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$45.00
41. Folk Art and Magic: Shamanism
$13.32
42. Imagery in Healing: Shamanism
$4.93
43. The Shaman's Body: A New Shamanism
 
44. Ecstasy: Shamanism in Korea
$9.94
45. Rainbow Medicine: A Visionary
$26.39
46. Shamanism In Siberia
$4.87
47. America, the Sorcerer's New Apprentice:
$27.43
48. The Nature of Shamanism: Substance
$29.92
49. Shamanism and the Ancient Mind:
$17.51
50. Stone Age Wisdom: The Healing
51. Shamanism - Archaic Techniques
$8.66
52. Awakening the Energy Body: From
$22.19
53. Shamanism in North America (Religion
$26.56
54. Magic and Witchcraft: From Shamanism
$21.95
55. Walt Whitman: Shamanism, Spiritual
$38.44
56. Singing the Soul Back Home: Shamanism
$29.57
57. Inuit Shamanism and Christianity:
$7.90
58. Exploring Shamanism (Exploring
$7.63
59. The Elements of Shamanism (Elements
$100.00
60. Shamanism: The Neural Ecology

41. Folk Art and Magic: Shamanism in Korea
by Alan Carter Covell
Hardcover: 216 Pages (1993-06-01)
list price: US$48.50 -- used & new: US$45.00
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0930878574
Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars
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Product Description
Please note: this volume is an updated and combined version of Ecstasy: Shamanism in Korea (0-930878-33-7) and Shamanist Folk Paintings: Korea's Eternal Spirits (0-930878-39-6) by the same author.
Northern-type Shamanism seeks ecstatic trance to commune with spirits. Here its psychology and techniques are analyzed.

The top twelve deities in Korea's Shamanist pantheon are explained in this book the Mountain Spirit, the Dragon King, the Seven Stars who control human fertility, as well as the three magic monk-spirits who walk on water to prove their blood-tie to their father.

The later part of the book describes via photo-essays the Shamanist rituals still occurring today those which summon the deities, the "Ten Thousand Spirits" who may arrive in answer to the shaman's call. These include the famous generals of history, who will drive away disease, one general so fierce he walks on sharpened knives, a performance the shaman duplicates without being cut! The female ruler of the earth spirits, a patroness of diviners, also comes and sometimes hungry ghosts direct from the underworld; they gobble their food but cannot swallow. Then Pali Kongju may come, to rescue souls from the clutches of brutal guards of Hell.

Also disclosed are the life stories of various individual shamans, the mudang (spirit houses) who invite possession by the gods, so that they may cure disease. Photos suggest the unbridled ecstasy felt when the spirit enters within, the superhuman strength these frail women can exert, evidence of their freedom from the choking constrictures of Confucian lifestyles. 228 color plates and 75 b/w plates. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

3-0 out of 5 stars not bad
A coffee-table art book filled with photos rather than a work of critical scholarship. The first-half, which concerns itself with the art of shamanism, is pretty good. The second half is an analysis and description of shamanstic rituals; it's not so good. The author clearly knows and cares a lot about Korean shamanism and its art; and he gives a fair coverage of both. But just as clearly he's not a profesional photographer or scholar of religion. I really wanted to know about Korean shamanism and the book was helpful, so even though it's expensive I don't regret buying it at all. If you also really want to know, you won't regret it either.

4-0 out of 5 stars a useful source with very nice pictures
The first half, focusing on the spirits and the iconography, is excellent. The rest of the book is, frankly, weak on content. It has a good bibliography and some good photography. The book is helpful if you plan to visit Buddhist temples or witness Shamanist kuts. On the other hand, if you are looking for academic work, this isn't it. ... Read more


42. Imagery in Healing: Shamanism and Modern Medicine
by Jeanne Achterberg
Paperback: 253 Pages (2002-01-15)
list price: US$21.95 -- used & new: US$13.32
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 157062934X
Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars
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This influential book shows how the systematic use of mental imagery can have a positive influence on the course of disease and can help patients to cope with pain. InImagery in Healing, Jeanne Achterberg brings together modern scientific research and the practices of the earliest healers to support her claim that imagery is the world's oldest and most powerful healing resource. The book has become a classic in the field of alternative medicine and continues to be read by new generations of health care professionals and lay people.

In Imagery in Healing, Achterberg explores in detail the role of the imagination in the healing process. She begins with an exploration of the tradition of shamanism, "the medicine of the imagination," surveying this time-honored way of touching the nexus of the mind, body, and soul. She then traces the history of the use of imagery within Western medicine, including a look at contemporary examples of how health care professionals have drawn on the power of the imagination through such methods as hypnosis, biofeedback, and the placebo effect.

Ultimately, Achterberg looks to the science of immunology to uncover the most effective ground for visualization, and she presents data demonstrating how imagery can have a direct and profound impact on the workings of the immune system. Drawing on art, science, history, anthropology, and medicine,Imagery in Healing offers a highly readable overview of the profound and complex relationship between the imagination and the body. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

4-0 out of 5 stars Very good
This book is actually a composite of two different concepts, which the author doesn't link to each other in a clear manner.
The section "shamanism in modern medicine" is poorly written. Most psychologists (like the author) hold that everything encountered in altered states of mind actually happens in the mind. Some Jungian psychologists softened this approach by postulating the existence of archetypal symbols. Conversely, shamans across the world and across millennia hold that there are parallel universes that are inhabited by independent spirits who may, and do, interact with this world. Who should we believe to, the scholars or the ... people in the business? Regardless, Achterberg completely disregards the "other" point of view and, in so doing, she fails to deliver objective information.
On the other hand, the section about mental imagery and healing is truly excellent. Self healing is a phenomenon that cannot be possibly denied, the placebo effect being the prove of that. The author explores the possible connections between imagery, the nervous system and the immune system. Most of what she says makes perfect sense, although current scientific evidence is not sufficient to support her thesis. The author points out that there is a strong economic pressure against research in this field, and she is perfectly right. Anyone working for a pharmaceutical company (a tremendously powerful lobby) would never, ever look favorably to research aimed to prove that the mind CAN heal the body.

3-0 out of 5 stars Unfortunately not Scientific Enough
I had high hopes for this book. A lot of modern books on shamanism are written by modern practitioners from non-shamanic cultures, for the consumption of other would be practitioners. A few more interesting ones are written by social scientists of various types, such as anthropologists; these tend to be a lot more accurate and interesting to me. And some are written by people who are experimenting with applying shamanic techniques in modern western settings, and reporting on what they've tried, and what results it's had.

I'd hoped this was one of the latter category. It may still be, but I'm having trouble reading it. The author states a large number of things as unquestioned fact which are neither unquestioned nor fact. For example, she clearly believes in European witches as being both shamans (medieval Europe was not a shamanic culture) and cultural survivals of Celtic priestesses. She also seems to be citing Michael Harner as her primary anthropological source, along with Mircea Eliade (good, as far as he went), and Carlos Castenada (usually believed to have invented his "data"). She also presumes some interesting common knowledge; I was amused to see her alluding to the "Medicine Wheel of Western civilization" as having "looked to the North for too long now, having much knowledge but little feeling." (What kind of audience is she writing for, if she presumes they are familiar with the 4 European elements, and their reinterpretation in a quasi Native-American context?)

