Jamie:
I believe that every culture, race, region, and religion, has a history. The concept of preservation of culture etc. demands that certain stories be made in order to make it easy to pass them on. These stories then begin to define the whole history of a region. Just like the myths associated with Shamanism, thousands of other myths exist. For example, Greek mythology is known throughout the world. Writers, poets and painters refer to the characters of the Greek myths even today. The names of the Greek gods and goddesses have been used so commonly that they are now a part of English language. Moreover, they also associated gods with the astronomical objects, for example, stars, the sun, the moon etc. They even have a god of the sea, river, mountains and the like.
Berinda:
One interesting aspect pointed out here is how to turn into a shaman. Usually, there are restrictions placed on some traditions. As per the rules, one cannot turn into a particular tradition. They have to be born into it. However, Shamanism presents with an option to convert into a Shaman by two ways. This means that they also aim to increase people of similar beliefs. This may not be the objective of other traditions.
Magic has been used in the past by many religious groups. People refrain from talking about the cult gatherings, which are more common in some countries than in others. Black magic and other such activities are also associated with such groups. However, we cannot generalize because some groups have completely different objectives. Shamanism is more about spirituality than anything else.
