Sunday, June 3, 2012
Animal Spirit Guides: An Easy-to-Use Handbook for Identifying and Understanding Your Power Animals and Animal Spirit Helpers
After the publication of his best-selling book Power Animals, many people inquired about the meaning of spirit animals that were not contained in that work. In Animal Spirit Guides, Dr. Farmer provides concise, relevant details about the significance of more than 200 animals that may come to you in physical or symbolic form as guides and teachers. With each animal listed, you’ll find general
Saturday, May 26, 2012
The Shaman Speaks: How to use the Power of Shamanism to Heal Your Life Now
If you could ask a Shaman Elder any question, what would you want to know? Forty-five questions are answered through the words of Shaman Elder Maggie who has practiced for over 50 years her centuries-old family lineage of Traditional Shamanism, trained by her own Shaman Grandmother. See your life from a Traditional Shamanic perspective and eliminate the fears and problems that interfere with
Friday, May 18, 2012
Journeying : Where Shamanism and Psychology Meet
From the fertile ground of psychology and the historic matrix of shamanism comes this daring and pioneering template for healing. This book will be of interest to anyone invested in healing--from seekers to practitioners. Included are case examples illustrating the psychotherapeutics ofSale Price:$6.80Read
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Shamanism for Beginners: Walking With the World's Healers of Earth and Sky
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
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Healing with Form, Energy, and Light: The Five Elements in Tibetan Shamanism, Tantra, and Dzogchen
In the shamanic world-view of Tibet, the five elements of earth, water, fire, air, and space are accessed through the raw powers of nature and through non-physical beings associated with the natural world. In the Tibetan tantric view, the elements are recognized as five kinds of energy in the body and are balanced with a program of yogic movements, breathing exercises, and visualizations. In
Monday, April 16, 2012
The Sin Eater's Last Confessions: Lost Traditions of Celtic Shamanism
As I grew to know Adam Dilwyn Vaughn, it became clear why he lived as he did, where he did, and why he was regarded warily by others, for in his younger days, Adam had been a sin eater (bwytawr pechod in the Welsh, from which this tradition comes)—a devourer of human sins—and his was a story of the soul, what it may contain, and how it can be healed and find purpose. It is only now that I can
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Seeing in the Dark: Claim Your Own Shamanic Power Now and in the Coming Age
The word "shaman" means "one who sees in the dark." Shamans consciously choose to live in two different worlds at the same time. They have one foot here in the everyday world and one foot in the world of the spirits. The fact is, we all live in these two different worlds, but are commonly not aware of the other, less visible one. This world does not exist in some other place, but is right beside
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Shamanism, Colonialism, and the Wild Man: A Study in Terror and Healing
Working with the image of the Indian shaman as Wild Man, Taussig reveals not the magic of the shaman but that of the politicizing fictions creating the effect of the real."This extraordinary book . . . will encourage ever more critical and creative explorations."—Fernando Coronil, American Journal of Sociology "Taussig has brought a formidable collection of data from arcane literary,
Thursday, March 15, 2012
The Hollow Bone: A Field Guide to Shamanism
Shamanism is the oldest living path of spirituality and healing, dating back tens of thousands of years, yet many people don't know what it is or are confused about the practice. In The Hollow Bone, shaman, teacher, and author Colleen Deatsman unveils the mysterious world of Shamanism as it is still practiced today all around the world.Deatsman explains that shamanism is not a religion with a
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Boars
Wild boars were considered worthy adversaries by ancient hunters in Europe. They are fierce, agile and strong, with sharp tusks. They can weigh 200 pounds.
Escaped domesticated boars (swine) turn dark and look like feral boars in the wild. They are even larger and can be just as dangerous.
For more information on the spirit of the boar, visit the website of Iolair, who works with the
Escaped domesticated boars (swine) turn dark and look like feral boars in the wild. They are even larger and can be just as dangerous.
For more information on the spirit of the boar, visit the website of Iolair, who works with the
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Soul Retrieval Unveiling Your Wholeness
Through the journey of life, our soul can experience tramatic events that emotionally leave us feeling incomplete. Are you ready to retrieve the aspects of your soul that will bring you to a state of wholeness? If you are, please join me as we begin your soulSale Price:$17.36Read
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Transforming the Soul: Beyond Soul Retrieval and Integration
Soul Retrieval is becoming increasingly well known, yet vital aspects of its integration process are misunderstood and left unaddressed. To address these areas, this book reveals new insights into the true nature of the soul, soul loss, soul retrieval and the unique needs of the soul during its integration and transformation process. My spirit helpers gave me the insights and methods revealed
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Healing Lost Souls: Releasing Unwanted Spirits from Your Energy Body
For two decades, William Baldwin has been a pioneer in the ever-expanding therapeutic fields of Spirit Releasement, Past Life Regression, and Soul-Mind Fragmentation. In his Florida practice, he uses these therapies routinely to help patients who suffer from Dissociative Trance and Dissociative Identity (formerly called Multiple Personality) Disorders.Healing Lost Souls explains the attributes of
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Earth Magic: Ancient Shamanic Wisdom for Healing Yourself, Others, and the Planet
In Earth Magic, Steven Farmer offers a unique synthesis of ancient spiritual practices and philosophies that have proven over millennia to help heal the spiritual causes of physical and emotional illnesses, augment personal power, enhance manifestation abilities, and encourage a balanced and harmonious relationship with our Earth. Although the foundation for Earth Magic is universal
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Singing to the Plants: A Guide to Mestizo Shamanism in the Upper Amazon
In the Upper Amazon, mestizos are the Spanish-speaking descendants of Hispanic colonizers and the indigenous peoples of the jungle. Some mestizos have migrated to Amazon towns and cities, such as Iquitos and Pucallpa; most remain in small villages, their houses perched on stilts on the shores of the rivers that are their primary means of travel. Here in the jungle, they have retained features of
Monday, January 9, 2012
Sex, Shamanism, and Healing: My Kissing Quest
You are invited. This book is a kiss and tell. It tells stories of fun, juicy sexual experiences, long, sweet kisses, whispered words and touches in the dark, all offering the reader delicious vicarious experiences. It is also a roadmap to healing for survivors of sexual trauma. It offers new pathways, hope, and wisdom to make that journey swifter, more pleasurable and more complete than
Friday, January 6, 2012
Welcome Home: Following Your Soul's Journey Home
Sandra Ingerman's deeply moveing debut, Soul Retrieval, captivated readers with its introduction of shamanic journeying, an ancient tradition of healig. With the characteristic warmth, passion, and authenticcity that have earned her worldwide recognition, Ingerman now continues to share her lifework with Welcome Home, an empowering action plan for creating a more positive future by truly letting
Breaking Open the Head: A Psychedelic Journey into the Heart of Contemporary Shamanism
A dazzling work of personal travelogue and cultural criticism that ranges from the primitive to the postmodern in a quest for the promise and meaning of the psychedelic experience.While psychedelics of all sorts are demonized in America today, the visionary compounds found in plants are the spiritual sacraments of tribal cultures around the world. From the iboga of the Bwiti in Gabon, to the
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
The World of Shamanism: New Views of an Ancient Tradition
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 for The World of Shamanism "As if on cue, just when I am beginning to think that shamanism is the ground from which all religions spring,
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Shamanism
The shaman occupies a key role as a healer mediating between the world of the living and the world of spirits and is a potent figure in alternative medicine. Shamanism, a richly illustrated guide, looks at both historic and present-day manifestations, from the snowscaps of Siberia to the jungles of the Amazon.The book discusses visions, initiation rites, shamanic chants, shamanism and mental
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Rainbow Medicine: A Visionary Guide to Native American Shamanism
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
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Healing States: A Journey Into the World of Spiritual Healing and Shamanism
A colorful and compelling examination of evidence for the mind's ability to heal, taking a step into the fascinating world of psychic healing and shamanism. 80 black-and-whiteSale Price:$9.53Read
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Secrets of Shamanism: Tapping the Spirit Power Within You
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
Monday, December 19, 2011
Shamanism for Beginners: Walking With the World's Healers of Earth and Sky
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
Friday, December 16, 2011
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READING AND ACCEPTING THE TERMS OF USE AND READING AND ACCEPTING THE PROVISIONS OF THE PRIVACY POLICY OF ARE REQUIRED CONSIDERATIONS FOR GRANTING YOU THE RIGHT TO VISIT, READ OR INTERACT WITH IT.
