In the Web, each of us finds our own way and shapes our reality not only by our deeds but also by our thoughts, which determine our attitude and the way we use energy. And because we are connected by energy fibers to all things, we can influence other participants - human and non-human - who are also part of the Web. We are filled with space located in the energy system, the power matrix of our personality.
This concept of the Web was used by shamans to explain the wholeness and completeness of being. It has no beginning and no end; everything in it is interconnected and develops according to its own laws.
The shaman knows that the Web connects all levels of being, from the lowest to the highest, permeating and connecting them, juxtaposing the present with the past and the future. The Cosmic Tree and the Shamanic Wheel can be considered maps for the conscious mind, but the Great Web serves as a map for all levels of the mind. The shaman's consciousness acts as a spider, connected to each part of the web through the subtle energetic threads that form its foundation.
The Cosmic Tree and the Shaman's Wheel are speculative tools created by the human mind in the process of studying earth energies and helping the shaman to orient himself in the Cosmos. But the Great Web is the reality in which everything exists: the Tree, the Wheel, the shaman and the rest of the Universe.
Many ancient peoples had a common understanding that the Cosmos sustains its existence through the interaction of the two great opposites originally embedded in everything. The active, conceptual male principle, the source of light and energy was embodied in the image of the spiritual Sun, or Father Sky above. Its opposite was represented by the passive, nourishing, feminine principle, the Goddess of Life, or Mother Earth below.
Shamans understand that spirit is the source of every entity, be it human, animal, plant or mineral. Spirit is the individual life force that exists in all forms, but is hidden because of its intangible nature. The shaman establishes a link to the spirit of other things through his or her own spirit. However, the spirit, as mentioned above, is hidden behind the physical appearance. Spirit is so elusive that its adequate comprehension exceeds the capacity of the intellect. It can only be comprehended spiritually.
Spirit is in every energy system and is essentially the conscious mind of the being formed by that system. It is what directs the energy and organizes it for development and expression. Therefore, when a shaman communicates with the spirit of a tree or a stone, a bird or an animal, he is coming into contact with the source of their energy, the source of life and existence.
Because shamans could communicate with spirits, they were sometimes compared to mediums and spiritists. But shamans have one important difference; the spirits come to the medium, and the shaman himself comes to the spirits. Through mediums, spirits gain control over certain bodily functions - for example, voice and hand movements. The shaman does not pass on his power to the spirits of other entities. He maintains complete control over his mind and the functions of his body. A medium can rarely remember what was said, what happened during a deep trance. And the shaman is fully aware of what is happening in the spiritual world and can recall all events.
So, the ability to do shamanic work does not depend on any external source. It exists on its own, within us. We only need to harmonize our spiritual energy with the forces of nature and consciously use them. Intention determines the use and direction of the energy; therefore, the shaman's actions are motivated by love. Love harms no one, and its effects are beneficial. Hostile intention ultimately returns to its source, so it is destructive. It is contrary to the evolutionary development of the personality in all its aspects: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.