I've seen worse. She's not quoting information channeled from Atlantean Grand Masters, or insisting that "science" will "prove" her favourite religious dogmas. But I'm still having a lot of trouble getting past the first couple of chapters, to see whether she has any useful information, such as reports on what she's been doing, and how or whether people are actually being healed by it.

5-0 out of 5 stars scientific evidence for how imagination heals
This author successfully combines traditional scientific scholarship with an open-minded approach to complementary modes of healing such as shamanism, visualization, and energy work.She provides the experimentalevidence that explains how images we hold in our minds really do effectchanges on the physical level--it has to do with how the"imaging" part of the brain connects to brain structures whichregulate hormones and the immune system.There is also a fascinatingsection on the wise-women healers of Europe and how they were persecutedfor practicing medicine which went against established medical practice aswell as against the Church. It seems the ancient healers were on tosomething that became suppressed, and which is now being rediscovered byscholars as well as healing practitioners.......The author is professor ofpsychology at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology.Thus, she knowswell how to use reductionist scientific methods as a tool while stillseeing the possibilities lying beyond reductionism in the transpersonalplane. ... Read more


43. The Shaman's Body: A New Shamanism for Transforming Health, Relationships, and the Community
by Arnold Mindell
Paperback: 256 Pages (1993-11-30)
list price: US$14.99 -- used & new: US$4.93
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0062506552
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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A thoroughly revised edition of the much-sought-after early work by Terence and Dennis McKenna that looks at shamanism, altered states of consciousness, and the organic unity of the King Wen sequence of the I Ching. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

2-0 out of 5 stars A frustrating read for me.
As a therapist myself, and someone very interested in both Jung and the shamanistic worldview and practice, I really wanted to like this book.However, I must be frank in saying that I found Dr. Mindell's writing style to be very, very difficult.

It is obvious that he is a very talented therapist with a very interesting background of travel and experience. And I was able to glean a few helpful insights from his book.But for the most part I simply had a very hard time understanding what he was talking about.I would have wished for many more concrete, real-life examples to help clarify the abstract "theory" he was trying to convey.(I realize this is a very hard subject to try to verbalize and conceptualize in a left-brained way, but that makes clarity of writing all the more important, and other writers have been able to do it quite well.)

For me it did not help that he based so much of his book on the writings and already-vague -- (and frankly, to me rather pretentious) -- terminology of Carlos Castaneda:talking about "sorcerors", "hunters"; "hunting the prey", "the ally", "the double";"stopping the world";"the deathwalk" and so on.

(This emphasis was especially bothersome to me given that there is evidence that Castaneda's books about his supposed apprenticeship with "don Juan" are simply not true -- such as the fact that it has been found that at exact times Castaneda claimed to be in Mexico working with don Juan, he was actually checking out books from the USC library ... including books on subjects related to his later supposed adventures.)

I also had a problem with Dr. Mindell's constant second-person references to the reader:"You find that ...";"As you go through the world ...";"You get angry and ..."-- which tended to grate on me and strike me as rather presumptuous.My first response to such writing tends to be, "Don't tell me what I 'do'.Don't presume to know me.Don't generalize about all readers."

So, in summary:From other reviews it is clear that this book strikes a chord with many people.That's great.But I also wanted to provide my reaction as well, if only to warn that it may not be everyone's cup of tea, and that others may have some of the same problems I did.

5-0 out of 5 stars If you are serious about this stuff...
Shaman's Body, Arnold Mindell

Arnold Mindell studied at the Jung Institute in the 70's. He's got a great story in this book, about how he came to be there... almost "by chance"; except, of course, not so at all. Mindell's topic is the altogether "shamanic" one of occurrences, processes, events in our lives, be they bodily feelings, diseases, encounters with people or animals or weather... the whole range of events which we may naively take to be random, except that they are united in the fact that they all "happen to me".That is, they are not just events, they are my events.

"Shamans" - indigenous healers, sages, and wild-eyed mystics ¬- live in this expanded range of the self. Mindell, the psychologist, has written a sort of extended guidebook to the "shaman in you". Unlike so many books that use the word, his does not tell us how to make a drum or what words to utter. His guidebook stops at the entry gate. But he shows us where those gates are. He hints at what to watch for in our own living. Bits of dreams, fleeting images ("imaginations"), vague feelings in the body. And then starting places. How to pursue these clues, how to pay attention to experiences we've been ignoring so well for so long that we may be inclined to think, "oh, I don't have those."

If your interest is in the currently fascinating world of shamanism, well and good. This will put it on the ground where you stand, and you can begin to seriously step in, if that's your way. The fact that Mindell is a psychologist rather than an anthropologist gives him much more in common with true shamans. And if your interest is really in self-development, in becoming the greater being you have long been suspecting, but which has felt elusive, so much the better. "Shaman', the Siberian term, means the one who journeys. That one journeys alone. He or she journeys into realms beyond the ordinary. But does it with the same DNA that you have. Shaman's Body doesn't map that territory, but it shows you where the entry points are.

3-0 out of 5 stars Dreambodies for bliss bunnies
First there was Wilhelm Reich, a pioneering genius who was essentially ignored and whose books were burned at the stake. Then in 1950ies Eugene Gendlin and Carl Rogers had a great realization: our body is a repository of our dreams, potentials and the only way to healing the mind is to unlock the body, to touch its 'felt sense'. Then there was silence in the psychotherapeutic community............. a silence that always occurs when people realize someone has figured something out. And then, suddenly, EVERYBODY and their mother jumped and somatic psychotherapy was born. Embodiment of the mind wasaddressed from every imaginable angle - neurophenomenology (Varela), mindfulness/Taoism (Kurtz & Hakomi), movement (Feldenkreis), countless forms of Gestalt, somatic experiencing etc. And during the post-Castanedian 80ies, Arnold Mindell enters the stage with his angle, that of shamanism, the "dreambody" and "process work".

The dreambody is a place where the unconscious meets the conscious, where dreams & reflections encounter bodily states. By listening to one we get access to the other, and vice versa. The insight is almost identical to ideas by Gendlin, Reich, Jung and before them Pythagoras and the Buddha. Of course we must not forget native peoples who couch the 'dreambody' layer in mythological terms and who (together with Carlos Castaneda and unlike Gendlin & Reich :), are lionized as Mindell's teachers. According to M., a shaman uses her dreambody to step out of linear, mental space into feelings and "Intent".

Mindell:

"There are times when you are alone in nature and feel united with the environment. You feel the world around you as if it were a body part or a partner, sending messages of agreements or disagreements, pleasure and stress. This sense is crucial if you need to fish or hunt to eat.... When the world speaks to you, it is impossible to tell whether the world is doing things to you or you are doing things to it.

