"The book is clearly written for the general reader and includes many descriptions of trance experiences. It may serve as a good introduction to the nature and appeal of the shamanic revival in modern Western cultures." —Theological Book Review " . . . a case study in experiential anthropology that offers a unique mix of autobiography, mythology, experiential research, and archaeological data to support a challenging thesis—that certain body postures may help induce specific trance states." —Shaman's Drum "This is a spellbinding and exceptionally readable book by an extraordinary woman." —Yoga Journal "And suddenly the understanding of my own vision washed over me like a mighty wave . . . For life or for death, I was committed to that mighty realm of which I was shown a brief reminder, the world where all was forever motion and emergence, that realm where the spirits ride the wind." —from the Prologue Goodman reexamines our notions of the nature of reality by studying the ritual postures of native art assumed by her subjects during trance states. For readers desiring to discover this world of ancient myths, she has included a practical guide on how to achieve such ecstatic experiences.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The story of Cynthia Ann Parker and the last days of the Comanche In 1836, when she was nine years old, Cynthia Ann Parker was kidnapped by Comanche Indians from her family's settlement. She grew up with them, mastered their ways, and married one of their leaders. Except for her brilliant blue eyes and golden mane, Cynthia Ann Parker was in every way a Comanche woman. They called her Naduah—Keeps Warm With Us. She rode a horse named Wind. This is her story, the story of a proud and innocent people whose lives pulsed with the very heartbeat of the land. It is the story of a way of life that is gone forever. It will thrill you, absorb you, touch your soul, and make you cry as you celebrate the beauty and mourn the end of the great Comanche nation.

Ecstatic Trance contains in-depth information on 60 ritual body postures and describes them in precise, accurate detail, with clear illustrations. The first complete manual on this subject, presented here are age-old postures (one dates back 32,000 years and was inspired by a cave painting) along with newly-researched postures, published here for the first time. Learn these postures and access, energize, and integrate your creative potential. Practicing these postures also leads to new insights into healing, inner development, and rebirth. And combined with appropriate rhythmic stimulation--music and dance, for example--the postures can engender a profound change in consciousness, leading the participant to experience altered states of reality including visions and ecstatic trance states. The postures themselves do not promote any one belief system or dogma but are elements in an overall shamanic worldview.

The author of the Exorcism of Anneliese Michel “is to be commended for a stimulating and wide-reaching treatment of a compelling and much-debated subject” (Journal of Folklore Research). As part of a series that strives to introduce new or previously unrecognized folkloric phenomena—as well as new approaches and theories that result from discovery and investigation—How About Demons? provides an overview of a topic that has for many years captured the imagination of people from all walks of life. Rich in detail derived from the author’s fieldwork and anthropological literature, this work contemplates possession and exorcism in a holistic manner—discussing their effects on both the body and soul. How About Demons? paints a picture of possession as a usually positive experience occurring in a wide variety of cultures and religions around the globe. It also details the ritual of exorcism which is applied when things go wrong. “Quite an interesting book.”—Religious Studies Review “It is by far superior to anything else on demons we have seen in the past few years.”—The American Rationalist

A cross-disciplinary exploration of comparative religion that offers a “unified field theory” of religion as human behavior. In this book, anthropologist and spiritual explorer Felicitas Goodman examines ritual, the religious trance, alternate reality, ethics and moral code, and the named category designating religion. The analysis is divided into two sections. The first reviews species-wide human traits that form the basis for religious behavior. Goodman, in speculative examination, traces the origins of religion to the dawn of human history, when religious ritual was accompanied by gesture rather than full-fledged modern speech. Ritual is seen as being the expression of the vastness of the drama of human life, death, birth, and procreation. The common neurophysiological basis for religious experience is seen to be a particular type of brain “tuning,” the religious altered state of consciousness, a trance facilitating contact with an alternate reality. The content of this other reality is shown to vary according to the type of adaptation to the habitat. The second section describes the religious systems of the world, dividing them according to societal type. A systematic comparison shows that religions vary according to whether people are hunter-gatherers, horticulturalists, agriculturalists, nomadic pastoralists, or city dwellers. “An important book which deserves the careful attention of serious students of religion.” —Religious Studies Review “Very few such global interpretations are ever attempted—and this one succeeds . . . The book’s importance is in the interpretation as well as in the rich data base materials the book presents.” —Willard Johnson

Some call her the Apache Joan of Arc. For more than a century, Apaches have kept alive the memory of their hero Lozen. Lozen, valiant warrior, revered shaman, and beautiful woman, fought alongside Geronimo, Cochise, and Victorio, holding out against the armies of both the United States and Mexico. Here, at last, is her compelling story, set in the last half of the nineteenth century. Orphaned sister of Victorio, Lozen has known since childhood that the spirits have chosen her to defend Apache freedom. As the U.S. army prepares to move her people to an Arizona reservation, Lozen forsakes marriage and motherhood to fight among the men. Supported by her brother and the other chiefs, Lozen proves her mettle as a soldier, reconnaissance scout, and peerless military strategist. Rafe Collins is a young adventurer and veteran of the Mexican War. On a dangerous journey between El Paso and Santa Fe, he builds an unlikely but enduring rapport with the Warm Spring Apaches. When his bond to Lozen goes far beyond friendship, he must undertake a perilous course that will change his life forever. A sensitive treatment of a little-known Native American figure, Ghost Warrior is a rich and powerful frontier tale with unforgettable characters. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Although they share a love of poetry and problems with their parents, a shy high school senior's attraction to a popular classmate is tempered by her fear of his moody, self-destructive side.