The Witch As Shaman

A Livestream Class with Andras Corban-Arthen

Time and Room Not Chosen Yet for This Class

Among Western scholars, “shamans” are generally defined as spiritual practitioners – mostly among Indigenous peoples – who work for the benefit of their communities as healers, seers, magicians, and intermediaries with the spirit world and the ancestors. Conversely, many of those same scholars still use the term “witch” to describe the opposite: individuals who engage in magico-spiritual practices for their own personal gain and power, to the detriment of their communities. In the 1970s, Andras began studying the many interesting correspondences that exist between shamanism and witchcraft, leading to the conclusion that what eventually came to be called “witchcraft” may have been originally a form of European shamanism. In this program he will explore this connection and suggest ways for modern witches to deepen and expand their practices by incorporating elements from shamanism.