Aspies as Shamans ... and "Shaman's Disease"

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Very interesting.

Thanks! In an effort to find my own calling, I appreciate the observed position of autistic-like persons in native/indigenous "state of nature" communities. The "first epiphany" and "second epiphany" anecdotes hold a certain resonance.

Do you (or any commentators) know of any other anthropology-like resources or observations (scientific or not) around this topic? That is, the speculated roles and perceptions of autistic-like persons across global pre-modern (or even pre-feudal) communities?

(So far, I've only found this journal article which I may or may not purchase for $40: tinyurl dot com/qxg782p )

I dig this.

Reminds me of the Indigo Children theory.

Shamans, Indigo Children, witches, engineers, Aspies.. all the same thing.

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No for supporting trump. Because doing so is deplorable.

A shaman is a real person; they still exist in some cultures. And shaman-like professions have existed in most cultures, from herbalists and midwives to priests and practitioners of ritualistic magic. They're not just from stories.

I don't know whether an Aspie would get called a "shaman" in too many places. Maybe, if the cultural idea of a shaman matches the Aspie; maybe, if they learn a skill that shamans are supposed to be good at (I can definitely imagine an Aspie mentally cataloguing the plant life in the area and learning which ones have medicinal or recreational uses).

Some shamans apparently had schizophrenia, epilepsy, bipolar mania, etc.--conditions that give them sensory experiences most people don't have. Others were just eccentric or intelligent; or they were NTs who just picked up the profession like you'd pick up any other job. And I've heard about transgendered or homosexual individuals becoming shamans, too.

I dunno really whether there's any particular connection to autism. It's probably more like, autistics are unusual enough to have gotten swept up in the general tendency for unusual people to be given unusual jobs.

From my perspective I would strongly agree with the aspie/shaman connection. I am currently going through diagnosis and have a few sessions already and it is looking like I am on the spectrum just the positioning is being worked out. I have always been on the margins of society but always needed in times of difficulty by NT friends, family and work colleagues etc. I act as a middle man for arguments or advisor in times of trouble not through choice but default I am unaffected by the emotional aspects of the issues and so my advice/opinion seems to help people. I grew up in a very Christian family but never shared any beliefs other than I knew there is more to life than what we experience in what most would call reality. From a young age I had great interests in nature, science, the alternative views and the old religions/shamanistic traditions and as a teenager got involved in a wiccan group but again the dogmatic process frustrated. At that point I ventured out on my own to discover what I really believed and who I really am, I consequently got involved in psychedelics and mixing these substances with my view of reality made sense. I came to the conclusion before my 20's that reality is not real and that there are forces/energy controlling the direction of life. This resulted in be becoming a shaman to the people I got high with I never had bad trips and was at one with extended universe and entities I discovered. But with no real shamanistic training and in a very ordered society I became lost. No longer at one with my existence I feel out of contact with the energies controlling and guiding me . I grew up and life got serious the use of drugs stopped causing my ASD traits to become problematic, I suffer with depression, anxiety, my stims are more severe and mood swings are now as bad as they where when I was a hormonal teenager and I now get very overstimulated and "normal" life is a chore to endure not to enjoy. If we in the west had a similar belief system I would have a functional role in society, at the moment I am again marginalised in a dead end job where I am not understood and hold views grossly different from the NT world I struggle to live in. My weirdness does not have a use in fact it is a detriment to the normal functioning society around me, my views are extreme and not wanted. After a lot of reading I came to the realisation I need spiritual help in controlling the energies that dominate my experience, the loud overpowering noises, the flickering lights and colour, texture, taste, smell the other realm I experience that others ignore or simply don't see. While the NHS are doing the formal diagnosis and support to cope with real life they clearly are missing a very important tool that of the spirit. I think more work needs to be done in my learning how to respond accept and listen to the overwhelming stimulus we get from reality, to learn from what the universe chooses us to experience that it chooses others to ignore rather than finding new ways to suppress ignore and work around these socially unacceptable actions. I have always know I was different and there is a reason for it, ASD is not the reason it is a modern interpretation of the symptoms in a deterministic society that does not accept the other worldliness portion of human existence as it cannot be measured. I feel as though there is something else guiding my life in a direction different to the rest of society and the view of the shaman would agree.

I always could envisage myself living in a cave up a mountain with very little contact with the world at large.

That's not to say that I'm any kind of shaman by the way.

I can see the points being made in this post and I can agree to a great extent.

Thank you for this post. It is beautiful, honest and rings true. I am glad that it is so positive. I'm glad that it is full of healthy promotion and optimism.

We are taught too much to focus on our flaws and the things we struggle with (everyone has flaws whether neurotypical or neuro divergent) instead of embracing our greatest strengths and our reasons for being made this way.

I love this self affirming stuff. I need it to combat all the self destructive thoughts, feelings and perceptions.

We are not always recognised for our positives, our novelty, creativity and differences make us stand out and too often the focus is on making us fit in rather than helping us adapt, cope and understand our differences while also valuing how we stand out.

So. Thank you. I needed this more than you can know today. You have made all the difference.