What is a Shaman? And why I don’t call myself that.
Many people find my work by searching for a ‘London shaman’ — and the practices I offer do sit within that broad category of earth-centred healing. But I don’t personally use the title.
The word “shaman” comes from the Tungusic language in Siberia, where it was used to describe a specific kind of healer and spiritual intermediary.
Over time, anthropologists used it more broadly to describe similar roles in Indigenous cultures across the world. From there, it entered Western spiritual language.
Now, “Shamanism” is widely-used in modern spiritual and healing circles as an umbrella term for practices that non-institutional, nature-based, and experiential; involving altered states of consciousness, spirit communication, journeying, and working with plants.
In that sense, “Shamanism” encompasses a broad field of earth-based healing traditions - which is the kind of work I do
But while the word offers a helpful shorthand in the West, the origins of the word are specific. Using the title “shaman” can contribute to cultural appropriation, erasing the word’s original cultural framework.
Saying that… It’s not completely black and white. In Peru, many of the curanderos and curanderas (healers) casually call themselves shamans. As do many people in the UK who have done shamanic training. Even my own training is marketed as “Celtic shamanism.” It’s a widely recognised word… and it makes selling yourself much easier!
So I want to be clear that this blog post isn’t about virtue signalling. I have zero judgement towards anyone who self-describes as a shaman. One of my teachers even called me “The Rose Shaman,” and others have called me a “Rose Priestess.”
In the Celtic tradition, we use words like bean feasa (woman of knowledge), and seer. But I simply like the word guide.
This complexity around labels and lineages is also why I now work mostly with native plants within the Celtic tradition. The Amazonian traditions and the people (shamans!) who’ve brought those powerful healing practices to the West saved my life. I’ve studied within these lineages, and their teachings continue to inform my practice, but I also want to honour the land I live on and stay attuned to the cultural and ecological context I’m part of.
For me, everything comes down to our connection to Spirit. And, in these nature-based, “shamanic” practices all over the world, Nature is the portal through we can connect, heal and transform. The labels don’t really matter, yet from a human perspective it’s important to honour our unique human histories.
