Observations placeholder
Michael Harner - Australian Aborigine - Murngin
Identifier
001988
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
One could argue that all cultures use dreaming as one technique, but Australian Aborigines treat dreaming with some seriousness and both study and interpret their dreams.
A description of the experience
The Way of the Shaman – Michael Harner
Since one’s guardian spirit, or even one’s soul, can be off wandering while one is asleep, great care is often taken in primitive cultures to awaken persons gently. Thus, among such widely separated shamanic cultures as the Murngin of Australia and the Warao of South America, it is commonly considered dangerous to be wakened suddenly.
The Murngin apparently view this as a danger in the daytime as well as night
‘During the hot afternoon the men frequently sleep in the shade, and if it becomes necessary to waken one of them, this is never done hurriedly but with great gentleness and care….. Needless to say, the use of an alarm clock is not shamanically healthy. In fact, sometimes it is customary not to wake sleeping shaman at all.