any other tradition on Earth. Hinduism is often referred to as the Mother of Religions. It is the most ancient continually practiced tradition in the world, yet it has also maintained an authentic connection to nature. It brings us wisdom of nature and how we fit into it. More importantly, it has maintained an unbroken lineage of awakened souls who from their own connection to Divine forces, can guide and empower the practice and spiritual attainments of sincere seekers. Through the living presence of such masters, the spiritual teachings come to life for seekers, so that they too can experience the sacred in nature around them.                                                                       ​