Braiding Sweetgrass: Reciprocity with Nature

Robin Wall Kimmerer's Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants is a profoundly moving blend of personal narrative, scientific inquiry, and Indigenous storytelling. The book explores the interconnections between humans and the natural world, presenting a holistic vision of ecological balance, reciprocity, and gratitude. Kimmerer, a botanist and a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, brings a unique dual perspective to her work, blending scientific understanding with Indigenous traditions.

Key Themes and Insights
 

1. Reciprocity with Nature
 

At the heart of Braiding Sweetgrass is the idea of reciprocity--a mutual exchange of care and respect between humans and the Earth. Kimmerer illustrates this concept through the teachings of the "Honorable Harvest," a traditional Indigenous practice that governs the ethical taking of resources. These teachings emphasize principles such as taking only what is needed, using everything taken, and giving thanks in return. By living in alignment with these principles, she argues, humans can foster sustainable relationships with the environment.
 

2. Indigenous Knowledge and Scientific Inquiry
 

The book bridges two often disparate worldviews: Indigenous knowledge, which is rooted in spiritual and relational connections to the land, and Western science, which focuses on observation and empirical evidence. Kimmerer critiques the limitations of Western science when it disregards the wisdom embedded in traditional ecological knowledge. She calls for a synthesis of these perspectives, demonstrating how science can be enriched by Indigenous ways of knowing.
 

3. The Language of Plants
 

Kimmerer presents plants as teachers and storytellers. She explains how Indigenous peoples view plants not as resources to exploit but as living beings with their own gifts to share. The quintessential sweetgrass, for example, is a sacred plant in Potawatomi culture, symbolizing healing, gratitude, and connection. Kimmerer weaves its story throughout the book, using it as a metaphor for reciprocity and care.
 

Structure and Key Chapters
 

The book is divided into five thematic sections, each mirroring one of the braids in sweetgrass: Planting, Tending, Picking, Braiding, and Burning. These sections guide the reader through cycles of growth, care, and renewal, both in nature and in human relationships.
 

1. Planting
 

This section explores Kimmerer's early experiences with nature and her awakening to the dual perspectives of science and Indigenous traditions. She reflects on her childhood love of plants and her journey into the field of botany, noting how her academic training initially distanced her from the relational understanding of nature central to her Potawatomi heritage.
 

2. Tending
 

Here, Kimmerer delves into the act of caregiving for the land. She discusses practices like gardening, which are deeply intertwined with the cycles of nature and the responsibility of stewardship. Through the story of pecans, Kimmerer illustrates how Indigenous peoples cultivated landscapes in ways that sustained both human and ecological communities.
 

3. Picking
 

In this section, Kimmerer shares lessons on gratitude and the ethics of harvesting. She recounts how Indigenous teachings emphasize the need to approach nature with humility and reverence. Her story of gathering wild leeks highlights the importance of balance: taking only what is needed and ensuring the plant's ability to regenerate for future generations.
 

4. Braiding
 

This pivotal section ties together the threads of the book, emphasizing the interconnectedness of humans and the natural world. Kimmerer reflects on the power of storytelling and ceremony in fostering a sense of belonging and respect for the Earth. She contrasts the capitalist mindset of extraction and commodification with Indigenous practices of reciprocity and care.
 

5. Burning
 

The final section focuses on renewal and transformation. Kimmerer discusses controlled burns as a traditional ecological practice that maintains the health of certain ecosystems. This metaphor extends to human lives, suggesting that embracing change and letting go of harmful practices can lead to regeneration and growth.
 

Lessons and Takeaways
 

Gratitude as a Way of Life
 

One of the book's central messages is the importance of gratitude. Kimmerer describes rituals like the "Thanksgiving Address," a Haudenosaunee (also known as the Iroquois Confederacy or Six Nations--Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga, Onondaga, Seneca, and Tuscarora) tradition that expresses appreciation for all elements of the natural world. Gratitude, she argues, fosters a mindset of abundance and responsibility, countering the destructive tendencies of consumerism.
 

The Role of Stories
 

Stories play a vital role in Braiding Sweetgrass. They carry cultural knowledge, teach moral lessons, and cultivate empathy. Kimmerer uses storytelling to bridge the gap between Indigenous wisdom and modern readers, showing how narratives can inspire a deeper connection to nature.
 

Healing Through Connection
 

Kimmerer underscores the idea that healing the planet is inseparable from healing human relationships with the Earth. She advocates for a shift from a worldview of domination to one of partnership, where humans see themselves as part of, rather than separate from, the natural world.
 

Relevance and Impact
 

Braiding Sweetgrass resonates with readers across diverse backgrounds, offering both practical advice and spiritual inspiration. It challenges the dominant narratives of environmental exploitation and invites individuals to reconsider their role in ecological systems. The book has become a cornerstone of environmental literature, celebrated for its poetic prose and profound insights.
 

By blending science with Indigenous wisdom, Kimmerer provides a compelling roadmap for sustainable living. Her call for reciprocity, gratitude, and humility offers hope in an era of ecological crisis, reminding readers that restoring balance with the Earth is both an individual and collective responsibility.
 

Conclusion
 

Robin Wall Kimmerer's Braiding Sweetgrass is more than a book; it is an invitation to rethink how we live and relate to the world around us. Through her poetic storytelling and unique perspective, Kimmerer inspires readers to cultivate a deeper sense of respect and reciprocity with nature. Whether one approaches it as a work of environmental philosophy, a spiritual guide, or a celebration of Indigenous knowledge, Braiding Sweetgrass is a transformative text that encourages harmony, gratitude, and stewardship in the face of pressing ecological challenges. Read a sample of Braiding Sweetgrass (paid link).

