TIERED COSMOS

Among some, but far from all, societies that employ shamans, thecosmosis understood to be layered, often in three levels: anupper world, middle world, andunderworld. Ordinary humans live entirely in the middle world, unless theirsoulsare taken byotherworldpersons orspirits. Shamans work in all three worlds,mediatingbetween their communities andother-than-human personsof many kinds, includinganimals.Neo-shamansoften conceive of these other worlds as inner (psychological) andimaginalrealms requiringJungian-styletherapeuticandindividuatedinterpretations.