As you live, you confront your mythical attackers in many forms until you change the way in which you define yourself. It seems sometimes as if you have just one central lesson to learn: to continuously drop all sorts of rigid identities"

Mindell provides a number of exercises derived from Jungian active imagination and, through much of the book, attempts to graft them upon a pseudo-Castanedaist framework. He tells us to look for an "ally" in spontaneous dance or movement or in disturbing thoughts or feelings. He advises us to store the body energy and power through noticing unpredictable, subtle body feelings; he recommends we follow them instead of throwing them away. Thus, if you follow the body it is your helper - otherwise it is an opponentin need of healing, because it lost pieces of its soul. If even half of the case studies happened as described by Mindell, the man is also a brilliant therapist with rapier-like intuition.

I can't help but to also lay out a few things that irritated me. As i note above, Mindell is bad at crediting his therapist predecessors and perceived competitors, the very people who actually pioneered body-mind-imagination techniques he uses in his work. On the other hand, there is much name dropping which follows the tired rigid formula used by people who tour the New Age workshop/seminar circle. As if. If you haven't discovered anything by yourself, why, the next best thing is to go and spend a few days with a few Africans, Aboriginees or maybe Native Americans, and call them your "teachers". Be on constant lookout for an interesting event usable for self-promotion. Presto, instant credibility with no responsibilities - no need to study and understand what these people actually do and mean. All you have to do is translate what you think was happening onto your own theoretical framework.

The book itself is remarkably superficial. Once he gets the "dreambody" concept out of the way, Mindell is left with nothing left to say. So he leaves us with scores of case studies (all of which, of course, are a paean to the man's brilliance) and a lazy interpretation of Castaneda's ideas. While some concepts look like direct translations of Castanedian terms into Mindellian psychotherapy, there is, to me, a notable disconnect between much of what Carlos was about and what Mindell believes Castaneda's terms mean.I doubt sorcery for CC was a game of active imagination. At times, there is willful misinterpretation of Buddhist and Taoist ideas so that M. can underscore the significance of his New Shamanism. And so on.

This is a not unreadable book that may persuade some people to pay attention to their bodies and dreams. To work with the netherworld existing between the body and the dreamworld can only bring rewards.

5-0 out of 5 stars Great book on the subject
This is one of the best books I've found on the subject of shamanism as it might be applied to a modern western person's life, rather than as a history of shamanism in older societies. It's fine for beginners as well as those with some background. Both clear and in-depth.

5-0 out of 5 stars This-This is the New You
I first read this book a decade ago and at that time I knew that I had just read some of the most deep, profound thoughts that I may ever come acrost.Even if I didn't completely understand the body of knowledge that the author meant as a whole, I was forever changed by reading of the "Dreaming Body" and by my newfound awareness of hands-on techniques to merge this dreaming body with my actual body.An example in my own words: Imagine in your mind the 'you' that is the best 'you' to which you can possibly dream up, see yourself as confident, strong, humorous, whatever you'd like to imagine yourself as.And then act out what you imagined in your real life and in real public situations.What do you have to lose by trying it?

There are books on Shamanism out there that I feel require extensive knowledge of plants in order to understand: Harner's Way of the Shaman, Castaneda's first two books, McKenna's Food of the Gods and True Hallucinations, etc.But this book is different.I recommend The Shaman's Body to virtually everybody, especially to people who are feeling very depressed and really are in need of some serious transformational change.This book is unique in that it is particularly compatible, i.e. sound in both a Shamanic sense and in a Western psychotherapeutic sense.Rarely have I stumbled upon such deep understandings of the human psyche.A decade since I first read it, and I still turn to it every morning to get a little something that will positively impact my day and how I conduct myself. ... Read more


44. Ecstasy: Shamanism in Korea
by Alan Carter Covell
 Hardcover: 107 Pages (1983-12)
list price: US$27.95
Isbn: 0930878337
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45. Rainbow Medicine: A Visionary Guide to Native American Shamanism
by Wolf Moondance
Paperback: 192 Pages (1994-06-30)
list price: US$14.95 -- used & new: US$9.94
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0806903643
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Uncover the secrets of personal strength from a shaman who has been successfully training others for 27 years, drawing on her Osage and Cherokee ancestry and her training in psychology. Follow the path to open your spirit and mind, balance your emotions, get in touch with your body, and explore your creativity, through the ceremonies of growth, truth, wisdom, and impeccability, and the sacred quest for the whole self.192 pages, 32 b/w illus., 6 x 9.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

5-0 out of 5 stars I Red it and Read it and Read it!!!
I got this book Rainbow Medicine right after meeting the Author in 94. What a powerful person and book I read it over and over. The spirits in this book open doors to healing each day of my life. I will always trust the writings of Wolf Moondance. It will help all who look. Dan Bentely

5-0 out of 5 stars The Book is Grand it saved my life.
I think there are a lot of ways t see a Truth and I want to say this book is full of truth. I was sad and very angery at the lies that are told about good people and the indian ways. I was lost and drunk and this book pened me up to the memories of my Grandmother and father. I remembered the love and the truth and I'm alive and teaching school because of the book. Please, if you need spirit and are looking to learn grab this one and keep it close-It is Great!!! Carol Smith

5-0 out of 5 stars I love the book-It helps!
I'm a young one and I have the book it is great. My grandmother is Native American and she thinks we need to remember the magic of our people and not live in the anger and hate of the old days. We almost lost the spirit of our people and we need books like this to remember. I find the book easy to read and great to learn from. It make my Granny smile. Wolf Mooondance is a good writer. Thank you Frank from South Dakota

5-0 out of 5 stars The Real Thing
This book is a contemporary teaching tool to reach out to all people that strive for a better life.Many would say that this isn't "traditional" material or that shamans don't write books.The idea of this book is to reach out to the public in a contemporary Native American spiritual way, and allow people to find happiness in a difficult world.This book accomplishes the goal, and succeeds in being an excellent healing tool.Doubt or anger is not what this book is about.It is about sharing a vision (contemporary) and helping people to have a guide for self healing and happiness.No, this isn't "tradional" Native American writing, but it IS great contemporary Native American writing.We are all on this earth to share our ideals and culture, so do yourself a favor and read all of Wolf Moondance's work.Native American's do write books and they also share their visions with the rest of the world.Remember anger and negative opinions do NOT mend the hoop.The book is a great beginning to help people get acquinted with spirituality whether it is Native American or a personal experience.The book is a quality experience and I recommend it highly.

1-0 out of 5 stars sorry people.This is not the real thing!!
My purpose for writing this review is by no means motivated by any intent to slander the author in any way. In fact, after reviewing the author's website and other books, I think my review can be applied to all bookstore shamans. Unforunately, it seems that many of you non-natives are unable to distinguish authentic native spirituality from this type of material.My concern is for the interests of the reader.The approach that most Native Americans have taken in response to this type of misrepresentation of culture has not been a peaceful one.There is no shortage of protests and lawsuits against mispresentation in Indian country. There are many people today who are taking advantage of Native American people through their presentations of bogus teachings.I implore you to use common sense.You must know that today, in this modern age, there are many charlatans at work, especially in this genre. I do not mean to insult the intelligence of the readers but what you have here by "Wolf Mood Dance," is a romanticized version of Native Spirituality.In a sense, maybe this book's information is what you "want" to hear.If it adds something positive to your life, ..fine.But for those of you who are genuinely interested in learning about Native Spirituality, you must approach these presentations in a skeptical manner. Real Medicine healers are few and far between.Again, you must use common sense on this one.Authentic Native spiritual leaders usually keep to themselves and live a simple life usually among their own people and not in a corporate headquarters.It would seem very fishy to my people if our spiritual leaders were to suddenly begin to write books and create websites in order to promote an image.For those of you who seek spiritual guidance from an authentic leader, I'll leave you with a few points to contemplate.In short, you must seek the authentic healer in the proper place, and that is NOT in a bookstore.Also, each tribe has its own cosmology and heirarchy of deities and spirit helpers. It is not a case of lumping a Native practices in to one group and labeling it "Native Spirituality."As I seek to bridge the gap between non-indians and my own people.I am willing to share what I have experienced and how a genuine Native American percieves life.I do not "KNOW IT All" but I do know my culture and offer my hand for the sake of helping another in life, however I can. yellowrobe@hotmail.com ... Read more


