Learning more about Shamanism

[tseringdolma]

Hi, I am interested in learning more about the ways, practices and history of shamanism, but I have no idea where to start

I know a little bit, but not as much as I would like to, and my thirst for knowledge of this path that I know so little about is getting the better of me!
It isn't necessarly that I want to begin to practice shamanism, but I have developed a keen interest in this area which I would like to persue.

I was wondering if anyone could point me in the direction of any resources or books that could help?

Thanks, Maryjean xx

[earthgirl]

Could you be a little more specific?

Shamanism is an anthropological term referring to the incredibly varied practices of tribal folk magicians, medicine men, and others who induce in themselves an altered state to achieve various mundane or spiritual goals. They are all of them different in their practice and beliefs about how it works. Another caveat, just so you know, is the term ain't exactly regarded very highly in some circles because technically the only shamans come from Siberia, so there are people who find it culturally offensive to refer to all tribal and indigenous practitioners of folk magic and spirit journeying as shamans. (It's still technically acceptable in discussion of comparative religion and other anthropological stuff, though.) I would recommend reading the Wikipedia article about it honestly, to start, to give yourself a better idea of what shamanism encompasses and what it does not.

[tseringdolma]

It is basically just an overview of the different variations, practices, traditions I am looking for really. Like I said, it is a bit of a grey area in my knowledge, that I'd like to learn more about.

But thanks, I had no idea that technically shamans were only from Siberia, I had a rough idea that not all tribal indigenous practices weren't shaman. Thanks for the pointers :-)

[Raphaeline]

Keeping an eye on this thread! I'm looking for some good titles - I only have one book, that I got from a trade, and I don't like it at all.

[Ula]

http://www.northernshamanism.org/general/welcome.html

The Jotunbok
The Pathwalker's Guide
Wyrdwalkers (Techniques)
Wightridden (Altered States)

I don't practice shamanism but I have read all of Raven Kaldera's books in the series. If you can look past the Norse specific stuff and look at it in general it's really interesting. He as stuff from other practitioners in there as well.

[tseringdolma]

Thankyou so much, I'm the same in that I don't practise shamanism, but I find it fascinating nonetheless :-) I look forward to looking up the titles you recommend :-)

[Juniper]

Kenneth Meadows has a serious of books on Shamanism, I believe. http://www.amazon.com/Kenneth-Meadows/e/B001HONHAS

Here's a couple of titles specific to the Andean Shamans.

Pachamama's Children by Carol Cumes
Masters of the Living Energy by Joan Wilcox (old title of this book was Keepers of the Ancient Knowledge)
Andean Codex by J. E. Williams

[Celtic Tiger]

I just finished two books about shamanism, though both were regarding shamanism and Celtic beliefs. Most enjoyable reads in a long time and I found a lot of elements that I really identified with.

Fire in the Head: Shamanism and the Celtic Spirit by Tom Cowan
By Oak, Ash, and Thorn: Modern Celtic Shamanism by DJ Conway.

I have no idea how credible these are in the grand scheme of shamanism; only that I greatly enjoyed them.

[highprlink]

when i read about it i think it was miracle for me when i was read it then i am very impressive of it...Shamanic practice is a common heritage of almost all cultures and has been around for at least 30,000 years. It is the way our ancestors expressed their spirituality and was integrated into every aspect of their lives. It is a wonderful complementary practice for almost any spiritual belief system. It is also a powerful vehicle for personal transformation.
Shamanism seems to be the way humans originally connected with their spirituality. The shamanic sixth sense that allowed hunters to sense where game was, or gatherers to find the medicines and food they needed and know how to use them, was essential to human survival. With the rise of organized religions and technological cultures, shamanic practices were lost or driven from many cultures. its very interesting...

[GypsySeaWitch]

A good book I read on general shamanism was by Michael Harner and called "The Way of the Shaman". It was a bit hard to start getting into but it is filled with really good information. After that I started reading about Native American tribal traditions and got into a set of books by J. T. Garrett and Michael Tlanusta Garrett. They are a father and son set of authors writing about the Cherokee spirituality. Very wonderful writers. The publisher for their books is called Inner Traditions and publishes lots of books on Shamanism so you could check them out for book possibilities.

Also don't forget that most public libraries have books on Shamanism as a general religious practice. I know mine does and some of them weren't half bad to read. So there is always that and those books are free to read.