Oral Traditions in a Virtual World

Why Shamanism Now - A Practical Path to Authenticity

In an oral tradition no reproduction of the teaching is allowed in any form; not written, recorded, filmed, txted or put up on youtube. This is unimaginable today, yet some things remain inaccessible to us unless we are willing to engage in the old ways. “Traditionally,” host and shaman, Christina Pratt explain, “the form served the teachings. Today the student expects the form to serve him and in that to be fast, convenient, and cheap.” In an oral tradition the student must be present to learn and willing to be present again and again, to repeat the experience until the teachings are mastered. The US military found that experiential teaching is the most profound way to shape and transform the core of an individual. This is true in large part because the mind doesn’t distinguish clearly between visual realities and thus learns deeply in physical, virtual, and dream state realities. Is listening to a concert CD/DVD the same experience as witnessing a live performance? Can the virtual world replace the power of experiential, oral traditions or does the actual physical experience matter. And, does the teacher matter? What does the virtual world have to give back to the soul of the student?