Shamanism in Ancient China
Traces of earliest shamanism in China itself have been found in Yang-shao cultures c. 5000 BC. At Lung-shan (c. 3500 BC) archeological sites there is also some of the earliest evidence of shamanic practice. In their rituals they used masks, especially animal masks. Shamanism, originates from the Tungus people of Siberia, a region that shares a frontier with north China, where Neolithic settings, dating from 6,500 to 5,000 BC have been found. Linguistically the Tungus people are related to the Manchu. The Tungus culture had well developed agriculture, domestication of the dog and rudiments of pottery. A collection of poetry (Elegies of Ch'u) from c. 300 BC tells of shamans (women and men) who perfumed themselves in orchid water and while attired is the most elaborate and beautiful costumes, and danced to entice the gods down to their realm. The shamanic culture (post Neolithic) of China is mostly linked to the area south of the Yang-tze River. Mask,above Lung-shan culture, c. 3500-2000 BC.
Pan-po Neolithic Bowl, below, Shaman?
It was the shaman's responsibility to keep the River god, Ho (Yellow River) pacified so that there would be no flooding. In the court of Wu Ting of the Shang Dynasty, c. 1225 BC there must have been problems with drought for there are many records of the shaman making offerings for 
rain. The shaman might also ask about wind, earthquakes, crops, and hunts. The shaman would commune with spirits of the mountains and waters and seek assistance from his totem animal. The power animal could help in interpreting dreams or foresee danger and death. The totem could transport him while in his trance to other worlds. A common way of summoning the power animal was to ritually kill one such animal and release its spirit. Later the legendary Emperor Yu of the Xia Dynasty (c. 2,000-1600 BC) summoned his power animal, the Great Bear in order to harmonize heaven and earth and stop floods and other problems from the natural world.
The Shu peoples lived in what is modern day Szechwan and parts of Yunnan province in western China. Lao-tzu is said to have traveled there to learn the secrets of immortality. The area was remote and populated by tribes who practiced shamanism in accord with the ancient ways. One practitioner, Chang Tao-ling established a cult in Szechwan and southern China. He claimed that Lao-tzu had revealed to him powers to heal the sick and ward off evil. Chang used talismans which were pieces of yellow paper containing writing in red. The writings were themselves magic invocations to spirits and deities. In this way the power of the deity was channeled into the talisman. Talismanic rites became part of organized Taoist religion and was widely influential as an organized religion throughout China. (Left, above, talisman for constipation) (Right, above, a sorcerer of the Shu culture, c. 1100 BC.)
(below, shaman from Shang Dynasty, colorized, explicitly sexua, Toyoko Museuml)
Shamans also communicated with spirits and would be possessed by spirits. The wu shamans were noted for exorcism, fortune telling, rain making, and dream interpretation. The shamans who kept contact with mostly nature-related spirits at the ceremonies and sacrificed to them. In the Shang dynasty a shaman might himself be sacrificed, especially when there was a critical need for rain. In the chi or jiao sacrifice a shaman (or a sacred cripple) was burnt or exposed to the sun as a prayer for rain. Shamans were especially important in keeping away natural calamities and it must be for this reason that they bore the responsibility for droughts and were sacrificed.
Shamans would also actively intervene in the underworld to find out ways to trick the Lord of Death. Shamans often traveled to the other worlds to rescue the souls that had been lost by sick persons or performed exorcism rites to rid the body of evil spirits. The modern Taoist method of saving a lost soul for healing purposes is to be found in The Heavenly Way by Hua-Ching Ni which he says is an elucidation of Chapter 54 of the Tao Te Ching. Wu shamans were said to originated the practice of medicine. The Chinese character for doctor, yi, is a depiction of a feathered shaman dancing while holding a quiver full of arrows. According to Jhampa MacKenzie Stewart, the arrows "represented spiritual power, or righteous qi, to drive off evil influences." One can surmise that the shaman's arrows may have been acupuncture needles.
Shamanism had a tremendous impact on Taoism in all its forms. Lao Tzu was said to be a native of the state of Ch'u, a vassal state south of the Yang Tze River which was the stronghold of shamanic belief. There are many parallels between the powers ascribed to a shaman and an immortal or sage: Both are immune to poison, both travel across the stars, and have power over the elements and perform feats of incredible power. But with time, as Taoism became an organized religion that deified Lao Tzu, the rites and ceremonies of shamanism were either absorbed into Taoism or faded from memory only to live on in secret martial arts societies and a few mystical cults. Hexagram 51, above .
The ancient symbols of the serpent and the turtle together, which in ancient times belonged to the "black shaman" were so powerful that the command or imperial staff of the army always flew such a flag as part of the imperial escort.
The Shamanic Oracle of Change by Martin Palmer and James Ramsay is one of my treasured books. In divining the merit of this book the Sage gave the Hexagram 45, Gathering Positive Energy, which is unusually high and I would say the Sage recommends the book as well. The Heavenly Way by Hua Ching Ni is recommended for those interested in the healing arts. The Way of the Shaman by Michael Harner is a good basic treatement of the subject. The Shape of the Turtle, Myth, Art, and Cosmos in Early China by Sarah Allan speaks of the role of the shaman in ancient times.
Diviner's Notes on Hexagram 51: Speaks With Thunder!! If the third line changes , clairvoyant experience may occur . (first 2 lines belong to earth; second two lines, to human life; third two lines, to heaven) All hexagrams are read from the bottom up. In Ching terminology "thunder" means the voice of God usually coming through a person clairvoyantly.
From Siberian shamans we see that the principal instruments of the shaman were the drum and rattle. The repetition of the drum and rattle created an altered state of consciousness that allowed the shaman to travel to the Upper world or the Lower world. The shaman also sang and chanted in a monotonous yet rhythmical tone that would rise as the drumming and rattle rhythms become faster.
Intoxicants such as cannabis and alcohol are common. Sacred plants such nightshade, datura, belladonna, peyote and certain mushrooms such as psyllosybin and cubanis or their derivatives, depending on the geographical location, are also utilized. 
The dance is the principal way a shaman travels in his altered state. Today the Pace of Yu still is practiced in mystical Taoist sects and practitioners of the internal martial arts. The shamans of Tuva, a small Siberian country, among others, still perform the ancient ritual under the vast skies of Siberia and perhaps still feel the ceremony's awesome power and majesty. Left, American Indian shaman dances.
Shaman vs. Diviner
Shang Mask 
Some historians point to divination on bones as a form of shamanism. I cannot agree. A shaman is one who will go into the invisible worlds in order to change things by virtue of his magic and his ability to enter into other worlds and engage such beings as demons and evil spirits. The shaman takes an interventionist role. A diviner, on the other hand, "reads" the will of heaven. If the outcome is unfavorable, the diviner will try to show a more favorable result by the medium of divination. The line may be blurred, especially in ancient times, but a diviner is not a shaman. In other words, a diviner may see a flood coming and will divine that it will be favorable to move to higher ground. A shaman may see the flood coming and will travel to the flood gods and try to change their minds or do battle with the river demons.
1 comment:
thanks for describing my life as a primordial shaman
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