Reviving Our Indigenous Souls

In Reviving Our Indigenous Souls: How to Practice the Ancient to Bring in the New, Cathie G. Stivers examines the resurgence of Indigenous wisdom as a response to the alienation, environmental degradation, and spiritual disconnection pervasive in modern Western society. Drawing from diverse Indigenous cultures and spiritual practices, Stivers advocates for a return to ancestral ways of knowing and being that respect and harmonize with nature, family, and community.
 

Stivers' central thesis is that modern society can heal itself by reclaiming Indigenous values and reconnecting with ancient practices that emphasize interconnectedness and reciprocity. To support this journey, she outlines a framework for integrating these values into contemporary life. This book serves as a call to action for readers to reconnect with their own "Indigenous soul"--a concept Stivers uses to refer to the inherent wisdom, respect for nature, and spiritual connection that she believes reside within all humans.
 

Embracing the "Indigenous Soul"
 

Stivers begins by discussing the concept of the "Indigenous soul," which she describes as a deep-seated, intuitive awareness that everyone holds, irrespective of cultural background. This soul represents our innate sense of connection to all living things and to the cycles of the earth. The author argues that Indigenous is neither a culture nor a people. It's a way. The Indigenous way is the embodied ancient memory of how to be fully human, and it's encoded in your soul, no matter who your ancestors are. Hidden deep and dormant within your Indigenous soul is your identity and your life's purpose, longing for you to remember them and put them into action.
 

According to Stivers, the Indigenous soul has been repressed by the pressures of a consumer-driven, individualistic society that prioritizes material success over spiritual wellbeing and community cohesion. The author argues that a disconnection from this Indigenous soul leads to suffering, both personally and collectively, manifesting in issues such as environmental exploitation, social injustice, and mental health crises. However, by reconnecting with this lost part of ourselves, Stivers believes we can address the core issues underlying many of these challenges.
 

Learning from Indigenous Practices
 

Throughout the book, Stivers explores a range of Indigenous practices, including rituals, storytelling, communal gatherings, and nature-based spirituality. She emphasizes that Indigenous cultures maintain a profound respect for nature, viewing it not as a resource to be exploited but as an extension of the self. This reverence for the natural world contrasts sharply with modern practices of consumerism and environmental degradation, and Stivers argues that adopting this respect is essential for sustainable living.
 

One key aspect of Indigenous practice that Stivers discusses is the importance of ritual in maintaining community bonds and spiritual health. Rituals, she explains, can help modern individuals create sacred space and time in their lives, even in urban or industrial settings. Through rituals, individuals can celebrate seasonal cycles, honor ancestors, and create moments of reflection, which foster a deeper connection to themselves and the environment.
 

The Role of Storytelling
 

Stivers devotes considerable attention to the role of storytelling in Indigenous traditions, viewing it as a critical tool for passing down knowledge, cultural values, and ethical guidelines. Indigenous storytelling, according to Stivers, serves not only to entertain but to teach important life lessons and reinforce the interconnectedness of all beings. She notes that in Indigenous cultures, stories often emphasize the unity between humans, animals, and nature, encouraging listeners to recognize their place in a larger ecological and spiritual system.
 

In a society saturated with information but often devoid of wisdom, Stivers suggests that reclaiming the power of storytelling could be transformative. She encourages readers to seek out and share stories that emphasize unity, compassion, and respect for the natural world. By doing so, individuals can help reshape cultural narratives toward sustainability and respect for all life.
 

Reclaiming Rituals for Modern Healing
 

One of the primary ways that Stivers suggests modern readers can reconnect with their Indigenous soul is by incorporating rituals into their daily lives. While many of these rituals are rooted in Indigenous traditions, Stivers encourages readers to adapt them to their own circumstances and needs. Simple acts--such as lighting a candle with intention, creating a small altar at home, or acknowledging the four directions (a common Indigenous practice to honor different aspects of the natural world)--can cultivate a sense of the sacred and foster mindfulness.
 

She also discusses the healing potential of community rituals, which bring people together and reinforce bonds. In an increasingly individualistic society, where people often feel isolated and disconnected, Stivers emphasizes the importance of communal activities that restore a sense of unity and mutual support.
 

Practicing Reciprocity and Gratitude
 

A recurring theme in Stivers' work is the concept of reciprocity, which she argues is a fundamental aspect of Indigenous spirituality. Indigenous worldviews often emphasize giving back to the earth and community, viewing resources as something to be shared rather than exploited. Stivers believes that modern society can benefit from incorporating this principle by practicing gratitude and consciously giving back--whether through acts of service, mindful consumption, or environmental stewardship.
 

Stivers suggests that readers incorporate gratitude rituals into their daily lives, such as expressing thanks for food before meals or acknowledging the people, animals, and plants that contribute to their well-being. This practice, she asserts, can shift perspectives from entitlement to appreciation, fostering a more sustainable relationship with resources.
 

Transforming Society Through Indigenous Wisdom
 

Stivers ultimately sees the revival of Indigenous practices not as a nostalgic return to the past, but as a way to build a more harmonious and sustainable future. She advocates for a cultural shift toward values that prioritize community, environmental stewardship, and spiritual connection. This transformation, according to Stivers, must begin on an individual level, as people awaken to the Indigenous soul within them and begin to act in ways that align with its wisdom.
 

In addition, Stivers calls for broader social change, encouraging leaders and institutions to consider how Indigenous principles can inform policy and community structures. By reorienting society around principles of reciprocity, interconnectedness, and respect for nature, she believes that humanity can address many of the existential threats it currently faces.
 

