Ah yes, but that's still a community; it's not one person using the spirits for his/her own benefit.
I suppose in that sense, no one who works with spirits is outside of a community, even if they're completely antisocial.
Even working for gain with spirits who help you do that, is still being a part of a community. After all, a corporate boss who is ruthless in his company and gets them to essentially work to make him richer... is still part of the community within his working environment. It's probably not a healthy community, it probably isn't very sustainable or nurturing, but... I'd hazard that it's still a community.
I think I've also heard of shamans that have been ostracised, but then usually their spirit/body/powers warp as a result if my awful memory serves.
Do you remember what cultures this is from? I'd be interested in looking that up. Whitehead says this isn't true for Kanaima in Guyana, and I believe this isn't true for Indigenous folk in at least one culture in Australia, but I'd be really interested in learning what sort of power a shaman would have that it would warp, post-ostracism (i.e. if they get a lot of their help or assistance from 'community' spirits over say land spirits or wights).
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branchandroot
Re: Rambling
Date: 2009-05-07 02:22 am (UTC)I suppose in that sense, no one who works with spirits is outside of a community, even if they're completely antisocial.
Even working for gain with spirits who help you do that, is still being a part of a community. After all, a corporate boss who is ruthless in his company and gets them to essentially work to make him richer... is still part of the community within his working environment. It's probably not a healthy community, it probably isn't very sustainable or nurturing, but... I'd hazard that it's still a community.
I think I've also heard of shamans that have been ostracised, but then usually their spirit/body/powers warp as a result if my awful memory serves.
Do you remember what cultures this is from? I'd be interested in looking that up. Whitehead says this isn't true for Kanaima in Guyana, and I believe this isn't true for Indigenous folk in at least one culture in Australia, but I'd be really interested in learning what sort of power a shaman would have that it would warp, post-ostracism (i.e. if they get a lot of their help or assistance from 'community' spirits over say land spirits or wights).