Final answer:
A shaman is a healer who engages in shamanism by traversing between cosmic realms to connect with spirits and gain knowledge for healing and guidance. Their practice involves rituals and journeys that allow them to communicate with supernatural forces.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Role and Nature of Shamanism:- The healer who travels between cosmic realms, visiting the spirit world to gain knowledge and enlist the aid of animal spirits is known as a shaman. The practice tied to this role is called shamanism. A shaman engages in spiritual journeys to connect with the supernatural, often utilizing rituals such as dance, trance, and the use of hallucinogenic substances. This transcending experience allows shamans to perform critical communal roles such as healing the sick by discovering spiritual causes of illness, locating lost people or animals, and providing guidance through divination.
Shamanic traditions also encompass the belief in power animals or spirit guides, like the pawakan, which is seen in various indigenous cultures. Such animal spirits can offer wisdom or protection to the shaman during their journeys. Shamanism is not exclusive to any single region; it is a global phenomenon with variations seen across many cultures and religions, including practices such as the laying on of hands in Christianity and Sufi whirling in Islam.
In many societies, shamanism is both a healing practice and a religious belief system that recognizes the interconnectedness of natural and supernatural realms. Individuals who are shamans typically have either inherited their abilities or learned them through rigorous training. They are part-time religious practitioners who fully participate in their communities' daily life and work.