46. Shamanism In Siberia
by M. A. Czaplicka
Hardcover: 168 Pages (2010-05-23)
list price: US$36.95 -- used & new: US$26.39
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 1161452303
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IN everyday life the shaman is not distinguishable from other people except by an occasionally haughty manner, but when he is engaged in communicating with spirits he has to make use of a special dress and special instruments. Of these the most important and the one in most general use is the shaman's drum. It may be said that all over Siberia, where there is a shaman there is also a drum. The drum has the power of transporting the shaman to the superworld and of evoking spirits by its sounds. ... Read more


47. America, the Sorcerer's New Apprentice: The Rise of New Age Shamanism
by Dave Hunt, Thomas A. McMahon
Paperback: 284 Pages (1988-05)
list price: US$9.99 -- used & new: US$4.87
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0890816514
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48. The Nature of Shamanism: Substance and Function of a Religious Metaphor
by Michael Ripinsky-Naxon
Paperback: 310 Pages (1993-05-04)
list price: US$31.95 -- used & new: US$27.43
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0791413861
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars
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[The author] explores the core and essence of shamanism bylooking at its ritual, mythology, symbolism, and the dynamics of itscultural process. In dealing with the basic elements of shamanism, theauthor discusses the shamanistic experience and enlightenment, theinner personal crisis, and the many aspects entailed in the role ofthe shaman. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

5-0 out of 5 stars By far, the best book to be found on the subject
A fundamental work for those beginning their study of shamanism, as well as an essential volume for the initiated, The Nature of Shamanism offers a singularly thorough and profound treatment of the subject.Densely written and filled with seemingly endless layers of meaning, it can be used as a reference and should be read again and again.Each time I return to this book with a new level of understanding, it is as if I am reading each section for the first time, as new and more profound meanings are revealed.

I could not agree more with this reviewer's comments: "This book is provocative!It is a 'thinking book'; the reader cannot remain passive.It makes one realize that truths are constantly being rediscovered in all cultures throughout time - how we create culture and how culture in turn creates us - the circle of truths, ancient and modern.I was sometimes awestruck by the comprehension of the author.A profound and powerful work, I enjoyed it to the last sentence."
-- Lana Clark

This book is an invaluable contribution to the field, and I would readily recommend it above all others. ... Read more


49. Shamanism and the Ancient Mind: A Cognitive Approach to Archaeology (Archaeology of Religion)
by James L. Pearson
Paperback: 208 Pages (2002-04)
list price: US$33.95 -- used & new: US$29.92
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0759101566
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Pearson brings a cogent, well-argued case for the understanding of much prehistoric art as shamanistic practice. Using the theoretical premises of cognitive archaeology and a careful examination of rock art worldwide, Pearson is able to dismiss other theories of why ancient peoples produced art-totemism, art-for-art's sake, structuralism, hunting magic. Then examining both ethnographic and neuropsychological evidence, he makes a strong case for the use of shamanistic ritual and hallucinogenic substances as the genesis of much prehistoric art. Bolst ered with examples from contemporary cultures and archaeological sites around the world, Pearson's thesis should be of interest not only to archaeologists, but art historians, psychologists, cultural anthropologist, and the general public. ... Read more


50. Stone Age Wisdom: The Healing Principles of Shamanism
by Tom Crockett
Paperback: 288 Pages (2010-01-13)
list price: US$19.95 -- used & new: US$17.51
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 1450519016
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars
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Stone Age Wisdom: The Healing Principles of Shamanism is a guide to an urban contemporary shamanism that draws on the what religious historian, Houston Smith, describes as "the ground from which all religions spring." While the word shamanism has come to mean many things to many people, a shaman is an individual who uses an enhanced capacity to attend to the unseen world primarily in service to others. The first step to being able to artfully serve others is to return to balance.What does it mean to live in balance? Most people know what it feels like to live out of balance. The fast pace of modern life has left many of us without roots or a sense of connection to life around us. Shamanism is the spiritual practice that evolved from the worldview of our Stone Age ancestors. That worldview recognized that all things were alive, conscious, dynamic, interconnected, and responsive. By animating these core principles in our lives we can find that balance and sense of connection that is so lacking in our urban contemporary world. From each of these core principles has evolved a set of practices that allow the shaman to work effectively with the energetic patterns that form the template upon which reality as we know it arises. Stone Age Wisdom is a guide to these practices as refined for an urban contemporary practitioner.By following the healing principles of shamanism you'll learn practices to:DREAM-to be open to and understand the wisdom of your dreamsVISION-SHIFT-to develop the ability to sense the energetic patterns in your lifeJOURNEY-to enter into dialogue with the energies that shape our livesSHAPE-SHIFT-to practice the art of conscious change and energetic healingCONDUCT CEREMONY-to mediate between the seen and the unseen worldsDREAM-WEAVE-to direct will and intention through embodied prayer and creative action ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

5-0 out of 5 stars A Path of the Heart
Tom Crockett creates a journey that is rare in today's view of self healing and self awareness and shifts the focus on utilizing our gifts to serve others and the planet...and in a way that is practical and usual for personal healing journeys.I have studied and experienced tradional Shamanism and Native American/Hawaiian spirituality practices for over twenty years.I respect Tom's knowledge, wisdom and direction and recommend this book wholeheartedly.

5-0 out of 5 stars Stone Age Wisdom by Tom Crockett
Tom Crockett is Shaman, Seeker, Scholar, Teacher, Storyteller, Healer. In his beautifully written book Stone Age Wisdom the reader is taken on a journey into the seen and unseen worlds. There, we are taught, through wisdom, ceremony and ritual, to honor and embrace the connectedness of all and how to touch these energies within ourselves. We are led to expand and deepen our view of the worlds and our place in them. All who go here will be transformed in the richness of their compassionate hearts.

5-0 out of 5 stars Deborah M.
From a beginner's perspective, the author expertly simplifies Shamanism and how it can be applied to your everyday life.Looking from a more advanced perspective, there is much more substance to explore to help you go deeper.No matter where you are in your journey, I highly recommend "Stone Age Wisdom".You will be richer for having read it - I know I am.

5-0 out of 5 stars Great Introduction for someone curious
I am very curious about Shamanism and what it means to my existing spirituality to "practice" shamanism.The book does a great job of answering these questions.In short, it enhances my spirituality.It wonderfully encompasses its many aspects as well as imparts a new perspective to these very old ideas and practices. I agree with the other reviews about the book here, so I will not duplicate what they have already said.

