The Shamanic Christ
Though as a Pagan I have moved away from the Christianity within which I was raised, I still make room for the personality we call Christ and the stories surrounding him.
My path is based in shamanism and the animistic traditions of various tribal cultures. Both the subjects of tribal cultures and beliefs systems fascinate me, and over the last twenty-one years I’ve studied ancient stories and practices from cultures as far removed as the North Native Americans to the Australian Aborigines, from Druidry to Mongolian shamanism.
I wasn’t one of those children who simply hated going to church or wanted to rebel against my Christian upbringing; on the contrary, I was very devout and believed wholeheartedly in the teachings of the Bible. But as I began to take an interest in history, story, and culture as well as science, I began to feel that the only real relevance the Bible held for me was the teachings of Christ himself, both in sermon and in action.
The stories had such a profound effect on me that I decided to look at why. The first story I remember having such an effect was of Jesus walking into a synagogue, seeing the gambling tables and the obvious hypocrisy in the building, flying into a rage, and dismantling the tables. The fact that Christ could feel anger and express it in such a way proved his humanity; it made him more real than simply the son of an ethereal being.
As I looked at the stories and practices of other cultures, I began to see correspondences between these and the stories of Christ, in particular the similarities between Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection and that of the shamanic initiation experience. Also the fact that Jesus was born of a virgin echoed the births of other shamanic figures, gods, and demi-gods across the world, from Quetzalcoatl of the Inca, to Abai Geser of the Mongolians, and even to our own Myrddin (Merlin); all were born of virgins.
Let’s examine the shamanic initiation experience. The first and most striking thing one notices when reading books on the subject of shamanism, such as Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy (Pantheon Books, 1964) by Mircea Eliade, is that the experience varies little across the globe, even among cultures who supposedly never had contact with each other.123
During the experience, the initiate ascends to the heavens usually by climbing a tree. There, he or she is dismembered, ripped apart, torn to pieces, and yet feels no fear or pain. It is said that the initiate then dies, though this death is metaphorical. During this “death,” the initiate travels between the heavens and the underworld. The initiate learns all the skills he or she needs for journeying to the heavens or the underworld (the shamanic underworld is not a place of eternal torment; rather it is seen as the place to where all but the most remarkable of souls go). After this tuition ends, the initiate comes into a new life. He or she is said to be born as a shaman—someone who is able to remain in contact with the gods—to prophesy and to heal.
In the story of Christ’s crucifixion he is placed upon a cross, violently nailed to it, stabbed in the side by a spear, and forced to wear a crown of thorns. On this cross, after three hours (an incredibly significant number in many religions and faiths across the world), he dies. He spends three days in hell before ultimately coming back to life and ascending into heaven. From heaven he is able to talk to his community, guide and protect them.
There are of course glaring differences. For instance, Christ did not willingly climb his tree, and he remains in the heavens. But the similarities cannot be overlooked.
An old practice of the Lakota still used today also mirrors this story: the practice of the sundance. In the sundance, the practitioners go through immense physical pain and distress, literally piercing their bodies with hooks, or cutting their chests, backs, or arms to tie thongs through them. They are then suspended from a tree in some situations, such as Sitting Bull’s sundance before the battle of Little Bighorn in June 1876. The practitioner also cuts strips of his own flesh to offer to the Great Spirit (sometimes called wakan tanka, among many names). The object of the sundance varies; sometimes (as in the case of Sitting Bull) it is to ask the Great Spirit to bestow a great blessing, more than the average man could ask. Of course, Sitting Bull was praying that his people would not be slaughtered. In other cases, the sundance is used as a coming of age or initiatory rite. Once again we see the tree and the dismemberment.
Other practices, such as the Native American vision quest or the Australian Aborigine walkabout, echo Christ’s time of isolation in the wilderness.
From his outburst in the synagogue to his time in solitude, his ability to heal and transmute water to wine, Christ shows both unusual mannerisms and extraordinary abilities. The same can be said for shamanic initiates, many of whom “suffer” from “mental disturbances” such as depression, rage, “schizophrenia,” or epilepsy. In their youth, shamanic initiates show a preference for solitude, and are often marked for emotional outbursts.
I see Christ (as with Myrddin) as a great spirit guide, a shaman who has passed the greatest trial of all, surviving death in one way to achieve immortality. Through great wisdom, peace, and love, he teaches us how to be more compassionate and shows us through his stories how we too can enter a state of being intouch with the divine.
About the Author
James Carrington is an author, Druid, human rights activist, and active blogger. He gives workshops and talks on many areas of Shamanism and Druidry, and organises charity events and environmental action. He is the founder of the Grove of Yews, based in Buckinghamshire, and a member of both OBOD and the Loyal Arthurian Warband. His website can be found at www.thegroveofyews.blogspot.com