Conclusion
 

Reviving Our Indigenous Souls by Cathie G. Stivers offers a compelling and thought-provoking perspective on how individuals and society as a whole can benefit from reconnecting with Indigenous wisdom. Stivers' exploration of Indigenous practices, from ritual and storytelling to gratitude and reciprocity, provides practical steps for readers seeking to incorporate these values into their lives. By following Stivers' guidance, readers can cultivate a deeper sense of purpose, connection, and responsibility toward the earth and one another. Ultimately, the book calls for a transformative shift in both personal and cultural paradigms, envisioning a future where humanity lives in harmony with nature and each other by honoring the ancient to create the new.
 

Every person alive today, modern or tribal, has a soul that is original, natural, and, above all, Indigenous in one way or another. Every human on this planet has ancestors whose languages, myths and spirituality were taken away, exploited, or destroyed by a soulless, culture-crushing mentality. What is Indigenous--in other words, wild, untamed and unrestricted--in each of us has been banished from our life. We're taught to believe that our rational mind is actually the center of our being. Like the conquering, modern culture we belong to, we understand the world only with the mind, not with the Indigenous soul. Reviving Our Indigenous Souls is a guide to awakening the Indigenous way of being encoded in our soul. The more we consciously remember our Indigenous soul, the more we physically remember how to be fully human. Read a sample of Reviving Our Indigenous Souls (paid link).

"The Seven Generations and The Seven Grandfather Teachings"

Discover Indigenous wisdom for a life well lived in James Vukelich Kaagegaabaw's book The Seven Generations and the Seven Grandfather Teachings. Based on ancient teachings from the Anishinaabe/Ojibwe people, this self-published (2023) book about the Ojibwe language offers not just historical insight but valuable life lessons for modern times. The book's teachings emphasize the alignment of words with actions and the importance of leading a holistic life. The central theme is the concept of interconnectedness: "Aanji-Bimaadizing means, 'transforming your life'." This is no ordinary transformation. It extends far beyond the self, touching the lives of past, present, and future relatives. We live in a reciprocally interrelated world where every action we take ripples forward and backward in time.
 

Grandparents – family connections in general – figure largely in Kaagegaabaw's story of the way Ojibwe language was handed down by a people who understand the land and their place on it. He points out that when we hear a word like Nookomis (my grandmother), we hear a sound "created by a person who knew this land back when it was covered by ice a mile high, before Gichi-gami, the Great Lake, Lake Superior, existed. When we use the old words, we are using words that were spoken by someone who saw woolly mammoths, giant Mooz (moose) and Misamik (giant beaver)."
 

Kaagegaabaw is proficient at explaining the heart of the Ojibwe language. He demystifies the vocabulary, breaking words into small parts for a clear understanding of their meaning. The primal language conveys a "Great Law" that helps speakers live in peace, harmony and balance. He cites the ancient Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) philosophy of considering the impact of each decision on the next seven generations. Seven generation stewardship is a concept that urges the current generation of humans to live and work for the benefit of the seventh generation into the future. As we navigate through the labyrinth of modern existence, how often do we stop and ask, "How do my actions today honor my past and pave the way for my future?"
 

The seven generation teachings, known as Gichi-dibaakonigwewinan, are truth, humility, respect, love, bravery, courage, honesty, and wisdom. The chapter about honesty indicates that just speaking the truth isn't enough; it's also imperative to align your words, actions, and intentions. Kaagegaabaw asks why would we use a sacred gift from the Creator, the Ojibwe language, to deceive others? The language demonstrates that the consequence of deceit is disorder. Only those who are out of balance will lie. As Kaagegaabaw put it,"Observe how I live, and the truth will invariably come out of it. It always does."
 

Kaagegaabaw concludes by pointing out that when we change and improve ourselves, we change and improve those who came before us and those to come – connecting them. As Kaagegaabaw so eloquently put it, "If I change myself, have I changed all of my relatives?" Though his ancestors were victims of colonization, genocide, and subjugation, Kaagegaabaw believes they can be healed through his interconnections with them. "I can still heal them," Kaagegaabaw asserts. "We are still writing our ancestors' stories."
 

About the Author
 

James Vukelich Kaagegaabaw, a descendant of Turtle Mountain, is a renowned international speaker, author, educator and digital creator. His keen insights were developed through speaking with and recording elders and native language speakers across North America as part of the Ojibwe Language Dictionary Project. James is a passionate advocate for sharing how to live a life of 'mino-bimaadiziwin,' the good life. For over twenty years, he has facilitated community language tables, consulted with public and private organizations on language and cultural programs, and traveled internationally as a keynote speaker. He has been featured in numerous publications, podcasts, radio & television programs. James lives in the Twin Cities, Minnesota with his wife and son.

Love, Nature, Magic: Shamanic Journeys into the Heart of My Garden

In her new book Love, Nature, Magic: Shamanic Journeys into the Heart of My Garden, Maria Rodale takes the reader on an unusual autobiographical journey through her life. Rodale combines her love of nature and gardening with her experience in shamanic journeying, embarking on an epic adventure to learn from plants, animals and insects--including some of the most misunderstood beings in nature. Maria asks them their purpose and listens as they show and declare what they want us humans to know. From Thistles to Snakes, Poison Ivy to Mosquitoes, these nature beings convey messages that are relevant to every human, showing us how to live in balance and harmony on this Earth.

Rodale is the former CEO of now defunct Rodale Publishing, famous for magazine titles such as Men's Health, Runner's World, and Prevention, and also books including Al Gore's blockbuster, An Inconvenient Truth. Her approach to storytelling is fascinating and unique. She tells us at one point that her original intention was to write a straightforward book about plants, animals and insects, but somehow somewhere along the way she took a different path. The book is less of a single narrative than a series of episodes. In her garden, she periodically slips into a shamanic state of consciousness and communes with nature beings like bat, vulture, mosquito, mugwort, aspen, dandelion and milkweed. This allows her to transition easily from a mundane activity like weeding into a serious topic such as the genocide of Native Americans.
 