5-0 out of 5 stars Stone Age Wisdom: The Healing Principles of Shamanism by Tom Crockett
This is an amazing book about Shamanism that interests a beginner, an advanced student and everyone in between. Its simple language and at the same time, profound messages, capture the reader's attention since the first pages.
The information is given in a didactic way with emphasis on the practical aspects of applying its ancient wisdom into the contemporary society's life.

The book also demystifies some points in Shamanism allowing the reader to relate his/her own life experience to this subject regardless of ethnic or religious background. It is pleasant to navigate though the chapters as if it is a trip starting long time ago ( as the title indicates: at stone age) and moving to the modern days without losing the focus of primordial (and universal) principles, such as: interconnection among all beings, healing as a process of self and collective growth, the quest for the self in conjunction with nature patterns.

I highly recommend this book for whoever is interested to learn about Shamanism and its broad scope (and application) as a practical path for healing, self-growth and understanding of people's connection with nature. It is also a great book to enhance your knowledge on an ancient topic and implications on people's lives even if you are not interested to pursue a more in-depth study afterwards. ... Read more


51. Shamanism - Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy
by Mircea Eliade
Paperback: Pages (1974)

Asin: B001YUVZSG
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars
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Customer Reviews (1)

5-0 out of 5 stars absolutely fascinating and still relevant
It's great to read a scholarly study of shamanism that is neither dismissive of "primitive" cultures nor tainted with new age credulity.
610 pages, indexed. Chapter headings include:
Recruiting methods, shamanism and mystical vocation
Initiatory sickness and dreams
Obtaining shamanic powers
shamanic initiation
Symbolism of the shaman's costume and drum
Shamanism in Central and North Asia: Celestial ascents. Descents to the underworld
Magical cures
Cosmology
Shamanism in North and South America
Southeast Asian And Oceanian shamanism
Shamanic Ideologies and techniques among Indo-Europeans
Shamanic symbolisms and techniques in Tibet, china, and the Far East
Parallel myths, symbols, and rites
Conclusions, Epilogue, List of works cited ... Read more


52. Awakening the Energy Body: From Shamanism to Bioenergetics
by Kenneth Smith
Paperback: 240 Pages (2008-05-08)
list price: US$15.00 -- used & new: US$8.66
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Asin: 1591430844
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars
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Editorial Review

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A practical guide to understanding and enhancing the functionality of the human energy body

• Shows how the energy body and its interactions are the principal determinant of all we see, feel, think, or otherwise perceive

• Details strategic skills to manage the infinite alternate realities available to the energy body

Each of us inhabits an energy body whose interactions are the principal determinant of all we see, feel, think, or otherwise perceive. Even as modern science is establishing the uncertainty of physical matter, it is asserting the reality of our existence as interconnecting quantum energy fields. For over 5,000 years, shamans of the Toltec tradition have studied and worked with the energy body, learning to recognize and understand its structure and perceptual capacities as well as mapping it as an objective, measurable part of our anatomy. In Awakening the Energy Body, Kenneth Smith’s thorough grounding in the Toltec tradition allows him to bring forth an instructive overview for non-Toltec adherents of the latent possibilities available to the energy body and how to bring awareness and objective form to it.

Using evidence from the emerging scientific discipline of bioenergetics, which studies the flow and exchange of energy, Smith shows that conscious awareness not only creates our reality but enhances the functionality of the human energy body, allowing it to navigate the myriad realities of our world. He offers a specific set of strategies to manage the energy body in ways that are beneficial to both material existence and spiritual development. He also discusses the ethical considerations of developing consciousness and how one can quicken personal evolution in order to live a full and complete life, while revealing where the worlds of ancient tradition and modern science meet. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

4-0 out of 5 stars clear and concise
Very clear and concise.An interweaving of modern disciplines with Toltec tradition.I enjoyed his chapter on reflection and projection.It provides a clear foundation for being able to see one's projections onto oneself, others and the world at large.

5-0 out of 5 stars excellent and in-depth
Kenneth Smith presents the Toltec energetic philosophy in an accessible way without sacrificing depth.For me energetic training is the next important paradigm in human evolution and personal growth.I highly recommend Awakening the Energy Body.

5-0 out of 5 stars Uses science from bioenergetics to study the ebb and flow of body energy
Both psychology and new age libraries will find much of interest in AWAKENING THE ENERGY BODY: FROM SHAMANISM TO BIOENERGETICS. It uses science from bioenergetics to study the ebb and flow of body energy and draws important connections between psychology and physical matter, and uses the author's Toltec tradition studies to reinforce the possibilities involved in body energy understanding.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

5-0 out of 5 stars Awakening the Energy Body
Change is so much more than an instantaneous surface reconstruction. Real change is deeper and far more complex. Moreover, as the new change is integrated into the system, it becomes permanently ingrained.

Awakening the Energy Body is based upon Toltec traditions as presented in the author's other works on Toltec philosophy. Above all, imagination and becoming open to new possibilities are key to growth. However, once new ideas are introduced they have to be actualized through a process of orientation, training, craftsmanship, artistry, and mastery.

Awakening the Energy Body is quite an in-depth dense book. It is definitely not a Sunday afternoon read. Still the information is enlightening and well worth the effort. ... Read more


53. Shamanism in North America (Religion and Spirituality)
by Norman Bancroft Hunt
Hardcover: 232 Pages (2003-02-01)
list price: US$49.95 -- used & new: US$22.19
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Asin: 1552976785
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars
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Shamanism has ancient roots. It stems from the beliefs of ancient hunting cultures but was adapted to fit the needs of agricultural communities where the role of the shaman integrated with that of the priest.

Native Americans believed that it was their responsibility to maintain harmony in the natural world on which they depended by performing a variety of rituals. Hunters blessed the animals they sought in the hope of their acquiescence, farmers blessed their fields and seedlings to ensure a bountiful harvest. Shamans were credited with exceptional powers to act on behalf of the community. They claimed to be capable of separating their spirits from their bodies and interceding with those spirits that controlled the many forces of nature.

This book records the author's research into the traditions and practices of shamans across North America. Illustrations include remarkable photographs of masks, effigies, and implements used by shamans that are in the National Museum of the American Indian, Field Museum of Natural History, Canadian Museum of Civilization, and Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnology. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

5-0 out of 5 stars Excellent intro
This is a good introduction to NA 'shamanic' cultures. The book is divided into 7 chapters, devoted to semi- geographic groups with similar social organizations and spiritual practices, including the Eskimo, Subarctic, Northwest Coast, Southwest, Californian and Plains Indians. There is a lot of information in each chapter yet the info is condensed in an interesting manner for the lay reader. Included are a number of cool stories and anecdotes.In my opinion, Hunt achieves a good balance between the illustrations and the text...the depicted photos ofritual paraphernalia, shamans, landscape tell the story almost by themselves.