ALL PERSONS ARE DENIED ACCESS TO THIS SITE UNLESS THEY READ AND ACCEPT THE TERMS OF USE AND THE PRIVACY POLICY.
BY VIEWING, VISITING, USING, OR INTERACTING WITH OR WITH ANY BANNER,
Terms of Use
TERMS OF USE
PLEASE READ! REQUIRES CONSIDERATION FOR AND AS A CONDITION OF ALLOWING YOU ACCESS.
READING AND ACCEPTING THE TERMS OF USE AND READING AND ACCEPTING THE PROVISIONS OF THE PRIVACY POLICY OF ARE REQUIRED CONSIDERATIONS FOR GRANTING YOU THE RIGHT TO VISIT, READ OR INTERACT WITH IT.
ALL PERSONS ARE DENIED ACCESS TO THIS SITE UNLESS THEY READ AND ACCEPT THE TERMS OF USE AND THE PRIVACY POLICY.
BY VIEWING, VISITING, USING, OR INTERACTING WITH OR WITH ANY BANNER,
PLEASE READ! REQUIRES CONSIDERATION FOR AND AS A CONDITION OF ALLOWING YOU ACCESS.
READING AND ACCEPTING THE TERMS OF USE AND READING AND ACCEPTING THE PROVISIONS OF THE PRIVACY POLICY OF ARE REQUIRED CONSIDERATIONS FOR GRANTING YOU THE RIGHT TO VISIT, READ OR INTERACT WITH IT.
ALL PERSONS ARE DENIED ACCESS TO THIS SITE UNLESS THEY READ AND ACCEPT THE TERMS OF USE AND THE PRIVACY POLICY.
BY VIEWING, VISITING, USING, OR INTERACTING WITH OR WITH ANY BANNER,
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Soul Retrieval: Return to Wholeness
With clients in 25 States and in Australia, Canada (British Columbia, Ontario and Vancouver), El Salvador, England, Germany, India, Ireland, Singapore, Trinidad/Tobago (West Indies) author Joanna Neff does higher-dimensional soul retrieval and soul clearance sessions from her home in Boulder, Colorado, USA. Soul Retrieval: Return to Wholeness provides the context, gathered from a decade of
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Shamanism
You’re no idiot, of course. You know that shamans are also known as medicine men and women, who use the power of the mind and call on spiritual helpers to heal the afflicted. However, this ancient art has been put to more modern uses, including problem solving, empowerment, and personal mastery.But you don’t have to trek through steamy Amazonian jungles or frigid Siberian tundra to become
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Shamanism
You’re no idiot, of course. You know that shamans are also known as medicine men and women, who use the power of the mind and call on spiritual helpers to heal the afflicted. However, this ancient art has been put to more modern uses, including problem solving, empowerment, and personal mastery.But you don’t have to trek through steamy Amazonian jungles or frigid Siberian tundra to become
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Shamanism: A Biopsychosocial Paradigm of Consciousness and Healing
What does the brain do during "soul journeys"? How do shamans alter consciousness and why is this important for healing? Are shamans different from other kinds of healers? Is there a connection between the rituals performed by chimpanzees and traditional shamanistic practices?All of these questions—and many more—are answered in Shamanism, Second Edition: A Biopsychosocial Paradigm of
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Fire in the Head: Shamanism and the Celtic Spirit
In 'The Song of Wandering Aengus' William Butler Yeats refers to the ‘fire in the head’ that characterises the visionary experience. Tom Cowan has pursued this theme in a lyrical cross-cultural exploration of shamanism and the CelticSale Price:$9.99Read
Sunday, December 4, 2011
The Essence of Soul Retrieval: A Shamanic Healing Practices Guide
The ancient practice of soul retrieval is one of the most powerful healing processes that you will learn while walking the shamanic path with heart. In this illustrated book you will learn the formal process carried out by modern core shamanic practitioners to retrieve the lost soul essence of a person, and effectively reintegrate it so the client may then heal the deepest wounds of their soul.