This is a beautiful book by a thoughtful author whose writing is both humorous and uplifting. However, it can be uneven at times. Some of the creatures she gives voice to are so preachy as to feel contrived--like the fireflies pleading against the use of pesticides and forever chemicals. At other times her thoughts flow so fast and free they are difficult to follow, like where she jumps from feminism to overpopulation to mosquitoes laying eggs in car tires. But overall she skillfully weaves together snippets of science with thoughts of nature and human existence in the future and episodes of her own life. She also gives voice to some of nature's most overlooked organisms with a wonderful imagination.
 

Rodale is hopeful and optimistic about the future. As she concludes at the beginning of her book, "I now believe it's possible to create a new Eden where knowledge is not a sin, desire is recognized as part of our human purpose, and love and understanding are the original blessings to be nourished and cultivated in the garden of our lives." To learn more, look inside Love, Nature, Magic: Shamanic Journeys into the Heart of My Garden.

Meeting Author William S. Lyon

While visiting my family in Kansas for the holidays in 1991, a friend of mine introduced me to William S. Lyon, the co-author of Black Elk: The Sacred Ways of a Lakota. We met Lyon at his home in Lawrence, Kansas. Lyon received his Ph.D. in anthropology in 1970 and has spent his career in the study of North American Indian shamanism, mainly among the Lakota. He first met Wallace Black Elk, a renowned Lakota medicine man, in 1978 when they jointly conducted a summer session course at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, Oregon. In 1986, Lyon left academia to spend full time traveling in the U.S. and Europe with Wallace Black Elk and Archie Fire Lame Deer. Over the next four years, Lyon taped the many talks given by Black Elk that resulted in the 1991 publication of Black Elk: The Sacred Ways of a Lakota. This highly-acclaimed book is entirely in the words of Black Elk.
 

Lyon had some great stories to share about his travels with Wallace. On one occasion, Lyon accompanied Wallace to the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. They walked out into an isolated area far from habitation to attend a sweat lodge ceremony. Hanging in a tree near the sweat lodge was Chief Crazy Horse's sacred pipe or Chanunpa. Lyon asked Wallace if he was concerned about someone stealing the pipe. Wallace answered, "No one will ever take that pipe. One time we came out here to sweat and the pipe was gone. We went into the lodge and asked the spirits to return the pipe, and sure enough when we came out of the sweat, that pipe was hanging in the tree."
 

Wallace told Lyon that when Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980, a lava tube opened beneath the mountain and a column of lava is now flowing from Mount St. Helens all around the Pacific Rim or Ring of Fire. The Ring of Fire is an area where a large number of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur in the basin of the Pacific Ocean. Wallace said that this is a sign that the Earth Changes have begun. The phrase "Earth Changes" refers to the Indigenous belief that the world would soon enter a series of cataclysmic events causing major alterations in human life on the planet. This includes natural events, such as major earthquakes, the melting of the polar ice caps, a pole shift of the planetary axis, major weather events, solar flares as well as huge changes of the global social, economic and political systems.
 

Lyon also recounted the story of Wallace's silver eagle pendant being stolen from the altar at a sweat lodge ceremony in Ashland, Oregon. Just as he did at Pine Ridge, Wallace went into the lodge and asked the spirits to return the pendant. When he came out of the lodge, the pendant was back on the altar. Lyon was convinced that Wallace was one of the most powerful shamans in the United States. Wallace passed away on January 25, 2004 at his home in Denver, Colorado.

Dark Ecology

Scientists have determined that we are now living in the Anthropocene age: the new epoch of geological time in which human activity is considered such a powerful influence on the environment, climate and ecology of the planet that it will leave its legacy for millennia. The Anthropocene is notable as being human-influenced, or anthropogenic, based on overwhelming global evidence that atmospheric, geologic, hydrologic, biospheric, and other Earth system processes are now altered by humans. In the Anthropocene, humans move from a biological to a geological agent. The Anthropocene is distinguished as a new period after or within the Holocene, the current epoch, which began approximately 10,000 years ago with the end of the last glacial period.
 

The awareness we've gained in the Anthropocene is not generally a happy one. Many environmentalists now warn of impending global catastrophe and urge industrial societies to change course. Philosopher Timothy Morton, however, stakes out a more iconoclastic position. He wants humanity to give up some of its core beliefs, from the fantasy that we can control the planet to the notion that we are 'above' other beings. His ideas might sound weird, but they're catching on. Morton, whose most quoted book is called Ecology Without Nature, proposes a perspective that sets him apart from all those scientists and social commentators warning of the impending disaster that is global warming. Instead of raising the ecological alarm of the apocalypse, he advocates what he calls "dark ecology," which holds that the much-feared catastrophe has, in fact, already occurred.
 

Morton means not only that irreversible global warming is under way, but also something more wide-reaching. "We Mesopotamians" -- as he calls the past 400 or so generations of humans living in agricultural and industrial societies -- thought that we were simply manipulating other entities (by farming and engineering, and so on) in a vacuum, as if we were lab technicians and they were in some kind of giant petri dish called "nature" or "the environment." In the Anthropocene, Morton says we must wake up to the fact that we never stood apart from or controlled the non-human things on the planet, but have always been thoroughly bound up with them. We can't even burn, throw or flush things away without them coming back to us in some form, such as harmful pollution. Our most cherished ideas about nature and the environment -- that they are separate from us, and relatively stable -- have been destroyed.
 

