Peculiarities of mythological consciousness and its role in shaman outlook (some aspects of study)

Someaspects of mythological consciousness as a necessary part of people's consciousness are considered in the article. They are considered asa base for forming of archaic and traditional outlooks and the inner core of unstable consciousness typical of the shaman tradition. Whilestudying peculiarities and forms of consciousness in some cultural context, integration of approaches is necessary. Structural-functionalanalysis lets consider mythological consciousness and ritual practices connected with it as a spiritual base of social institutions in aprimitive society. Psychological approach considers mythological consciousness as a necessary element of human's psyche, opens prospectsof revealing of mechanisms in forming of cultural symbols, which are the reflection of inner spiritual experience. The third approachis connected with myth as an "expression of divine reality". This approach was formed in the Romanticism Age; and its base isthe experience of "something sacred". Mythological creation of consciousness was leading in primitive societies. It was the first contactsof consciousness with the world. Later, the myth, according to the structural scheme, always has a binary structure. Firstly, consciousness took possession of space. The main characteristic of myth is its heterogeneous nature and plasticity. It is divided into myth andphysical reality. Mythological consciousness operates with "live" space and "live" time. We can speak about the unity of space and timecharacteristics of the universe in mythological consciousness. Relations with the world which mythological consciousness builds are therelations with organisms, with beings. Myth operates with one more dual structure, which is built of a "part" and a "whole". Mythologicalconsciousness is a base of the shaman outlook. Awakening of consciousness in primitive age was accompanied by the first experimentsof its transformation. Mystical experience is connected with a wish to overcome the dualism of human nature. The beginning ofshamanism is ancient; it is connected with the totem system of belief. Shaman figure as a social event appeared later. In the frames oftotemism we identify a human with the society and contrast society and nature. Shaman is in opposition with society and nature. In themaking of shamanism early ecstasy experiments with their collective character to individual mystical experience tell us about a stage ofcomplicated and contradictory development of human spirit in the contact with the secrets of the universe.

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