Earlier, I spoke about the shamanic worldview. One aspect of that worldview requires a more detailed explanation. This is the shamanic relationship with the Cerului Column.
Often called the tree of life or the tree of knowledge found in Judaism and Christianity or it can be the central axis of the cosmos or the Cerului Column. Whatever it is called, it is the center of what it is and as such has an importance in many ancient cultures. The idea, however, has existed in most cultures since mankind was acculturated. Probably the oldest known record of the concept comes from the Osiris story of the ancient Egyptians.
In contemporary times, actually a remnant of medieval Europe, it is seen as the symbol used for the medical profession, the Staff of Asclepius.
In shamanism, it is the shaman’s staff that represents the Cerului Column and is used to connect the three kingdoms of the world: the Upper World, the Middle World, and the third, the Lower World.
For the shaman, the Upper World is the world of the invisible in which there is potential waiting to manifest. The Middle World is the spiritual aspect of the material world and is more like ordinary reality. The Lower World houses animal spirits, spirit guides, and of course the human spirit after it leaves the physical body.
Because the staff is a representation of the Cerului Column, it is a power tool, it is held in great respect and treated with care. For the shaman, this concept poses a definite paradox. For the shaman, the center of the world is everywhere. In his altered state of consciousness, the shaman remains physically firmly planted in the ordinary world, but spiritually travels in non-ordinary reality. While in this trance state, the Cerului Column becomes the place where the shaman stands or sits and thus becomes the center of the universe.
Norman W Wilson, Ph.D.