Morton likens this realization to detective stories in which the hunter realizes he is hunting himself (his favorite examples are Blade Runner and Oedipus Rex). "Not all of us are prepared to feel sufficiently creeped out by this epiphany," he says. This is a hard pill to swallow, but there's another twist: even though humans have caused the Anthropocene, we cannot control it. That might sound gloomy, but Morton glimpses in it a liberation. If we give up the delusion of controlling everything around us, we might refocus ourselves on the pleasure we take in other beings and life itself. Enjoyment, Morton believes, might be the thing that turns us on to a new kind of politics. "Even if it's true that we really are screwed, let's not spend the rest of our lives on this planet telling ourselves how screwed we are."

"Sacred Art - A Hollow Bone for Spirit"

Sacred Art - A Hollow Bone for Spirit: Where Art Meets Shamanism by Imelda Almqvist is a truly inspiring book that takes readers on a journey through art history from stone age rock art to modern day fine art. It is a journey that shows how art, religion, science, alchemy and cosmology were all once interwoven and how they became disconnected in our need to analyze and break things down into constituent parts. As the title suggests, this is a book about sacred art, however, it doesn't have any images in it. Instead, the book invites its readers to use their imagination to visualize what sacred art is. Imagination is our portal to the spirit world. Internal imagery enables us to perceive and connect with the inner realms. Making sacred art means stepping outside the realm of the ego to become a hollow bone for spirit so that the artist becomes a channel for higher consciousness.
 

The shaman has sometimes been described as being a hollow bone, one who can enter an altered state of consciousness without their personal ego. This non-ego hollowness makes a way for spirit to use them as a healing instrument. In this way, the shaman is a channel for higher consciousness. Like the shaman, by "hollowing out" or emptying ourselves of limiting beliefs, we remove all obstructions to the flow of source energy. The magic of the hollow bone lies in allowing the divine source to work through us, rather than resisting it with our learned limitations. When we can move our ego and rational mind out of the way to channel the divine power of the universe through us, our creative potential is unlimited.
 

While shamanism is the focus of the book, you don't need to be on that path to benefit from reading it. As you weave your way through the book and suggested activities, you will begin to look at art and the world around you in a whole new way. As someone who trained as a fine artist and has worked with art in various capacities for many years, the author knows a great deal about art. She's also been practicing shamanism for a long time, and is well qualified to speak about the role of art in a shamanic context. I urge you to fully immerse yourself in this book, to become a hollow bone unleashing your inner artist to create your own masterpiece.

"The Shamanic Bones of Zen"

In The Shamanic Bones of Zen: Revealing the Ancestral Spirit and Mystical Heart of a Sacred Tradition, celebrated author and Buddhist teacher Zenju Earthlyn Manuel undertakes a rich exploration of the connections between contemporary Zen practice and shamanic or indigenous spirituality. Drawing on her personal journey with the black church, with African, Caribbean, and Native American ceremonial practices, and with Nichiren and Zen Buddhism, she builds a compelling case for discovering and cultivating the shamanic, or magical elements in Buddhism -- many of which have been marginalized by colonialist and modernist forces in the religion.

Manuel is an ordained Zen Buddhist priest who previously led the Kasai River Healing Sangha in Oakland and now lives in New Mexico where she leads the Still Breathing Zen Sangha. For many years Manuel has also practiced singing, drumming and ceremonies from a variety of Indigenous traditions including Caribbean, Native American Lakota and Vodou from Dahomey, Africa. She writes, "I wondered: if the shamanic bones or Indigenous roots that were suppressed in the rising of Buddhism were unearthed, would the practice make more sense to practitioners, especially to black, Indigenous and people of color?"

Manuel speaks in deeply personal rather than theoretical terms about the underlying shamanic reality of Zen practice. Such awareness is crucial for the development of contemporary Western Zen. Displaying reverence for the Zen tradition, creativity in expressing her own intuitive seeing, and profound gratitude for the guidance of spirit, Manuel models the path of a seeker unafraid to plumb the depths of her ancestry and face the totality of the present. The book conveys guidance for readers interested in Zen practice including ritual, preparing sanctuaries, engaging in chanting practices, and deepening embodiment with ceremony. The Shamanic Bones of Zen will turn your conception of Zen inside out.

"The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity"

The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity is a landmark new book by British archaeologist David Wengrow and the late anthropologist David Graeber, who was a London-based author, anarchist activist and professor of anthropology at the London School of Economics. Graeber was the author of Debt: The First 5,000 Years and Bullshit Jobs: A Theory, and was a contributor to Harper's Magazine, The Guardian, and The Baffler. An iconic thinker and renowned activist, Graeber was a leading figure in the Occupy Wall Street movement, and is sometimes credited with having coined the slogan, "We are the 99 percent."

The Dawn of Everything offers a dramatically new understanding of human history, challenging our most fundamental assumptions about social evolution -- from the development of agriculture and cities to the origins of the state, democracy, and inequality -- and revealing new possibilities for human emancipation. In its early chapters, the book proposes that the European Age of Enlightenment in the 17th and 18th centuries was actually, in great measure, a response to the Indigenous philosophies that Colonists and Imperialists had come into contact with in the New World of North America. Ideas of freedom, equality, and democracy did not exist in Medieval Europe. Ever since then, the Western mind has been moving closer, in these areas, to Native American views. As the authors point out, our ideas about human freedom, democracy, and sexual equality are much closer to that of an Indigenous person of the 16th Century than they are to the European Catholic view.

One of the main propositions that Graeber and Wengrow put forth in The Dawn of Everything is that the ancestors of our prehistory were not simple, ignorant savages, but rather self-conscious, idiosyncratic social organizers, evolving through a "carnival parade of political forms." Today we might use words like anarchist, communist, authoritarian, or egalitarian to describe their activity, but that language fails to represent the sheer quirkiness of the actual case studies: large cities without central authorities or farming (Göbekli Tepe), tribal nations spanning entire continents (Cahokia), and social housing projects (Teotihuacan).

