Since we have chosen to play the scientific game, most of the time we have to sail in safe waters in order to return to our familiar port. Psychiatrists used to lock up people who ventured into unknown waters and lost their way back, now they give them drugs to deaden their awareness (put their brain chemicals back in "balance" and allow them to "cope"). Most of us seem to have a fear of sailing into the uncharted sea of irrationality. Author Robert M. Pirsig called it flat earth reasoning �?"If you sail too far, you'll fall off the edge!" �?it's scary stuff.

Logic can be one of our most valuable tools. If you are playing a game, it is often useful to follow the rules. It's not hard to find people who expound theories that are inconsistent or incomplete within the axiomatic system they are using. There is no law that says you can't use your head. To scientists, logic is crucial to the game. They don't have much sympathy for those who don't use their heads. Some scientists see pseudo-scientific theories as a dire threat to the well being of an ignorant misguided public that needs to be protected from Nonsense before damage is done. The damage sometimes happens, but the scientist's emotional response is weakened by his lack of understanding of the basic assumptions behind his "facts". The shaman is trained to play with assumptions and can't help looking for assumptions behind a logical (or illogical) statement.

One tenet of the scientific method that scientists sometimes try to follow is to not decide on an answer before you start �?suspecting an answer is different than expecting an answer. This isn't practical for a shaman since he pretends that beliefs precede perception. Science takes a conservative approach to phenomena. Something is suspect until the mechanism for its existence is known. This helps eliminate "false" data and places the burden of proof on the observer. It also tends to eliminate innovative ideas.

I won't insult your intelligence by pointing out the obvious logical flaws in such pop-science homilies as "Occam's Razor", "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence", etc. (as they are usually applied). You can find many discussions exposing the fallacies of these pseudo-scientific methods if you care to look.

A shaman doesn't take these recreational scientific games seriously: explanations are only models �?shamans are interested more in the value something has.

How fast a belief becomes generally accepted depends on the generally accepted authority of the people who already hold the new belief. The acceptance usually starts within the scope of a specialized field and spreads out from there. If an unusual phenomenon is observed by more and more people, belief in it may increase until the normal world view includes the phenomenon. Science can then stop rejecting the unusual observation and start explaining it in ordinary ways. "Obviously, the world was that way all along." �?History is a handy tool for confirming our beliefs.

A shaman realizes these ideas about the way the world works are only arbitrary points of view. A self-proclaimed Rational Man has no difficulty devising other explanations. We choose different viewpoints based on emotions ("It feels right") or faith ("It IS") �?Unless, of course, you are the first Rational Man in history who has honesty answered my challenge and has disproved the shaman's whimsical point of view that what we experience is a result of our beliefs.

A shaman is the ultimate practical person since he has no emotional attachment to his ideas: a shaman will use any method that produces the desired result. It's the results that count, not some Sacred Method. But note, one of the many meanings of the Hawaiian word "pono" is harmony. It implies that the means determine the end (not - the end justifies the means!): if you want a peaceful loving outcome, use peaceful loving means.

What the shaman thousands of years ago did with this understanding of belief systems was subtle and surprising: if our belief system is unprovable, can we change our core beliefs and Construct another world view?

Once the shaman gets over the psychological block that "this is somehow cheating", the shaman finds it is possible to change one's world view. The first shaman probably went no further than this; changed to another world view and stayed in that other world.

Some time in the evolution of shamanism someone observed that different world views have different advantages �?some belief systems are more effective under some conditions than other systems. This shaman may have asked something like, "Would it be 'cheating' if I were to change world views based on how effectively they accomplish what I want to do?" This person was the first true shaman.

Don't get the idea that a shaman is "pretending", although this can be a good way to start in a desired direction. Pretending is a power of the intellect �?to get results, the shaman must Know in the present moment that the world is really "this way".

To the shaman this isn't just an intellectual exercise �?if our beliefs determine our perception of the world, then those perceptions obviously are what is "out there". The concrete unchanging world changes in step with the accepted thoughts of the people who make up that world. Surprising new discoveries don't reveal previously hidden facts about the world, they reveal a shift in beliefs. If the concrete unchanging world, as we KNOW it to be, proves our world view, who can tell the difference between a view of the world and the real world "out there"?

