CHECK IT OUT GUYS, WE'RE SHAMANS!

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Sorry, a guest arrived RIGHT when I was posting that so I had to cut it short.

According to my instructor, anthropologically speaking, we are shamans because we are Holy Men™ who have direct access to our own Truths, making us, in a sense, religious specialists (for the purposes of an ethnographic study, which would recognize Discordianism as an informal religion). The distinction between a shaman and a priest is 1. that a priest is a full-time specialist and a shaman is a part-time specialist, and that 2. a priest may communicate with divinity but a shaman actually goes there.

We (by which I mean those of us who identify as Discordian Holy People in some way) all have other jobs, so we're part-time specialists, and we go there, in the form of "Being In the Spirit", "Taking it to the Wall", "Going to the End of the World", or "Saturday Night".

Furthermore, we offer advice and services to the common people. The fact that they may not appreciate said advice and services has no bearing.

Ergo, we are shamans in the ethnographic sense, and I think it's fairly predictable how Pagans will react to that news.

I feel a paper coming on.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

so, what was exactly the case for followers of trickster deities being anti-shamanistic?

Well, the dictionary defines a shaman as:

1.spiritual leader: a spiritual leader who is believed to have special powers such as prophecy and the ability to heal

So, while we have the "prophecy" thing down, we're not so good with the healing thing.

Hey, man. Sometimes healing hurts.

[Phox]

Sorry, a guest arrived RIGHT when I was posting that so I had to cut it short.

According to my instructor, anthropologically speaking, we are shamans because we are Holy Men™ who have direct access to our own Truths, making us, in a sense, religious specialists (for the purposes of an ethnographic study, which would recognize Discordianism as an informal religion). The distinction between a shaman and a priest is 1. that a priest is a full-time specialist and a shaman is a part-time specialist, and that 2. a priest may communicate with divinity but a shaman actually goes there.

We (by which I mean those of us who identify as Discordian Holy People in some way) all have other jobs, so we're part-time specialists, and we go there, in the form of "Being In the Spirit", "Taking it to the Wall", "Going to the End of the World", or "Saturday Night".

Furthermore, we offer advice and services to the common people. The fact that they may not appreciate said advice and services has no bearing.

Ergo, we are shamans in the ethnographic sense, and I think it's fairly predictable how Pagans will react to that news.

I feel a paper coming on.

I can accept this, and I will certainly abuse it. 

[Doktor Howl]

Sorry, a guest arrived RIGHT when I was posting that so I had to cut it short.

According to my instructor, anthropologically speaking, we are shamans because we are Holy Men™ who have direct access to our own Truths, making us, in a sense, religious specialists (for the purposes of an ethnographic study, which would recognize Discordianism as an informal religion). The distinction between a shaman and a priest is 1. that a priest is a full-time specialist and a shaman is a part-time specialist, and that 2. a priest may communicate with divinity but a shaman actually goes there.

We (by which I mean those of us who identify as Discordian Holy People in some way) all have other jobs, so we're part-time specialists, and we go there, in the form of "Being In the Spirit", "Taking it to the Wall", "Going to the End of the World", or "Saturday Night".

Furthermore, we offer advice and services to the common people. The fact that they may not appreciate said advice and services has no bearing.

Ergo, we are shamans in the ethnographic sense, and I think it's fairly predictable how Pagans will react to that news.

I feel a paper coming on.

Now we need to make the case that we're the only REALLY REAL Shamans in existence, and this is PERFECT troll fodder.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Does this mean I can legally eat a load of peyote and run about town gibbering about what I see?

[Doktor Howl]

Does this mean I can legally eat a load of peyote and run about town gibbering about what I see?

Unfortunately, no.  We live in a repressive society that does not recognize our spiritual truths.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Does this mean I can legally eat a load of peyote and run about town gibbering about what I see?

Unfortunately, no.  We live in a repressive society that does not recognize our spiritual truths.

Damn. What if we call ourselves Native Americans? I was born in America. Canada's America too.

[Doktor Howl]

Damn. What if we call ourselves Native Americans?

I am NOT wearing a pony tail, a tie-dye t shirt, shorts, and birkenstocks.  That is the REQUIRED uniform of the male Cherohonkey

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Damn. What if we call ourselves Native Americans?

I am NOT wearing a pony tail, a tie-dye t shirt, shorts, and birkenstocks.  That is the REQUIRED uniform of the male Cherohonkey

What if we say we're Algoncrackers instead?

[Cain]

I think I'll keep this thread in mind, the next time I'm stupidly gripped by the desire to transcribe something of possible interest.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Sorry, a guest arrived RIGHT when I was posting that so I had to cut it short.

According to my instructor, anthropologically speaking, we are shamans because we are Holy Men™ who have direct access to our own Truths, making us, in a sense, religious specialists (for the purposes of an ethnographic study, which would recognize Discordianism as an informal religion). The distinction between a shaman and a priest is 1. that a priest is a full-time specialist and a shaman is a part-time specialist, and that 2. a priest may communicate with divinity but a shaman actually goes there.

We (by which I mean those of us who identify as Discordian Holy People in some way) all have other jobs, so we're part-time specialists, and we go there, in the form of "Being In the Spirit", "Taking it to the Wall", "Going to the End of the World", or "Saturday Night".

Furthermore, we offer advice and services to the common people. The fact that they may not appreciate said advice and services has no bearing.

Ergo, we are shamans in the ethnographic sense, and I think it's fairly predictable how Pagans will react to that news.

I feel a paper coming on.

Now we need to make the case that we're the only REALLY REAL Shamans in existence, and this is PERFECT troll fodder.

Yes, oh yes.  We are the only authentic modern-day shamanic religion. The others already hate us because we have a fully cohesive religion, and now we get shamanism, too!

[Doktor Howl]

I think I'll keep this thread in mind, the next time I'm stupidly gripped by the desire to transcribe something of possible interest.

?

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Damn. What if we call ourselves Native Americans?

I am NOT wearing a pony tail, a tie-dye t shirt, shorts, and birkenstocks.  That is the REQUIRED uniform of the male Cherohonkey

What if we say we're Algoncrackers instead?

We're not pretending to be something else, or to ride on the coattails of other people's traditions. That's what makes us uniquely authentic compared to other neo-religions. Furthermore, we are a shamanic religion that has spread globally and has unique markers which identify us as a loosely cohesive cultural group.

[E.O.T.]

CAIN

          is most likely closer with the trickster analogy, in describing a fair bulk of spags. i would imagine that pd is a fairly mixed bag though too. tricksters get over identified and generally, the good which tricksters account for is often overlooked.shaman characters have a "cruel gardener" side as well and the trickster is not necessarily nefarious at all.  shaman the shaman and trickster are after all, addressing common concerns. 

IT'S

          like spags and libertarians.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Damn. What if we call ourselves Native Americans?

I am NOT wearing a pony tail, a tie-dye t shirt, shorts, and birkenstocks.  That is the REQUIRED uniform of the male Cherohonkey

What if we say we're Algoncrackers instead?

We're not pretending to be something else, or to ride on the coattails of other people's traditions. That's what makes us uniquely authentic compared to other neo-religions. Furthermore, we are a shamanic religion that has spread globally and has unique markers which identify us as a loosely cohesive cultural group.

huh. I haven't thought of Discordia along those lines before.