Seeing in the Dark: Claim Your Own Shamanic Power Now and in the Coming Age
The word "shaman" means "one who sees in the dark." Shamans consciously choose to live in two different worlds at the same time. They have one foot here in the everyday world and one foot in the world of the spirits. The fact is, we all live in these two different worlds, but are commonly not aware of the other, less visible one. This world does not exist in some other place, but is right beside
Thursday, December 1, 2011
The Hollow Bone: A Field Guide to Shamanism
Shamanism is the oldest living path of spirituality and healing, dating back tens of thousands of years, yet many people don't know what it is or are confused about the practice. In The Hollow Bone, shaman, teacher, and author Colleen Deatsman unveils the mysterious world of Shamanism as it is still practiced today all around the world.Deatsman explains that shamanism is not a religion with a
Monday, November 28, 2011
The Way of the Shaman
This classic on shamanism pioneered the modern shamanic renaissance. It is the foremost resource and reference on shamanism. Now, with a new introduction and a guide to current resources, anthropologist Michael Harner provides the definitive handbook on practical shamanism – what it is, where it came from, how you can participate."Wonderful, fascinating… Harner really knows what he's talking
Friday, November 25, 2011
Awakening to the Spirit World: The Shamanic Path of Direct Revelation
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
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
The Soul Retrieval Journey
Over 40,000 years ago the first shamans ventured into the spirit realms in search of wisdom and healing. What they found was a secret world of teachers, animal spirits, and the soul fragments of those suffering in the ordinary world. On The Soul Retrieval Journey, you will join Sandra Ingerman (director of the Foundation for Shamanic Studies) as she shares the rituals of the shaman and explains
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Practical Shamanism, A Guide for Walking in Both Worlds
There are worlds of healing, protection, and insight available to you just beyond ordinary reality. The knowledge to simply, powerfully journey to these worlds, to connect with your spirit guides, to build a vision of yourself as healthy, intuitive and psychically alive, is within this book. Whether you are just beginning to seek a truer and more meaningful existence, or you are an experienced
Saturday, November 19, 2011
The World of Shamanism: New Views of an Ancient Tradition
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 for The World of Shamanism "As if on cue, just when I am beginning to think that shamanism is the ground from which all religions
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Practical Shamanism, A Guide for Walking in Both Worlds
There are worlds of healing, protection, and insight available to you just beyond ordinary reality. The knowledge to simply, powerfully journey to these worlds, to connect with your spirit guides, to build a vision of yourself as healthy, intuitive and psychically alive, is within this book. Whether you are just beginning to seek a truer and more meaningful existence, or you are an experienced
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Plant Spirit Shamanism: Traditional Techniques for Healing the Soul
An in-depth look at the role of plant spirits in shamanic rituals from around the world • Shows how shamans heal using their knowledge of plant spirits as well as the plant’s “medical properties” • Explores the core methods of plant shamanism--soul retrieval, spirit extraction, and sin eating--and includes techniques for connecting with plant spirits • Includes extensive field
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Reiki Shamanism: A Guide to Out-of-Body Healing
Anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of either Reiki or shamanism will learn how to heal people, places, and things, whether at hand or from a distance, in this useful guide. Presented by an expert in both traditions, the techniques of Reiki and the principles of shamanism are explained in simple, concise terms, then brought together using real-life examples to show how Reiki can be practiced
Monday, November 7, 2011
Shamanic Journeying: A Beginner's Guide
The shamanic journey is a practice common to all indigenous societies throughout history. By listening to a drumbeat or other rhythmic percussion, the shaman enters "non-ordinary" reality????????????????????????an altered state of consciousness beyond time and space????????????????????????to access spiritual guidance and healing, assist others and the planet, and reconnect with the cycles of
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Mending The Past & Healing The Future With Soul Retrieval
This fascinating book by psychologist and medical anthropologist Alberto Villoldo, Ph.D., explains the practices for healing outside of ordinary time and space. It shows how to enter the timeless now to heal events that occurred in the past, and to correct the course of destiny. Dr. Villoldo discusses ways in which you can heal yourself and your loved ones by employing intention through practices
Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy (Mythos: The Princeton/Bollingen Series in World Mythology)
First published in 1951, Shamanism soon became the standard work in the study of this mysterious and fascinating phenomenon. Writing as the founder of the modern study of the history of religion, Romanian migr--scholar Mircea Eliade (1907-1986) surveys the practice of Shamanism over two and a half millennia of human history, moving from the Shamanic traditions of Siberia and Central Asia--where
Monday, September 26, 2011
Monday, September 5, 2011
Goddesses Knowledge Cards™: Paintings by Susan Seddon Boulet
Goddesses from Greek, Roman, Celtic, Native American, Egyptian, Middle Eastern, Scandinavian, and many other traditions are gathered here to enhance our understanding of the roles of the feminine deity. In learning about these archetypes, we come to
Friday, August 26, 2011
Why Earthing Is Important for Shamanism
I recently read a book titled, Earthing, that I think is...earthshaking. Sorry, couldn't resist.
Seriously, Earthing explains how the human body's own electrical energy field needs to be allowed to synchronize with the Earth's energy field, or we become unhealthy and can die.
Sadly, in modern life many of us are completely insulated from the Earth, even while hiking or walking in the
Seriously, Earthing explains how the human body's own electrical energy field needs to be allowed to synchronize with the Earth's energy field, or we become unhealthy and can die.
Sadly, in modern life many of us are completely insulated from the Earth, even while hiking or walking in the
Why Earthing Is Important for Shamanism
I recently read a book titled, Earthing, that I think is...earthshaking. Seriously it explains how the human body's own electrical energy field needs to be allowed to synchronize with the Earth's energy field, or we become unhealthy and can die.
Sadly in modern life many of us are completely insulated from the Earth, even while hiking or walking in the wilderness, as the book explains. And it
Sadly in modern life many of us are completely insulated from the Earth, even while hiking or walking in the wilderness, as the book explains. And it
And Now for Something Completely Different...and Fun
I recently got a friendly request to pass along info about the following website. It's off topic for us, but in the spirit of spiritual harmony and oneness, here it is.
The Yitz Grossman web site offers interesting thoughts and humor for Jews and non-Jews alike from Yitz Grossman, a rabbi based in Lawrence, New Jersey.
I don't know what the rabbi thinks of animism or shamanism, since they
The Yitz Grossman web site offers interesting thoughts and humor for Jews and non-Jews alike from Yitz Grossman, a rabbi based in Lawrence, New Jersey.
I don't know what the rabbi thinks of animism or shamanism, since they
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Why Did the Egyptians Have Animal-Headed Deities?
Lisa asks: Why Did the Egyptians only have animal-headed deities? Were they unimaginative? Take Anubis for example. "Let's give him a jackal's head cause that'll be really scary and awesome." What were they thinking?
Animal Deities answers:
First of all, ancient Egyptians did not only have animal-headed deities, as the picture on the right shows. Osiris was not an animal-headed deity, because he was/represented the crops that died (were harvested) and lived
Animal Deities answers:
First of all, ancient Egyptians did not only have animal-headed deities, as the picture on the right shows. Osiris was not an animal-headed deity, because he was/represented the crops that died (were harvested) and lived
Why Do Some Goddesses and Gods Have Animal Heads?
Why do some goddesses and gods have animal heads? The deities you have probably most often seen depicted with animal heads on human bodies were the Egyptians gods and goddesses. The reason for this has been debated since the time of ancient Greece, and there is a lot of outdated theory floating around.
Modern Theory
Until recently the most widely accepted theory has been that the animal heads (falcon, dog, ram, etc) were representative of animals sacred to that goddess or god, and not
Modern Theory
Until recently the most widely accepted theory has been that the animal heads (falcon, dog, ram, etc) were representative of animals sacred to that goddess or god, and not
Why Do Some Goddesses and Gods Have Animal Heads?