We build a Model or we accept someone else's model and make it part of ourselves. We don't recognize the model for what it is �?just a model. We confuse it with "reality". The model acquires a life of its own and we build logical skyscrapers on a mound of "facts". Sometimes the results can be tragic: the Inquisition had the glorious goal of saving a person's Immortal Soul at the expense of that person's unimportant mortal body. Sometimes the result only affects ourselves. Sometimes we accept the teachings of people who sound Wise when they talk or write about their own logical skyscrapers. The teaching, whether temporal or spiritual, may have its own share of wisdom, but it's only a model.

To a shaman, reality is what we make it to be. A shaman will accept a particular reality at some particular moment, but a part of himself will retain the view that it is only a model. He is then able to view that reality from a more universal point of view. A shaman looks at things in a relativistic way. This can widen his viewpoint and allow him to discover assumptions hidden from a person who looks at his beliefs in an absolute way. This viewpoint has the advantage of helping the shaman perceive the value and limitation of that model. It allows him to substitute aspects of other models into his current model without shame.

Jainism has a technique that someone described as "peeling away the layers of an onion": ask �?"Who am I?"; answer �?"I am �?; then �?"I am not that!"; ask again; ever getting closer to the core. Try looking for the assumptions behind one of your beliefs; reduce the assumptions to a few core beliefs; then look at your surface belief with new understanding. You may be surprised.

Things that start with "The" are not shamanistic ways of thinking. Sometimes these things are described as "The Law of "... Thermodynamics, Karma, etc. The law is logical and useful or people wouldn't bother with it. But to a shaman it is limiting. It involves placing power outside of yourself and makes you more helpless: "It is The Law and since that is the way things are, we have to work with it."

"But something either exists or doesn't exist, right? There are no other options." �?If this seems reasonable, perhaps you need to become more aware of your world view. Not all questions can be answered yes or no. An indeterminate question can have a value of its own.

A shaman tries to become more effective by increasing his ability to use inner power. To a shaman, the source of inner power is infinite and abundantly available to everyone �?We don't need to increase or "build up" something that is infinite, we need to discover our freedom to consciously use it. Power is the ability to accomplish something. In physics, it is the rate of doing work. For a shaman, it is an Effect of confidence and authority. The Hawaiian word for this is "mana", a word that is often confused with "energy". A better, common meaning of "mana" is "divine power" �?not in the Judeo-Christian sense, but in the sense that everything is divine �?It's only a definition and all definitions are only attempts to avoid confusion.

Work is the effort applied in accomplishing something: force is applied to transfer energy. We transfer energy with our intent and focus. Energy is the strength or capacity to do work. In Hawaiian, the words "ki" or "ti" have an inner meaning of energy �?Compare the word "ki" to the Japanese word "ki" or the Chinese word "chi". Polynesian kupua (shamans) thought of "ki" in a way similar to what some people call "life force". To physicists, energy, force, work, and power are related to each other as a result of these interactions, and the universe is the result of a small number of metaphors they call primary "forces" (gravity, electro-magnetism, and strong and weak atomic forces). A shaman thinks of things and the relationship between things as an interaction of the metaphor of the one primeval "force" that he/she calls "energy". Becoming aware of these interactions is the path to using inner power.

I leave it to you to speculate on what effects changing a world view might have for someone's personal reality and what value might be gained from it. �?notice I avoid saying what is or is not "true". Everyone's world view is unique; the differences come in all colors, shapes and sizes. You might consider that a new world view implies creating a new personal universe. Or assume that something is left behind after such a universe has been created: Can you visit other universes created by shamans, or other people, or yourself, or "others" in the near or distant past? I am using "past" here as a term of convenience and not stating that time does or does not exist. (I am adding these interruptions to the flow of the text not to irritate you, but to remind you to think like a shaman.) Consider the idea that our shared, familiar and "normal" universe may be continually branching into different, perceived shared universes �?usually shared only among the inhabitants of their own particular universe. (Do you choose which branch you take?) This is a shamanistic viewpoint that has an echo in modern science.

This may get you started �?you can dream as many dreams as you want �?but don't pretend you know that this is a waste of time until you have tried it. You may have noticed what I have implied already: the "reality" of the existence of any universe including our own "normal" one is not necessarily a part of the value someone receives from a personal experience. To a shaman, the only relationship that value has to "reality" is what we make it to be ... so why make "trueness" such a big deal?

Escape on a voyage of fantasy using your imagination (one of the few true powers we possess). You may experience some surprising things. By sailing off the edge of the flat earth you can look back and see its "true" shape. Just don't tell your friends or they will try heal your madness, or roll their eyes and snicker behind your back �?after all, this isn't some primitive stone age society, we have advanced beyond that, haven't we?

