Books
of Interest: shamanism
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TITLE |
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Shamans/Neo-Shamans: Ecstasy, alternative archaeologies
and contemporary Pagans by Dr Robert Wallis |
“Shamans and shamanisms
are in vogue at present. In popular culture, such diverse characters as
occultist Aleister Crowley, Doors musician Jim Morrison and performance
artist Joseph Beuys have been termed shamans. The anthropological construct
‘shamanism’, on the other hand, has associations with sorcery, witchcraft and
healing, and archaeologists have suggested the meaning of prehistoric cave
art lies with shamans and altered consciousness. Dr
Wallis explores the interface between ‘new’ (modern Western), indigenous and
prehistoric shamans, and assesses implications for archaeologists,
anthropologists, indigenous communities, heritage managers, and neo-Shamanic
practitioners. Identifying key figures in neo-Shamanisms, including Mircea
Eliade, Carlos Castaneda and Michael Harner, Wallis assesses the way in which
‘traditional’ practices have been transformed into ‘Western’ ones, such as
Castaneda’s Don Juan teachings and Harner’s core shamanism. The book draws on
interviews and self-reflective insider ethnography with a variety of
practitioners, particularly contemporary Pagans in Britain and North America
from Druid and Heathen traditions, to elucidate what neo-Shamans do. Wallis
looks at historical and archaeological sources to elucidate whether ‘Celtic’
and ‘Northern’ shamanisms may have existed; he explores contemporary Pagan
engagements with prehistoric sacred sites such as Stonehenge and Avebury, and
discusses the controversial use by neo-Shamans of indigenous (particularly
Native American) shamanisms. Rather than discuss neo-Shamans as, simply,
inauthentic, invalid culture-stealers, Wallis offers a more detailed and
complex appraisal. He makes it clear that scholars must be prepared to give
up some of their hold over knowledge, and not only be aware of these
neo-Shamanic approaches but also engage in a serious dialogue with such
‘alternative’ histories.” |
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Civilized
Shamans: Buddhism in Tibetan Societies by Geoffrey Samuel |
This well written book
is one of the best studies of Tibetan Buddhism available. The book is divided
into three sections. The first presents an overview of the vast and diverse
Tibetan speaking cultural area. The second part is a survey of Tibetan
religion - and is one of the few presentations that gets to the heart of the
religious world as lived in by Tibetans in pre-communist Tibet. the third
part presents a history of Tibeetan Buddhism from the earliest time right
down to the early part of the 20th Century. A theme that runs
throughout this book is the dynamic tension between the two aspects which
form the sythesis that is Tibetan Buddhism which the author calls the
"clerical" and the "shamanic". This book is indespensible
for the serious student of Tibetan Buddhism - scholar or practitioner and
would be invaluable to any reader interested in the religious and cultural
world of pre-modern Tibet. |
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Nine
Worlds of Seid-magic: Ecstacy and Neo_shamanism in North-European Paganism
by Dr Jenny Blain |
This accessible case
study of Northern European shamanistic practice, or seidr, explores the way
in which the ancient Norse belief systems evoked in the Icelandic Sagas and
Eddas have been rediscovered and reinvented by groups in Europe and North
America. Drawing on ethnography, anthropology and sociology, the book
examines the phenomenon of altered consciousness and the interactions of
seid-workers or shamanic practitioners with their spirit worlds in historical
and political contexts. Written by a follower of seidr, this study not only
investigates, but also addresses those new communities involved in a
postmodern quest for spiritual meaning. |
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Shamans:
Siberian Spirituality and the Western Imagination.. by Prof Ronald Hutton |
With their ability to enter
trances, to change into the bodies of other creatures, and to fly through the
northern skies, shamans are the subject of both popular and scholarly
fascination. This title looks at what is known about shamans, in Siberia and
throughout the world. |
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Graham Harvey
(Editor) |
Shamanism has been
practised amongst communities all over the world for millennia; as one of the
world's most universal and enduring spiritual traditions, it continues to
survive today in both modern and ancient forms. During its long evolution
from Siberia, Aboriginal Australia, Northern Europe and South America to the
New Age movement and household television screen, it has provoked and
enthused critics across the academic disciplines. The book gathers together
perspectives from anthropology, psychology, musicology, botany and other
disciplines to provide a unique overview of modern writing on shamanism. Juxtaposing