Why do some goddesses and gods have animal heads? The deities you have probably most often seen depicted with animal heads on human bodies were the Egyptians gods and goddesses. The reason for this has been debated since the time of ancient Greece, and there is a lot of outdated theory floating around.
Modern Theory
Until recently the most widely accepted theory has been that the animal heads (falcon, dog, ram, etc) were representative of animals sacred to that goddess or god, and not
Modern Theory
Until recently the most widely accepted theory has been that the animal heads (falcon, dog, ram, etc) were representative of animals sacred to that goddess or god, and not
Friday, July 22, 2011
Animism: How Spiritual Beliefs Evolve
Evolution of Beliefs
Scientists say that animal deities eventually led to goddesses and then to gods. You can see some of that progression in the Egyptian goddesses and gods, who are often shown with the heads of animals---the animal that each one derived from.
As peoples lives changed, as gathering wild plants and hunting gradually changed to gardening and herding animals, and then eventually to farming, the beliefs of the peoples evolved as well. The belief in animal deities
Scientists say that animal deities eventually led to goddesses and then to gods. You can see some of that progression in the Egyptian goddesses and gods, who are often shown with the heads of animals---the animal that each one derived from.
As peoples lives changed, as gathering wild plants and hunting gradually changed to gardening and herding animals, and then eventually to farming, the beliefs of the peoples evolved as well. The belief in animal deities
What Are Animal Deities?
What Do We Mean by "Animal Deities"?
The oldest spiritual belief system on Earth is animism. That is the belief that all things have spirit, including trees, animals, rocks, rivers, mountains---even man-made things. For more information on animism, visit Shamanista, a site dedicated to explaining animism and shamanism.
Animists honor all kinds of spirits. They consider stones, trees, and animals to be our older brothers and sisters. Some spirits are more powerful than others, but
The oldest spiritual belief system on Earth is animism. That is the belief that all things have spirit, including trees, animals, rocks, rivers, mountains---even man-made things. For more information on animism, visit Shamanista, a site dedicated to explaining animism and shamanism.
Animists honor all kinds of spirits. They consider stones, trees, and animals to be our older brothers and sisters. Some spirits are more powerful than others, but
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Shamanic Journeying Trance Depth:
Shamanic journeying: How deep do you go in trance?
For years, certain organizations that raise funds by selling courses in basic shamanic techniques have been saying you just relax into a light trance and see where it takes you.
Yet indigenous shamans do not just relax and let their minds roll. They actively journey into the spirit world to do real work there. They journey only
For years, certain organizations that raise funds by selling courses in basic shamanic techniques have been saying you just relax into a light trance and see where it takes you.
Yet indigenous shamans do not just relax and let their minds roll. They actively journey into the spirit world to do real work there. They journey only
Shamanic Journeying Trance Depth:
Shamanic journeying: How deep do you go in trance?
For years, certain organizations that raise funds by selling courses in basic shamanic techniques have been saying you just relax into a light trance and see where it takes you.
Yet indigenous shamans do not just relax and let their minds roll. They actively journey into the spirit world to do real work there. They journey only
For years, certain organizations that raise funds by selling courses in basic shamanic techniques have been saying you just relax into a light trance and see where it takes you.
Yet indigenous shamans do not just relax and let their minds roll. They actively journey into the spirit world to do real work there. They journey only
Animism: Respecting the Living World
How have human cultures engaged with and thought about animals, plants, rocks, clouds, and other elements in their natural surroundings? Do animals and other natural objects have a spirit or soul? What
Shamanism As a Spiritual Practice for Daily Life
This inspirational book blends elements of shamanism with inherited traditions and contemporary religious commitments. Drawing on shamanic practices from the world over, SHAMANISM AS A
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Shamanista.com Has Been Redesigned and Rearranged
Although it still looks a lot like the old site, I have moved the shamanism-animism site, Shamanista, and rebuilt it as a WordPress site. I kept the colors and logo the same so you would recognize it, and all the content is still there, but I am adding content and rearranging the pages.
So if you have any bookmarks, be aware that some of the page addresses will be changing over the next few days or weeks. The main address, though, stays the same.
If you have a bookmark or link to the home page, http://www.shamanista.com, it will continue to work, but if you bookmarked or linked to an internal page, you may get an error message.
If you relink or rebookmark right now, the link may break again soon. If you just bookmark the main site for the time being and give me about a month, I should have the pages reorganized.
I just needed to get the site moved to a new hosting service and rebuild it as a WordPress site. Then I could take time to rearrange the pages.
Instead of the clunky menu down the whole left side of each page, there is now a sleek, smaller (fewer main items) line of drop-down menus across the top, with cascading menus from each one. Go see!
I will try to get the site into a final organization as soon as possible. Sorry for any inconvenience in the meantime.
I just wanted everyone to know that we are still there, in case some of your bookmarks or links break because of the move—and to tell you it is a bit soon to make new bookmarks to internal pages.
From now on it will be much easier to revise content, add pictures and, best of all, add new pages. Plus, there is now a built-in blog.
I will still post here, though, so don't go away....Stay tuned.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
How to Find Your Spiritual Mission for 2011
Have you journeyed yet to find your spiritual missions for 2011? The spirit world has important tasks for each of us, but we are not always listening. Often these are things we would never think of on our own.
These missions are not for ourselves. They are for the highest good of all (including us).
Some are individual missions. Many are group missions for which we need to work with others.
All are important in one way or another. As with all high magic, we may never consciously know how they turn out, but we are still responsible for carrying achieving them.
I just wrote a new Houston Shamanism Examiner column on the topic and on what the Houston Shamanism Meetup group is planning to do about it. I hope you'll take a look:
I'll post again after the Meetup to let you know what we discover.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Should We Do Shamanic Work on the Gulf Oil Spill? Or Not?
We often want to jump in and do healing automatically. But that is not always a good idea.
And it is not the shamanic way. Shamans do healing work at the behest of the spirits, not because a situation makes them feel uncomfortable and they want to fix it.
Just as there are individual humans who are in a crisis because the spirits are trying to get them to change something in their lives, there can be crises intended to shake us up collectively.
Just as there are individual humans who are in a crisis because the spirits are trying to get them to change something in their lives, there can be crises intended to shake us up collectively.
Just as there are individuals who are already going through a healing crisis, in the process of releasing toxic thoughts, patterns and substances stored in their bodies, and interfering can set them back, so it is with all of humanity.
There are local, global and regional events and situations that exist to call the attention of humanity to the need to change our ways---and our thinking and beliefs.
We may need to change our laws and even our governments to remedy the deep causes of such situations. Superficial healing can just delay the inevitable or require more extreme measures by spirit to get the attention of enough humans to change things.
Jumping in on impulse to "fix things" may even make the underlying situation worse.
How do we know when to help and when not to? We ask for spiritual guidance.
