Shamanism can be described as a group of techniques by which its practitioners enter the “spirit world,” purportedly obtaining information that is used to help and to heal members of their social group. Despite a resurgence of interest in shamanism and shamanic states of consciousness, these phenomena are neither well-defined nor sufficiently understood. This multi-disciplinary study draws on the fields of psychology, philosophy and anthropology with the aim of demystifying shamanism. The authors analyse conflicting perspectives regarding shamanism, the epistemology of shamanic states of consciousness, and the nature of the mental imagery encountered during these states.
"Demystifying Hmong Shamanism" is the first book to provide a comprehensive discussion of shamanism as practiced and experienced by Hmong Americans. A broad range of case examples are discussed that not only represent the initiation and maintenance of the shaman's practice, but also a variety of ceremonies performed to promote spiritual health and well-being across the life span. Case examples are described in rich detail and presented within a real-life context. Shamanism as practiced in the United States remains consistent with that practiced in their homeland of Laos, with minor adaptations as described throughout the text. The book is unique in that it addresses a traditional form of shamanism that continues to be practiced widely within Hmong American communities across the United States. "Demystifying Hmong Shamanism" provides a comprehensive exploration of the practice and use of shamanism by Hmong Americans that incorporates a first-hand perspective from recipients, family members, shamans, and the shaman assistants. "Demystifying Hmong Shamanism" is the result of over ten years of research and close collaboration with Hmong shamans and other members of the Hmong American community. As practicing Hmong shamans advance in age, they have identified the importance of documenting their legacy for future generations. Their cooperation and collaboration with Dr. Gerdner has provided a unique opportunity for the documentation and recording of ceremonies normally restricted to family members. The shamanic ceremonies and practices reported here reflect the diversity with regard to purpose and performance found within the Hmong shamanic world. Recorded and presented for the first time, "Demystifying Hmong Shamanism" is a landmark publication in the field of Hmong and Hmong American studies, shamanism, and religion.
From the snowscapes of Siberia to the jungles of the Amazon, this book explores the role of the shaman as a healer mediating between the world of the living and the world of the spirits. 250 illustrations, many in color. 25 maps.
This book offers a comprehensive and interdisciplinary account of religious identities in the Global South. Drawing on literature in various fields, Felix Wilfred analyzes how religious identities intersect with the processes of globalization, modernity, and postmodernity. He illustrates how the study of religion in the Global North often revolves around questions of secularism and fundamentalism, whereas a neo-Orientalist quality often attends study of religion in the Global South. These approaches and theorizing fail to incorporate the experiences of lived religion in the South, especially in Asia. Historically, the religions in the South have played a highly significant role in resistance to the domination by the colonial forces, an important reason for the continued attachment of the peoples of the South to their religious universe. This book puts the two regions and their scholarly norms in conversation with one another, exploring the social, political, cultural, and economic implications.
This book offers unique insights. Teachings from the Asháninka, Mazatec, Cocama, and the Navajo are recounted, which the author had the fortune to receive while spending extended periods with them. A unique and first-hand perspective of the world of Traditional Indigenous Medicine (TIM) and ayahuasca, and its complex world of plants, purging, and isolation is presented. The importance of spirituality and the need to deal with our past traumas are explored. The most representative authors in fields related to TIM and psychedelics are reviewed, and so are others, relatively unknown but very relevant. Innovative procedures in psychology and medicine are assessed. The School of Psychotherapy, Oxígeme, is also presented. The book analyses the abuse of sacred substances and psychedelic culture, potential positive discoveries, and disturbing contradictions and dangers. This book would appeal to readers ranging from the general public interested in the indigenous worlds, psychology, and spirituality, to more specialized audiences in the fields of anthropology, psychology, medical doctors, and health professionals in general.
This book explores the contemporary practice of Neo-shamanism and its relationship to mental health. Chapters cover the practice of Neo-shamanism, how it differs from traditional shamanism, the technology of the shamanic journey, the lifeworlds of some of its practitioners, as well as its benefits and pitfalls. The author’s analysis draws on an in-depth study of existing literature, original qualitative-phenomenological research into the lifeworlds of practitioners, and nearly three decades of observation and experience as a student, teacher and practitioner of Neo-shamanism. She discusses the potential role of Neo-shamanic journey technology as an approach for psychology-based studies of consciousness and anomalous phenomena; its value as a tool for self-exploration as part of a supervised curriculum; as well as the possible therapeutic applications of the journey and shamanic healing protocols for use by mental health professionals. This book is a rich and timely resource for students and teachers of psychology, anthropology and sociology, psychotherapists, and anyone who is interested in consciousness and parapsychology.
