Shamanism Books

Shamanism is an ancient spirituality rooted in the belief that all matter has consciousness and that accessing the spirit in all things is part of what keeps the world and people healthy and in balance.

Breaking Open the Head is a passionate, multilayered, and sometimes rashly personal inquiry into this deep division. On one level, Daniel Pinchbeck tells the story of the encounters between the modern consciousness of the West and these sacramental substances, including such thinkers as Allen Ginsberg, Antonin Artaud, Walter Benjamin, and Terence McKenna, and a new underground of present-day ethnobotanists, chemists, psychonauts, and philosophers. It is also a scrupulous recording of the author's wide-ranging investigation with these outlaw compounds, including a thirty-hour tribal initiation in West Africa; an all-night encounter with the master shamans of the South American rain forest; and a report from a psychedelic utopia in the Black Rock Desert that is the Burning Man Festival.

Breaking Open the Head is brave participatory journalism at its best, a vivid account of psychic and intellectual experiences that opened doors in the wall of Western rationalism and completed Daniel Pinchbeck's personal transformation from a jaded Manhattan journalist to shamanic initiate and grateful citizen of the cosmos.

Jon Turk has kayaked around Cape Horn, traversed the Northwest Passage and paddled across the Pacific Rim. But, the strangest trip he ever took was the journey he made as a man of science into the realm of the spiritual.

In 2000, in the remote Siberian village of Vyvenka, Jon Turk met an elderly woman named Moolynaut, a Koryak shaman, and learned about her voyages to the spirit world. A year later, Moolynaut entreated the spirit of a great, black raven to help mend his pelvis, which had been previously fractured in a mountaineering accident. When the healing was complete, Turk was able to walk without pain. Turk, a scientist, could find no rational explanation for the healing and the experience changed his life, irrevocably altering his view of the connectivity between the natural and spiritual worlds. Searching for the spirit raven, he traversed the frozen tundra where Moolynaut was born, camping with bands of reindeer herders, and recording stories of their lives and spirituality.

Framed by high adventure across the vast and forbidding Siberian landscape, The Raven's Gift is a life-altering vision of the ties between the natural and spiritual realms, informed by one man’s awakening and guided by the ancient spirit bird with wide black wings and the power to heal.

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 emigre--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 Shamanism was first observed--to North and South America, Indonesia, Tibet, China, and beyond. In this authoritative survey, Eliade illuminates the magico-religious life of societies that give primacy of place to the figure of the Shaman--at once magician and medicine man, healer and miracle-doer, priest, mystic, and poet. Synthesizing the approaches of psychology, sociology, and ethnology, "Shamanism" will remain for years to come the reference book of choice for those intrigued by this practice.

According to Sandra Ingerman and thousands of years of shamans before her, it is not what we do but who we are and what we are willing to become that affects our happiness, the health of our communities, and ultimately the planet itself.

The Shaman's Toolkit teaches us how to root out the beliefs that are limiting us, how to heal our inner lives and become the people we most want to be, and how to utilize ancient shamanic principles of manifestation to help shape the world we want to live in.

This is shamanism with a kind of social change agenda. It's about having the happiest and most fulfilling life possible and becoming a truly effective world citizen and change maker.

This book was originally published in 2010 as How to Thrive in Changing Times.

Now, even if you can't get out into the wilderness or undertake a long apprenticeship, you can learn to practice the art of shamanism. Uniquely suited for use in today's world, Hawaiian shamanism follows the way of the adventurer, which produces change through love and cooperation - in contrast to the widely known way of the warrior, which emphasizes solitary quests and conquest by power. Here, in the first practical guide to applying this ancient healing art to our modern lives, you'll learn how to:

Interpret and change your dreams
Heal yourself, your relationships, and the environment
Cast the shaman stones to foretell the future
Design and perform powerful rituals
Shapechange
Make vision quests to other realities