I recommend this book as a starting point for people who want to learn about the diversity of NA shamanic practices and beliefs practiced across different cultural, language, ethnic and geographical divisions. As expected from a book intended for a general audience, author presents his information as hard facts. I am sure experts might quibble about some of them; however, this does not detract from the usefullnes of the book. ... Read more


54. Magic and Witchcraft: From Shamanism to the Technopagans
by Nevill Drury
Hardcover: 240 Pages (2003-11-24)
list price: US$34.95 -- used & new: US$26.56
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Asin: 0500511403
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Magic and witchcraft are as old as humanity itself. From the earliest animist concepts of a universe alive with potent spiritual forces to the emergence of Wicca and contemporary neopaganism, magic and its associated practices have provided a sense of power and purpose in an often mysterious world.

Beginning with shamanism—widely acknowledged as the world's earliest spiritual tradition—this book explores myth and magic in the ancient world, the quest for gnosis, or sacred esoteric knowledge, and the emergence of the kabbalah, alchemy, and the Hermetic tradition. It then describes the rise of medieval witchcraft, the origins of the tarot, and the secret philosophy of the Freemasons and Rosicrucians.

The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, started in Britain in 1888, led to a twentieth-century revival that extends into the present millennium. The influence of controversial occultist Aleister Crowley, the rebirth of witchcraft and goddess worship, the emergence of contemporary satanism, the revival of interest in shamanism and indigenous spirituality, and the intriguing connection between digital magic and cyberspace are all explored here in detail.

The book reminds us that magic is not so much about superstition as the quest to be at one with the spirits, gods, and goddesses of the magical realms. Magicians have always sought to tap the mysterious forces of the universe and to use them for their own specific purposes, good or evil. 150 illustrations, 60 in color. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

4-0 out of 5 stars A Compact History of Magic and Mysticism
This book is an essential read for any one interested not only in Witchcraft and Magic, but also in the general history of both Pagan, and Monotheistic, Esoteric Mysticism. In fact anyone expecting to learn Wiccan practices, craft or magick would be best to give this one a miss. As it is really more a loose, historical overview and exploration of the term 'Magic' (real magick that is) itself. An extremely comprehensive and well researched, compact bible of information, it links the idea of Witchcraft and Magic with philosophical, spiritual and metaphysical schools of thought in an intelligent and academic way for a change. Instead of treating it as something supernatural, evil or anti-Christian. Magick afterall, has always been greatly misunderstood and misrepresented. Magick and Witchcraft are not evil, they are in fact a kind of ancient natural science which has become forgotten in the modern world (though not lost entirely thankfully). It's only when the intent is harmful that it becomes 'evil', this can also be said about churches and religions, as well as human beings in general. In fact, there are schools of thought which actually support the theory that Jesus himself was a kind of Witch, a gifted Magician, Healer and Rabbi of the Mystical Jewish Kabbalah. Who's miracles and feats of magic were therefore seen as divine. Forget the De Vinci Code, wait'll the church gets a load of that!
Though the percentage of focus in this book is still on European influences, it still manages to cover a broard range of cultures and historic periods, spanning from the ancient world, and middle ages to the present day. Subjects include everything from Shamanism, Wicca, Alchemy and Gnosticism, to the Kabbalah, Hermetic Orders, Free Masonary and Neo-Paganism. A fascinating read and worthwhile coffee table book to have. My only minor criticism would be that at times the Author's writing style tends to be a little flowery and not always user friendly. He has a tendency to waffle a bit rather than get to the heart of the matter. Still, a very well put together book, and I congratulate Neville Dury for treating this subject with intelligence and maturity.

5-0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive, clear, developed, well-produced
Drury has been refining his presentation of this material for several decades.This is a large, beautiful, well-produced presentation of his findings to date, with up-to-date coverage of magic in visionary-plant shamanism and on the Web.This book is a good model of combining clear, accessible presentation with scholarly references.

This book has widely comprehensive coverage of magic in the history of ideas, including myth; he treats magic in relation to religion, myth, Western esotericism, Gnosticism, alchemy, hermeticism, and astrology.Mostly Western rather than Eastern practices, but Bon shamanism is covered.Spans ancient and modern eras through the 20th Century.Has stronger coverage of visionary plants than most books on magic, though more coverage is needed such as in Ratsch's book "Witchcraft Medicine: Healing Arts, Shamanic Practices, and Forbidden Plants", which raises the standard for covering this key subject.

I would like to see more explicit coverage of magic and myth as metaphorical double-entendres for the visionary-state phenomena.I would also like to see more extended coverage of astrological determinism and magically or supernaturally transcending it -- for example, the index lacks entries for determinism, fate, heimarmene, and astrological determinism, even though the book does have some coverage of astrological determinism.

Because of the focus on the history of esotericism, this is a superior book on magic.There is a little room for improvement in depth of profundity such as bringing together metaphor, ecstatic consciousness, transcendence, and cosmic determinism.This book is among the better treatments of the history of magic, though not outstanding in its depth of grasp; its real outstanding strength is its comprehensive scope, the author's thorough and highly developed long-term familiarity with the material, and clear presentation. ... Read more


55. Walt Whitman: Shamanism, Spiritual Democracy, and the World Soul
by Steven B. Herrmann
Hardcover: 326 Pages (2010-06-14)
list price: US$28.95 -- used & new: US$21.95
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Asin: 1609116992
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars
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Walt Whitman: Shamanism, Spiritual Democracy, and the World Soul begins with a dream that sent the author, Steven B. Herrmann, on a journey to analyze the "shamanic structures" of the collective unconscious that are present in the poetry and prose of America's greatest bard, Walt Whitman.From a contemporary, analytical psychological point of view, Herrmann demonstrates how Whitman speaks to age-old sociopolitical and religious questions that are highly relevant to our world today. The book discusses topics including:• Whitman's Emergence as a World-Liberating Figure• The Three Stages of American Democracy• Bi-Erotic Marriage• Whitman's Religious VisionBased on extensive research into the roots of the American mythos, this book will be essential reading for literary, political, religious, and psychological studies.Steven B. Herrmann is a Jungian writer and psychotherapist and lives with his wife in the hills of Oakland, California. Publisher's Web site: http://www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/WaltWhitman-Shamanism.html ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

5-0 out of 5 stars Who Knew?
Who knew?

In the middle of the 19th century, Walt Whitman burst full blown onto the world stage singing the body electric in poetic cadences never before heard, knowing of nothing but miracles, celebrating the spirituality of erotic sex, celebrating his Self--the Self,injecting joyous vivacity into the American experiment, and capturing the wonder of thoughtful human beings throughout the planet.In his remarkable new book, Walt Whitman,Shamanism, Spiritual Democracy, and the World Soul, Steven Herrmann makes it clear that the phenomenon of Walt Whitman is not only a relevant but a potent metaphor for the fulfillment of human beings in the first decade of the 21th century.Herrmann defines Whitman and his influence on us all with a thoroughness as has not been seen before. The Whitman unearthed in this book tapped intothe bedrock spiritual underpinning of ordinary reality.Walt Whitman,Shamanism, Spiritual Democracy, and the World Soul shows how fundamentally Whitman's voice continues to inform every strand of the web of 21st century life.

What an oeuvre!Herrmann's book is so inclusive and exhaustive that it will surely be a source book for anyone approaching Whitman from any discipline, be it quantum physics, psychology, literary criticism, religion, philosophy, the biology of sex-or the eating of plums at the farmers' market.

