Watch Mystic Fire: Nadia Stepanova: Siberian Shaman

Nadia Stepanova is a Buryatian shaman who is reviving shamanic ritual ceremonies that for centuries have ruled the life in the taiga. The Republic of Buryatia is a large country that lies between Lake Baikal and Mongolia in Siberia, often said to be the cradle of shamanism, which appeared at the dawn of civilization and survived down through the ages, until Stalin's anti-religious campaign in the 1930s.

During all these years there was an attempt to separate the individual from his spirituality and as a result many people forgot their soul, their ancestors and their Gods. Nadia Stepanova hopes that the young people will again be aware of spirituality and of the gifts that Mother Nature bestows us.