How to Summon Optimism in this World

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...

Creativity and Shamanism

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...

Utiseta: The Northern European Art of Plant Communication

My introduction to the practice of utiseta was purely accidental. I didn’t know I was doing it. As a child in rural Wisconsin, I had the freedom to roam the woodlands and prairies that were my home. Many times I would walk...

Embracing the Dark Feminine in a Time of Seeming Chaos

In the northern hemisphere, as we step into winter, the north on the medicine wheel, we have stepped into the embrace of the Dark Feminine. What is this power, and how can we work with it? I hope this article helps you...

Shamanism: What it Ain’t

Introductory note by Jaime Meyer, SSP Board President: I’ve been fascinated with how much vitriol is expelled into the world trying to define what shamanism is. When this discussion gets heated, as it often does, I believe...

Owl Crashes In

In the melting snow at the very beginning of spring, my eye caught a bright reflection on the ground: chunks of broken glass along a wall. When I looked up, I saw that the outer window of the classroom above my garage had...

The Gathering Place: A Safe Place for Ancestral Healing

When I first began my shamanic practice, I noticed early on that I had an affinity for ancestral healing. The client’s ancestors would appear in the session and share the story of the original wound in the family. Many of...

Light Of The Shaman

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,...

LUGHNASADH (LUNASA) CEREMONY VIDEO, AUGUST 2023

Below is the video of the Lughnasadh/Lunasa Celtic Ceremony by Dr. Karen Ward and John Cantwell, originally aired live on August 7th, 2023.   THE CELTIC FESTIVAL OF LUGHNASADH (LUNASA) When the birdsong calms as the...

Becoming the Song You Are Here to Sing

This poem by Rainier Maria Rilke is one of my favorites: I believe in all that has never yet been spoken. I want to free what waits within me so that what no one has dared to wish for may for once spring clear without my...

The Journal of Shamanic Practice

The Journal of Shamanic Practice is a forum about the practice of shamanism: what shamans and shamanic practitioners do and why they do it. It includes diverse perspectives on shamanism and explores both traditional practices of shamanic people around the world as well as all types of contemporary shamanism. The journal pays particular attention to the many ways that shamanism is re-emerging and integrating itself into personal lives as well as contemporary societies.

If you are interested in submitting an article, please visit our submission guidelines.

Modern Perspectives

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Personal Practice

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Teachings & Stories

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Healing Methods

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Shamanism Without Borders

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Book Reviews

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Do You Have an Article to Contribute?

 The Journal of Shamanic Practice welcomes articles and stories from people who practice shamanism professionally, often in a healing capacity, and those who use shamanic practice for daily life. If you are interested in contributing to the journal, please review our submission guidelines..