Eyewitness accounts of Rolling Thunder’s remarkable healings, legendary control over the weather and animals, and inspiring teachings • Includes accounts of Rolling Thunder by his grandson Sidian Morning Star Jones, Stanley Krippner, Alberto Villoldo, Larry Dossey, William Lyon, Jean Millay, John Perry Barlow, Stephan Schwartz, Ed Little Crow, Leslie Gray, Oh Shinna Fast Wolf, Jürgen Kremer, and David Sessions, among others • Shows how his teachings and powers have transcended his death and how many of his climate change predictions have come to pass One of the most celebrated and controversial Native American medicine men of the 20th century, Rolling Thunder (1916-1997) was known for his remarkable healings and for his ability to call on the forces of Nature, typically in the form of thunder clouds. He was also a passionate activist who worked to trigger social change on behalf of Native American tribes. Sought after as a lecturer and workshop leader, he used the money he earned from teaching to construct Meta Tantay, a community in the Nevada desert. In this book, edited by his grandson Sidian Morning Star Jones and longtime friend Stanley Krippner, we hear directly from people profoundly changed by Rolling Thunder, whether through direct experience or through his teachings. We learn of his legendary interactions with animals and the forces of Nature and hear from witnesses to his remarkable healings, including the healing of a young boy where a “mist wolf” was seen by several people. We learn of Rolling Thunder’s inspiring impact on men and women now devoted in service to humankind and the Earth and read stories both insightful and humorous from friends that prove his climate change predictions true. Revealing his trickster teachings, his legendary shamanic powers, his devotion to the Earth, and how his impact did not stop with his death, these stories of Rolling Thunder from a variety of sources demonstrate how transformation can come even while walking gently on the Earth.
This “magisterial account” explores the fear of witchcraft across the globe from the ancient world to the notorious witch trials of early modern Europe (The Guardian, UK). The witch came to prominence—and often a painful death—in early modern Europe, yet her origins are much more geographically diverse and historically deep. In The Witch, historian Ronald Hutton sets the European witch trials in the widest and deepest possible perspective and traces the major historiographical developments of witchcraft. Hutton, a renowned expert on ancient, medieval, and modern paganism and witchcraft beliefs, combines Anglo-American and continental scholarly approaches to examine attitudes on witchcraft and the treatment of suspected witches across the world, including in Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, Australia, and the Americas, and from ancient pagan times to current interpretations. His fresh anthropological and ethnographical approach focuses on cultural inheritance and change while considering shamanism, folk religion, the range of witch trials, and how the fear of witchcraft might be eradicated. “[A] panoptic, penetrating book.”—Malcolm Gaskill, London Review of Books
Contemporary parapsychology tends to be preoccupied with ESP (telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition) and psychokinesis. In contrast, this cutting-edge anthology assembles an international team of experts from the fields of psychology, parapsychology, philosophy, anthropology and neuroscience to examine critically what is referred to as the survival hypothesis: the tentative statement or prediction that some aspect of our personhood (e.g., consciousness) persists subsequent to the death of the physical body. The appraisal of the survival hypothesis will be restricted to the phenomenon of mediumship; that is, humans who ostensibly communicate with the deceased. The book has been divided into four main sections: Explanation and Belief; Culture, Psychopathology and Psychotherapy; Empirical Approaches; The Present and Future. The issue of postmortem survival is supremely relevant to us all because the human encounter with death is, of course, a certainty.
Reflecting sixteen years of intensive fieldwork, this book is a rich chronicle of the daily lives, belief systems, and healing rituals of four highly revered Tibetan shamans forced into exile by the Chinese invasion during the 1950s. Larry Peters lived and studied closely with the shamans in Nepal, learning their belief system, observing and participating in their rituals, and introducing many dozens of students to their worldview. Including photographs of the shamans in ecstatic ritual and trance, this book—one of the most extensive ethnographic works ever done on Tibetan shamanism—captures the end of Tibetan shamanism while opening a window onto the culture and traditions that survived centuries of attack in Tibet, only to die out in Nepal. The violent treatment of shamans by the Buddhist lama has a long history in Tibet and neighboring Mongolia. At one point, shamans were burned at the stake. However, in the mountainous Himalayan terrain, especially in the difficult to reach areas geographically distant from the Buddhist monastic urban centers, shamans were respected and their work revered. Peters’s authoritative and meticulous research into the belief systems of these last surviving representatives of the shamanic traditions of the remote Himalayas preserves, in vivid detail, the techniques of ecstasy, described as pathways to the shamanic spiritual world.
