Frequently Asked Questions
What is Hebrew Shamanism?
Hebrew Shamanism is a contemporary initiatory path that explores the spiritual technologies, cosmology, and wisdom practices of the ancient Near Eastern ancestors of the Hebrew people—many of which predate Judaism as a monotheistic religion. (While Judaism is known as a monotheistic religion, it is more accurately panenthestic: understanding that the divine both interweaves within all facets of the known universe and transcends it. In other words, divinity is found within everything and everyone and beyond us all.)
Ancient Hebrews, the ancestors of modern Jewish peoples, lived for millennia within an animistic and polytheistic worldview. Many early spiritual practices were later edited, reframed, or suppressed as monotheism emerged. Hebrew Shamanism is not an attempt to return to ancient religion, but to recover Divine Feminine wisdom that was carried forward in hidden, symbolic, and embodied pathways.
Is Hebrew Shamanism the same as Judaism or Jewish mysticism?
No. While Hebrew Shamanism draws deeply from Hebrew texts, language, cosmology, and lineage memory, it is not Judaism, nor is it bound by Jewish law, theology, or dogma.
It exists alongside Jewish mysticism rather than within it. Where classical Kabbalah often works within monotheistic constraints, Hebrew Shamanism allows for a wider exploration of ancestral spiritual realities that were later narrowed.
Why do you use the term “shamanism”?
The term shamanism is used here to describe direct, experiential spiritual practice—specifically accessing altered states of consciousness to commune with the consciousness of unseen realms. The origin of the term is from the Manchu-Tungus peoples of Northern Asia, and means "one who knows." While we recognize that it is not a Hebrew word and thus the use of the term is appropriative, the English word has become a shortcut to denote a mystical-animistic worldview that existed among all ancient peoples. We are grateful to the northern Asian ancestors whose language has a lasting impact upon us, and to all those who contributed to the body of knowledge today known as shamanism.
Hebrew Shamanism acknowledges that ancient Hebrew spirituality included practices we would now recognize as shamanic, even if they were not labeled as such at the time. We seek to actively research and share those tools that are of lasting value to this earth and her people.
Do you use entheogens or psychoactive substances in Hebrew Shamanism?No. The School of Hebrew Shamanism does not use entheogens or consciousness-altering substances. We teach that altered states of awareness are innate human capacities that can be accessed safely and reliably without ingesting anything.
How do you access altered states without substances?We use ancient shamanic methods rooted in rhythm—primarily drumming and rattling—to shift awareness naturally. Percussion entrains the nervous system and opens visionary and intuitive perception while maintaining presence and sovereignty. This approach reflects ancient Hebrew practices, including those associated with Miriam the Prophet, who led ecstatic, prophetic states through rhythm and movement.
Why do you speak about goddesses like Ashtaret (Astarte) and Asherah?
A central focus of this work is the divine feminine as understood by our ancient ancestors of the Near East.
Figures such as Ashtaret and Ashera were widely revered in the cultures from which early Hebrew society emerged. These feminine deities represented cosmic forces of fertility, protection, sovereignty, sexuality, and life itself.
While later biblical texts often portray these figures negatively or as forbidden, this reflects a theological shift, not the absence of earlier reverence.
Hebrew Shamanism explores these feminine forms not as objects of worship, but as expressions of divine intelligence that shaped the spiritual imagination of our ancestors, and clues to the innate divinity dwelling within us all.
But doesn’t the Bible explicitly reject the worship of Canaanite deities?
Yes—many passages in the Hebrew Bible/Torah/Tanakh condemn the worship of Ashtaret and other Canaanite deities. This is precisely why they are important to study. These condemnations reveal:
Rather than ignoring these passages, Hebrew Shamanism takes them seriously—as evidence of a contested spiritual landscape during a time of religious centralization.
Are you encouraging the worship of other gods or goddesses?
No. This work does not encourage the worship of any deity.
Instead, it supports:
How do you understand the Divine Feminine?
The Divine Feminine is understood as an indwelling living intelligence that expresses itself through many faces across cultures and time.
Ancient sculptures, myths, and names point toward this intelligence, but do not confine it. Hebrew Shamanism studies these forms as symbolic interfaces—ways human beings related to a reality that both transcends and dwells within material form.
Our favorite ways to understand the Divine Feminine are in the form of Shekhinah - the indwelling presence that animates us, and Chokhma - Wisdom, who is encoded in the Torah (Hebrew Bible) as both the first created being and the one who created the Universe itself.
Who is this work for?
This work is for those who:
Can I study Hebrew Shamanism if I am Jewish? Not Jewish?
Yes. Hebrew Shamanism is open to people of all backgrounds. It is not about identity or conversion, but about ancestral memory, wisdom, and direct experience. Students are encouraged to engage with respect, discernment, and personal responsibility.
Is this academic study or spiritual practice?
Both. Hebrew Shamanism weaves together historical research, textual study, embodied ritual, and inner experience. Wisdom is not meant to remain theoretical; it is meant to be lived.
How is this work taught?
Teachings are offered through experiential classes, initiatory pathways, and guided practices.
Rather than transmitting belief, this work provides keys—tools for unlocking inner doors of perception, healing, and remembrance.
What is the ultimate aim of Hebrew Shamanism?
The ultimate aim is not belief, worship, or adherence. It is a return to the wisdom that lives within the heart—and the reclamation of the divine feminine presence that has always been there, waiting to be recognized.
A primary vehicle through which we teach these principles are Wisdom's 32 paths of the Heart, as outlined in Kabbalah's Sefer Yetzirah.
Hebrew Shamanism is a contemporary initiatory path that explores the spiritual technologies, cosmology, and wisdom practices of the ancient Near Eastern ancestors of the Hebrew people—many of which predate Judaism as a monotheistic religion. (While Judaism is known as a monotheistic religion, it is more accurately panenthestic: understanding that the divine both interweaves within all facets of the known universe and transcends it. In other words, divinity is found within everything and everyone and beyond us all.)