 

Some populations would even alternate their social systems on a seasonal basis. For example, the Plains tribes of North America formed into an organized political community under one government during the seasonal bison hunt. There was a police force and squads of warriors with full coercive powers. If anyone endangered the success of the hunt, they could be punished, imprisoned, or even killed. The people who occupied those enforcement roles rotated from year to year. These coercive institutions did not last beyond the period of the hunting and ritual Sundance season. During the rest of the year, these Plains societies would split off into smaller groups which had entirely different social systems where people would have to resolve disputes through processes of deliberation and debate.

 

For 40,000 years, people have been moving between various forms of equal and unequal social structures, building up hierarchies and then dismantling them. The authors make the case that, rather than being less politically self-conscious than people nowadays, people in stateless societies were considerably more so. How did we get stuck?

One of the key arguments of the book is its stance against a reductionist view of our current circumstances: its insistence that the first 300,000 years of human history offer a past that is more varied, hopeful and altogether more interesting than what we have interpreted it to be, and that the same might be true of our future. Our species has been creating new ways of living in all the diverse ecosystems on this planet for hundreds of thousands of years. The Dawn of Everything fundamentally transforms our understanding of the human past and offers a path toward imagining new forms of freedom, new ways of organizing society. We have the freedom to create new and different forms of social reality, so why not exercise it. We have done all this before. We can do it again. The book's optimism, in the face of impending climate doom, political polarization, and social upheaval, is itself a provocation to act.

Shamanic Trance Postures

In 1998, my close friend and collaborator Judith Thomson introduced me to ecstatic trance postures after she took a four day workshop with the late Felicitas Goodman, the modern discoverer of ritual body postures. Judith and I began facilitating workshops together in early 1993. She was called by Spirit to teach drum making and I was called to teach shamanic drumming. My trance experiences with the body postures I learned from Judith inspired me to begin a 32-month experimental journey into trance posture practice. I meditated several times a week for 15 minutes while holding specific body poses, then recorded my trance experiences in a journal.
 

I highly recommend incorporating trance postures into your journey work, though not as a daily practice. Too much trance work can leave you feeling ungrounded and disconnected from physical reality. This practice is compatible with all other consciousness raising practices when done separately. There is no belief system or dogma associated with this work. Some of my most profound trance experiences have taken place while holding shamanic body postures. "Waking dream" is an apt description of these visionary trance states.
 

In the 1970s, linguist and anthropologist Felicitas Goodman demonstrated that the capacity to enter ecstatic trance states is built into our nervous system, our body-mind-soul, our very DNA. It can be achieved through a shift in our physiology. And that is something our nervous system knows how to do when given the right cues. What's more, she learned this was discovered long ago by our ancestors around the world going back 50,000 years or more.
 

Goodman discovered that specific yoga-like poses recur in the art and artifacts of world cultures, even societies widely separated by time and space. Goodman's hypothesis, therefore, was that these postures represented coded instructions on how to produce consistent trance-like effects. Goodman researched and explored ritual body postures as a means to achieve a bodily induced trance experience. Her studies led her to many countries and to trying out these body positions practically with hundreds of participants worldwide. She discovered that people who assume these body poses report strikingly similar trance experiences regardless of their worldview or belief systems.
 

According to Goodman, these postures produce a common effect because they all share one thing in common: the human body, the basic structure and functioning of which has remained unchanged since the time of our most ancient ancestors. The nervous and endocrine systems are, in fact, all much the same as they were 30,000 years ago--a fact which enables contemporary urban dwellers to enter nonordinary reality just as effectively through the same neural doorways as shamans throughout history. Combined with rhythmic drumming, the postures engender a profound change in consciousness, leading to new insights into healing, inner development and soul purpose. There are different postures that facilitate healing, divination, spirit journeys, metamorphosis, and more.
 

The results from my ecstatic trance posture practice have been astonishing, confirming Felicitas Goodman's theory that, "if one adopts such a posture, one will have such an experience." Rhythmic stimulation combined with trance postures produces a physiological shift that leads to a profound change in consciousness, enabling one to experience different dimensions of reality. I highly recommend Belinda Gore's book, Ecstatic Body Postures: An Alternate Reality Workbook. With clear instructions and illustrations, Gore reveals how to work with these shamanic body postures. I hope this practice becomes a valued tool in your repertoire. The following are postures I recommend and use in my shamanic practice:
 

1. The Bear Spirit Posture for healing and restoring harmony;
2. The Lady of Cholula Posture for divination, guidance and advice;
3. The Tattooed Jaguar Posture for a metamorphosis into a jaguar;  
4. The South American Lower World Posture for journeying to the lower realms;
5. The Psychopomp Posture for guiding departed souls into the afterlife.

Contemporary Korean Shamanism

While traditional shamanism continues to decline around the world, it is currently undergoing a revival in South Korea. Korean shamanism, also known as Muism ("mu [shaman] religion") is the ethnic religion of Korea and the Koreans. Though Korean shamanism has suffered centuries of ridicule and persecution, it is now acknowledged to be an important repository of Korean culture and indigenous psychology. Shamanism, in modern as well as historical eras, provides many of the same functions for Korean society as does psychological counseling. Its form is flexible and adaptable, integrating modern elements as needed in order to maintain its relevance.
 

Once viewed as an embarrassing superstition, the theatrical religious performances of Korean shamans--who communicate with the dead, divine the future, and become possessed--are going mainstream. Attitudes toward Korean shamanism are changing as shamanic traditions appear in staged rituals, museums, films, and television programs, as well as on the internet.
 

Contemporary Korean Shamanism, a new book by professor Liora Sarfati, explores this vernacular religion and practice, which includes sensory rituals using laden altars, ecstatic dance, and animal sacrifice, within South Korea's highly technologized society, where over 200,000 shamans are listed in professional organizations. Dr. Sarfati reveals how representations of shamanism in national, commercialized, and screen-mediated settings have transformed opinions of these religious practitioners and their rituals.
 

