Shamanism

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.

Anniversary (10th ed.)

Paperback, 208 pages

Wizard of the Four Winds: A Shaman's Story is the text that introduced the outside world to shamanic healing in northern Peru. The story of don Eduardo Calder n (who was elevated to almost legendary status as a result of Sharon's research), this book inspired a generation of academics and shamanic seekers alike. Back, finally and by popular demand, this long-awaited and completely revised second edition presents a detailed discussion of Sharon's own experiences as the curandero's apprentice as well as summaries of more than 40 years of scholarship (including Sharon's own extensive work) into the lives and healing arts of other Peruvian shamanic practitioners.

Inspiring hope, solace, and courage in living through our losses, author Martín Prechtel, trained in the Tzutujil Maya shamanic tradition, shares profound insights on the relationship between grief and praise in our culture--how the inability that many of us have to grieve and weep properly for the dead is deeply linked with the inability to give praise for living. In modern society, grief is something that we usually experience in private, alone, and without the support of a community. Yet, as Prechtel says, "Grief expressed out loud for someone we have lost, or a country or home we have lost, is in itself the greatest praise we could ever give them. Grief is praise, because it is the natural way love honors what it misses." 

Prechtel explains that the unexpressed grief prevalent in our society today is the reason for many of the social, cultural, and individual maladies that we are currently experiencing. According to Prechtel, "When you have two centuries of people who have not properly grieved the things that they have lost, the grief shows up as ghosts that inhabit their grandchildren." These "ghosts," he says, can also manifest as disease in the form of tumors, which the Maya refer to as "solidified tears," or in the form of behavioral issues and depression. He goes on to show how this collective, unexpressed energy is the long-held grief of our ancestors manifesting itself, and the work that can be done to liberate this energy so we can heal from the trauma of loss, war, and suffering.

At base, this "little book," as the author calls it, can be seen as a companion of encouragement, a little extra light for those deep and noble parts in all of us.s.

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 meanings of the visitation; practical ways that they can help you as spirit guides; and how, as your power animal, they reflect characteristics that you possess. You'll also find a "whom-to-call-on" section that will tell you which animal spirit guide to call on for any specific purpose.

Experience the Primal Spiritual Path of Ancient Egypt. The spiritual traditions of Ancient Egypt are well documented and are at the forefront of the Western Mystery and Magical Tradition. But they are a gloss over a more primal "shamanic" tradition which gets to the essence of Nature and its relationship with humanity, life and death. This book is a practical manual for those who wish to explore that primal spirituality using Egyptian symbolism. As Egypt was one of the village cultures, so Egyptian shamanism was one of the first to operate in an urban environment, making its techniques suitable for modern times.

Egyptian Shaman paints the picture of what it was like to be a village priest in ancient Egypt before describing the practical techniques which would have been employed during those times. These techniques, which have never been revealed before, have been adapted for modern minds with the intention of making this a practical spiritual path. The book controversially contains a chapter on exorcism and dealing with the dead, which many have claimed are subjects which should not be published. It shows how later Egyptian texts, such as the Book of the Dead, were Shamanic guide books to the Underworld. This is a book containing the keys to transmute, not only the self, but the whole planet.

Drawing on a global survey of ethnographic reports, direct teachings from shamans of many continents, and experiences from his own shamanic practice, the author presents a wealth of useful ways that shamans have developed, around the world and across the ages, to connect with ancestors in both our realm and theirs. These include spirit-plates; effigies; pilgrimages; walkabouts; and trips with plant-spirits.

In this comprehensive cross-cultural survey, Dr. David Kowalewski, scholar and practicing shaman, offers several techniques for engaging the Old Ones the old-fashioned way. Although modern people have largely lost this tradition, the ancestors are coming back strong, along with the shamans-a welcome happening that may reverse our ancestor-deficit disorder.

A distinguished anthropologist–who is also an initiated shaman–reveals the long-hidden female roots of the world’s oldest form of religion and medicine. Here is a fascinating expedition into this ancient tradition, from its prehistoric beginnings to the work of women shamans across the globe today. Shamanism was not only humankind’s first spiritual and healing practice, it was originally the domain of women. This is the claim of Barbara Tedlock’s provocative and myth-shattering book. Reinterpreting generations of scholarship, Tedlock–herself an expert in dreamwork, divination, and healing–explains how and why the role of women in shamanism was misinterpreted and suppressed, and offers a dazzling array of evidence, from prehistoric African rock art to modern Mongolian ceremonies, for women’s shamanic powers.

A Yaqui way of knowledge.

The Teachings of Don Juan is the story of a remarkable journey: the first awesome steps on the road to becoming a "man of knowledge" -- the road that continues with "A Separate Reality" and "Journey to Ixtlan.

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"For me there is only the traveling on paths that have heart, on any path that may have heart. There I travel, and the only worthwhile challenge is to traverse its full length. And there I travel, looking, looking, breathlessly." -- Don Juan

Paperback

This book is a practical how-to guide for living your own unique conscious and awakened life, and becoming the powerful manifestor that you are. It is a map leading to the doorway opening to the other side. Awakening and becoming a Spiritual R-Evolutionary is the most powerful personal and political act. Individually, we can change the planet. You may laugh, you may cry: you will come away transformed.

