2 February 2024
Arctic Shamanic Journey into Psychedelic Realms
By Snow Raven (SUOR)
MAPS Bulletin: Volume XXXIII Number 3 • 2023
I was born and raised in the remote regions of Arctic Siberia, where the cold winds still whisper secrets of the past. My people, the Sakha, have lived in this frigid land, the northernmost settled region of Asia, for thousands of years. Over this time, the Sakha and their surrounding tribes, collectively called the Tungus, developed traditions and rituals to help them survive the unforgiving environment. We honor these practices still. And they are what inform my perspective on healing and psychedelics.
1. The Essence of Shamanism and its Relationship with Mental Health
The term “shamanism” derives from the Tungus word “saman.” Samans, or Shamans, are intermediaries between our world and the unseen realms, and negotiate with spirits, deities, extraterrestrials, and universal energies on behalf of their people. They possess the secret and sacred knowledge of plant medicines and alone are permitted to consume them for spiritual undertakings. The connection between shamanism and mental health is deep and multifaceted. Shamans are healers, addressing physical, emotional, and spiritual afflictions. They guide individuals through rituals and ceremonies that lead to altered states of consciousness, where profound insights and healing take root. However, the process of becoming a shaman involves a period of intense mental and sometimes physical pain called ettenii. Shamans are thus not only healers, but also intimately familiar with, one might even say educated by, disease and suffering.
2. Psychedelics through the Prism of Shamanism
Psychedelics today are sometimes called plant medicines, reflecting our trust that nature has an inherent ability to heal all ailments, especially those of the mind and spirit. Indigenous cultures understand altered states of consciousness are journeys between realms, and those indigenous groups that use psychedelics do so because they understand that psychedelics can facilitate these journeys. These indigenous tribes treasured the knowledge of how to use psychedelics for healing and crafted ceremonies to help these traditions be transmitted through the generations with reverence.
3. Sakha Shamanism: Natural Altered States and Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy
While some shamanic traditions incorporate entheogenic sacraments, others do not. For instance, the Sakha utilize natural techniques to produce altered states of consciousness. These techniques include dance, song, instrumental music, storytelling, and drawing, all expressed through improvisation. These techniques serve as a means to harness and work with the energy coursing through the body. When launched by these techniques into an ecstatic state of consciousness, the body becomes an empty vessel, a channel through which ancestors can be summoned, unlocking dormant skills and wisdom. The process of learning these techniques is also the means by which shamans heal from their ettenii.
4. Totem Animals and Ancestral Connection
Another technique used by shamans is mimicking the sounds of birds and animals. By this means they would invoke their ancient ancestors, and reconnect with the animal kingdom to which they believed they belonged. This was also a means by which Shamans summoned totem animals to awaken specific skills, offering support during their journeys through the realms.
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5. Ancestral Songs and Healing
During these shamanic journeys, songs from the shamans’ ancestral lineage would visit them. These songs would carry not only melodies but also the wounds and experiences of their forebears. By sitting with and processing them, they could imbibe the wisdom taught by these emotions.
6. Music as a Guide to the Spirit of the Land
The songs of indigenous people emerge from rhythms and melodies crafted by shamans during altered states. These melodies often encapsulate the spirit of the land and the map of the environment. Under the influence of certain substances, one can replicate these patterns, creating a resonance with the ancestral and natural world.
7. Singing for Survival and Pain Relief
Singing is not just an art; it is a survival skill. Sakha Shamanism teaches singing as a technique to endure excruciating pain, like winters that can plunge to -96°F (-72°C). Music serves as a balm for the soul and a means of survival.
8. Music: A Foundation for Healing
Indigenous cultures recognize the profound impact of music in facilitating transformative experiences. Music is regarded as not just assistive to, but the guiding force of the healing process. This resembles a common practice in Western psychedelic-assisted therapy, where carefully selected music guides individuals through their inner landscapes, helping them confront and process deep-seated emotions and trauma.
9. Instruments and Elemental Connection
Instruments crafted from materials found in the environment would deepen a shaman’s connection to the elements. Each note from such an instrument resonates with the earth, air, fire, and water, enhancing the shamanic experience and grounding it in the natural world.
10. The Mouth Harp as a Tool for Healing
The mouth harp, which is called khomus by the Sakha, plays a central role in healing. The mouth harp is a lamellophone instrument that consists of a vibrating “tongue” attached to a metal frame. To make music with it, you press the mouth harp to your lips and “sing” without voice as you pluck on the metal tongue. Thus, the music of voice and vibration are integrated into one sound. Spirit and substance are united. Because of its integration of two different musical notes, the mouth harp is used to guide Sakha healing ceremonies and help the soul on its journey navigate between worlds and mediate with the spirits encountered there. In my own experience, I have seen how the mouth harp can be a powerful tool for healing and unlocking creativity in psychedelic journeys.
11. The Indigenous Perspective on Healing and Creativity
For the Sakha, and many indigenous tribes, music is the primary medicine in healing ceremonies. Psychedelics, where used, act as an aid to the healing power of music. This is because the Sakha believe that humans are essentially creative spirits. And the goal of a healing ceremony is to restore a person’s creative energy. Music, therefore, is the perfect tool to effect this healing. It guides a person through the realms they must visit to heal their pain even as it includes them in a creative process. Healing is not, then, something one must do to accomplish one’s goals; it is the goal itself. It is a return to the creative process that is humankind’s source and purpose. The Indigenous perspectives on psychedelics, as reflected by the practices of Sakha shamanism and other indigenous communities, offer a cornucopia of healing modalities that transcend conventional approaches to mental health. By embracing these perspectives, we gain
access to a holistic framework that draws upon the wisdom of our ancestors, the healing potential of nature’s gifts, and the transformative power of music.
Snow Raven
SNOW RAVEN – SUOR, is a mystic hailing from one of the most remote and frigid regions on Earth, the Republic of Sakha – Yakutia. From the age of three, she delved into the language of birds and animals, giving her voice a unique quality that draws from the wellspring of traditional Sakha culture. She is the originator of “arctic beatbox” – a technique that uses the breath of reindeer, and the visionary behind the OLOX ecosystem, where many beliefs converge into a common truth.
Notably, SNOW RAVEN has graced international stages and festivals, including America’s Got Talent 2020, Lightning in the Bottle, Lost Lands, The Elements, Lucidity Festival, and Burning Man. She has also taken her ethereal sounds to renowned events like the Sundance Film Festival and Bioneers ECOconference. With an impressive resume and appearances at TEDx Vermont and Yale University, she continues to inspire and uplift audiences worldwide.
