Our ‘Modern Perspectives’ article content focuses on modern issues in shamanism, and the integration of shamanic principles and practices with modern healing techniques and modern culture. You might also be interested in our ‘Modern Perspectives’ audio content.
Follow me on a winding journey: 1. Authenticity: People like to argue over what is authentic and what is not. In shamanism, in all religion, in art, in science. In my world of Western-urban-neo-shamanic practice, it’s always “how the indigenous masters do it or did...
The creative process is evident in so many different activities and expressions, yet you can discern a common thread amongst all of these despite their unique characteristics. The examples below of a painter and a shaman provide the contrast and similarities between...
The sustaining tradition of the indigenous heart is being remembered. Our survival as a species may depend upon it. Step forward you, the wild, natural mystic... Buddhism, Reiki, Christianity, Drumming Circles, Islamism, Yoga, Herbalism, Trance Dance, Mindfulness,...
Everyone is doing ‘shrooms. The term “psychedelic wild west” has entered daily lingo. Various cities and states are legalizing them. Medical science sees promise in them and the pharmaceutical industry sees neon dollar signs. The blogosphere sparkles with promises of...
A Review of Soul Journeys: Christian Spirituality and Shamanism as Pathways for Wholeness and Understanding by Daniel L Prechtel, John R. Mabry, and Katrina Leathers One of the important teachings Michael Harner gave us is that shamanism is not a religion. It is a...
We are the people for these times We live in a strikingly beautiful world with a spectacular diversity of life. It gives us abundant resources for living, for joy, and for countless paths of personal expression. And yet we suffer illness-producing stresses. For nearly...
Many people who are called to the shamanic path have a deep desire to be of service. It seems natural to believe that once you have cultivated your skills and are living your life in service to Spirit, the doors of abundance and prosperity will open to you. Sometimes...
Mapping Your Path to Service In part one of this series, I talked about the importance of understanding the relevance of your innate gifts and honing in on your WHY--- to help focus your work, improve your marketing message, and increase your potential to be of...
We recently had the opportunity to connect with a group of shamans from Mongolia who offered to hold ceremonies to help heal the effects of the COVID 19 virus here in the US. They partnered with the spirits of their home place and their ancestors. They asked...
Dear Shamanic Community, The shamanic path teaches us responsibility to the collective dream we live within. It calls us to recognize our part in creating injustices in our communities, to take action to make amends, and to participate in creating a new and better way...
Insights for Growing a Shamanic Business Each one of us has an Inner Shaman or True Self that carries unique medicine and great potential to bring love and healing to the world. The trick is that our ego, the very thing that gives us the capacity to express our...
In the shamanic perspective each person accumulates allies along the path of their life. Some of these allies are other human beings that show up throughout your life to help you in times of need. Some of them offer limited help like giving you directions when you are...
Reporters covering the coronavirus keep referring to this as a war. So too do health-care personnel, politicians, and commentators. Certainly there are enough aspects of this pandemic to warrant the war analogy. We hear about the president's War Powers Act, wartime...
“The presence of fear does not mean you have no faith. Fear visits everyone. But make your fear a visitor and not a resident.” —Max Lucado As this crisis continues to unfold it becomes increasingly challenging to know how to deal with what it triggers for the...
As the coronavirus spreads around the earth, we may teeter on the brink of despair. Despair that there’s nothing we can do, or despair that things are not going to get better, or despair that the good things may be gone forever. I’d like to wallow in this despair for...
The young man was goth-like, pale and pimply, dressed in a long black coat and lecturing to a circle of listeners at an Earth First! gathering in the western wilderness. The subject of his talk was the cultural appropriation of earth-based spiritual traditions. He had...
By this time you probably have had your fill of reading about the corona virus, to wash your hands and keep them away from your face, where it is striking in the world and how many people have contracted it. Since many people have requested it, here I will try to...
Several years ago during a shamanic training I had with Michael Harner, he said something that stayed with me for a long time. He commented in an off-handed manner, “Some of the best shamanic practitioners are actors.” I puzzled for some time as to what he meant by...
