Shaman

Shamans act as healers who move between the human world and the realm of spirits, and they remain influential in today's alternative medicine. This illustrated guide surveys shamanic practice across time, from the frozen landscapes of Siberia to the rainforests of the Amazon, looking at both older traditions and modern forms.

The book covers visionary experience, initiation rites, sacred chanting, the relationship between shamanism and mental health, and the use of plants in shamanic work. It also examines the political and social settings in which shamans operate.

It closes by considering how the shaman's sense of oneness with nature relates to the rise of ecological awareness in Western societies.