Dr. Walsh offers an exciting look at the variety of shamanic practices and its basis in sound psychological principles from a thoroughly Western perspective. The timeless wealth of spiritual insights available through shamanic techniques are shown to the modern, non-tribal student. "A wonderfully lucid, engrossing guide to shamans' practices and beliefs."--Publishers Weekly.

An in-depth look at the role of plant spirits in shamanic rituals from around the world • Shows how shamans heal using their knowledge of plant spirits as well as the plant’s “medical properties” • Explores the core methods of plant shamanism--soul retrieval, spirit extraction, and sin eating--and includes techniques for connecting with plant spirits • Includes extensive field interviews with master shamans of all traditions In Plant Spirit Shamanism, Ross Heaven and Howard G. Charing explore the use of one of the major allies of shamans for healing, seeing, dreaming, and empowerment--plant spirits. After observing great similarities in the use of plants among shamans throughout the world, they discovered the reason behind these similarities: Rather than dealing with the “medical properties” of the plants or specific healing techniques, shamans commune with the spirits of the plants themselves. From their years of in-depth shamanic work in the Amazon, Haiti, and Europe, including extensive field interviews with master shamans, Heaven and Charing present the core methods of plant shamanism used in healing rituals the world over: soul retrieval, spirit extraction, sin eating, and the Amazonian tradition of pusanga (love medicine). They explain the techniques shamans use to establish connections to plant spirits and provide practical exercises as well as a directory of traditional Amazonian and Caribbean healing plants and their common North American equivalents so readers can ex-plore the world of plant spirits and make allies of their own.

Most of us would agree with authors Dana and Shana Robinson that relationships play a profoundly important role in our lives. Yet, tragically, many people today are plagued by a deep, pervasive sense of loneliness. Shamanism & the Spirit Mate offers an ancient, time-tested ‘cure’ for this modern malaise of loneliness and disconnection. The authors examine numerous cultures throughout history and around the world today that acknowledge the existence of divine partners who can help address our deepest needs for relationship, love and healing. Spirit mates do not replace or supersede any of the existing relationships in our lives. Rather, they have the potential to enrich and expand them. When cultivated through the power of the shamanic journey, our experience with a spirit mate can deepen our spiritual connections, assist us in healing practices and inspire creativity in our daily lives. Drawing from the many shamanic workshops they have conducted, the Robinsons offer probing questions and valuable activities to assist the reader in exploring and personalizing the fascinating world of the spirit mate.

A complete study course in classical and cross-cultural shamanism, teaching the reader all s/he ever needs to know about shamanism, shamanic healing, soul retrieval, spirit extraction, house cleansing, cleaning the energy body, working with the souls of the dead – and much more. ,

For untold centuries, the shaman was the tribe′s most revered and respected member, possessing the unique ability to tap into the universal source of wisdom by journeying deep within the self -- seeking, and finding, answers to pressing questions, achieving profound understanding by avoiding the stumbling blocks of the outer material world. Developing techniques for communicating with the innermost world of the spirit can be a valuable boon in these modern times with their contemporary problems and concerns. Through a series of easy-to-follow exercises, lessons, and rituals, psychologist Jose Stevens and wife, Lena, can show you how to identify your inner spiritual guides -- and how, through a unique and powerful communication with them, you can achieve undreamed-of professional success, psychological enlightenment, and personal fulfillment ... and completely change the way you live your life.

A “highly readable ethnographic study” of the resurgence of shamanism among nomadic Mongolians in a time of radical political and economic change (The Journal of Asian Studies). Winner, Francis Hsu Book Prize from the Society for East Asian Anthropology Shortlisted, ICAS (International Convention of Asia Scholars) Book Prize The collapse of socialism at the end of the twentieth century brought devastating changes to Mongolia. Economic shock therapy—an immediate liberalization of trade and privatization of publicly owned assets—quickly led to impoverishment, especially in rural parts of the country, where Tragic Spirits takes place. Following the travels of the nomadic Buryats, Manduhai Buyandelger tells a story not only of economic devastation but also a remarkable Buryat response to it—the revival of shamanic practices after decades of socialist suppression. Attributing their current misfortunes to returning ancestral spirits who are vengeful over being abandoned under socialism, the Buryats are now at once trying to appease their ancestors and recover the history of their people through shamanic practice. Thoroughly documenting this process, Buyandelger situates it as part of a global phenomenon, comparing the rise of shamanism in liberalized Mongolia to its similar rise in Africa and Indonesia. In doing so, she offers a sophisticated analysis of the way economics, politics, gender, and other factors influence the spirit world and the crucial workings of cultural memory. “An excellent addition to studies in the area . . . emotive, accessible and well-researched.” —London School of Economics Review of Books

• Mongolian shamaness Sarangerel provides a hands-on guide for serious students of the shamanic path. • Includes complete directions for traditional Siberian rituals, meditations, and divination techniques never before published. • Shows how to recognize and acknowledge a call from the spirits. • Offers traditional wisdom for nurturing a working relationship with personal spirit helpers to promote healing and balance in a community. The shaman's purpose is to heal and restore balance to his or her community by developing a working relationship with the spirit world. Mongolian shamanic tradition maintains that all true shamans are called by the spirits--but those who are not from shamanic cultures may have difficulty recognizing the call or nurturing the essential shamanic relationship with their helper spirits. Buryat shamaness Sarangerel has written Chosen by the Spirits as a guide for both the beginning shaman and the advanced practitioner. Although raised in the United States, she was drawn to the shamanic tradition, and in 1991 returned to her ancestral homeland in the Tunken region of southern Siberia to study with traditional Buryat shamans. Her first book, Riding Windhorses, provided an introduction to the shamanic world of Siberia. Chosen by the Spirits delves more deeply into the personal relationship between the shamanic student and his or her "spirit family." Sarangerel recounts her own journey into shamanic practice and provides the serious student with practical advice and hands-on techniques for recognizing and acknowledging a shamanic calling, welcoming and embodying the spirits, journeying to the spirit world, and healing both people and places.