Contemporary Czech Shamanism: A Case Study of Ritual Practice and Healing

Abstract

The article presents an overview of contemporary Czech shamanism based on field research into Czech shamanic communities that the author has been conducting since 2017. Despite the specific Czech distrust of ‘religion’ and ‘formalized ritualization’ in general, shamanism enjoys considerable popularity. Particular attention is paid to the concept of illnesses and shamanic treatment. It is argued that the shamanic ‘action approach’ to human adversity offers a relatively broad and attractive explanation as to what is experienced and performed during shamanic ritual. The second part of the paper is dedicated to shamanic ritual, i.e. the paraphernalia, ritual set and setting that create the space for ritual practice and also a safe-space for spontaneous communitas and the participant’s own understanding of this psychotherapeutic and religious experience. The final part examines the specifics of contemporary Czech shamanism in the pervasive discourse of modern western spirituality.