But I picture another reader.She is a college sophomore-with Herman Hesse and Joseph Campbell and maybe some Henry Miller and Friedrich Nietzche stacked up on her desk.She is not bent on a career; she is following her bliss; she is opening windows to her soul. She is part of the hidden remnant of any college-students and faculty and staff-who know the difference between a career and a vocation. Walt Whitman, Shamanism, Spiritual Democracy, and the World Soul connects the ideas of the Hesses, the Campbells, the Millers, the Nietzches, the Einsteins, the Jungs, and brings those ideas together in one coherent whole.What a splendid addition to that college student's small library.

And I see a gay man, the lesbian, reading this book and realizing their place in the world, and I see the Puritan opening his shirt to the spring thunder and lightning, celebrating the body in all its drives and ecstasy, and I see the staid philosopher and the physicist in his lab forgetting to go home for dinner.I celebrate my Self! they all sing out.I celebrate what I am.For while Steven Herrmann's book is likely to become a standard source book for sober academicians and anyone trying to understand what we are, what this world is,it drives home an awareness more personal and essential: the individuation of each human being-and thereby all being-ness.There is something wonderful going on in the world, a numinosity, a golden glow. That, in the end, as Steven Herrmann demonstrates, is what an understanding of Walt Whitman means to packets of quantum energy journeying day by day through the 21st century-the symbolic life, the encompassing of opposites, the embodiment of miracles.

5-0 out of 5 stars Kudos from Matthew Fox
Kudos to Steven Herrmann and Walt Whitman: A Review of "Walt Whitman: Shamanism, Spiritual Democracy, and the World Soul" (2010) by Steven B. Herrmann.Published by Eloquent Books, Durham, Connecticut, ISBN 978-1-60911-699-6.

By Matthew Fox

Thanks to Walt Whitman and to Carl Jung and to William Everson, mentors to the author whose in-depth probing of Whitman's work unveils a treasure house of profound building blocks toward forging a post-modern spirituality.Just as Whitman has been credited with re-inventing poetry through free verse, so with this study we get a feel for how authentically he also accomplished a reinvention of religion.He and Herrmann are to be praised.As Whitman put it, "The people, especially the young men and women of America, must begin to learn that religion, (like poetry), is something far, far different from what they supposed.It is indeed too important to the power and perpetuity of the new world to be consign'd any longer to the churches, old or new, Catholic or Protestant--Saint this, or Saint that.It must be consign'd henceforth to democracy en masse, and to literature.It must enter into the poems of the nation.It must make the nation."(p. 264)

Whitman's spiritual genius breaks out everywhere in this profound study.Consider his position on spiritual democracy that is so inclusive of women's wisdom and experience."Democracy, in silence, biding its time, ponders its own ideals, not in literature and art only--not of men only, but of women.The idea of the women of America, (extricated from this daze, this fossil and unhealthy air which hangs about the word lady,)develop'd, raised to become robust equals, workers, and, it may be, even practical and political deciders with the men--greater than man, we may admit, through their divine maternity, as always their towering, emblematical attribute--but great, at any rate, as man, in all departments." (230)These words written multiple decades before women even had the right to vote!
Consider his position on deep ecumenism--and how it begins with the lower chakras ("throbbings") in dance, where all shamanism begins, with our connection to the earth, and is cosmic because it embraces "all the voices of the universe."

I hear the dance music of all nations...bathing me in bliss.
Give me to hold all sounds, (I madly struggling to cry,)
Fill me with all the voices of the universe,
Endow me with their throbbings, Natures also,
The tempests, waters, winds, operas and chants, marches and dances,
Utter, pour in, for I would take them all! (p. 231)

Consider his 150 year ahead-of-his-time inclusion of same-sex marriage as part of spiritual democracy.And consider his call for a truly cosmic and universal creation-based "spiritual democracy."All his songs resonate with the labor groans of an emerging post-denominational, ecumenical, eco-based and justice-based spirituality yearning to be born in our time.

To entertain the themes that emerge from this in-depth study of Walt Whitman is like standing underneath a refreshing waterfall on a hot summer day.Here are some of them: vocation; work; joy; ecstasy; sacred body; mystical sexuality; evolution of consciousness; nature--trees!; animals (green man); conscience, justice; religion's failure; Europe's failures; chant and spiritual praxis; mysticism; prophecy; evil; "vocalism," i.e., art as meditation; the return of the feminine; native American wisdom; democratizing of spirituality including ecstasy, prophecy and conscience; ecology; earth consciousness; deep ecumenism; symbolic existence, metaphor; throat chakra; drum, ecstatic dance and ritual.

As institutional religion continues to embarrass itself and lost its grip and interest and moral legitimacy with ever new revelations of hypocrisy, priestly pedophilia, hierarchical privilege and cover-up, heresy-hunting, denunciations of science, homophobia, sexism, power addictions, fear, selling of cheap guilt, conniving with empire-builders and just plain boredom masquerading as worship, Whitman's invitation to an ecumenical, earth-based spirituality calls all the louder to souls hungry for solid, sane and intelligent spirituality.This book serves up many deep and tasty dishes.Wisdom food abounds.We are famished.We are ready!
Let Walt Whitman speak:

"If anything is sacred the human body is sacred." (183)
"Why, who makes much of a miracle?
As to me, I know nothing else but miracles." (265)
"Comradeship, uniting closer and closer not only the American States, but all nations,
and all humanity.That, O poets! Is that not the theme worth chanting, striving for?
Why not fix your verses henceforth to the gauge of the round globe?The whole race...
contributed by every nation, each after its distinctive kind." (264)

Herrmann comments: "The idea of a new post-Judaic, post-Christian, post-Islamic, post-Hindu, post-Taoist, post-Buddhist religion is unique to America and the multi-culturalism that Whitman achieves in `Passage to India' and "Democratic vistas' is what makes him so unique among the poet-shamans of the world." (267) Indeed.His time has come.So has ours.This book opens needed doors for all of us.Dare we enter them?Dare we leave behind what we must to travel more lightly through these opened doors?Time will tell.And time is running out.
... Read more


56. Singing the Soul Back Home: Shamanism in Daily Life (Earth Quest)
by Caitlin Matthews
Paperback: 240 Pages (1995-02)
list price: US$14.95 -- used & new: US$38.44
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Asin: 1852306165
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Offering advice on the application of simple shamanic principles to daily life, this book sets out to show how they can be learned by anyone, regardless of creed or religion. It describes how, through practical exercises, readers can explore their inner space, journeying between the everyday world and the spiritual realm of the shaman, and how to harness creative imagination and innate healing powers, and find one's spirit voice and true destiny. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

4-0 out of 5 stars grounded-in-groundlessness compassionate reliable authentic
and though she warmly mentiones harner and ingerman, i think she does a better job at helping the reader...why? because she DOES come from a "tradition" or trajectory (albeit, celt-britain) and not from a clinic. she successfully balances the practices as a hybrid-"core" shamanism...true, for some this book may still seem "light" but then shamanism isn't about tripping out and hanging in a drum circle with didgeridoos etc. such is cool...but we are talking about life (cosmic and comic) and she brings in compassion...that we are not just collecting allies etc...journeying isn't for everyday...(though perhaps yes if you allot a time, are in rehab?!) etc...but in general, this book provides a balance to the--hopefully--complexly balanced person...this goes right along with pema chodron's own focus on the deep wisdom of the sad heart. from there, you can journey/sit and do what you must for yourself and thus do ALOT more for others, earth and back to yourself. 4 stars because nothing is perfect. but yes, i can keep myself open to the neo-shamanic movement...but with respectful suspicion. let "them" help "those" who may need it...perhaps harner and co. are unknowing tricksters...i don't know!! namaste ah HO!!

