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36 A Journal of Contemporary Shamanism VOLUME 8 ISSUE 1 SPRINGSUMMER 2015 R E V I E W Claude Poncelet is an nuclear physicist who has been teach- ing and practicing shamanism for over thirty years. His book The Shaman Within is a comprehensive compilation of many of the things he has learned and is highly recommended especially for anyone who has an established shamanic practice or for people on a spirit path who are interested to see where shaman- ism could take them. The Shaman Within is divided into two sections and thirteen chapters. The first part Poncelet calls The Shaman Within and the second part Shamanism in the Twenty-First Century. The book includes exercises and suggestions for shamanic work in each chapter. However it is basically not a how-to beginners book but rather a treatise on what it can mean to be a practicing shaman in todays western world. Poncelets emphasis is definite- ly on how to live on the shamanic path and he generously pep- pers the book with ideas guidelines suggestions and encourage- ments for doing it. The book is also unique in that Poncelet does not try to hide his physicist background but instead shows how it has influenced his shamanic work and how these two different fields are well connectedas he points out is everything in the Universeand can dance beautifully together. The Shaman Within is primarily concerned with shamanic ethics and spirituality spiritual as Poncelet says not in the sense of religious but in the sense of transcendental or meta- physical sacred or hallowed. He goes on to write Along with bringing us back to the sacred shamanism can bring us back to who we truly areour essence the divine in us our true nature which I refer to as authentic being. The concepts of authentic being and impeccability are central to Poncelets understanding of what it means to work and live shamanically to be a shaman. In his chapter Impeccability and the Art of Living he writes I believe the art of living is to be found in doing things well every single action every single day using everything we have secular and spiritualnot for making things right or perfect but for making them con- sciously based on the authentic being we are and in harmony with the Universe with the Source. To do things consciously means slowing down and not allowing ourselves to run on automatic. We cannot limit shamanic practice to particular times and places to drumming circles or workshops. We must integrate it into all other aspects of our lives. At the same time we cannot develop an impeccable shamanic life if we do not also seek impeccability in our ordinary daily life. He goes on to talk about the obstacles which keep us from living and practicing with impeccability for example attach- ment to achievement and running our lives according to the expectations of others. The greatest of these obstacles is what he refers to as the shamanic ego which tries to define and control our shamanic and spiritual life rather than letting authentic being take the lead.it is very good at forming alliances with other difficult parts of our ego such as the narcissist the power seeker the self-righteous the teacher or the healer. The sha- manic ego is addicted to peak experiencesthe exotic the powerful journey. It aims to run our shamanic practice and is convinced it is doing the right kind of shamanic work. Most shamanic practitioners who are willing to look inside are familiar with it. This shamanic ego seems to be the special trickster for shamanic practitioners and looking back over my almost thirty years of teaching I can see many instances of the shamanic ego mine and othersjoyfully dancing. But what to do about it For one thing Poncelet suggests making a journey of inquiry to your spirit helpers to ask if they will guide you in finding out when and in what circumstances your shamanic ego tends to take charge. He points out that it is our relationship with our THE SHAMAN WITHIN A Physicists Guide to the Deeper Dimensions of Your Life The Universe and Everything by Claude Poncelet PhD Review by Jonathan Horwitz