Observations placeholder
Mircea Eliade - Inuit - Ecstatic journeys for joy alone
Identifier
010949
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
A description of the experience
Mircea Eliade – Shamanism Archaic techniques of ecstasy
The shaman undertakes ecstatic journeys to the sky, to the land of the dead, for ‘joy alone’.
He has himself tied, as usual when he prepares for an ascent, and flies into the air; there he has long conversations with the dead and, on his return to earth, describes their life in the sky.
This fact shows the Eskimo shaman’s need of the ecstatic experience for its own sake and also explains his liking for solitude and meditation, his long dialogues with his helping spirits and his need for quiet
The source of the experience
InuitConcepts, symbols and science items
Concepts
Communication with a Spirit helperOut of body - willing a location
Out of body manoevering