호모 엠파티쿠스(Homo empathicus): 치유와 통합을 향한 네오샤머니즘(Neo-shamanism) 영성 (Homo empathicus: A Spirituality of Neo-shamanism towards Healing and Social Unity)

서지정보

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· 저자명 : 신은희

초록

The purpose of this paper is to search for an alternative spirituality of the neo-shamanism with a concept of Homo empathicus towards healing and social unity. The notion of Homo empathicus expresses a far deeper human sensibility that can be defined as an affective response more appropriate for another’s situation than one’s own. Empathy is one of the central human natures that permeate in human religious experiences and transcend all of the various religious narratives. Human empathy is as old as human species and traceable far back to the ancient time. Shamans or those who possess an extensive ‘shamanic consciousness’ are the first homo empathicus who can expand his/her consciousness or unconsciousness to others, to nature, and to the sacred. Neo-shamanism is not a religion but a ‘methodology.’ Neo-shamanists such as Carlos Castaneda and Michael Harner emphasize that spiritual experiences become a particular religion after politics has entered into it. The renewed understanding of shamanism, neo-shamanism, today can be viewed as ‘spiritual democratization,’ returning to the primordial experiences of human ancestors. Homo empathicus reminds us of that in ancient time, almost everyone has some assess to authentic empathy and direct revelation without ecclesiastical hierarchies or politically influenced dogma. The meaning of spirituality of neo-shamanism is a cultural bound component of daily, voluntary, and occasional healing praxis, rather than an institutionalization of ineluctable mediation on a personal apprehension of God.
However, Homo empathicus is not merely limited to the personal level of the ASC(Altered State of Consciousness), but extends to the social realm of spiritual evolution. Neo-shamanism has socio-political imperatives in which Homo empathicus forms a powerful forces for social and political innovations. Homo empathicus is not simply spiritual consumers promoting individual psychological comforts, but creates a social solidarity and global consciousness to engage with such alternative social reform and transformation. This is an important aspect of ‘public spirituality’ of neo-shamanism that responds to the needs of the global civic movements as the newfound acceptability of shamanism today.

영어초록

The purpose of this paper is to search for an alternative spirituality of the neo-shamanism with a concept of Homo empathicus towards healing and social unity. The notion of Homo empathicus expresses a far deeper human sensibility that can be defined as an affective response more appropriate for another’s situation than one’s own. Empathy is one of the central human natures that permeate in human religious experiences and transcend all of the various religious narratives. Human empathy is as old as human species and traceable far back to the ancient time. Shamans or those who possess an extensive ‘shamanic consciousness’ are the first homo empathicus who can expand his/her consciousness or unconsciousness to others, to nature, and to the sacred. Neo-shamanism is not a religion but a ‘methodology.’ Neo-shamanists such as Carlos Castaneda and Michael Harner emphasize that spiritual experiences become a particular religion after politics has entered into it. The renewed understanding of shamanism, neo-shamanism, today can be viewed as ‘spiritual democratization,’ returning to the primordial experiences of human ancestors. Homo empathicus reminds us of that in ancient time, almost everyone has some assess to authentic empathy and direct revelation without ecclesiastical hierarchies or politically influenced dogma. The meaning of spirituality of neo-shamanism is a cultural bound component of daily, voluntary, and occasional healing praxis, rather than an institutionalization of ineluctable mediation on a personal apprehension of God.
However, Homo empathicus is not merely limited to the personal level of the ASC(Altered State of Consciousness), but extends to the social realm of spiritual evolution. Neo-shamanism has socio-political imperatives in which Homo empathicus forms a powerful forces for social and political innovations. Homo empathicus is not simply spiritual consumers promoting individual psychological comforts, but creates a social solidarity and global consciousness to engage with such alternative social reform and transformation. This is an important aspect of ‘public spirituality’ of neo-shamanism that responds to the needs of the global civic movements as the newfound acceptability of shamanism today.

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