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Initiations also mark the ascent of individuals into positions of religious authority. Priests, diviners, and spirit mediums play special roles in religious life, even though the nature of their authority varies greatly across South America. In many parts of South America, the shaman, a religious specialist who enters into states of ecstasy, holds a prominent place in society. A shaman, it is believed, learns to control the passage of the soul out of and back into the body. According to South American tradition, the shaman not only controls the ecstasy of his or her own soul but also is devoted ...(100 of 4509 words)