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    Books on Shamanism?

    Does anyone have a recommondation for a good book on Shamanism...there are so many at Chapters/indigo that I do not know where to start
    What you see depends on what you are looking for.

    #2
    Re: Books on Shamanism?

    Depends on what kind of shamanism you want to read about. Which region are you most interested in learning about.

    Kenneth Meadows has some nice general overview books but they are just that. An overview.
    �Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted. And experience is often the most valuable thing you have to offer.�
    ― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture
    Sneak Attack
    Avatar picture by the wonderful and talented TJSGrimm.

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      #3
      Re: Books on Shamanism?

      I've been running into an issue where most of the mainstream publications are 'Core Shamanism 101', kind of like the majority of books on Wicca are 'Wicca 101'. That, and there is a lot of New Age/New Thought mixed in, so it's hard to separate what constitutes a valid shamanic technology from leftover Theosophy.

      You're probably better off in the anthropology section and creating your own methods of practice than the spirituality section. Shamanism's main goal is to communicate with the entities of the place where you live, along with the spirits of your ancestors, so that's a decent place to start.
      The forum member formerly known as perzephone. Or Perze. I've shed a skin.

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        #4
        Re: Books on Shamanism?

        This is a very good book on the subject..
        If men had wings and bore black feathers, few of them would be clever enough to be crows. ---Henry Ward Beecher

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          #5
          Re: Books on Shamanism?

          Originally posted by Crynnath View Post
          This is a very good book on the subject..
          http://www.amazon.com/Awakening-Spir.../dp/1591797500
          This is actually a book that I was thinking about when I said a lot of the books on shamanism lean towards New Age/New Thought more than shamanism. Most of Sandra Ingerman's books rehash the same information over & over again. In Awakening to the Spirit World, not only does Ingerman rehash the same information, but Hank Wesselman does, as well.

          I do have to admit, I enjoyed Wesselman's Spiritwalker: Messages from the Future because in it, he speaks of his own UPG with the land spirits of Hawaii, and his Otherworld journeys with a future incarnation. The ecological message is heavy-handed (and the story itself is reminiscent of Lynn Andrews' Medicine Woman series), but his retelling of his experiences lends some practical advice for contacting spiritual entities and dream-work.

          One that I can recommend is Graham Hancock's Supernatural. It creeped me out (mainly because I've got a thing about inter-dimensional beings & aliens), but it gives some background on the development of paleolithic shamanism into more modern forms.
          The forum member formerly known as perzephone. Or Perze. I've shed a skin.

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            #6
            Re: Books on Shamanism?

            thanks all!
            I am just looking for general info, so I think I will try to get into the city this week and browse the bookstore myself.
            What you see depends on what you are looking for.

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              #7
              Re: Books on Shamanism?

              "In the Shadow of the Shaman: Connecting with Self, Nature & Spirit" by Amber Wolfe
              is the book I read on shamanism, I liked it because not only is it informative, but she also tells her own stories of her experiences as well.

              she is a sort of wiccan/shaman, but she does associate with a native american tribe as well, so I dont know how new age it is, but I thought it was a good read and reference tool.
              "Sometimes bad things happen, and theres nothing you can do about it, so why worry?" ~ Timon

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                #8
                Re: Books on Shamanism?

                Is Michael Harner reputable? I've got "Way of the Shaman" here and I haven't really cracked it open yet. I've been wanting to learn more about Shamanism in general lately, and I just happened to obtain this one in a book trade without knowing if it's any good.

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                  #9
                  Re: Books on Shamanism?

                  Originally posted by Raphaeline View Post
                  Is Michael Harner reputable? I've got "Way of the Shaman" here and I haven't really cracked it open yet. I've been wanting to learn more about Shamanism in general lately, and I just happened to obtain this one in a book trade without knowing if it's any good.
                  Michael Harner is much maligned because he 'founded', in a way, Core Shamanism. Which means, depending on your own point of view, either the 'misappropriation of shamanic techniques from various indigenous sources and marginalizing native practices in order to make money without contributing benefit to the cultures or indigenous peoples' or the use of various state-of-consciousness altering methods to achieve a trance-state taken out of a cultural context. Either way, The Way of the Shaman is a good book for getting an idea of how to create your own otherworldly journeys and gives a good overview of various experiences & techniques without being dangerous or condescending. It's kind of 'Core Shamanism 101'.

                  I'm kind of torn on it, myself. I mean, drumming, dancing, fasting, sleep deprivation, sex, drugs, alcohol... all those things have been used since the dawn of religion to achieve trance-states. I don't see how something that was so common to ancient humans of all ancestry could be 'misappropriated'. If I want to go out in my back yard & annoy the neighbors with prolonged drumming accompanied by nekkid dancing, and I achieve a trance state and walk in the Underworld or speak with local spirits, I don't feel I'm misappropriating anything. However, if I try to host a Cree Shaking Tent ceremony & charge people to attend it... or any kind of potentially fatal sweat lodge ceremony, well, yeah, that's cultural misappropriation & I should probably be shot in the foot for it.
                  The forum member formerly known as perzephone. Or Perze. I've shed a skin.

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                    #10
                    Re: Books on Shamanism?

                    I know this is an old post, but in the interest of any future-shamanic enthusiasts...

                    Animal Speak, by Ted Andrews is a great book to begin with for finding/identifying and utilizing spirit guides and totem animals.
                    Last edited by Willow; 29 Oct 2011, 19:22. Reason: Forgot to capitalize Ted...

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                      #11
                      Re: Books on Shamanism?

                      I'm practicing thread necromancy...

                      I haven't read it myself yet, but its on my wishlist, and I've heard good things...Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy by Mircea Eliade
                      Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of HistoryPagan Devotionals, because the wind and the rain is our Bible
                      sigpic

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                        #12
                        Re: Books on Shamanism?

                        I found a lot of inspiration from Ross Heaven's Journey to you, and Spirit in the City. They're aimed at people looking to live a modern shamanic life, but it works for me. Quite a scholarly style, and delves a bit into quantum physics and various theories of reality. I don't consider myself a shaman exactly, but as my deities are natives, I feel drawn to work with the spirits of the land where I live. These books gave me plenty of ideas on how to do just that.

                        Awakening Spirits by Tom Brown jr, was massively influencial for my early spiritual development. It went out of print long ago, but is sometimes available on ebay.
                        夕方に急なにわか雨は「夕立」と呼ばれるなら、なぜ朝ににわか雨は「朝立ち」と呼ばれないの? ^^If a sudden rain shower in the evening is referred to as an 'evening stand', then why isn't a shower in the morning called 'morning stand'?

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