Twenty-five years ago, a young musician and painter named Martin Prechtel wandered through the brilliant landscapes of Mexico and Guatemala. Arriving at Santiago Atitlan, a Tzutujil Mayan village on the breathtaking shores of Lake Atitlan, Prechtel met Nicolas Chiviliu Tacaxoy--perhaps the most famous shaman in Tzutujil history--who believed Prechtel was the new student he had asked the gods to provide. For the next thirteen years, Prechtel studied the ancient Tzutujil culture and became a village chief and a famous shaman in his own right.In Secrets of the Talking Jaguar, Prechtel brings to vivid life the sights, sounds, scents, and colors of Santiago Atitlan: its magical personalities, its beauty, its material poverty and spiritual richness, its eight-hundred-year-old rituals juxtaposed with quintessential small-town gossip. The story of his education is a tale filled with enchantment, danger, passion, and hope.

INDIGENOUS CULTURES / HAWAII Rima has seen the islands by foot and sleeping under the stars. In return she has experienced the islands the way that few visitors ever do. Not only has she learned vital information, but she has done so with a heart and mind open to island ways. . . . as a native Hawaiian I am honored to recommend this book. MELVIN LONOKAIOLOHIA KALAHIKI, Ali'i Nui o Pu'ukohola Heiau, Council of Hawaiian Organizations When Rima Morrell first went to Hawai'i as a young anthropology student from Cambridge University, she was surprised to find a lighter brighter world where trees talked to her in ancient temples and magic regularly happened. She found the system of ancient Hawaiian wisdom known as Huna, a system that teaches us how to focus the light of our own being to make magic. Following her Higher Self--and overcoming resistance to its rainbow guidance--she discovered we are each responsible for our own power.

Through practicing Huna, we can consciously create our own reality, for we are each the navigator of our own soul canoe. Following her years in the islands, and Ph.D. in Huna, Rima reveals new knowledge about this sacred tradition. Citing the work of earlier researchers such as Max Freedom Long, as well as native kahuna, Rima reveals knowledge about Huna that has not previously been available: the role of emotion in gaining true wisdom, the magical elements of Hawaiian language, the sophisticated system of lunar astrology, and the hula as a system of shamanism. Rima also shows how the principles of a society woven with love can shape our own lives.

RIMA A. MORRELL has a doctorate in Hawaiian Shamanism from the Department of Geography, University -College London, and a Masters and Honours degree in Social Anthropology from Cambridge University. She spent years in Polynesia conducting fieldwork with many -kahuna on remote islands and teaching at universities, including the University of Hawai'i. A -fellow of the Royal Geographic Society and the Royal Anthropological -Institute, she lectures at international conferences. She also teaches Huna in -Europe. She and her husband live in London and the Scottish Highlands. Rima's website is www.hunalight.com.

The Cosmovision provides a path for discovering profound aspects of ourselves and the Cosmos. It is a path with a heart.

In Spirit Hacking: Shamanic Keys to Reclaim Your Personal Power, Transform Yourself, and Light Up the World, Shaman Durek, a sixth-generation shaman, shares life altering shamanic keys allowing you to tap into your personal power. Through new information you will banish fear and darkness from your life in favor of light, positivity, and strength.

Shaman Durek's bold and sometimes controversial wisdom shakes loose our assumptions about ourselves and the very world around us. He ultimately teaches us how to step fearlessly out of this Blackout (the age of darkness we are currently experiencing) and access a place of fierce empowerment by use of tools and techniques of timeless Shamanic tradition. This transformation is both personal and collective; as individuals step out of darkness and begin to experience the light, we bring our loved ones and communities out of the shadows as well.

Shaman Durek inherited a rich legacy of ancient wisdom and now shares this knowledge for a modern context. He advises everyone from celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow and Nina Dobrev to innovative executives such as Bullet-Proof Coffee founder Dave Asprey.

Spirit Hacking shatters readers' complacency, giving them tools to navigate the tumultuous times in which we find ourselves. We will emerge from this period happier, lighter, and more vibrant than ever before.

A fascinating, detailed journey through the traditional healing practices of West Africa by a beloved shaman and scholar Malidoma Patrice Somé. Through The Healing Wisdom of Africa, readers can come to understand that the life of indigenous and traditional people is a paradigm for an intimate relationship with the natural world that both surrounds us and is within us. The book is the most complete study of the role ritual plays in the lives of African people--and the role it can play for seekers in the West.

