Haunted by the Archaic Shaman
Haunted by the Archaic Shaman

Author: H. Sidky

Publisher: Lexington Books

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 9780739126219

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Haunted by the Archaic Shaman critically engages the general discourse on shamanism by using ethnographic data gathered among different ethnic groups in the Nepal Himalayas to address several key conceptual issues and problems in the scholarly field of shamanic studies. Sidky not only tackles topics that appear beyond resolution to many, such as defining shamanism and delimiting its geographical scope, but also challenges on empirical and theoretical grounds several widely held ideas that have assumed the status of incontrovertible facts, such as the antiquity of shamanism and its place in the rise of human religiosity. This book makes a significant theoretical contribution to the field of shamanic studies and the anthropology of religion.

The Origins of Shamanism, Spirit Beliefs, and Religiosity
The Origins of Shamanism, Spirit Beliefs, and Religiosity

Author: H. Sidky

Publisher: Lexington Books

Published: 2017-06-21

Total Pages: 267

ISBN-13: 1498551904

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In The Origins of Shamanism, Spirit Beliefs, and Religiosity, H. Sidky examines shamanism as an ancient magico-religious, divinatory, medical, and psychotherapeutic tradition found in various parts of the world. Sidky uses first-hand ethnographic fieldwork and scientific theoretical work in archaeology, cognitive and evolutionary psychology, and neurotheology to explore the origins of shamanism, spirit beliefs, the evolution of human consciousness, and the origins of ritual behavior and religiosity.

Wayward Shamans
Wayward Shamans

Author: Silvia Tomášková

Publisher: Univ of California Press

Published: 2013-05-03

Total Pages: 289

ISBN-13: 0520955315

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Wayward Shamans tells the story of an idea that humanity’s first expression of art, religion and creativity found form in the figure of a proto-priest known as a shaman. Tracing this classic category of the history of anthropology back to the emergence of the term in Siberia, the work follows the trajectory of European knowledge about the continent’s eastern frontier. The ethnographic record left by German natural historians engaged in the Russian colonial expansion project in the 18th century includes a range of shamanic practitioners, varied by gender and age. Later accounts by exiled Russian revolutionaries noted transgendered shamans. This variation vanished, however, in the translation of shamanism into archaeology theory, where a male sorcerer emerged as the key agent of prehistoric art. More recent efforts to provide a universal shamanic explanation for rock art via South Africa and neurobiology likewise gloss over historical evidence of diversity. By contrast this book argues for recognizing indeterminacy in the categories we use, and reopening them by recalling their complex history.

Encyclopedia of Spirits and Ghosts in World Mythology
Encyclopedia of Spirits and Ghosts in World Mythology

Author: Theresa Bane

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2016-03-09

Total Pages: 179

ISBN-13: 1476623392

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Of all the anomalous phenomenon reported, ghost sightings are by far the most common. The words "ghost" and "spirit" are used interchangeably in American English but in other cultures the lingering souls of the departed are not to be confused with ancestral spirits, demonic spirits, numens or poltergeists. This encyclopedia lists hundreds of entities of the spirit realm--from aatxe to zuzeca--from world mythology and folklore.

I Ching, the Oracle
I Ching, the Oracle

Author: Benebell Wen

Publisher: North Atlantic Books

Published: 2023-09-26

Total Pages: 955

ISBN-13: 1623178738

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Benebell Wen’s (Holistic Tarot and The Tao of Craft) historic new translation of the I Ching brings the power and mysticism of The Book of Changes to contemporary readers. Now in a beautiful hardcover format with a ribbon bookmark. Through in-depth annotations, cultural and historical references, and magical practices, Wen amplifies the wisdom—both profound and practical—of the 3,000-year old text. She includes aspects of the I Ching that have never before been translated into English, offering fresh perspectives on a classic work. Rooted in her experience and knowledge as a Taiwanese-American occultist and Buddhist with deep family ties to Taoist mysticism, Wen's groundbreaking translation is accompanied by a critical analysis of earlier I Ching transmissions. Readers will learn how to: Situate the I Ching within its historical and cultural context Interpret the hexagrams and utilize various divination methods, such as yarrow stalk, coin toss, cowrie shells, and rice grains Work with the I Ching for personal guidance and developing intuitive wisdom Understand correspondences of Taoist mystical tradition with other schools of metaphysics, including shamanism, faith healing, and soul retrieval Approach the Book of Changes as a grimoire and attain a foundational understanding of the eight trigrams and Wu Xing five alchemical phases Whether you’re new to the I Ching or an experienced occultist, I Ching, The Oracle will deepen your understanding of esoteric Taoism and the art and craft of divination. Highlighting the two main schools of interpretation—Image and Numbers and Meanings and Principles—and exploring Taoist cosmology, mysticism, ritual practice, and the shamanic origins of the I Ching, Wen provides you with everything you need to apply the I Ching for life guidance, spiritual practice, and ancestral connection.

