Shamanism is neither a religion nor esotericism. It is the oldest form of spiritual practice humanity knows — and it lives on every continent. Sometimes under the name shaman. Sometimes as Yamabushi. Sometimes as Houngan. Always from the same source.
Shamanism is a spiritual practice documented across the world in which trained practitioners enter altered states of consciousness to make contact with spirit beings and non-ordinary realities. Its hallmarks are ritual, trance, ancestor work, power-animal practice and engagement with spiritual forces. Shamanism is attested in nearly every world culture — from Siberia to Haiti, from Egypt to Japan.
On Shamanic Worlds we present five of these traditions — each in its own light, each with its own depth. Dr. Mark Hosak has researched and practiced in all five for over thirty years. Eileen Wiesmann brings the lens of religious history, with a research focus on Daoist ritual in Japanese folk magic.
What all five traditions share: they do not see the world as object but as relationship. They work with spirits and ancestors. They use trance as a tool. They know power animals, plant spirits, and the powers of place. And they know — signs are real. What you sensed as a child was real.
Each tradition is its own continent of experience. One path does not fit everyone. Take your time — and listen to what draws you.
Iron will. Protection. Guidance. Wisdom. The Great Wolf as a companion of the soul · attested across three cultural regions: Ōkami in East Asia, golden jackal and Loup de Baron in Africa, Fenrir and the Wolf Cross in Northern Europe. A tradition for those who refuse to make themselves small.
Discover moreBaron Samedi at the threshold. Maman Brigitte at the fire. The Loa of the Ghede, Rada and Petwo families as living spirit beings. Afro-Caribbean tradition — powerful, concrete, ritually strict. For those who seek direct encounter rather than comforting imagery.
Discover moreShinto, Shugendō, Onmyōdō. Kami in trees and stones. The quiet magic of Japan — mountain ascetics on Mt. Kōya, shrines burning for a thousand years, the Onmyōji who worked with Shikigami. A tradition of soft precision.
Discover moreHorus as sun and moon. Ra as cleansing fire. Gods that are animals. Pharaoh as incarnation. Egyptian shamanism — barely anyone names it as such. And yet it is one of the oldest documented ways of touching the sacred.
Discover moreShamanic Daoism. Chanmi Qigong. Bagua Zhang. Taichi in spiritual context. The Chinese lineage of shamanic practice — breath, movement, inner alchemy. The path through the body into the subtle worlds.
Discover more
Different forms · the same core. Look closely and patterns appear that repeat themselves across continents.
The wolf across three cultural regions (Ōkami, golden jackal, Fenrir). Jaguar in the Amazon. Falcon in Egypt. Fox in Japan. The power animal is universal — only the form changes with the continent.
Baron Samedi in voodoo. Kami in Shinto. Yomi of the spirits of the dead. Ancestor reverence in Africa. Without a living connection to the ancestors, no living practice — on any continent.
The drum as the shaman's horse — among the Siberian Tungus and the Haitian houngans alike. Rhythm opens gates. Every tradition knows this.
Upper world · middle world · lower world. The cosmic tree in Siberia. The three realms in Daoism. The Duat underworld in ancient Egypt. A universal structure.
Comparative shamanism studies have documented these parallels since Mircea Eliade's foundational work “Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy” (1951). We practice what it describes.
Hub · beyond neo-paganism and esotericism.
Drum, breath, dance · how shamans enter the other world.
Beyond card decks · the power animal as a being.
The ancestors as living conversation partners.
How to build a living altar.
The free perception test shows you which abilities are laid down in you — and which tradition fits the way you perceive. After that, you know where to begin.
Three years of research at Kyoto University · 88-temple Shikoku pilgrimage on foot · ninjutsu lineage · over 30 years of practice in wolf shamanism, voodoo, Egyptian and Japanese shamanism. Author of “The Master Path of the Wolf Shamans,” “Shamanic Healing Drumming” and the international bestseller “The Big Book of Reiki Symbols.”
Religious historian focused on Daoist ritual in Japanese folk magic · significant experience at the Abe no Seimei shrine in Kyoto · spiritual practitioner and mentor for highly sensitive people.