The beloved spiritual teacher builds on the message of his enduring New York Times and international bestseller The Four Agreements with this profound guide that takes us deeper into the tradition of Toltec wisdom, helping us find and use the hidden power within us to achieve our fullest lives.

In The Four Agreements, Don Miguel Ruiz introduced seekers on the path to enlightenment to the tenets of Mesoamerican spiritual culture—the ancient Toltec. Now, he takes us deeper into Native American practice, and asks us to consider essential questions that drive our lives and govern our spiritual power. Three eternal questions can help us into our power and use it judiciously:

• Who am I?
• What is real?
• How do I express love?

At each stage in our lives, we must ask these simple yet deeply profound questions. Finding the answers will open the door to the next stage in our development, and eventually lead us to our complete, truest selves. But as Don Miguel Ruiz makes clear, we suffer if we do not ask these questions—or if we fail to pay attention to their answers—because we either never act on our power or use it destructively. Only when power is anchored in our identity and in reality will it be able to be in synch with the universe—and be of true benefit to ourselves and to others.

The three questions provide a practical framework that allows readers to engage with Ruiz’s transformative message and act as a vehicle for overcoming fear and anxiety and discovering peace of mind. An essential guide for all travelers pursuing self-knowledge, understanding, and acceptance, The Three Questions is the next step in our unique spiritual metamorphosis.

The Book That Will Help You Believe in Miracles!

“Unique and captivating!”

Shaman Stone Soup is a collection of beautifully written and heartfelt stories in which Shaman Elizabeth Herrera brings miracles to life through her personal experiences and as a healer for friends, family, and clients. Inside you’ll find stories about the ghost who overstayed her welcome, the spirits of ancient wise men who provided a miraculous cure from cancer, a conversation with a hurricane and its unintended impact, the man who got out of his wheelchair to go hunting and fishing, healing the karmic ties of a young college boy, a vivid dream of a pastor who needed guidance, the transformation of a schizophrenic, the loving contact from her mother who died unexpectedly, and more.

Shaman Stone Soup offers a multifaceted view of miracles that is not limited to shamanism, A Course in Miracles, religion, spirituality, or lack of faith, but rather emphasizes that miracles are natural occurrences experienced by everyone.

Anthropologist Johannes Wilbert here presents a comprehensive ethnography of magico-religious, medicinal, and recreational tobacco use among native South American societies. Surveying nearly three hundred societies, Wilbert has found that South American Indians employ numerous means of nicotine application and that a close functional relationship exists between tobacco and shamanism. His book is "a superb reference and a pleasure to read."—Robert Byck, M.D., Yale University School of Medicine

Destiny Retrieval shows how to reverse destiny loss with shamanic practices like soul clearing, pathfinding, and signpost recognition. In this comprehensive exploration, author David Kowalewski uses cross-cultural research, scientific findings, field-tested protocols, and personal experiences to unpack this ancient practice. Find out how you can be a hero in your own mind--and in your own reality--by embarking on your destiny quest with the help of shamans and their spirit allies. You can learn the costs of a purposeless and meaningless life and discover how shamans can reverse malaise with destiny-retrieval practices from the ancient past.

Each and every one of us has shamanic powers. Glimpses of them can arise at any age in the form of intuitive dreams, deja vu, spontaneous visions, and out-of-body experiences. Most people dismiss these experiences. However, by embracing these gifts, we can unlock our shamanic potential to change ourselves and the world around us. Revealing his transformation from skeptic to respected shamanic healer, Itzhak Beery explains how, after countless prescient dreams and visions throughout his life that he brushed off, a series of synchronistic events led to his first shamanism workshop with Michael Harner, renowned shamanism scholar and teacher. Beery shares his experiences with ayahuasca rituals in the Amazon, messages from power animals and plant spirits, dreams that foretold future events, and holographic sightings of past lives and spiritual entities, both evil and benign.