We live in a time when authentic shamanic work is deeply needed. But "authenticity" has been so grossly overused, it doesn’t mean much anymore. You do not search for authenticity. Rather, your life is meant to be an expression of your authentic self. The first work...
Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing there is a field. I'll meet you there.” —Rumi We've described the United States and other nations as polarized for so long now it seems this condition is normal. Government, societies, churches, schools, towns, families,...
With so much focus today on consumerism, materialism, and corruption of power in the world, we have to wonder what is happening to our children. We live in a society that rewards people for overproduction, consumption, and mindlessly following what we are told. These...
Like shamans, poets have visionary experiences which they share with others through their poetry. If a poem is mystical, or even semi-mystical, it resonates with something deep within us. We feel that our souls understand the poet's vision. Aristotle said that image...
As the fires rage in California and throughout the west, I have been prodded to respond by those who know me as a shamanic practitioner whose specialized work is with earth healing, nature spirits, and elementals. I feel and sense the frantic plea for help: “Stop the...
Unless they are flooded and overflowing their banks, rivers pretty much keep to themselves, flowing through channels cut into the land since ancient times. Although many rivers are powerful, even mighty, they can become somewhat helpless in the face of human abuse. ...
In this audio José Stevens explores cultural appropriation through the lens of being in 'Right Relationship' with our indigenous teachers....
This is an interview with shamanic astrologer, Pat Liles and SSP board member Lena Stevens. In this interview Lena and Pat explore the shamanic roots of astrology and touch on some of the big shamanic themes in astrology that are relevant today. Pat shares how she...
Becoming an astrologer was not part of my life plan. The shift came for me during a shamanic journey at a dream workshop, cues that my life plan, as such, had already taken some strange turns. In this journey, I met a being who introduced himself as Mercurius and said...
Excerpted from Chapter One of Lessons in Astrology as Magic by Dana Gerhardt Shadows can erupt at the most inconvenient moments or sabotage us quietly over time. They might also bring great gifts. Living at the fringes of our nature, they break the rules, assault our...
Bright morning star's a-rising, Bright morning star's a-rising, Bright morning star's a-rising, Day is a-breaking in my soul. --American Folk Song, Author Unknown It was 5:30 am on a cold November morning in downtown Albuquerque. We were a circle of eight women...
Based on the Teachings of The Shamanic Astrology Mystery School In May of 1990, Daniel Giamario, founder of the Shamanic Astrology Paradigm, invited me to attend a talk he was giving in Tucson, Arizona. Little did I know that event would forever change my life in ways...
Please note that this is the 1st in a series of 4 articles from 4 different authors on the topic of Shamanism & Astrology. I spent much of my twenties sitting in Friday-night ceremonial circles with my mentor, author and ecofeminist Eileen “ike” West. We didn’t...
We should forever bear in mind that the beautiful world our species inherited took the biosphere 3.8 billion years to build. Like it or not, and prepared or not, we are the mind and stewards of the living world. Our own ultimate future depends upon that understanding....
The subject of appropriation by “whites” of Indigenous spiritual and shamanic healing traditions and practices is a serious one, fraught with many unmarked pathways and crossroads that raise deep political issues, with many historical implications. There are at least...
As a man of mixed Mexican, Basque, Irish, English, and Scottish heritage I have often run into rather extreme prejudice about my interest and practice of shamanism over my many years of teaching and ceremonial work. I can understand some of the sentiments of...
ON APPROPRIATION BY LEWIS MEHL-MADRONA Wondering about this question leads me to wonder if anyone can own healing? All cultures have developed methods for healing, and cultures throughout the ages have freely borrowed from their neighbors. Personally, I do not use...
The articles and commentaries over the next four weeks offer a journey into the thorny issue of “white people doing shamanism.” The Society for Shamanic Practitioners (SSP) reached out, inviting perspectives on an issue fraught with passion, vitriol, defensiveness,...
Shamanism has grown in popularity as an idea and practice in the modern world. Shamanism is defined by the recognition of a common wisdom based on ancient or indigenous spiritual traditions. This broad definition has some advantages and disadvantages that are worth...