Imagining the Supernatural North
Imagining the Supernatural North

Author: Eleanor Rosamund Barraclough

Publisher: University of Alberta

Published: 2017-01-03

Total Pages: 353

ISBN-13: 1772122939

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“Turning to face north, face the north, we enter our own unconscious. Always, in retrospect, the journey north has the quality of dream.” Margaret Atwood, “True North” In this interdisciplinary collection, sixteen scholars from twelve countries explore the notion of the North as a realm of the supernatural. This region has long been associated with sorcerous inhabitants, mythical tribes, metaphysical forces of good and evil, and a range of supernatural qualities. It was both the sacred abode of the gods and a feared source of menacing invaders and otherworldly beings. Whether from the perspective of traditional Jewish lore or of contemporary black metal music, few motifs in European cultural history show such longevity and broad appeal. Contributors: Eleanor Rosamund Barraclough, Angela Byrne, Danielle Marie Cudmore, Stefan Donecker, Brenda S. Gardenour Walter, Silvije Habulinec, Erica Hill, Jay Johnston, Maria Kasyanova, Jan Leichsenring, Shane McCorristine, Jennifer E. Michaels, Ya’acov Sarig, Rudolf Simek, Athanasios Votsis, Brian Walter

Ritual
Ritual

Author: Andrew Strathern

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2017-05-15

Total Pages: 613

ISBN-13: 1351903012

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This volume consists of a number of carefully-selected readings that represent a wide range of discussions and theorizing about ritual. The selection encompasses definitional questions, issues of interpretation, meaning, and function, and a roster of ethnographic and analytical topics, covering classic themes such as ancestor worship and sacrifice, initiation, gender, healing, social change, and shamanic practices, as well as recent critical and reconstructive theorizing on embodiment, performance, and performativity. In their Introduction to the volume, the Editors provide an overall survey and critical consideration of topics, incorporating insights from their own long-term field research and reflections on the readings included. The Introduction and readings together provide a unique research tool for those interested in pursuing the study of ritual processes in depth, with the benefit of both historical and contemporary approaches.

Prehistoric Rock Art
Prehistoric Rock Art

Author: Paul G. Bahn (archaeologist)

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2010-06-21

Total Pages: 239

ISBN-13: 0521192781

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Prehistoric rock art is the markings - paintings, engravings, or pecked images - left on rocks or cave walls by ancient peoples. In this book, Paul G. Bahn provides a richly illustrated overview of prehistoric rock art and cave art from around the world. Summarizing the recent advances in our understanding of this extraordinary visual record, he discusses new discoveries, new approaches to recording and interpretation, and current problems in conservation. Bahn focuses in particular on current issues in the interpretation of rock art, notably the "shamanic" interpretation that has been influential in recent years and that he refutes. This book is based on the Rhind Lectures that the author delivered for the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland in 2006.

Religion, Supernaturalism, the Paranormal and Pseudoscience
Religion, Supernaturalism, the Paranormal and Pseudoscience

Author: Homayun Sidky

Publisher: Anthem Press

Published: 2019-11-30

Total Pages: 520

ISBN-13: 1785271636

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"Religion, Supernaturalism, the Paranormal, and Pseudoscience" provides a comprehensive rejoinder to the challenges posed to science, scientific anthropology, evolutionary theory and rationality by the advocates of supernatural, paranormal, and pseudoscientific perspectives and modes of thought associated with the current rise of irrationalism, antiintellectualism, and emboldened religious fundamentalism and violence. Drawing upon H. Sidky’s scientific anthropological background and ethnographic field research of supernatural and paranormal beliefs and practices in several cultures over three decades, the book answers several important questions: Why do humans have a proclivity for the supernatural and paranormal thinking? Why has humanity remained shackled to sets of ideas inherited from a violent past that have no basis in reality and which bestow an illusionary solace, promote bloodshed, endless cruelties and fervent hatreds, and have come at a high cost? Why have ancient superstitions been held as sacred, inviolate truths while other aspects of the archaic belief systems of which they were a part have long been discarded? Why have not humans outgrown religion and paranormal beliefs?

Religion, Material Culture and Archaeology
Religion, Material Culture and Archaeology

Author: Julian Droogan

Publisher: A&C Black

Published: 2012-11-22

Total Pages: 209

ISBN-13: 1441184317

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Religion, Material Culture and Archaeology offers a new understanding of the materiality of religion. By drawing on the field of archaeological theory and method, the relationship between religion and material culture is explored. It is argued that the material elements of religious life have been largely neglected by the discipline of religious studies, while at the same time religion has been traditionally seen as problematic for archaeologists. Why do we not talk of the discipline of the archaeology of religion, in the same way we do the anthropology of religion, or the sociology of religion? The volume considers the historical problems of approaching the material elements of religious life and bridges the methodological gap between religious studies and archaeology by proposing a new way of understanding the materiality of religion – as active, engaged and projecting a level of autonomous social agency. Finally, the critical examination of archaeological approaches to the materiality of religion is furthered through the consideration of non-archaeological ways of examining the social roles that material culture plays in human life.