5-0 out of 5 stars A Practical Reanimation of Animistic Practice
Singing The Soul Back Home is a refreshing and approachable introduction to shamanism for people who have not encountered the practices and cosmologies of 'walking between the worlds.' What is perfected in this work from cover to cover is the blend of personal account (Caitlin's own childhood), with a thorough yet heartful introduction to shamanic cosmology. Fleshed out with plenty of practices and "permissions" for people to approach a revisioning of how they perceive the world around them, Singing the Soul Back Home does exactly what its title suggests. It deserves to sit alongside other works in shamanism, such as Harner's The Way of the Shaman and Tom Cowan's Shamanism As A Spiritual Practice for Daily Life.

4-0 out of 5 stars An excellent primer on Shamanism
I really enjoyed this book.I also recommend it to my Shamanic Healing students.Though the Matthews' have a background in Celtic Shamanism, practitioners of all paths will find this book useful.This book coversall the important aspects of Shamanism from spirit helpers to soulretreival and divination.I highly recommend it! ... Read more


57. Inuit Shamanism and Christianity: Transitions and Transformations in the Twentieth Century (Mcgill-Queen's Native and Northern Series)
by Frederic B. Laugrand, Jarich G. Oosten
Paperback: 467 Pages (2009-11-21)
list price: US$32.95 -- used & new: US$29.57
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 077353590X
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While the transition to Christianity in the Canadian Arctic occurred between the end of the eighteenth century and the 1950s, the various and complex transformations that happened during this time have not been fully understood. Using both archival material and oral testimony collected during workshops in Nunavut between 1996 and 2008, Frederic Laugrand and Jarich Oosten provide a nuanced look at Inuit religion, offering a strong counter narrative to the idea that traditional Inuit culture declined post-contact. They show that setting up a dichotomy between a past identified with traditional culture and a present involving Christianity obscures the continuity and dynamics of Inuit society, which has long borrowed and adapted 'outside' elements. They argue that both Shamanism and Christianity are continually changing in the Arctic and ideas of transformation and transition are necessary to understand both how the hunting ideology shaped Inuit Christian cosmology and how Christianity changed Inuit shamanic traditions."Inuit Shamanism and Christianity" is particularly useful in distinguishing between the influence of Anglican, Catholic, and, more recently, Pentecostal and Evangelical movements and in delineating the ways in which Shamanism still influences modern life in Inuit communities. ... Read more


58. Exploring Shamanism (Exploring Series)
by Hillary S. Webb
Paperback: 228 Pages (2008-05-21)
list price: US$16.99 -- used & new: US$7.90
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Asin: 1564146634
Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars
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(New Page Books) Pocket-sized consumer text covers the Shaman's journey from neophyte to master of ectasy. Explores the Shaman's role as a healer and delves into some of the basic skills necessary for an individual to be an effective Shamanic practitioner. Softcover. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

4-0 out of 5 stars Informative and fun to read!
Webb has done a great job breaking down an enormous amount of information into a neat package that can be easily digested, even with no prior experience of shamanism.I truly enjoyed the humorous anecdotes and witty comparisons that brought an ethereal subject back down to Earth.Highly recommended!! ... Read more


59. The Elements of Shamanism (Elements of ...)
by Nevill Drury
Paperback: 128 Pages (1989-04)
list price: US$8.95 -- used & new: US$7.63
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Asin: 1852300698
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60. Shamanism: The Neural Ecology of Consciousness and Healing
by Michael Winkelman
Hardcover: 336 Pages (2000-03-30)
list price: US$119.95 -- used & new: US$100.00
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Asin: 0897897048
Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars
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Editorial Review

Product Description
Shamanism, humanity's most ancient spiritual practice, has achieved a dramatic modern resurgence. The foundations and appeal of shamanism are rooted in human nature, the psychobiology of consciousness, and archetypal structures of the brain and mind. The classic shamanic motif of death and rebirth represents the development of self through the symbolic death of the old self to permit the emergence and integration of a higher order self. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

3-0 out of 5 stars Fascinating information buried in jargon
An earlier reviewer asks the question, "Why isn't this book more widely read?" and theorizes it is too controversial. Controversy is rarely a stumbling block to finding a wide readership. Occam's razor demands a simplier answer - it is tedious reading. The topic is fascinating, Winkelman knows his stuff, and he has drawn together a wide array of research material to build his argument for a neural-psychological theory of shamanism which is combined with an economic-evolutionary theory of how it evolved and has largely disappeared, or at least been sublimated, in more complex organized cultures.

Problem is, Winkelman is addicted to academic jargon, both his own and that of his sources (He loves terms like "cross-modular integration," "polymodal information integration" "Neurogenesis," "symbolic penetration" (there's alot of penetrating going on)but especially "-mentation" neologisms - "Emotiomentation," "Paleomentation," and "Protomentation." Combine that with Winkelman's long, convoluted writing style, and at times ideas have to be forcefully extracted from the tangle of terminology and verbosity. An exemplar sentence, in which Winkelman's thought is intertwined with a source, goes as follows: "The mammalian adaptation of solution (except for monotremes and echidna) for achieving learning without a large prefrontal cortex was "off-line processing" of REM sleep, where associations of recent memories was achieved during periods of sleep. The "off-line" process processing faciliated use of the pre-frontal cortex for advanced cognitive and perceptual activities."

This is a valuable book, full of useful information and piquant theories, but it could have benefited from an editor - one without a technical background in neuroscience or bio-anthropology - who could have simply said, "Michael, this sounds really interesting but I can't make sense of it; re-read Strunk and White and simplify this paragraph"

5-0 out of 5 stars Absolutely essential text for student of ASC and shamanism
I can do justice to this book

It is simply delicious reading

content rich and a sorely needed next step in getting to the core of what mechanism shamanism exploits to engage the integrative healing processes

Anyone whoes been looking into this subject will have seen how much crap is out there, and here on these topics.
So much of it displays faulty scholarship and poorly argued and defined writing, much of it stinks of a work half finished and published to catch a ride on a popular wave of interest. Much of it has no enduring worth. They will be the landfill and animal bedding of the future
You can spend $100 on a few of these or you can get quality in this book. This book will be in the libraries of the future and will surely influence tommorrows visionaries
The density of quality in the book should make it as heavy as lead and yet it is held up by the poetic and fluid integration of winkelmanns' brilliant literary ability

so why isnt it more widely read, even recommended as a text?

I asked this of a proffessional scholar and they responded it was too controversial

Winkelmann?!! what are you trying to do? train shamans? ... Read more


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