From:	"Jason W. Reynolds" <reynoldj@*****.IT.GVSU.EDU>
Subject:	Re: Shamanism
Date:	Tue, 19 Sep 1995 09:02:15 -0400

In the autumn of 1991, I was lucky enough to be
enrolled in a course titled, "Shamanism, Culture
and Healing." What I got out of the course (other
than pain and frustration) was a nice little
bibliography on Shamanism today (all are books)...

"Imagery in Healing: Shamanism and Modern Medicine" by J. Achterberg. 1985
-shamanism as a metaphor, focusing on the importance of imagery

"Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy" by Mircea Eliade. 1964
-the definitive shamanism book, from a religious studies perspective.
-focuses mainly on siberian and north asian shamans.

"Shamanic Voices: A Survey of Visionary Narratives" by J. Halifax. 1979
-first person accounts of shamanic acts.

"The Way of the Shaman" by M. Harner. 1990.
-easiest of these to read. a "how to book."

"Dreamtime and Inner Space: The World of the Shaman" by Holger Kalweit. 1988
-this book takes a psychological tack on shamanism.

"Ecstatic Religion: A Study of Shamanism and Spirit Possession" by I. Lewis.
1989
-I don't remember it, but my notes say "social anthropology-
very dry/beginning and end are most important"

All of the books have a common theme- the shaman as a healer who works by
travelling up the world tree to converse with spirits. The journey is
effected by attaining an ecstatic state (through continual drumming,
dancing, the taking of potent hallucinogenic compounds, etc.). And so on
(i could go on for pages here, comparing and contrasting real
shamanism with shamanism in the SR universe). The book most relevant to
shadowrunners is perhaps the Michael Harner book- it is easy to read and
explains the philosophy of the shaman/healer (well, perhaps that should read,
"most relevant to snake shamans"). My favorite was the Eliade book- it
has not been paralleled in its sheer wealth of information. It also has lots
of footnotes, if you *really* want to research this topic. Other books
you might try are those written about by an anthropologist about a specific
culture or tribe- there will almost always be a section on cosmology and the
role of shamans. Lots of fun astral quest ideas.

cheers,


.jason

"Nullum magnum ingenium sine mixtura dementiae fuit."
-Seneca