Observations placeholder
Mircea Eliade - Initiation practises of the Wiradjuri people
Identifier
022981
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
In many shamanic observations a very pronounced link can be found between crystals and the ability to obtain both visionary experiences and also shamanic powers [healing, flying, prophecy, spell making etc].
During a shaman’s initiation for example, the teacher of the new shaman may figuratively introduce crystals into the shaman’s body in a ritual ceremony which mimics the act of placing crystals – usually quartz crystals – into the trainee’s body ………………..
Alternatively, both shamans may go into a trance state and the master in the vision, - a vision that they both share - or some other important spiritual entity, introduces spiritual/software crystals into the template body of the trainee shaman.
A description of the experience
Mircea Eliade – Shamanism Archaic techniques of ecstasy
Among the Wiradjuri the initiatory master introduces rock crystals into the apprentice’s body and makes him drink water in which such crystals have been placed, after this the apprentice succeeds in seeing spirits. The master then leads him to a grave, and the dead in the grave give him magical stones.................
Baiame [spiritual Supreme being] performs the initiation of young medicine men by sprinkling them with a ‘sacred powerful water’ which is supposed to be liquefied quartz. All this is as much as to say that one becomes a shaman when one is stuffed with ‘solidified light’ that is, with quartz crystals; this operation changes the initiands mode of being by making him mystically akin to the sky. He who swallows one of these crystals flies up to the sky