Applying ethnography and folklore research, Contemporary Korean Shamanism: From Ritual to Digital maps this shift in perception about shamanism--from a sign of a backward, undeveloped Korea to a valuable, indigenous cultural asset. Professor Sarfati masterfully demonstrates how and why shamanism in contemporary Korea is not only the most widely dispersed religion, even more widespread than Christianity and Buddhism, but also thrives through the virtual media of a digital society.

Laguna Pueblo Author Leslie Marmon Silko

Ceremony
I will tell you something about stories,
[he said]
They aren't just for entertainment.
Don't be fooled
They are all we have, you see,
all we have to fight off illness and death.
You don't have anything
if you don't have the stories.
Their evil is mighty
but it can't stand up to our stories.
So they try to destroy the stories
let the stories be confused or forgotten
They would like that
They would be happy
Because we would be defenseless then.(1)

The above passage is from Laguna Pueblo author Leslie Marmon Silko's acclaimed 1977 novel Ceremony. The excerpt emphasizes the essential role that storytelling plays within the Pueblo culture. It also sums up the repeated attempts of colonial invaders to erase Pueblo culture by destroying its ceremonies. Despite these attempts, which began in 1540 and continued until the 1930s, the core elements of Pueblo myth and ritual have survived. However, as Silko reveals in Ceremony, the years from World War II to the present have brought new threats to the Pueblos, which, although more subtle than the early Spanish conquests, are even more insidious, and must be confronted if the Pueblo culture is to survive.

In Ceremony, Silko portrays the endangered state of the Laguna reservation following World War II. The land has been damaged by runoff from the uranium mining, and a generation of young Pueblo men has been devastated by the war. Ceremony tells the story of Tayo, a wounded returning World War II veteran of mixed Laguna-white ancestry following a short stint at a Los Angeles VA hospital. He is returning to the poverty-stricken Laguna reservation, continuing to suffer from battle fatigue, and is haunted by memories of his cousin Rocky who died in the conflict during the Bataan Death March of 1942. His initial escape from pain leads him to alcoholism, but his Old Grandma and mixed-blood Navajo medicine man Betonie help him through Native ceremonies to develop a greater understanding of the world and his place as a Laguna man.

In his search for healing, Tayo seeks a cure from Ku'oosh, the old medicine man. Ku'oosh realizes that he cannot heal Tayo because, "Some things we can't cure like we used to...not since the white people came." While the return to the old ways helps Tayo, something else is needed to complete his healing ceremony. This is where Betonie, a new kind of healer, comes in. Betonie still wears the traditional clothes of a medicine man and uses the traditional paraphernalia, such as prayer sticks, gourd rattles and sacred herbs. But Betonie also uses contemporary items as healing tools, such as coke bottles, phone books and old gas station calendars with pictures of Indians on them, all common objects on the reservation. When Tayo questions the use of such non-traditional items for his ceremonies, Betonie responds, "In the old days it was simple. A medicine person could get by without all these things. But nowadays..."

Betonie provides Tayo with the blend of tools and faith Tayo needs in order to undertake the completion of the ceremony, which can cure both himself and his people. The key to survival of Pueblo culture, as Silko demonstrates in Ceremony, may be found in allowing traditional Pueblo ceremonies to change to meet the present-day realities of reservation life. It's in this fusion of old and new that the Pueblos may find the healing they so desperately need after suffering nearly 500 years of colonialism.

Ceremony gained immediate acceptance when returning Vietnam war veterans took to the novel's theme of coping, healing and reconciliation between races and people that share the trauma of military actions. It was largely on the strength of this work that literary critic Alan R. Velie named Silko one of his Four Native American Literary Masters, along with N. Scott Momaday, Gerald Vizenor and James Welch. Her publications include Laguna Woman: Poems (1974), Ceremony (1977), Storyteller (1981), Almanac of the Dead (1991), Gardens in the Dunes (1999) and The Turquoise Ledge: A Memoir (2010).

1. Leslie Marmon Silko, Ceremony (Viking Press, 1977), p. 2.

"Shamanism for Every Day: 365 Journeys"

In Shamanism for Every Day: 365 Journeys, shamanic practitioner and intuitive consultant Mara Bishop offers readers a full year of calming, transformative journeys providing a daily connection to Nature and Spirit in a turbulent time. The book features daily exercises to unfurl your sensory tendrils to experience your relationship to the elements around you and within you. With daily guides that lead you to fresh observations, conscious interaction, and connection to the universe, this compact book will enable you to expand your sense of oneness with the rhythms and flow of nature.
 

"We live in intense times," writes author Mara Bishop. "The pressures of daily life can leave us emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually depleted. Shamanic journeying can enable us to rejuvenate, reconnect to wisdom, and restore health, despite those pressures." While there are many paths to well-being, this book is designed to provide themes and topics for you to think about during your day, suggestions and observations to help reconnect you to your own innate wisdom, and to be fully in the moment, with focus, energy, and intention.
 

You’ll discover:

• The ancient roots and principles of shamanism and the practices of shamans, who straddle the spiritual and physical realms;
• The crucial concept of shamanism: the interconnectivity of all things;
• How to journey, tap into the wisdom of our ancestors, and how to find a guide;
• The Why of the journey--a rekindling of the connection to your own spirit;
• The importance of helping spirits, whether human, animal, plant, or other;
• Setting the stage for your journeys;
• The power of drumming;
• How to practice interpreting what you learn as you go along.
  

The book also includes an informative Q&A with the author, a detailed list of notes, resources, and references, a guide to journeys based on themes including Moon Ceremonies, Solstices and Equinoxes, and Welcoming the Spirit. Look inside Shamanism for Every Day.

