Is the Shaman the Same as a Medium?

At first glance, a shaman and a medium might seem to share the same role — both serve as bridges between the physical and spiritual worlds. They connect with unseen energies, communicate with spirits, and bring messages or healing to others.

But while their gifts may appear similar, their origins, training, and purpose are rooted in very different spiritual traditions. Understanding those differences helps us appreciate both paths — and approach each with the respect they deserve.

The Medium: A Messenger Between Worlds

A medium is someone who has developed the ability to communicate with the spirit world — most often the spirits of those who have passed away.

In the Spiritualist tradition, mediumship is seen as a natural human faculty that can be refined through meditation, ethics, and disciplined practice. Mediums typically work in one of three ways:

• Mental mediumship – receiving impressions, words, or images through clairvoyance, clairaudience, or clairsentience.

• Trance mediumship – entering a light or deep altered state to allow spiritual communication.

• Physical mediumship – rare phenomena such as direct voice, table tipping, or other manifestations.

The medium’s goal is to provide evidence of continued life after death and deliver messages that bring comfort, healing, or understanding to the living.

Mediumship is built around ethics, clarity, and service, and usually focuses on individual spirit communication rather than ritual or ceremony.

The Shaman: A Healer, Guide, and Spirit Traveller

The term shaman comes from the Tungusic people of Siberia, but similar roles exist in Indigenous cultures worldwide. A shaman is traditionally chosen or initiated by their community to act as a healer, seer, and mediator between the human and spirit realms.

Through rhythmic drumming, chanting, fasting, or plant medicine, the shaman enters a trance or journeying state — not to speak with the spirits of the departed, but to:

• Retrieve lost soul fragments (soul retrieval).

• Seek guidance from spirit allies, animals, or ancestors.

• Heal illness or imbalance within the person or the community.

• Restore harmony between nature, spirit, and humanity.

Unlike the medium, the shaman’s work is communal and ritualistic, deeply woven into the cultural fabric of their people. Their practice is inseparable from their landscape, lineage, and the cosmology of their tradition.

Shared Ground: The Bridge Between Worlds

Despite their differences, mediums and shamans share important common ground:

• Both work in altered states of consciousness.

• Both act as intermediaries between the physical and spiritual realms.

• Both are called to serve others through healing, guidance, and connection.

Where they diverge is in purpose and context:

• The medium focuses on communication with departed souls for healing and proof of continuity.

• The shaman focuses on healing the living, balancing energies, and maintaining harmony with the spirit world and nature.

  
  

Cultural Context and Respect

It’s important to recognise that “shaman” is not a universal label — it belongs to specific Indigenous cultures and should be used with care. Modern spiritual practitioners sometimes borrow shamanic techniques (such as drumming or journeying), but authentic shamans are trained through years of initiation and community recognition.

Mediumship, on the other hand, evolved primarily through Western Spiritualism, beginning in the 19th century. It is open to anyone who feels called to develop through ethical, structured training.

Both paths require discipline, humility, and deep respect for the unseen.

The Spirit of Service

Whether you identify as a medium, a shamanic practitioner, or simply an intuitive soul, the heart of the work is the same: to serve others and honour the sacred connection between worlds.

Both traditions remind us that healing and communication with spirit are not about power or performance — they are about compassion, integrity, and the willingness to listen.