In this guide to sacred plant initiations, medical herbalist and shamanic practitioner Carole Guyett explains how to commune with plants and their spirits through the traditional shamanic method of plant dieting. A plant diet involves ingesting a particular plant over a period of time so you regularly receive the plant s vibratory energy as well as its medicinal actions.

Adding a ceremonial element to plant dieting offers a sacred initiation by the plant world, allowing you to connect deeply with all aspects of a plant, receive its sacred teachings, and forge a relationship for guidance and healing, benefitting both yourself and others.

With warmth and compassion, Sandra Ingerman describes the dramatic results of combining soul retrieval with contemporary psychological concepts in this visionary work that revives the ancient shamanic tradition of soul retrieval for healing emotional and physical illness. This revised and updated edition includes a new afterword by the author.

Offering a practical guide to understanding and navigating relationships with the spirits of those who have passed, Daniel Foor, Ph.D., details how to relate safely and effectively with your ancestors for personal, family, and cultural healing.

He provides exercises and rituals, grounded in ancient wisdom traditions, to help you initiate contact with your ancestors, find supportive ancestral guides, cultivate forgiveness and gratitude, harmonize your bloodlines, and assist the dead who are not yet at peace. He explains how to safely engage in lineage repair work by connecting with your more ancient ancestors before relating with the recently deceased. He shows how, by working with spiritually vibrant ancestors, individuals and families can understand and transform intergenerational patterns of pain and abuse and reclaim the full blessings and gifts of their bloodlines.

Ancestral repair work can also catalyze healing breakthroughs among living family members and help children and future generations to live free from ancestral burdens. The author provides detailed instructions for ways to honor the ancestors of a place, address dream visits from the dead, and work with ancestor shrines and altars. The author offers guidance on preparing for death, funeral rites, handling the body after death, and joining the ancestors. He also explains how ancestor work can help us to transform problems such as racism, sexism, homophobia, and religious persecution

By learning the fundamentals of ancestor reverence and ritual, you will discover how to draw on the wisdom of supportive ancestral guides, heal family troubles, maintain connections with beloved family after their death, and better understand the complex and interconnected relationship between the living and the dead.

With The Art of Dreaming one can appreciate, as Carlos Castaneda did, how finding the way to alternate realities through the consciousness of dreams is the essence of the great sorcerers; how ancient, remarkable, and sometimes dangerous beings live among us; how don Juan' s training allows two or more people to dream and explore together; how using " the fourth gate" of dreams leads to a two-way hatch to other worlds. This book contains detailed descriptions of different dreaming techniques. The techniques in this book are geared for beginners and are meant to show, as well as guide, a dreamer through the four stages (or " Gates" ) of dreaming. After mastering passage through the four Gates, one will have better command of dreams, the potential of those dreams, and what they symbolize in our waking world.

The essence of the shaman's power to travel and to heal is the ability to dream strong. In our everyday modern lives, we stand at the edge of such power when we dream and remember to do something with our dreams.

In response to the phenomenal resurgence of the drum nationwide, Michael has completely revised and expanded the first edition for all those folks discovering the power of drumming. Shamanic drumming is an ancient approach that uses rhythm to promote healing and self-expression. Based on his studies and personal shamanic experience, Michael presents the first practical guide to applying this ancient healing art to our modern lives. Through a series of simple exercises and lessons, he teaches the basic shamanic methods of drumming. The focus is on creating sacred space, journeying, power practice, power animals, drum therapy, drum circles and the therapeutic effects of drumming. Whether you are an accomplished percussionist or a total beginner, this user-friendly book will help you harness the power of drumming. Recent studies demonstrate that drumming is a valuable treatment for stress, chronic pain, cancer, stroke, trauma, addictions, mental illness, emotional disorders and a wide range of physical disabilities. The benefits include relaxation, healing, more energy, greater mental clarity, enhanced creativity and deeper self-awareness.

Within you is a greater, wiser self that is not bound by your fears, worries, or perceived limitations. Dr. Jose Luis Stevens calls this the Inner Shaman-the part of you that connects directly to the true source of the universe. The shamans of every tradition know that the physical world we can see and touch is a mere shadow of the true spirit world, writes Dr. Stevens. With Awaken the Inner Shaman, he presents a direct and practical path for opening our eyes to the greater spiritual dimensions-and stepping into the power and responsibility we possess to shape our reality.

In this rousing and provocative book, he invites readers to discover: What is the Inner Shaman? How an understanding of our deeper spiritual potential shows up in every mystical tradition. Seeing through the heart, why the heart offers us the most immediate path for accessing the Inner Shaman. The Inner Shaman in action, how to stop living from the egoic mind and put your true essence in charge. Eight tools to strengthen your connection to the Inner Shaman, and much more.