Question: Michael Harner - The Way Of The Shaman, any opinions on this book? Options

Hi,

I'm looking for some useful material on shamanism, and wanted to ask you about your opinion on Michael Harner’s – The Way of the Shaman.

Thx!

Greetings!

I liked the book. It illustrated a boiled down template for would-be shamans and/or people interested in exploring the field. I attended some classes from Michael Harner at the Shamanic Institute. Though it sounds new agey the courses given there have proven to be quite adequate in formal practice. I reccomend this book but...to each their own! LOL! The book will, if nothing else, serve as a stepping stone for the practitioner. The philosophies given here are sound despite the canned effect one gets when reading about what is normally a spoken tradition. Good luck, good reading! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

I liked the book. He wrote it academically, and didn't really write from a specific tradition. Some complain about that, that it's a "hodge-podge", but some call it "Core Shamanism" heh. He covers the techniques, and the basic theories, but removes (for better or worse) the cultural trappings in most cases, and doesn't include (for far better) any of the newagy stuff common in Shamanism books (then again his book was really the first on the subject, so there wasn't the newagy base to feed it anyways).

"useful material on shamanism"?
Yes read it, but also all of Castenada's books.
Even more useful. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/spider.gif)

Most anthropologists are highly suspicious of Castenada accounts in his books.
But his books does give some creative ideals with working in Chaos Magick & psionics.


As for Harner Core Shamanism. There has been some controversy as well.
"....However, for most people the term core shamanism is synonymous with Michael Harner's and the Foundation for Shamanic Studies' way of shamanism, and that Way is not "core" in the literal sense of the word. It is Michael Harner's "own personal distillation and interpretation of some of the millennia-old shamanic methods." adapted to Western people, as Michael himself writes in his book The Way of the Shaman. " "Harner's way of shamanism seems rather, well, American. That is, it is adapted to the American Christian, spiritual-fast-food culture. In addition, it shares with present-day European shamanism the predicaments of urbanity, superficiality and the tendency to psychologize the spirits.
All in all, the way I see it, "Core" is a beautiful sounding name. But used as a term it is a product of wishful thinking rather than a description of content of the Foundation's particular trend of modern Western shamanism."
http://www.shamanism.dk/Artikel%20-%20Mode...%20Practise.htm

This post has been edited by Jenfucius: Jun 25 2009, 05:26 PM

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/ac42.gif)

Succinctly put!

I reccomend Harner to beginners. It gets their foot in the door.
The best relation to shamanism is to immerse yourself into the social interactions of people
and their spiritual needs/contacts. That and a drop or two of snake oil and theatre
and you're closer to the actuality.

Most anthropologists are highly suspicious of Castenada accounts in his books.
But his books does give some creative ideals with working in Chaos Magick & psionics.
As for Harner Core Shamanism. There has been some controversy as well.
"....However, for most people the term core shamanism is synonymous with Michael Harner's and the Foundation for Shamanic Studies' way of shamanism, and that Way is not "core" in the literal sense of the word. It is Michael Harner's "own personal distillation and interpretation of some of the millennia-old shamanic methods." adapted to Western people, as Michael himself writes in his book The Way of the Shaman. " "Harner's way of shamanism seems rather, well, American. That is, it is adapted to the American Christian, spiritual-fast-food culture. In addition, it shares with present-day European shamanism the predicaments of urbanity, superficiality and the tendency to psychologize the spirits.
All in all, the way I see it, "Core" is a beautiful sounding name. But used as a term it is a product of wishful thinking rather than a description of content of the Foundation's particular trend of modern Western shamanism."
http://www.shamanism.dk/Artikel%20-%20Mode...%20Practise.htm

For once Coyote doesn't feel the need to hurt anyone, he thinks he likes this feeling... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ac42.gif)

Good reads as follows:

Mircea Eliad's Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstacy (is very good.)

Terrence McKenna's Food of the Gods

I think that's good enough for now. If you pick up Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstacy and read enough of it, you'll know what's good and what's not. I've found modern Anthropological texts to be of more use than modern 'magic' texts.

Thanks Dancing Coyote & Bym (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

This post has been edited by Jenfucius: Jun 30 2009, 09:15 PM