We do not do healing on people who have not asked us to, so that we do not interfere with their free will. In an emergency you can send healing to the higher self of an unconscious person or a child, but send only "whatever is for their highest good."
The same is true for situations such as the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. There are so many ramifications from that spill, and the seriousness of it indicates how large the effects may be on the future of our planet.
There are local, global and regional events and situations that exist to call the attention of humanity to the need to change our ways---and our thinking and beliefs.
We may need to change our laws and even our governments to remedy the deep causes of such situations. Superficial healing can just delay the inevitable or require more extreme measures by spirit to get the attention of enough humans to change things.
Jumping in on impulse to "fix things" may even make the underlying situation worse.
How do we know when to help and when not to? We ask for spiritual guidance.
We do not do healing on people who have not asked us to, so that we do not interfere with their free will. In an emergency you can send healing to the higher self of an unconscious person or a child, but send only "whatever is for their highest good."
The same is true for situations such as the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. There are so many ramifications from that spill, and the seriousness of it indicates how large the effects may be on the future of our planet.
We should not just jump in and assume that we know best what needs to be done. We should ask the spirits.
I have written a column on whether or not to do shamanic healing on the oil spill situation on Houston Shamanism Examiner. I hope you will go there and read it and then leave comments with your experiences and ideas on the situation.
I have written a column on whether or not to do shamanic healing on the oil spill situation on Houston Shamanism Examiner. I hope you will go there and read it and then leave comments with your experiences and ideas on the situation.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Friday, May 21, 2010
Where Did the Word "Shaman" Come From? And Why?
"Where did we get the word shaman?" That is actually a more interesting question than it sounds like at first, I think.
Most people who are interested in shamanism know the word shaman came from Siberia. But that's about it. That's true, but that's not the interesting part.
For that matter, most people think Siberia is part of Russia---or of the old Soviet Union. And that's not true.
In fact, Siberia is a vast region of the continent of Eurasia. Siberia encompasses at least two races and many countries, ethnicities, cultures and languages.
Many of the languages are from completely different, unrelated language groups. Chinese, for example. And Turkish. Plus a whole bunch of languages you probably never heard of, too.
I wrote a new post on my Houston Shamanism Examiner column about the interesting things we know about the origins of the word shaman. Reading it may change a lot of your ideas about what shamanism is and how it started, about who can be a shaman, and why.
Or not. Take a look.
- Clayoquot shaman in full shamanic regalia
Most people who are interested in shamanism know the word shaman came from Siberia. But that's about it. That's true, but that's not the interesting part.
For that matter, most people think Siberia is part of Russia---or of the old Soviet Union. And that's not true.
In fact, Siberia is a vast region of the continent of Eurasia. Siberia encompasses at least two races and many countries, ethnicities, cultures and languages.
Many of the languages are from completely different, unrelated language groups. Chinese, for example. And Turkish. Plus a whole bunch of languages you probably never heard of, too.
Most people do not remember that shaman and shamanism were words that only anthropologists used till 1980, when anthropologist Michael Harner's book, The Way of the Shaman, became a best seller.
I wrote a new post on my Houston Shamanism Examiner column about the interesting things we know about the origins of the word shaman. Reading it may change a lot of your ideas about what shamanism is and how it started, about who can be a shaman, and why.
Or not. Take a look.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Shamanically Retrieving the Spirit of Universal Love
Our modern world has lost sight of the importance of harmony with the natural world, of going with the flow, or walking in beauty. The result is ugliness, war, disease, overpopulation and destruction of the environment.
What can we do? As shamanic practitioners we are charged with the task of restoring the balance, the harmony, the universal love. Read more in this Examiner column:
http://www.examiner.com/x-16972-Houston-Shamanism-Examiner~y2010m2d7-Shamanism-and-universal-love#
Wherever you happen to be next Saturday night, February 13, or whenever you read this, I hope you will join us in journeying to the spirit world to experience universal love and restore it to is natural place in the ordinary world.
It is never too soon or too late to help.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Plant Spirit Shamanism
For shamans, being able to work with the spirits of plants is as important as being able to work with the spirits of humans and other animals and with the spirits of stones, weather and other phenomena.
Plant Spirit Shamanism is a book by therapist and workshop leader Ross Heaven and shamanism instructor Howard Charing that teaches how to honor and work with the spirits of plants. I have just reviewed it on Houston Shamanism Examiner.
You can find the review here: http://bit.ly/aOOJDE
I really like the book, and I think you will, too. It is not another book on adventures while drinking ayahuasca (though the authors write a bit about that, too).
Plant Spirit Shamanism really talks about how to get in touch with plant spirits in many ways, and it offers exercises for doing that.
If you have read Plant Spirit Shamanism and/or worked with the exercises in the book, please leave a comment, and tell us what you liked about it (or disliked). I would love to hear about your experiences.
You can find the review here: http://bit.ly/aOOJDE
I really like the book, and I think you will, too. It is not another book on adventures while drinking ayahuasca (though the authors write a bit about that, too).
Plant Spirit Shamanism really talks about how to get in touch with plant spirits in many ways, and it offers exercises for doing that.
If you have read Plant Spirit Shamanism and/or worked with the exercises in the book, please leave a comment, and tell us what you liked about it (or disliked). I would love to hear about your experiences.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
The Shamanic Meanings of Animals
There is a new Houston Shamanism Examiner post on that topic: http://www.examiner.com/x-16972-Houston-Shamanism-Examiner~y2009m11d4-Shamanic-meanings-of-animals
Monday, November 2, 2009
Know the Native Plants and Wild Animals Where You Live
To tap into that land you need to know those energies. Yet most modern people are largely unaware of the native plants and wild animals around us in our own neighborhoods.
Here is a Houston Shamanism Examiner quiz to see how well you know the indigenous plants and animals where you live and help you get started observing and learning about them:
http://www.examiner.com/x-16972-Houston-Shamanism-Examiner~y2009m11d2-How-well-do-you-know-the-plants-and-animals-where-you-live
Take it for fun if you want to. Your answers may surprise you.
Friday, October 30, 2009
New Houston Shamanism Examiner column: "Shamanism: It's not about you!"
I have jut published another column on Houston Shamanism Examiner. This one was inspired by a post on Meetup.com, touting shamanism as a daily practice for everyday life. Some people will write anything for money.
No matter what the popularizers say, shamanism is not a path of personal growth. It is a path of service---to the spirit world and to this world.
Sure, you will grow spiritually, but....well, please just read the column and let me know what you think.
http://www.examiner.com/x-16972-Houston-Shamanism-Examiner~y2009m10d30-Shamanism-its-not-about-you-or-meArcheologists-estimate-that-among-gatheringhunting-cultures-sh
or if that link is too long for your browser, try this one:
http://bit.ly/4srhFj
Thanks.
