Often, yes: much of shamanic practice is done quietly and alone, though never really alone, since the practitioner works with a Power AnimalPower Animal. The Oversoul of a wild species, met as a single Lower-World being and bonded with in a deep, committed, usually lifelong soul-bond of unconditional love. The practitioner’s first and foremost Guide: Panther, not “my panther”. Read the full answer and GuidesGuides. The Lower-World and Upper-World beings a practitioner works with and learns from, of whom the Power Animal is the first and foremost. True Guides are ethical to their core; the shaman’s power comes from the depth of these bonds, not from the shaman. More about this. Paul Francis is an introvert himself, and hunter-gatherer cultures may well have been quieter and easier on introverts than ours. But shamanism is also about connection and service, so it suits extroverts too, and a balance of solitary and group work helps everyone.
What is introversion? #
A way of being that turns inward and recharges in quiet. The idea comes from Carl Jung. Summarising his work, the writer Ruth Snowden says that “Introverts need privacy and personal space and spend a lot of their time in contemplation.”1 Another guide to Jung adds: “The introvert may be solitary, being drawn to the interior life, but is not necessarily alone or lonely.”2
Paul is an introvert (and otrovert) himself, and after teaching he needs a lot of solitudeSolitude. Chosen aloneness from other humans: a healthy, essential Adult capacity, the opposite of loneliness (which is about the quality of relationship, not the quantity). Relational solitude is time away from the humans in the company of everything else. More about this and quiet to recharge.3 Such words are human constructs, which does not stop them being real.4 See What is an otrovert?
Is shamanic work a solitary path? #
In large part, yes. “There is a great deal that can be done, and in fact needs to be done, in a solitary way. This is solitary in the sense of being away from other human beings, but not solitary in the sense that you will always be working with your Power Animal and other spirit guides”.5 Journeys are often done alone, somewhere quiet and dark. Some of the work is simply being still: on a journey to meet the EldersElder (True Elder). The rarer stage beyond Adulthood. Adults decide; Elders advise. More about this, “sometimes just sitting quietly with the Elders and being in their presence can be immensely healing in its own right.”6
Nor do you need to be any particular kind of person to journey: “if you have a right side of the brain then you can imagine stuff, and you can journey.”7 See What is shamanic journeying?
Were hunter-gatherer cultures more introverted? #
They may have been. The descriptions we have of hunter-gatherers very often describe them as quiet people, and read very much like more introverted cultures (or, at least, cultures that would have been far less painful for introverts!). Susan Cain’s book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking is a good read on introversion. The anthropological evidence is scanty, though, so this is a reading, not a settled fact.
Our own culture can be tiring for everyone. Paul is an introvert, and knows how stressful he finds being around people. Yet “there is a base-line level of stress these days that is there in even the most sociable of people.”8 Researchers have noticed something similar from the other side. Two researchers on wellbeing write that our culture’s preference for extraversion is “accompanied by some potentially harmful consequences, such as the pathologising of introversion.”9 See What are the Wild Mind and the Domesticated Mind?
Is solitude the same as loneliness? #
No. Loneliness, as opposed to solitude, is about the quality rather than the quantity of our relationships,10 and it “is something that can affect people when they are surrounded by others”. And solitary work is never truly solitary, because the Power Animal and the Guides are there too. See Why are we so lonely, and what is the difference between loneliness and Solitude? and What do tribe and belonging mean, and what is the shaman’s role in a community?
Does shamanic work suit extroverts too? #
Yes. Shamanism is about connection and service, not withdrawal. Working alone can make it hard to build confidence and keep going, and “What really helps with this is balancing doing solitary work with doing group work.” And “shamanism is, after all, about re-connecting.”11
People also serve in different ways. The writer Derrick Jensen, “as an extreme introvert”, finds running workshops a nightmare and writes instead. “How we do this depends on what kind of a person we are”.12 The college’s courses are online and flexible, so each person can find their own balance between quiet study and the group. See Will the courses suit me if I am neurodivergent? and How do the First-Steps live sessions work, and is it okay to miss them?
