In the West, a growing interest in alternate therapies has led to a boom in the number of holistic doctors and energy workers, each offering up their special brand of culturally exotic services, counselling and remedies. Workshops, books and treks to foreign lands are also providing opportunities for us to be healed. Though some of the methods that have reached us trace their roots to African traditions, the roles and the techniques of the African shaman are quite unique, and notably different from those of any other continent.

While a Western healer might learn their trade, generally, a shaman within African society is often born into a family of healers. A couple of classes in Tarot readings will not qualify one as a healer. Particularly in West Africa, one’s family lineage will dictate whether one can practice this ancient trade or not. Part of the reason for this genetic prerequisite is that healing often involves the use of a specific type of energy, a kind of chi and karma rolled into one, known by various names throughout the continent. In West Africa, for example, those who are born with the ability to tame this universal life-force energy are known as ‘handlers’ of this power. Shamans are thought to be born with more potent quantities of this life-force that enable them to manipulate and utilise this energy for the benefit of the community.

In Africa, the shaman is doctor, pharmacist, counsellor, and spiritual advisor. Communicating with the spirits is key to acquiring a spiritual solution for an individual or community ailment. For the shaman, illness, misfortune or pain has a spiritual cure, and they provide the remedy through a variety of methods, including divination, herbs and prayer or chanting. Most processes begin with divination, which illuminates the source of the problem as well as reveals potential remedies. A diviner may then send a client on to a specialist who provides a specific remedy for the ailment. Visiting multiple healers is common practice, and it seems that receiving a second opinion is equally good practice among African shamans as it is among Western doctors.

The more widespread types of divination include cowry shell reading, sand reading and reading of the signs. Various cultures in Africa read the configuration of tossed cowry shells to gain an understanding of a situation. Sand drawing entails receiving divine guidance in designing and interpreting zigzags in the sand. Others may receive signs through the flights of birds, the configuration of herbs in a calabash of water, and a whole host of other creative methods that draw upon the elements of earth, water, fire or air. Gusts of wind, dancing flames and movements of the tides or streams can reveal a lot about the course of one’s fate.

Spirit visitation is a popular shaman technique found throughout the African continent. While Western images of spirit possession promote a negative spin on this ancient, sacred practice, it’s actually a helpful and non-threatening process that brings about unity and guidance for those in attendance. Usually, a community of gatherers invites a spirit to descend upon a chosen host, a healer, who embodies them and conveys their message. Dance, chanting, ritual masks and the burning of herbal concoctions set the stage for the visit and illuminate the community about ailments and problems that need immediate attention.

Often, members of these groups are bards, artisans or hunters. While a rap artist, goldsmith or deer hunter is not the typical image one conjures up of a healer, these are precisely the types of occupations of an African shaman. The bard is a master of communication, a healer with words, who can inspire wholeness, calm emotions and alleviate suffering. Bards or griots are also historians and keepers of knowledge. Analogous to a motivational speaker or charismatic evangelist who can command large audiences (along with hefty sums of money), a bard plays a similar role on much of the continent. Artisans carve ritual objects and talismans for healing, protection and good health. Often they work with various metals, woods and materials, all of which are imbued with potent levels of a life-force energy. The hunter is familiar with the wilderness, the domain of mystical creatures, spirits and herbal remedies. They work with stems, leaves, roots, flowers, animal bones, furs and claws to create various remedies for an assortment of ailments. Business going slow? Perhaps a talisman made of lizard skin might be the solution. Neighbour giving you the evil eye? Perhaps a leather amulet of herbs worn around the wrist will help. Invariably all major illnesses and pain require some type of animal sacrifice to appease the disruptive spirits who are the source of the grief or ailment.

In Africa, most shamans do not advertise their services. While a successful Western doctor might promote his services in various mediums, a quality shaman will be tucked away in an obscure location, making the journey to them as memorable as the visit itself. A reputable shaman is known in the community simply by her ability to serve successfully. One who cannot accurately predict, heal or remedy a situation will not receive clients.

Payment is often an exchange of energy, and does not always entail money. Perhaps a goat, a chicken or some tobacco is an appropriate gift to the shaman. Refreshingly, if the cure does not work, sometimes they will not even request payment. However, if they are successful and you walk out the door without proper reimbursement, you may find yourself with a host of new ailments that no Western doctor or reputable shaman could even begin to remedy. This is perhaps the most notable feature of an African shaman. As much as they can heal, they are also capable of exacting revenge. But don’t blame it directly on them. Blame it on the karmic energy that the shaman believes permeates the universe, pervades the African continent, and enables healing to occur.