外刊听读| 经济学人 英国萨满教快速发展
Faith
宗教
Trance advanced
高阶萨满催眠术
Shamanism is Britain's fastest growing religion
萨满教是英国发展最快的宗教
IN A GARDEN studio in north London, Steve Altman holds a monthly shamanic drumming circle. Participants stand with arms outstretched as Mr Altman traces their shape in the air with burning copal, a Mexican incense, in a purifying ritual known as “smudging”.
在伦敦北部的一个花园工作室里，Steve Altman每月举行一次萨满击鼓会。参与者张开双臂站立，Altman先生用燃烧的墨西哥香科珂巴脂在空中描绘人们的轮廓，这是一种被称为“smudging”的净化仪式。
Ground snake skin, feathers, candles and bowls of water, each representing the four elements of Inca cosmology, sit in the centre of the room. The ceremony culminates in a “soul journey”, in which rhythmic drumming is believed to facilitate an ascent to the spirit realm. One woman describes climbing vines to the heavens. From Colindale.
房间中央摆放着赤腹游蛇皮、羽毛、蜡烛和盛水的碗，每样物品都分别代表着印加宇宙观的四种元素。仪式在“灵魂之旅”中达到高潮，有节奏的鼓声被认为有助于提升灵魂境界。一位女士描述了从伦敦科林代尔攀登藤蔓到达天堂的情景。
Shamanism is rooted in animism, the idea that every entity in nature, whether plant, animal or rock, is alive. Trance is the core shared practice. Shamans (who are traditionally trained by other shamans) learn to enter trances—aided by drumming, singing, dancing or, occasionally, psychotropic drugs—to commune with spirits. Such beliefs date back to hunter-gatherer societies. “We talk about [prostitution being] the oldest profession but really, it’s shamanism,” says Simon Buxton of the Sacred Trust, a shamanic training centre.
萨满教植根于万物有灵论，认为自然界的每一个实体，无论是植物、动物还是岩石，都是有生命的。萨满催眠术是其宗教核心。萨满(传统上师承其他萨满)在鼓声、歌声、舞蹈或偶尔精神药物的帮助下进入催眠状态——进而与灵魂交流。这种信仰可以追溯到狩猎采集社会。“我们说卖淫是最古老的职业，但实际上，最古老的职业是萨满，”萨满教培训中心“神圣使命”的Simon Buxton说。
If shamanism has a long history, it was barely practised in Britain until recently. In the English and Welsh census of 2011 just 650 people said it was their religion. But its popularity is increasing. In the census of 2021, the results of which were released in November, that figure had increased to 8,000. Partly because the numbers are small, that makes shamanism Britain’s fastest-growing faith.
如果说萨满教有着悠久的历史，那么直到最近它才在英国出现。在2011年英格兰和威尔士的人口普查中，只有650人说萨满是他们的宗教。但是它的受欢迎程度正在增加。在2021年的人口普查中，结果于11月公布，这一数字增加到了8000人。部分是因为其基数很少，但这也使萨满教成为英国发展最快的宗教。
Alexander Alich, who researches the subject at Birmingham University, says its appeal cuts across age, race and class. One reason is climate change. Almost one in 20 Britons said they experienced climate anxiety in 2022: shamanism places all things in nature on an equal footing. Paganism, another religion rooted in nature, is also on the rise. “It gives people a spiritual outlet for their political beliefs [about climate change],” says Mr Buxton.
在伯明翰大学研究萨满教课题的Alexander Alich说，它的吸引力跨越了年龄、种族和阶级。其中一个受欢迎的原因是气候变化。几乎每20名英国人中就有一人表示，他们在2022年经历了气候焦虑:萨满教将自然界的所有事物置于平等的地位。另一种植根于自然的宗教Paganism也在兴起。Buxton表示:“这给了人们一个表达(关于气候变化的)政治信仰的精神出口。”。
A small but growing number of therapists integrate shamanism into their work. They might guide a lonely client to embody the energy of a tree and reconnect with nature, says Paul Francis, a psychotherapist who teaches shamanic counselling at The Three Ravens College of Therapeutic Shamanism, in Wales. They might also help patients with “soul loss”—what others would call post-traumatic stress disorder—by searching for a lost part of them in the spirit realm. Even the corporate world is interested: Sarah Negus, a shamanic business coach, has ministered to everyone from Microsoft executives to TEDx speakers.
尽管只有少数，但越来越多的心理治疗师将萨满教融入他们的工作。威尔士萨满教三渡鸦学院的教授、萨满教咨询心理治疗师Paul Francis说，萨满教可能会引导一个孤独的客户去体会一棵树的能量，将自己重新与自然联系起来。他们还可能通过在精神领域寻找患者丢失的部分来帮助“灵魂丢失”的他们——其他人会称这些为创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）患者。甚至连企业界都对此感兴趣:Sarah Negus，一位萨满商业教练，为许多人提供服务，从微软高管到TEDx演讲者。
But popularity can attract opportunists. The title “shaman” is unregulated, so anyone can claim it. “It’s become a buzzword in marketing,” says Mr Alich. “A lot of people don’t understand what it means: they just slap it on anything.”
但受欢迎的萨满教会吸引机会主义者。“萨满”这个头衔是不受管制的，所以任何人都可以声称自己是萨满。“这已经成为营销界的流行语，” Alich说，“很多人不明白萨满意味着什么:他们只是把它强加在任何事物上。”