White Cranes
P.S. No, it is still not about you.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Animist-Shamanist Terms for Animal Spirits, Totems, Power Animals, Animal Guides
It is impossible if you literally do not have the words for it.
Taking the time to learn and understand the few spiritual terms that we do have for the fields that you are interested in seems pretty basic to me. So it bothers me that people seldom seem to bother to do that.
In shamanic studies, the constant misuse of the word totem is particularly annoying. And the misunderstanding of the meaning of the term power animal is not far behind.
As I read or listen to (or try to participate in) conversations about shamanism, I often find that people are using the same terms to mean different things. That results in confusion for all concerned.
If people notice the problem, they can agree on terms to use, but generally they do not even seem to notice. The result can be either arguments or superficial conversations that go nowhere.
That is not totally their fault, since there are plenty of books on the market that misuse the terms and confuse readers as to what they actually mean. That's bad, because it is difficult enough to discuss spiritual experiences in English anyway.
I have just posted a new Houston Shamanism Examiner column on totems, power animals, spirit animals, and animal guides.
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-16972-Houston-Shamanism-Examiner
I won't recap the whole article here, but please stop by and read it. (It is pretty short.) And then, if you will, please leave a comment.
Let me know what you think.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Learning to Experience Land Spirits
This week someone asked me to explain more about how to learn to experience land spirits, so I have. You will find it at
http://www.examiner.com/x-16972-Houston-Shamanism-Examiner~y2009m10d7-Learning-to-contact-the-land-spirits-in-Houston
In case you have problems with that one, here is a shorter link:
http://bit.ly/1wHzt8
I hope you will stop by, read it, and leave a comment. Or just stop by and say Hi.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Do shamans need psychedelic plants?
Here is my new column at Examiner.com on shamans and psychedelic drugs:
This is a topic that came up in an interesting discussion Saturday at the World Gratitude Drumming Meetup.
For a list of all the Houston Shamanism Examiner posts so far, see
Please stop by and leave comments, questions and/or suggestions for future topics. Or just stop by and say hello. All are welcome.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Altars, masks and fetishes
For shamanic ceremonies, I always build an altar. It is part of the process of recreating the energy of the space and putting up spiritual protection for the participants.
On the altar are always a lot of animal fetishes, both the stone-carved Zuni kind and the ones I have empowered by using them, as described by Hal Zina Bennett in some of his books. I also usually wear several animal fetish necklaces.
People ask me about all those things, and most of them are shocked when I say they are fetishes. Apparently Americans only know of the word fetish from the derivative psychological term, sexual fetish. So they do not know what I'm talking about, but it sounds naughty.
I am always having to explain the meaning of the word fetish. So I wrote an article about masks and fetishes for my Houston Shamanism Examiner column.
African sacred masks are sometimes fetishes, and Europeans and Americans usually completely misinterpret their purpose, so I discussed masks in the article, too.
You can read the two parts of the article here:
Please stop by, take a look, and tell me what you think. There are photos, illustrations and interesting links, too.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Meditation and Shamanic Journeying Are Not the Same Thing
I just posted an article about the difference between meditation and shamanic journeying at Houston Shamanism Examiner
There is scientific evidence that meditation and shamanic journeying take place at different levels of brain function. Medical researchers hooked up seasoned meditators and indigenous shamans to electroencephalograph (EEG) machines.
They found that the meditation takes place at the alpha brain state, while shamanic journeying by real shamans takes place at the theta level.
To read the rest, go to the Shamanism Examiner web page. Leave a comment and let me know what you think.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Drums and Shamanic Journeying
I just posted a couple of articles on my new Houston Shamanism Examiner column on drumming for shamanic journeying and on how to choose a shamanic drum.
I hope you will take a look. Please comment with your thoughts and experiences.
Thanks.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Shamanism Book & CD List
Because there are so many junky books out there on "shamanism" (with a capital "S" for silly), people are always asking me for book and CD recommendations.
Besides the extended resource list pages on my animism and shamanism web site, http://www.shamanista.com, I have a brand new list of recommended books and CDs at another site.
I just started writing a regional column on shamanism as the new Houston Shamanism Examiner. So I have added a list of books and CDs, with links to review pages, on the right-hand side of every page on my Examiner column. But you need to scroll down to find it below the ads.
I hope you find it useful. These are some of my all-time favorite books and CDs on shamanism, the ones we use in our Shamanism Meetup Group.
This new list includes some books and CDs that did not exist when I built the Shamanista web site. Let me know what you think.
One famous book is, so far, conspicuous by its absence. Let's see if anyone actually misses it.
If you have any suggestions, please comment here, and I'll take a look. I'm always interested in new shamanism information and resources.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Why Shamanism Is Hard to Learn in Houston
I am the new Shamanism Examiner for Houston at Examiner.com. I'll be writing a new column on doing shamanic work in the Houston area.
Here is the first post, on why it is hard to learn to do shamanic work in Houston in particular and large cities in general:
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-16972-Houston-Shamanism-Examiner~y2009m7d12-Why-shamanism-is-hard-to-learn-in-Houston
I hope you will stop by and take a look. I would love to read your comments.
If you have a question or want to get a discussion going, please leave a comment about it. I might write a column about it.
Thanks for taking a look. I will be back here to post again soon, I hope.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Can Shamans Change the Past?
Recently someone wrote to me, asking for tips, insights, or books that included instructions on changing the past. He had been reading books on mongolian shamanism by Sarangarel, who had said that shamans could change the past. He wanted to know how.
Just in case you are interested, here is what I replied:
I cannot think of a particular book that mentions changing the past, though I do see it mentioned in books sometimes. Certainly we can change our feelings about past events.
Very few people are likely to be able to actually change an event that was witnessed by others. You would be changing their reality, too.
However, I believe that we do not make our own reality, or change it, so much as (if we are successful at our magical work) move ourselves into a different reality.
If you read some of the popular books on particle physics, you find that some of the greatest physicists of the last century believed there are multiple realities. They say that a new reality forms every time you make a decision.
My belief (as described in the novel, The Witch's Dream, by Florinda Donner) is that shamans and other magical adepts can indeed move into different, parallel time streams in which the reality is different, including the past.
The slippery thing about changing the past (or one's feelings about it) is that if you are successful, it seems to have always been that way. So you may not feel that you really did much.
If you read or listen to an account of someone else doing it for himself or herself, you may think it was their imagination. And, of course, it might be.
Personally I sometimes have the feeling that reality has changed, and I remember how it was.
Here is an example:
I have a bronze sculpture near my desk. I bought it in April of 2006. At that time, the sculpture consisted of a sculpture of the Hindu goddess Lakshmi and the god Ganesh, sitting on a swing (like a child's swingset, but ornate).
I'm very familiar with Lakshmi and have several sculptures and pictures of her around the house. So I know how she looks.