ethnographic case-studies with descriptive surmises, and the ancient
practices of indigenous tribes-people with new and often radically urban
forms of shamanic interpretation, its cutting-edge selection highlights the
diversity of approaches to shamanism in a thematic way. From grassroots
political writing to established anthropological classics, the articles
presented here cover topics including gender, initiation, hallucinogenic
consciousness and political protest, whilst raising questions about
constructions of shamanism, its efficacy, its use and misuse as a cultural
symbol, and its real nature. |
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Pharmakon by Julian Vayne paperback
or e-book direct from publisher |
Ranging across both
published and anecdotal evidence, Pharmakon traces the story of drug use as a
means of self-exploration. By examining apparently simple questions such as
'what is a drug?', Pharmakon deconstructs and reconstructs the idea of drug
experience. Experiences that the author believes are fundamental to the
process of self-actualisation and learning. Julian Vayne is an occultist who has written on a
number of esoteric subjects (witchcraft, the tarot and the sociology of
contemporary Paganism). This book is aimed at both the general reader and
those who are interested in the use of drugs in a spiritual context. Delving
into areas as diverse as philosophy and neurochemistry, this is a book that
in both style and content seeks to invent a new understanding of drugs in
culture… |
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Religion
Today: Tradition, Modernity and Change: Belief Beyond
Boundaries |
This fifth volume of
the "Religion Today" series explores "religions" or forms
of spirituality that tend to be marginal to the mainstream of British and
North American religious expression. The book examines how alternative
spiritualities traditionally classed as "New Age" or new religious
movements have grown exponentially in recent years. It progresses to detailed
examination of Paganism, Celtic spirituality, Wicca, witchcraft, North
American indigenous religion and New Age, considering the impact of the rise
of science on religion and the emergence of new categories of spirituality.
The authors explore why these forms of spirituality are so popular in the
contemporary UK and USA, and how they impact on mainstream traditions. |
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Walking between the worlds By Phil Hine Free of charge 3-part electronic book direct from website: |
Excellent introduction
to modern ‘urban’ Shamanic practice by a gifted writer and practitioner: “Shamanism is the root of
all magick, as well as art, dance, theatre and philosophy”. In any case,
regardless of your path, you are probably doing some or all of it already,
unknowingly: especially if your work has anything to do with Austin Spare…
and shamans sometimes employ a technique which involves “taking on the form
of an animal to gain (temporarily) an ability or quality associated with it.
Children do this all the time in play, and some sports psychologists tell
athletes to pick a particular animal and visualise themselves as it, in order
to increase their physical performance …and the Hermetic Order of the Golden
Dawn called this exercise ‘Assuming the God-Forms’” and there’s a breakfast
cereal that advertises itself with the character of a strong Tiger which you
will undoubtedly take on if you only eat the cereal every morning…. so it’s
everywhere. If your work involves mantras, invocations, chants… it’s from
shamanism…. if you get ‘there’ via dance, or conversely concentrate on
holding a posture…. it’s shamanic…. Phil also discusses how crossroads are
‘traditionally’ the place where non-human entities can be contacted- with
instances in Greek, Haitian, Hindu and Norse mythology, and brings this into
the modern world with references to the corner of every city block in New
York being sacred to Voudouns over there, and citing the inherent power which
may be involved with the UK’s tangled motorways (‘freeways’, to USA readers)
at Spaghetti junction, near Birmingham. A crucial point- it’s not a method
which is time-bound and limited to isolated tribes in the rainforests or on
the Siberian plains; the work is done from within, so an urban setting is
nothing to negate the process, just a different environment in which to do
it- all you have to do is recognise that, and use it. |
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Listening
People, Speaking Earth: Contemporary Paganism By Graham Harvey |
This work introduces
the main movements and trends in paganism. Individual chapters focus on
druidry, witchcraft, heathenism, goddess spirituality and magic. These are
followed by discussions of shamanism and geomancy. Sources of inspiration are
treated next: from real history to more imaginative or poetic phenomena. The
book concludes with an exploration of the ecological activities, theologies
and rites of passage of pagans. |
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