The World of Shamanism


Book Description

Fascinating, comprehensive, and eminently readable, this guide explores shamanism—the world's most enduring healing and religious tradition—in the light of modern medicine, psychology, neuroscience, consciousness disciplines, and religious studies. Praise: "As if on cue, just when I am beginning to think that shamanism is the ground from which all religions spring, along comes this book. I cannot imagine a book that would be more helpful to me in thinking through this important subject."—Huston Smith, author of The World's Religions "...Unquestionably the most rounded compact introduction to shamanism, particularly the inner world of shamans, available today. A door-opening book for students of consciousness and spirituality."—Georg Feuerstein, PhD, M.Litt, author of The Yoga Tradition "A splendidly clear and timely survey of shamanism."—Jean Achterberg, PhD, author of Imagery in Healing "Quite simply, this book is a major step forward in understanding the vital phenomenon of shamanism. I recommend it highly."—Charles Tart, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Psychology, University of California at Davis, author of States of Consciousness "...Eminently useful and inspiring. A brilliant integrative work that pushes the frontiers of consciousness in insightful, practical, and powerful ways."—Angeles Arrien, PhD, Cultural Anthropologist, author of The Four-Fold Way and The Second Half of Life"... Unique in bringing together the full range of anthropological, psychological, and psychiatric literature on this vital subject. It does so with admirable scholarship yet still manages to be sensitive and clear."—Christie W. Kiefer, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, University of California at San Francisco




The Spirit of Shamanism


Book Description

Dr. Walsh offers an exciting look at the variety of shamanic practices and its basis in sound psychological principles from a thoroughly Western perspective. The timeless wealth of spiritual insights available through shamanic techniques are shown to the modern, non-tribal student. "A wonderfully lucid, engrossing guide to shamans' practices and beliefs."--Publishers Weekly.




Shamans of the World


Book Description

What would you see if you could view the world through the eyes of a Diné healer, a Zulu High Sanusi, or a Shaker from St. Vincent Island? The answer can be found in Shamans of the World, an intimate encounter with traditional healers from nine unique indigenous cultures. Through mesmerizing firsthand accounts of miraculous transformation and healing, Shamans of the World transports you to the otherworldly reality of the shaman. Your global adventure begins in the lands of the Diné Nation, as you meet Walking Thunder, the Medicine Woman who reveals the importance of living life with full appreciation. Next, you visit Brazil and faith healers Otavia and João, who embody "a love that breaks through all boundaries of reason and rationality." South Dakota and Lakota Yuwipi Man Gary Holy Bull come next, as you glimpse at the inner life of one dedicated to the service of spirit. Then it's off to the jungles of Paraguay, where the insights of Guarani Forest Shaman Ava Tape Miri unveil the immediate unity of all creation. The traditional healers of Bali share vital lessons on balanced living, before you explore the secrets of Japan's masters of seiki jutsu. After hearing from the Shakers of St. Vincent, who use the power of mourning and ecstatic prayer to create community-based healing, you conclude your journey in Africa, where you witness the ceremonial dances of Kalahari Bushman Mabolelo Shikwe, "the man who says and knows everything." With 24 pages of full-color photographs, and poetry and prayers from the shamans themselves, Shamans of the World brings you authentic "first wisdom" directly from its source. Here is an unprecedented collection of our spiritual roots that offers a radical new understanding of the planet we share. Note: Drawn from the ten-volume Profiles of Healing series edited by Bradford Keeney and published by Ringing Rocks Foundation.




Shamanism for Beginners


Book Description

Healers and visionaries, food-finders and rainmakers--as intermediaries between the physical and spirit worlds, shamans have served a vital role in indigenous cultures for more than 40,000 years. The timeless wisdom of the shaman also holds relevance for the challenges we face today. James Endredy explores shamanic paths from around the globe and discusses the tools, rituals, and beliefs that are common to most traditions. You'll discover how shamans are chosen and initiated, and how they establish a relationship with power animals, ancestors, and other inhabitants of the spirit realm. Along with many stories from his own experiences, Endredy shares insights from other scholars in the field, including Mircea Eliade, Michael Harner, and Holger Kalweit, and from indigenous shamans throughout history. Shamanism for Beginners concludes with a thoughtful, empowering look at how shamanic practices can help restore balance and peace to our lives and the earth.




Shamanism [2 volumes]


Book Description

A guide to worldwide shamanism and shamanistic practices, emphasizing historical and current cultural adaptations. This two-volume reference is the first international survey of shamanistic beliefs from prehistory to the present day. In nearly 200 detailed, readable entries, leading ethnographers, psychologists, archaeologists, historians, and scholars of religion and folk literature explain the general principles of shamanism as well as the details of widely varied practices. What is it like to be a shaman? Entries describe, region by region, the traits, such as sicknesses and dreams, that mark a person as a shaman, as well as the training undertaken by initiates. They detail the costumes, music, rituals, artifacts, and drugs that shamans use to achieve altered states of consciousness, communicate with spirits, travel in the spirit world, and retrieve souls. Unlike most Western books on shamanism, which focus narrowly on the individual's experience of healing and trance, Shamanism also examines the function of shamanism in society from social, political, and historical perspectives and identifies the ancient, continuous thread that connects shamanistic beliefs and rituals across cultures and millennia.




Shamanism


Book Description

A series of psychological and anthropological studies about the oldest and the most fascinating religious tradition of Korea.




Awakening to the Spirit World


Book Description

Today, practicing shamanism doesn't mean you have to live in a rain forest or a desert. Thanks to a modern renaissance of shamanic spirituality, practitioners from all walks of life now use powerful indigenous techniques for healing, insight, and spiritual growth. With Awakening to the Spirit World, teachers Sandra Ingerman and Hank Wesselman bring together a circle of renowned Western shamanic elders Tom Cowan, Carol Proud foot-Edgar, Jose Stevens, and Alberto Villoldo to present a comprehensive manual for making these practices accessible and available in our daily lives, including; How the original practice of shamanism shaped the world's spiritual traditions and why it is still relevant today The art of the shamanic journey a time-tested meditative method for experiencing important spiritual lessons and truths Guidance for avoiding common pitfalls of shamanic practice Instruction for working with your dreams, connecting to your spirit guides, healing yourself and your environment A CD of drumming to facilitate your shamanic journeys.




Change Your Story, Change Your Life


Book Description

Change Your Story, Change Your Life is a practical self-help guide to personal transformation using traditional shamanic techniques combined with journaling and Carl Greer’s method for dialoguing that draws upon Jungian active imagination. The exercises inspire readers to work with insights and energies derived during the use of modalities that tap into the unconscious so that they may consciously choose the changes they would like to make in their lives and begin implementing them.




Secrets of Shamanism


Book Description

For untold centuries, the shaman was the tribe′s most revered and respected member, possessing the unique ability to tap into the universal source of wisdom by journeying deep within the self -- seeking, and finding, answers to pressing questions, achieving profound understanding by avoiding the stumbling blocks of the outer material world. Developing techniques for communicating with the innermost world of the spirit can be a valuable boon in these modern times with their contemporary problems and concerns. Through a series of easy-to-follow exercises, lessons, and rituals, psychologist Jose Stevens and wife, Lena, can show you how to identify your inner spiritual guides -- and how, through a unique and powerful communication with them, you can achieve undreamed-of professional success, psychological enlightenment, and personal fulfillment ... and completely change the way you live your life.




Tobacco and Shamanism in South America


Book Description

An ethnography of magic-religious, medicinal and recreational tobacco use among nearly 300 native South American societies. Wilbert found that South American Indians use tobacco in many ways and that a close functional relation exists between tobacco and shamanism.