A Shamanic Practitioner is a person who can connect to the spirit world through a change in consciousness and act as a bridge to our ordinary reality.
Practicing shamanism means using a technique. It doesn't require a special belief or be a religion, but displays a spiritual way of life. In our modern society shamanism is usually "practiced", and not "lived" in a community - separately from everyday life.
Modern man uses the same shamanic methods as his ancestors and attains the same spiritual sources as the shamans of ancient cultures. Those who apply shamanic technique, don't claim to be shamans - important is to work in shamanic manner and have concrete results. Their experiences are real and absolutely identical with the reports of the shamans from non-writing cultures, even interchangeable with each another. Shamanic work is equal everywhere like heart, brain and body are equal everywhere - only the cultural form is differing.
Aim of people who practice shamanism isn't to adopt spiritual traditions from indigenous folk arbitrarily or tear spiritual practices out of their cultural context. Foreign customs, stories or chants would be meaningless and inauthentic to us. Therefore aim for the "urban" shamanic practitioner from western world is to find his own methods, rituals and ceremonies.