Why does Shaman Links offer a free links listing page?

Quick answer:  To create a centralized list on the web for shamanic practitioners, with easy reference to location.

Longer Answer: The original shaman links site was begun to provide information on shamanism.  Upon searching the web it became clear that there were very few shamanic focused sites that offered a directory for website and/or contact listings of shamanic practitioners.  You cannot find practitioners in the yellow pages, so web searching is one of the few alternatives to find a practitioner.  Also, many websites that do offer a shamanic listing list them amongst other practitioners, so that it is difficult to find the shaman specific list and it is sometimes difficult to tell whether there will be someone from your area.  Additionally, many of the individual shamanic practitioner's websites do not show up when someone searches by state or city, and you sometimes cannot find their city and state on the website.  It is difficult to locate shamanic teachers and healers by location when searching the web for many of the US states. 

It seemed that a listing by city and state would help people locate shamanic practitioners by the area, taking away the uncertainty of: 'Is this person close enough to me for me to spend time looking at their web page?'  Shaman Links started this listing as a donation to the shamanic community.  The site is meant to serve as a reference so that the connections can be made by spirit as needed.  As stated in other portions of the site, no recommendation is made as to the quality of the shamanic practitioner/healer/teacher.  The purpose is to make it easier to find a shamanic practitioner by area, and it is up to the user's discretion to determine if the person is right for them or not.

The site is free because it is a donation to the universe and the shamanic community.  Just as in the best sense shamanic practice does not involve personal gain, but rather a desire to help make someone's way easier if it is meant to be so.