Girl following 'spiritual coaches' goes missing, parents claim 'shamanism influence': All you need to know about ancient tradition

-

A case of a missing 17-year-old girl in Bengaluru has drawn attention on Twitter as the helpless parents believe that the teen, who has disappeared since 31 October, may have come under the influence of shamanism.

This incident has now raised questions about the practice of Shamanism.

The missing teen

According to an NDTV report, 17-year-old Anushka left her home in Bengaluru with two pairs of clothes and Rs 2,500 in cash. Two months later, neither her parents, nor do the police have any clue where she is.

Her parents have said that Anushka was a regular teen, but in days prior to her disappearance she had become a recluse.

"I took her to a counsellor. The behavioural changes we saw was she stopped talking to us, she was keeping to herself, restricted herself from household activities" Abhishek, her father was quoted as telling NDTV.

NDTV reported that Anushka had begun looking into the teachings of spiritual life coaches and psychedelic educators like Sahara Rose and Kamya Buch. Her parents suspect she was influenced by reading about shamanism online. She had reportedly spoken to her parents about wanting to pursue shamanism.

Bengaluru police say there were no CCTVs at the place where Anushka was said to have got dropped. They are probing her online activity.

Vinayak Patil, Deputy Commissioner of Police of Bengaluru North said, "We analysed her movement through CCTV cameras. Apart from her online activities which we could gather forensically, we are exploring her interest in the recent past. During this intervening period, she has not contacted anybody. We are looking at a huge database of CCTV."

What is Shamanism?

Shamanism is an ancient healing tradition and moreover, a way of life. It is a way to connect with nature and all of creation.

According to one description, in shamanism, specialists establish and maintain personalistic relations with specific spirit beings through the use of controlled and culturally scripted altered states of consciousness.

The term shamanism comes from the Manchu-Tungus word šaman. The noun is formed from the verb ša- ‘to know’; thus, a shaman is literally “one who knows.” The shamans recorded in historical ethnographies have included women, men, and transgender individuals of every age from middle childhood onward. Anthropologists coined this term and have used it to refer to the spiritual and ceremonial leaders among indigenous cultures worldwide.

It is generally agreed that shamanism originated among hunting-and-gathering cultures, and that it persisted within some herding and farming societies after the origins of agriculture.

It is often found in sync with animism, a belief system in which the world is home to a plethora of spirit-beings that may help or hinder human endeavours.

Shaman practice in India

The shaman has different names in different ethnic communities.

Like the Santals of Orrisa, West Bengal and Jharkhand call them an 'ojha'. Reportedly, Shamanism is prevalent among different tribes in Arunachal Pradesh. Every tribe in Arunachal Pradesh has its own kind of ritual expert for performing rites and sacrifices. Tani people, who trace their ancestry to Abo Tani, believe that the antiquity of Shamanism is as old as the emergence of humankind.

In fact, people from different professions are turning to shamanism for information and healing, giving rise to multiple shaman centres and workshops across the country.

Indonesia's tyrst with shamans

Shamans are very popular in Indonesia.

In fact, the country has several 'rain shamans' who are often hired to keep weddings, concerts, and even government events rain-free.

With inputs from agencies

Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,
India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.



from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/32vPU4q
FP Staff

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Both COVID-19 vaccine doses needed for good protection against B16172 variant

-
It’s been a concerning few weeks in the UK, with the B16172 variant first taking hold and then spreading to become dominant. This more infectious form of the virus, initially identified in India, is what we’re now going to have to live with – unless it is out-competed by another variant in the future. Worryingly, experts had predicted that B16172 might be able to escape some of the effects of vaccines, which if true would threaten to derail the UK’s plans to finish lifting restrictions from the end of June. However, Public Health England (PHE) has looked at the ability of various variants to evade immunity and says that the UK’s vaccines remain effective against the variants circulating, including B16172. On the surface, this looks like good news. But delve a bit deeper, and things get more complicated, says Paul Hunter, professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia. PHE’s research found a little drop-off in protection against B16172 among people who were fully vaccinated.
Read more

New coronavirus variant emerge in India: How should our COVID response change?

-
Image
After genome sequencing of over 10,000 COVID-19 cases in India, researchers have discovered a new variant with two new mutations which may be better at evading the immune system. In 15-20 percent of samples from the Indian state of Maharashtra (the state accounting for 62 percent of cases in the country) a new, double mutation in key areas of the virus has been detected. These are now known as the E484Q and L452R mutations. What makes the variant different? Both these mutations are concerning because they are located in a key portion of the virus – the spike protein – that it uses to penetrate human cells. Spike proteins attach via a “receptor binding domain”, meaning the virus can attach to receptors in our cells. These new mutations include changes to the spike protein that make it a “better fit” for human cells. This means the virus can gain entry more easily and multiply faster. Given what we have seen with other similar mutations , it might also make it harder for our immu
Read more

120 flights delayed, 30 trains running late; Delhi fog & cold wave continue to give shiver to travellers

-
Arrival and departure of 120 flights, both domestic and international, to Delhi airport were affected due to dense fog and cold wave conditions on Wednesday, according to Delhi Airport FIDS (Flight Information Display System). As per the Delhi Airport FIDS, a total of 53 flights, including 21 domestic arrivals, 16 domestic departures, 13 international departures and three international arrivals scheduled are cancelled and not operating due to fog and other operational reasons from and to Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in the national capital on 17 January. #WATCH | Delhi: Several flight operations delayed at IGI airport due to low visibility amid fog. pic.twitter.com/hG1DUKllEt — ANI (@ANI) January 17, 2024 Visuals from the Delhi airport showed passengers waiting outside, checking update of their scheduled flights. There were also some people waiting for flight of their families, friends and loved ones to arrive, which got delayed due to fog. #WATCH | Delhi | Pas
Read more