The shaman flows between forms of existence like a whale.
Media, Magazín: Metro, Autor článku: KRISTÝNA ŠMEJKALOVÁ, 1. ledna 2022
The Modern Shaman: "A shaman can be hard to recognize at first glance," says Jitka Mandalam
People often call her "the Indian woman" or "shaman." Jitka Čulíková, now known as Jitka Mandalam, graduated from Palacký University in Olomouc with a focus on experiential pedagogy. She then turned her attention to studying and practicing yoga. Her journey led her to the distant Pacific, where she spent some time with indigenous people. Their wisdom continues to spread through her teachings.
You teach about shamanism in your courses. Could you explain what this concept means?
When it comes to theoretical knowledge of shamanism, I mostly rely on literature, with Mircea Eliade's books having a significant influence on me. According to his many years of research, shamanism is a Siberian religion, and the term "shaman" reached us through Russian. Since the early 20th century, ethnologists and others have used the term "shaman" almost synonymously with terms like medicine man, wizard, or magician. Shamans were individuals with certain abilities, a magnetic personality, those who could heal, lead communities, motivate, inspire, and heal. I use the term "shamanism" for simplicity. It's already established in our culture, and people have a general understanding of it. A more precise term that I use and teach, together with John Hawken, is the "medicine path." The medicine path is about developing our inner strength, which is our medicine.
Can you imagine a shaman healing in a hut? What does the modern approach to shamanism look like?
People sometimes call me "shamaness" or "sexy shamaness," as I also work with Fire Medicine, which is the Native American term for tantra, or the art of developing and cultivating our sexual power as medicine. Look at me; perhaps a modern shaman looks just like me. You may not even recognize them at first glance among other people. I have always considered the ideal shaman – or Native American shaman – someone who is in harmony with themselves and their surroundings, someone who knows how to live in nature, survive anywhere, and live consciously and beautifully. They are free and detached from everything. They are kind and show respect to all living beings. They develop and cultivate their energy. They inspire, motivate, and highlight others' strengths. They expand consciousness and provide different perspectives. They can flow between realities, like a whale, flowing between forms of existence, between the world of the ocean and the starry sky, where the line between them is very thin – just the thread of water's surface and the air in shared space.
Do you know someone like this?
I have considered my yoga master and teacher, Swami Mahéśvarānanda, Professor Krátký at Palacký University, and also John Hawken, who helped me navigate my life journey, to be such shamans. Now, I guide people through shamanic training together with John. For me, shamans are those who carry deep beauty, playfulness, contentment, and passion. And also humanity and the art of making mistakes.
You spent some time with indigenous people. Could you tell us more about that experience?
I spent a few evenings with indigenous people on the Pacific coast, in a small village called La Push. They invited me to join them through an indigenous woman I met on my travels through America when I was 18. It was an initiatory journey that determined the course of my life. In the evening, we gathered in a circle with the drums, and each person could suggest a rhythm or chant. Something like "heyheyheya, hejahey," or even specific phrases in their native language. Everyone would drum and sing, and each person had their solo, which everyone repeated. Now, I bring this same activity to the circles during shamanic training. It's the most fun when we play this way in the circle, and each person can express anything through their singing, even if it's just "heyheyheya." What's important is the energy and expression that it carries.
You lead people to connect with nature. Could you explain what this means exactly?
For me, connecting with nature means being in a natural state of self-awareness. Nature is us, everything is a reflection of ourselves. It's an awareness of the beauty around us and within us. When you think of nature, it's forests, mountains, meadows, lakes, sunrises, birdsong, the murmur of streams, the scent of flowers, soft moss... Can you feel those words? This beauty of nature, even contained in the words, is something I love, just like most of us. However, when we were deep in the mountains during a storm, and the whole landscape was thundering and trembling wildly, I too trembled. I felt great respect and awe. Indigenous people see everything wild as sacred. So, I perceive nature as both beautiful and sacred.
How do you incorporate this connection with nature into the upbringing of your children? Could you provide an example?
I often took my children into nature. It seemed they misbehaved more at home, but on the contrary, they were much happier in nature and on trips. Nature offers plenty of toys, and it cultivates natural imagination and the beauty of the soul. I taught my children to be considerate of everything living, even seemingly non-living things. They asked if they could pick flowers before they did. Every flower and place in nature is cared for by beings. Indigenous people call them holilakhai, while in England, they are referred to as fairies. Rivers and mountains are cared for by larger spirits, which the indigenous people call kačinahai, and we have similar mountain spirits, like Krakonoš. I also taught them non-violence, both toward other beings and themselves. We wouldn't eat anything unless we were sure we wouldn't harm any being. Indigenous people always communicated with and thanked the animal before hunting it, and the animal would "give itself."
Does this approach to nature help people in other ways?
Perhaps, according to Christians or other religions, stones and animals don't have souls. Then it's no surprise that we, following such teachings, recklessly mine raw materials and cruelly kill animals. The indigenous perspective is that all things are beings like us, and we are all here on this planet as guests. Because the indigenous people consider everything around them to be alive, they greet the grandfather Sun and the grandmother Earth each morning. This connection keeps them from feeling lonely. And in today's world, that's something many people lack.
You also incorporate nature into wedding ceremonies or renewal of vows. How is your approach to these rituals different from a typical wedding we know?
I enjoy guiding people through these powerful transition rituals. I believe that with a strong ritual, the shared path of two people can be united and expanded into the highest sacred dream, shining in their hearts like a beautiful star in the infinite universe of their soul's memories. This enriches others and cultivates the energy of all beings. One difference is that two people who wish to walk through life together don't make promises that they may not be able to keep. Instead, they clarify their intentions, which then act as a kind of navigation for their shared life.
How do indigenous people view the wedding ritual?
Many people have a resistance to weddings, and at the same time, it's one of the biggest businesses. Indigenous people view it as non-ownership. You can't own anyone or anything. You can only walk together for a while, share a path, and you may become the holder of certain things, but you don't own them. An indigenous wedding lasts for a year and a day, and after that, the couple meets again and looks at their shared journey to see if the sacred dream of each person is still being fulfilled.