Book: Awakening To The Spirit World The Shamanic Path Of Direct Revelation by Sandra Ingerman
This book's two authors are popular lecturers, writers, and practitioners of contemporary shamanism. Sandra Ingerman's previous books include Soul Retrieval, Welcome Home, A Fall to Grace, and Shamanic Journeying. Those by Hank Wesselman include The Journey to the Sacred Garden and the trilogy Spiritwalker, Medicinemaker, and Visionseeker. Both authors see shamanism not as a religion but as a method free of any religious overlay or dogma, as "the path of immediate and direct personal contact with Spirit, deeply meditative, and not subject to definition, censorship, or judgment by others." They stress that the shamanic approach to life is natural and basic to everyone and that human beings everywhere share the same basic traits, abilities, and skills with shamans, who are "visionaries who simply develop these skills to a masterful degree through their initiations and subsequent training."The book begins by explaining shamanism, the shamanic journey, and the importance of reconnecting with nature. It then covers all aspects of shamanism, including visionary work with weather and environmental changes, the power of ritual and ceremony, dreams, creative art, sound and light, death and dying (both actual and metaphorical), and working with transformational communities. In addition to material from Ingerman and Wasselman, each chapter includes extended commentary by Tom Cowan, Carol Proudfoot-Edgar, Jose Luis Stevens, and Alberto Villoldo.
One objective of the shamanic approach stressed by these authors is for the individual to become liberated and self-realized, able to gain mastery over life. Three necessary tools are gratitude, or the ability to see through the false ego to the heart; seeing, or cutting through falsity to the true nature of Spirit; and blessing, or recognizing the Spirit flowing through one. Shamans are viewed as hollow bones or empty reeds, people who learn "to move ... ego out of the way so that the power of the universe may work through and within them." Each chapter contains step-by-step exercises, many to be undertaken while using the drumming CD included with the book.
One of the optimistic understandings of the shaman is that "since everyone is collectively dreaming, each person can, with awareness and an act of will, change the dream." To this end the authors say that there are spiritual forces surrounding us in many forms, and they hear our call for help. The two authors and the other contributors share the view that "a new dream is possible but requires enough dreamers to wake up from their collective nightmare and choose to transform the dream." The book is highly recommended, especially to newcomers, for its breadth of coverage of Modern Shamanism and the clarity of its practical usefulness.
Very well written, easy to read book with a lot of thought and insight and research put into it. I was delighted when I saw it - it is a gorgeous book with a really gorgeous cover - I LOVE that art - but I was pleasantly suprised that it came with Shamanic tracts on a CD. I had not realized the book came with a cd! I had no problem finishing this book. I read it in sections, and looked forward to my time alone with it. What I liked might be hard to put into words....as one that's been on a Shamanic pagan path for many years, this book coincided very well with my beliefs and the ritual elements that it discussed, they are already my own, and I will vouch for their effectiveness. But it wasn't THAT... There's tidbits in this book, especially some of the words from the shamans interviewed for this book, that sort of flipped some switches I didn't know I had. I gathered some very AHA! insights from this book, which are well worth the cost in time and effort put into reading it. I felt PUSHED along on my current path, perhaps saving me unknown amounts of time and meditation on certain things. It's a bit surreal, it is by it's nature hard to express.
The CD tracks are also very effective - the author(s) have studied beats from many cultures, many Shamans, and have found that they have a lot in common, and that is what the trance drumming is based on.
I do think that Wiccans and Neopagans would enjoy this book as well. Some of the ritual elements certainly overlap. This book was recently featured on a Coast to Coast radio show. If you read it, and like it, you might catch that on the web or something. One of the authors talked more about his personal journey and the effort of research that went into this. This book was well researched by a well educated scientist.
Suggested free e-books to read:
Phil Legard - An Approach To The Operation Of The Arbatel Of MagicSirona Knight - A Witch Like Me The Spiritual Journeys Of Today Pagan Practitioners
Robin Artisson - Reclaiming The Pagan Worldview The Heart Of Mysticism
Konstantinos - Summoning Spirits The Art Of Magical Evocation