Recently, after moving a plant that had partially hidden the sculpture, I noticed that the figure sitting on the swing with Ganesh is now a Buddha. As a Tibetan Buddhist, I know Buddhas. I would not make that mistake.
So what happened? Somehow, I believe reality changed. I certainly did not set out to change the past involving that sculpture.
Maybe some other change I made resulted in the change in the sculpture. Or did it change my memory, so that I now think that I bought a sculpture with Lakshmi in it?
So the subject of changing the past is very tricky, but I believe it can be done.
The thing to remember is that shamanism and other forms of magic are not tricks. When they are effective, it is because we have developed our souls/spirits/minds in such a way as to be able to create the effects we want. Even then we are limited to going with the flow of the Universe.
As an analogy, in a very fast-flowing stream, paddling a canoe downstream, the current, may help you travel faster, but if you are trying to paddle against a very strong current, you probably will not make much progress. It is important to be in harmony with higher goals of the spirit world in choosing your goals.
And just as with any skill or talent, you need to work to develop your abilities. It may not happen immediately. But if you persist in living your life according to your spiritual guidance, with the goal of helping others, you will make progress and your abilities will grow.
If it turns out that changing the past is not relevant to your spiritual purpose after all, you will probably lose interest in it. However, if it is important for you, then you should eventually be able to change the past and to help others change their pasts.
That is my belief. Does it make sense to you?
Since changing the past is not a trick, not a special technique, persisting with your shamanic practice should eventually take you there.
For example, I feel the same way about soul retrieval. When I first read an interview with Sandra Ingermann, I reallized that I could do soul retrieval, but that I was not ready yet. A few months later, I was ready, and I started doing soul retrieval. After that, I took the Foundation for Shamanic Studies soul retrieval course and found that I was right.
Spirit will tell you what you need to know. When you are ready, you will do it if it is truly needed.
The spirit world seems to be pragmatic about such things. You are given what you need, not necessarily what you want.
Just in case you are interested, here is what I replied:
I cannot think of a particular book that mentions changing the past, though I do see it mentioned in books sometimes. Certainly we can change our feelings about past events.
Very few people are likely to be able to actually change an event that was witnessed by others. You would be changing their reality, too.
However, I believe that we do not make our own reality, or change it, so much as (if we are successful at our magical work) move ourselves into a different reality.
If you read some of the popular books on particle physics, you find that some of the greatest physicists of the last century believed there are multiple realities. They say that a new reality forms every time you make a decision.
My belief (as described in the novel, The Witch's Dream, by Florinda Donner) is that shamans and other magical adepts can indeed move into different, parallel time streams in which the reality is different, including the past.
The slippery thing about changing the past (or one's feelings about it) is that if you are successful, it seems to have always been that way. So you may not feel that you really did much.
If you read or listen to an account of someone else doing it for himself or herself, you may think it was their imagination. And, of course, it might be.
Personally I sometimes have the feeling that reality has changed, and I remember how it was.
Here is an example:
I have a bronze sculpture near my desk. I bought it in April of 2006. At that time, the sculpture consisted of a sculpture of the Hindu goddess Lakshmi and the god Ganesh, sitting on a swing (like a child's swingset, but ornate).
I'm very familiar with Lakshmi and have several sculptures and pictures of her around the house. So I know how she looks.
Recently, after moving a plant that had partially hidden the sculpture, I noticed that the figure sitting on the swing with Ganesh is now a Buddha. As a Tibetan Buddhist, I know Buddhas. I would not make that mistake.
So what happened? Somehow, I believe reality changed. I certainly did not set out to change the past involving that sculpture.
Maybe some other change I made resulted in the change in the sculpture. Or did it change my memory, so that I now think that I bought a sculpture with Lakshmi in it?
So the subject of changing the past is very tricky, but I believe it can be done.
The thing to remember is that shamanism and other forms of magic are not tricks. When they are effective, it is because we have developed our souls/spirits/minds in such a way as to be able to create the effects we want. Even then we are limited to going with the flow of the Universe.
As an analogy, in a very fast-flowing stream, paddling a canoe downstream, the current, may help you travel faster, but if you are trying to paddle against a very strong current, you probably will not make much progress. It is important to be in harmony with higher goals of the spirit world in choosing your goals.
And just as with any skill or talent, you need to work to develop your abilities. It may not happen immediately. But if you persist in living your life according to your spiritual guidance, with the goal of helping others, you will make progress and your abilities will grow.
If it turns out that changing the past is not relevant to your spiritual purpose after all, you will probably lose interest in it. However, if it is important for you, then you should eventually be able to change the past and to help others change their pasts.
That is my belief. Does it make sense to you?
Since changing the past is not a trick, not a special technique, persisting with your shamanic practice should eventually take you there.
For example, I feel the same way about soul retrieval. When I first read an interview with Sandra Ingermann, I reallized that I could do soul retrieval, but that I was not ready yet. A few months later, I was ready, and I started doing soul retrieval. After that, I took the Foundation for Shamanic Studies soul retrieval course and found that I was right.
Spirit will tell you what you need to know. When you are ready, you will do it if it is truly needed.
The spirit world seems to be pragmatic about such things. You are given what you need, not necessarily what you want.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Shamans, Pretenders & Thought Police
For some reason, the topic of shamanism seems to attract very diverse types of people. Not all of them are very pleasant to talk to about it, because most don't seem to bother to find out what it is before they begin spouting opinions and arguing about it. That is why I no longer participate in online shamanism discussion groups.
I have needed to write about this for a long time, and yet I really didn't feel up to it. That's why I neglected this blog for so long: I was avoiding having to write this very post. But it had to be written sometime, so here it is.
Shaman Pretenders
On the one hand, you have a lot of folks who have no idea what shamanism is but have a whole lot of opinions about it. They seem to think the word means something very cool; therefore they must be doing it, because they know that they are very cool---or want to be.
The Prevalence of Ignorance
Most folks have never bothered to read or study anything at all about shamanism. All they know is what they have heard from others like themselves. And apparently that is all they want to know.
Bad Books
Some others, having read a pot-boiler of a book or two, written by someone who was out to make a few bucks without actually doing much work, are sure that they are experts. There are a lot of really bad books out there that purport to be about shamanism.
Such books may be entertaining, and they are generally great ego-strokers. Often the premise is that the reader is already a shaman but just didn't know it yet.
Fluffy Bunnies Bite
These pretenders may sound like harmless fluffy bunnies, but they can turn quite vicious if you tell them that shamanism is, in fact, a specific discipline with well defined and well documented practices. In other words, shamanism is real and not just whatever you want to make up.
Him Heap Big Shaman
The general ignorance leads to the notion that just any indigenous healer or spiritual practitioner is a "shaman." Not so. There are many, many different types of healers, holy people, sorcerors, herbalists, psychics, priests, conjurors, and mediums in many, many cultures.