If you think you have a rational mind, you need to become more aware of the mind games that are always playing inside ourselves. A rational approach to things is often a very useful tool. But becoming more aware can give you the freedom to choose which tool you want to use. If you aren't aware of any valid options, you have no choice. You are stuck with one tool. Think about listening to music: you can think about counterpoint, harmony, structure; or you can dance; or be carried away with emotion; or just feel the beat�?All are valid, useful and enjoyable ways of listening to music. You have a choice.

The most effective world view is often the world view of someone the shaman is trying to help �?a shaman is a healer of mind, body and circumstance. Observe the different tools shamans use in different societies. A shaman often finds power in accepting the world as it "exists" rather than trying to change it.

A person can have shamanistic ideas about "reality", but without a commitment to healing, that person is not a shaman. The word "sorcerer" is sometimes used to describe someone who changes world views to obtain personal power.

A shaman views health as a creation of the patient. A shaman, M.D., counselor, therapist or whoever, can only assist a patient: healing comes from within. The most important part of a healer's job is to convince the patients that a healing is actually taking place �?through shamanic journeying, surgery, pills, counseling, or whatever. The other part is assisting the patients heal themselves, through journeying, surgery, pills, counseling, or whatever. Some shamans may say the "convincing" part is the only part �?beliefs precede reality �?and a shaman is a realist (as a shaman defines it). Other "realists" would say shamanism is far removed from "realism". Other healers may have their own ideas about their role�?

One healing technique sometimes used by shamans in some parts of the world is what is now popularly called "soul retrieval". A shaman views the world in several ways. One effective way is to view the world as if everything is separate. This is the way most people view the world. "Soul retrieval" can only take place in a world where things are separate. A soul can't be separated in a world where things are connected or things share a "oneness". But a shaman may think of this as a useful tool when the patient is convinced that his or her soul needs "retrieving". An effective shaman would never suggest this as a new concept for the patient �?unless this is the only healing technique you know, why create additional problems?

To a shaman, healing is more than helping unhealthy people. It sometimes seems as if life, things and events all strive towards their Own idea of perfect health. A shaman tries to become aware of the goals of anyone or anything he or she is trying to cooperate with.

A shaman has a background that can't be completely discarded. A shaman has a faith in something that he or she can't or doesn't want to change. We all have faith in our own gods (our ideas), or faith in God (theist), or faith in the non-existence of God (atheist), or faith in our lack of faith in God (agnostic). Atheist are fond of saying that they aren't saying that God doesn't exist, they are saying that they don't believe in God �?either way they are professing their faith. An agnostic is basically saying, "I don't know." or even, "No one knows." �?That is the convenient intellectual camouflage we often use to conceal faith in our basic beliefs from ourselves. Some would include with agnostics, those who instead of professing their faith, imagine themselves as rational believers ("Here is the Evidence�?). Many would say that at some inner level we are all theists.

Explore the assumptions beneath "I don't know." or "Who knows?" There are many ways to learn. To discover the most valuable things, we don't need teachers �?we all know more about things than we think we do.

A shaman doesn't completely switch world views. To be effective, a world view only has to be adopted to the extent that results change. Everyone can observe this �?notice how many people pass by with smiles when you are happy �?and how many have frowns when you are grumpy. It's easy to explain: "It's only our perception."

Is our shared physical world real? �?To a shaman, our normal world holds a legitimate and influential place among many other real worlds as the result of so many people experiencing it. A shaman doesn't think of the "physical" world as illusion in the sense of what some Eastern philosophies call a veil or maya. A shaman often does not even distinguish between "physical" and "spiritual": so it is meaningless to say one is "better" than the other.

Usually shamans view the world as if we are all connected. As a result, everyone's world view is affected by everyone else's beliefs. After all, if a baby rolls off the couch, he or she will land on the floor: it doesn't seem to matter what the baby believes about gravity, it only seems to matter what the observer believes. That's why a shaman has better things to do than try to fly. Doing things like trying to fly is a lot of work (most people believe in gravity) and indicates you have some need to prove your power �?if you have power you don't have to prove it to yourself (you already know) or prove it to someone else (important only if you lack real power).

Starting from a knowledge of how a shaman views the world, the tools a shaman uses are seen as logical applications of that world view. You can test my definition of what a shaman is: the things that a shaman does, follow from working with different world views. Try this by looking at what shamans do from the perspective of belief systems and you won't have to take my word for it.