Ancient Hebrews, the ancestors of modern Jewish peoples, lived for millennia within an animistic and polytheistic worldview. Many early spiritual practices were later edited, reframed, or suppressed as monotheism emerged. Hebrew Shamanism is not an attempt to return to ancient religion, but to recover Divine Feminine wisdom that was carried forward in hidden, symbolic, and embodied pathways.
Is Hebrew Shamanism the same as Judaism or Jewish mysticism?
No. While Hebrew Shamanism draws deeply from Hebrew texts, language, cosmology, and lineage memory, it is not Judaism, nor is it bound by Jewish law, theology, or dogma.
It exists alongside Jewish mysticism rather than within it. Where classical Kabbalah often works within monotheistic constraints, Hebrew Shamanism allows for a wider exploration of ancestral spiritual realities that were later narrowed.
Why do you use the term “shamanism”?
The term shamanism is used here to describe direct, experiential spiritual practice—specifically accessing altered states of consciousness to commune with the consciousness of unseen realms. The origin of the term is from the Manchu-Tungus peoples of Northern Asia, and means "one who knows." While we recognize that it is not a Hebrew word and thus the use of the term is appropriative, the English word has become a shortcut to denote a mystical-animistic worldview that existed among all ancient peoples. We are grateful to the northern Asian ancestors whose language has a lasting impact upon us, and to all those who contributed to the body of knowledge today known as shamanism.
Hebrew Shamanism acknowledges that ancient Hebrew spirituality included practices we would now recognize as shamanic, even if they were not labeled as such at the time. We seek to actively research and share those tools that are of lasting value to this earth and her people.
Do you use entheogens or psychoactive substances in Hebrew Shamanism?No. The School of Hebrew Shamanism does not use entheogens or consciousness-altering substances. We teach that altered states of awareness are innate human capacities that can be accessed safely and reliably without ingesting anything.
How do you access altered states without substances?We use ancient shamanic methods rooted in rhythm—primarily drumming and rattling—to shift awareness naturally. Percussion entrains the nervous system and opens visionary and intuitive perception while maintaining presence and sovereignty. This approach reflects ancient Hebrew practices, including those associated with Miriam the Prophet, who led ecstatic, prophetic states through rhythm and movement.
Why do you speak about goddesses like Ashtaret (Astarte) and Asherah?
A central focus of this work is the divine feminine as understood by our ancient ancestors of the Near East.
Figures such as Ashtaret and Ashera were widely revered in the cultures from which early Hebrew society emerged. These feminine deities represented cosmic forces of fertility, protection, sovereignty, sexuality, and life itself.
While later biblical texts often portray these figures negatively or as forbidden, this reflects a theological shift, not the absence of earlier reverence.
Hebrew Shamanism explores these feminine forms not as objects of worship, but as expressions of divine intelligence that shaped the spiritual imagination of our ancestors, and clues to the innate divinity dwelling within us all.
But doesn’t the Bible explicitly reject the worship of Canaanite deities?
Yes—many passages in the Hebrew Bible/Torah/Tanakh condemn the worship of Ashtaret and other Canaanite deities. This is precisely why they are important to study. These condemnations reveal:
- That these deities were actively worshiped by the people - and especially women
- That devotion to them persisted across generations
- That their suppression was not immediate or total
Rather than ignoring these passages, Hebrew Shamanism takes them seriously—as evidence of a contested spiritual landscape during a time of religious centralization.
Are you encouraging the worship of other gods or goddesses?
No. This work does not encourage the worship of any deity.
Instead, it supports:
- Understanding how feminine divinity functioned in ancestral consciousness
- Reclaiming what was lost or demonized in the transition to monotheism
- Integrating these insights psychologically, spiritually, and somatically
How do you understand the Divine Feminine?
The Divine Feminine is understood as an indwelling living intelligence that expresses itself through many faces across cultures and time.
Ancient sculptures, myths, and names point toward this intelligence, but do not confine it. Hebrew Shamanism studies these forms as symbolic interfaces—ways human beings related to a reality that both transcends and dwells within material form.
Our favorite ways to understand the Divine Feminine are in the form of Shekhinah - the indwelling presence that animates us, and Chokhma - Wisdom, who is encoded in the Torah (Hebrew Bible) as both the first created being and the one who created the Universe itself.
Who is this work for?
This work is for those who:
- Feel drawn to Hebrew mysticism but constrained by dogma
- Sense that something essential was lost in spiritual history
- Are interested in embodied, experiential wisdom
- Are willing to sit with complexity rather than simple answers
Can I study Hebrew Shamanism if I am Jewish? Not Jewish?
Yes. Hebrew Shamanism is open to people of all backgrounds. It is not about identity or conversion, but about ancestral memory, wisdom, and direct experience. Students are encouraged to engage with respect, discernment, and personal responsibility.
Is this academic study or spiritual practice?
Both. Hebrew Shamanism weaves together historical research, textual study, embodied ritual, and inner experience. Wisdom is not meant to remain theoretical; it is meant to be lived.
How is this work taught?
Teachings are offered through experiential classes, initiatory pathways, and guided practices.
Rather than transmitting belief, this work provides keys—tools for unlocking inner doors of perception, healing, and remembrance.
What is the ultimate aim of Hebrew Shamanism?
The ultimate aim is not belief, worship, or adherence. It is a return to the wisdom that lives within the heart—and the reclamation of the divine feminine presence that has always been there, waiting to be recognized.
A primary vehicle through which we teach these principles are Wisdom's 32 paths of the Heart, as outlined in Kabbalah's Sefer Yetzirah.