Some cultures have a wide variety of these different functions. Others combine two or three functions in one or two types of practitioner. Each and every culture has its own name for each of those functions in its own language.
Neopagan Myth-Making
Nowadays we also have many modern neopagans who are being taught that Wicca or whatever brand of neopaganism they subscribe to is, in fact, "The Olde Religion."
In complete defiance (or ignorance) of the archeological and anthropological record, they claim that their modern belief system is the oldest religion. Therefore, in their way of thinking, shamanism derives from their religion, so they must be shamans.
In fact, animism is the oldest spiritual belief system. No gods or goddesses existed until comparatively recent times in the history of human beings. It's OK to believe in whatever mythology you choose, but don't confuse it with historical fact or archeological evidence.
Shaman as Superlative
Then there is the craving of Americans for superlatives. Some people think that shaman signifies some sort of extraordinary degree of ability in any spiritual field, the top of an imaginary hierarchy of spiritual accomplishment. It doesn't.
Shamanism is a particular set of practices of a spiritual specialist of a particular kind within an animist culture. Some shamans are more powerful and accomplished than others. But there is no hierarchy. Either you are practicing shamanism, or you aren't.
Shamanism Thought Police
The shamanism thought police are a political bunch. In the United States, quite often they claim to be Native Americans whose constant assertion is that no NA has ever, in the tens of thousands of years of existence of over 500 NA nations been a shaman. Or even studied shamanism. Period.
That raises several obvious questions:
1. How can they speak for all Native American nations and cultures of all time? Thousands of miles apart, thousands of years apart, and speaking hundreds of different languages and dialects, many of the peoples of the Americas would never have even heard of each other, much less interacted.
Many NA nations were extinct before Columbus arrived, and most of the rest disappeared within the next 200 years. As many as 95 percent of NA people had died of European diseases or were murdered by the Europeans before 1700.
That's right. Archeologists now estimate that 20 million people lived in North America before Columbus arrived. Two hundred years later there may have been only a million left.
How would modern NA people know what every single person and culture in North America believed over the last 20,000 to 50,000 years? They don't. They can't possibly. No one does.
2. If you have never studied a given topic, and therefore do not know what people are talking about when they use the terminology, how could you possibly know even whether or not you are doing it? Much less whether or not others are doing it? Or ever have done it? Or ever have studied it. Naturally you can't.
Their other constant assertion is that any Native American who does study shamanism or agree that it has ever been practiced by an NA, anywhere in time or space, is a "plastic medicine man" (or woman).
Any NA who disagrees with them is, by their definition (and who made them the judges?) not a real NA. Very circular logic, that.
AIM Attacks
In the old days the thought police on the Internet were mainly self-proclaimed members of the Florida chapter of the American Indian Movement (AIM). They constantly trolled the shamanism newsgroups and Yahoo groups.
They lurked, waiting to pounce on any poor soul who used the terms shaman and Native American in the same post. And if anyone claimed to be part Native American, the thought police tended to quickly become abusive.
One of their declarations was that no NA had ever called himself (or herself) a shaman, because the word did not exist in any NA language. Well, duh. Of course not. But that does not mean that the function and practices of shamanism never existed in any NA culture.
Apparently, according to anthropologists, they did. Furthermore, some NA groups today do accept and use the term shaman when describing their spiritual practitioners to outsiders.
According to anthropologists, some NA ceremonies, especially those relating to bears, are so similar to shamanic ceremonies in Europe and Asia that they must be related. Reading the descriptions of eye witnesses, you can hardly tell them apart.
That does not mean that the ceremonies were spread by diffusion (a politically charged term that simply means spreading from one culture to another by contact). But if one ceremony and set of practices is almost exactly identical to another, and has the same purpose, and one is shamanism, then so is the other one.
Siberian Chauvinism
Nowadays there is a new twist. Because of a woman who called herself Sarangarel, who claimed to have been initiated as a Siberian shaman, there is now a whole new group of thought police. They vociferously object to anyone using the term shaman for anyone outside Siberia.
They claim that because shaman is a Siberian word, it is disrespectful to Siberians and is stealing from indigenous people to use the word shaman to describe anyone but a Siberian, because "shaman is a Siberian word."
The flaw in that faulty logic is that Siberia is not a culture. It is not a country. Siberia is a huge geographical region, made up of many countries. Most important, it is made up of many language groups that are not even related to each other.
Only one small tribe in Siberia used the term shaman. Their sister tribes, descended from the same original tribe, used different words. And those were people in the same language group, speaking different dialects of the same language.
Across the huge Siberian region, there are many cultures who have (or had) shamans (people who practiced shamanism). Every single culture had a different name (or several names) for those practitioners.
The reason that anthropologists use the term shamanism is that they first learned about shamanism by studying the tribe that created the term shaman. In describing the practices of those shamans and publishing descriptions worldwide in anthropology journals, anthropologists coined the term shamanism to describe what shamans do.
So the term shaman is not used throughout Siberia. It is used by one tribe. By the logic of the new shamanism thought police, the terms shaman and shamanism should be used only to describe that one tribe's shamanic practitioners.
The thought police do not make that distinction. What they are demanding is not logical. It is simply the new political correctness.
There is also an element of elitism about it. The author they consider to be the sole authority on Siberian shamanism, Sarangarel, also started a school and organization, which you can join, too, if you are willing to pay them.
The Irony
The irony of all this was brought home to me when I started Shamanista, a website on animism and shamanism, for my shamanism Meetup group. I put a link to the site in my email signature and used it when posting to shamanism groups on line.
One day I got an email from someone who told me to change the terminology on my web site and in this blog. He said I must not use the words shaman and shamanism to describe any practices outside of Siberia, especially since obviously (he assumed) I had never bothered to study anything about Siberia.
In response, I explained the origins of the words shaman and shamanism, named various books and resources I had studied, including most recently the work of a folklorist who had lived in Siberia and returned there for years, documenting the different words used for shamans and their work in the various (often unrelated) language groups across that vast and diverse region. It was a pretty long email.
So the guy responds that I clearly have no respect for the rights of indigenous peoples, and he should know, because he himself (the major proponent of "Siberian shamanism"), is Native American.
What can you say to a statement like that?! In other words, he is no more Siberian than I am, and he is basing all his "knowledge" on one teacher, Sarangarel. (It seems to me that he must be, because I've read a good bit of anthropology, as well as his teacher's book, and I've never seen any other author claim what his teacher does, or did.)
So the obvious question is, why isn't he studying his own people's indigenous ways? Why isn't he practicing the spirituality of his own NA culture, a large NA nation with a still-living language and tradition?
Why All This Weirdness?
Over and over, across the years, I've wondered how it is that whenever the topic of shamanism enters the picture, for most people logic flies right out the window.
Why is that, do you think?
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