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32 A Journal of Contemporary Shamanism VOLUME 8 ISSUE 1 SPRINGSUMMER 2015 R E V I E W S When I first began to read Lessons in Courage Peruvian Sha- manic Wisdom For Everyday Life for this review I prepared myself for yet another laundry list description of the Andean cosmology its rituals and its practices. Not that there is anything wrong with this however I have read many such books with this same theme and I was hoping for something different this time. Within a few pages I knew I had struck gold. While some of these beliefs and practices are mentioned in the book it is the spirit and heart be- hind them that he emphasizes. As an added benefit Oscar Miro-Que- sada skillfully weaves the wisdom of his tradition with the teachings of great adepts and masters of other traditions as well. His story is presented through the writing of Bonnie Glass-Coffin Professor of Anthropology at Utah State University and long time student and apprentice to Miro- Quesada. Bonnie Glass-Coffin has done a superior job of presenting his teachings as if he had written the book entirely himself. In other words she sees no need to insinu- ate herself into the storyline or the teachings an admirable and rare accomplishment. Receiving his higher educa- tion in the United States and apprentice to powerful shaman teachers in Peru Miro-Quesada is in a unique position to bridge and bring together these disparate worlds. Because of his education in the United States Miro-Quesada is well versed in Gestalt Jungian Humanistic and Transpersonal Psychologies. In addition he is a student of ancient traditions of Hermes Sufism Theosophy Buddhism Gurdjieff and a host of other spiritual lineages that he adroitly weaves through his discourse in a way that is revelatory rather than distracting. As he describes the development of consciousness through his Peruvian shamanic tradition he borrows a page from Vipassana Buddhism when he says We do not silence or reject any emotion fear or lower impulse. We simply observe it. This is a consciousness that requires we abandon all attach- ments to everything we thought we were. In short this is the life story of Oscar Miro-Quesada born of a Peruvian father of Spanish descent and an Italian American mother raised in Peru and educated in the United States a man challenged to bridge various cultures throughout his life. This is a story of severe childhood illness family dysfunc- tion psychological challenges breakdown initiation apprentice- ship and realization. It is a classic heros journey complete with all is lost and redemption. He does not hold back or whitewash the story of his own dysfunction and how he is brought to his knees through his self-destructive patterns. In true shamanic style he recognizes the healer in himself emerging from his wounds. In his tales I detected no artifice no guile no arrogance no hostility for outsiders only a deeply compassionate and humble teacher dedicated to his life task work spreading the teachings Lessons in Courage Peruvian Shamanic Wisdom For Everyday Life by Bonnie Glass-Coffin Ph.D. and don Oscar Miro-Quesada A Review by Jos Luis Stevens Ph.D.