Did you ever want to be a shaman? Are you a shaman?

I’ve looked at any number of shaman training courses around the country, and I think I’ve even been in workshops taught by people who said they were shaman, but I have never taken a formal course. I read Carlos Castaneda when I was a kid—about ten of the books. I’ve read stories about the drug trips that apprentices take and that some shamans take regularly. I’ve read about the rituals and traditions of shamans from many cultures.

Yeah. I’m interested.

I would like to know what you think a shaman is, and whether you ever wanted to be one. What do you think you need to do to be one? Do you think someone could be a shaman without taking formal shaman courses?

Are you a shaman? How did you become one? How do you recognize another shaman? It seems to me like there must be many pretenders out there. How do you know if someone is a shaman for real?