Illumination in shamanism

One of my main points of interest is the need and necessity of illumination in shamanism. Normally this is not associated with shamanic traditions. But how are we to do right, and how are we to recognize The Path and be genuine healers, without having a connection to the Divine and our own awakened consciousness?

For shamanism to have relevance today this is hugely important, indispensible. Without this we are fooling ourselves and each others with power strategies and makebelief games.

Usually the models of awakening are thought to belong to spiritual traditions like buddhism and other eastern religions. But these traditions and their models very often carries their own flaws. They are typically strictly organized, hierarchical and full of expensive ceremonies and dogmas (and therefore egos).

The power of shamanism lies in it's closeness to the natural world and therefore natural living and the natural mind. This, in its essence and purity, has the potential to liberate us from guruism and other aspects of the modern world and it's immaturity and narscissisme. The wise elder, the seer and the shaman, in a traditional perspective, is somebodies grandfather or grandmother. Its is "just another human being", usually loved and respected because of their gifts and their pleasant atmosphere, but at the same time maybe seen as eccentric or as having certain idiosyncrasies, like any other human - or even more so.

This is already a path beyond the stereotypical thinking so common in the flat modern society governed by externalities and shallowness. The ambiguity, the acceptance (and expectance) of complexity, is in itself wisdom. It feeds the seed of wisdom in people, and the possibility to birth their own inner divinity. It also mirrors an awakened view of nature. The land in this ancient deep understanding is sacred, is divinity manifested. It is a mandala of holy forces. At the same time it is matter for us to use and employ when needed, although respectfully, mindfully.