The Hidden Life of Trees

Peter Wohlleben, a German forester and author, has a rare understanding of the inner life of trees, and is able to describe it in accessible, evocative language. His book, The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate, has sold more than two million copies worldwide. Wohlleben draws on groundbreaking scientific discoveries to describe how trees are like human families: tree parents live together with their children, communicate with them, support them as they grow, share nutrients with those who are sick or struggling, and even warn each other of impending dangers. Wohlleben also shares his deep love of woods and forests, explaining the amazing processes of life, death, and regeneration he has observed in his woodland.

 
A revolution has been taking place in the scientific understanding of trees, and Wohlleben is the first writer to convey its amazements to a general audience. The latest scientific studies, conducted at well-respected universities in Germany and around the world, confirm what he has long suspected from close observation in this forest: Trees are far more alert, social, sophisticated -- and even intelligent -- than we thought.

 
There is now a substantial body of scientific evidence that shows that trees of the same species are communal, and will often form alliances with trees of other species. Forest trees have evolved to live in cooperative, interdependent relationships, maintained by communication and a collective intelligence similar to an insect colony. These soaring columns of living wood draw the eye upward to their outspreading crowns, but the real action is taking place underground, just a few inches below our feet.
 

All the trees in a forest are connected to each other through underground fungal networks. Trees share water and nutrients through the networks, and also use them to communicate. They send distress signals about drought and disease, for example, or insect attacks, and other trees alter their behavior when they receive these messages. Scientists call these mycorrhizal networks. The fine, hairlike root tips of trees join together with microscopic fungal filaments to form the basic links of the network, which appears to operate as a symbiotic relationship between trees and fungi, or perhaps an economic exchange. As a kind of fee for services, the fungi consume about 30 percent of the sugar that trees photosynthesize from sunlight. The sugar is what fuels the fungi, as they scavenge the soil for nitrogen, phosphorus and other mineral nutrients, which are then absorbed and consumed by the trees.
 

To communicate through the network, trees send chemical, hormonal and slow-pulsing electrical signals, which scientists are just beginning to decipher. Edward Farmer at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland has been studying the electrical pulses, and he has identified a voltage-based signaling system that appears strikingly similar to animal nervous systems (although he does not suggest that plants have neurons or brains).

Five-thousand miles away, at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Suzanne Simard and her grad students are making astonishing new discoveries about the sensitivity and interconnectedness of trees in the Pacific temperate rainforests of western North America. Dr. Simard is a professor with the UBC Faculty of Forestry, where she lectures on and researches the role of mycorrhizae and mycorrhizal networks in tree species migrations with climate change disturbance. Networks of mycorrhizal fungal mycelium have recently been discovered by Professor Simard and her graduate students to connect the roots of trees and facilitate the sharing of resources in Douglas-fir forests of interior British Columbia, thereby bolstering their resilience against disturbance or stress and facilitating the establishment of new regeneration.

They found that the mycorrhizal network serves as a belowground pathway for transfer of carbon from the nutrient-rich deciduous trees to nearby regenerating Douglas-fir seedlings. Moreover, they found that carbon transfer was enhanced when Douglas-fir seedlings were shaded in mid-summer, providing a subsidy that may be important in Douglas-fir survival and growth, thus helping maintain a mixed forest community during early succession.

 
Simard's research indicates that all trees in a forest ecosystem are interconnected, with the largest, oldest trees serving as hubs. The underground exchange of nutrients increases the survival of younger trees linked into the network of old trees. She has found vast underground tree root systems that are kind of like giant brains. Like the neurons in our own brains, trees send messages via their roots. In fact, she says that trees aren't only communicating, but are also sending resources back and forth to help out other trees -- even if they are a different kind of tree. 

Simard calls the older trees (up to 500 years old) "mother trees." Mother trees are the biggest, oldest trees in the forest with the most fungal connections. They're not necessarily female, but Simard sees them in a nurturing, supportive, maternal role. With their deep roots, they draw up water and make it available to shallow-rooted seedlings. They help neighboring trees by sending them nutrients, and when the neighbors are struggling, mother trees detect their distress signals and increase the flow of nutrients accordingly.

 
When mother trees begin to die, they start passing their resources off to the younger trees around them. Simard says it's like the passing of a wand from one generation to the next. Besides being a beautiful way to understand forests, this information also gives us one more reason to stop clear cutting, which is when timber companies clear tracts of land of all trees. It's easier for the loggers, but it takes away the mother trees so they can't pass along those resources to the next generation. With the logging of mother trees, they wipe out whole forest communities, and that's nothing less than attempted ecocide. After learning about the complex life of trees, a walk in the woods will never be the same again.

Decolonizing Indigenous Cultural Protection

In 2016, the Standing Rock Sioux and legions of their allies protested the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, which would carry Bakken crude oil from North Dakota to Illinois, crossing underneath Lake Oahe, the reservation's water source. Tribal members opposed the pipeline over fears of water pollution and climate impacts; it also crossed their ancestral lands, and they argued that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had not adequately surveyed the burial grounds in its path. But because the pipeline wasn't on tribal lands or under tribal jurisdiction, there were few legal options. As Indian law attorneys Hillary Hoffmann and Monte Mills write in their new book, A Third Way: Decolonizing the Laws of Indigenous Cultural Protection, after almost 200 years of treaties, court cases and federal infringement, "The tribe had lost almost every source of legal authority to regulate or stop it." The pipeline was ultimately constructed, though its legality is still in court over potential environmental violations.

The battle over the Dakota Access Pipeline exemplifies how difficult it can be for tribal nations to assert their sovereignty within the existing legal structure to protect culturally important land, water, wildlife and ancestral objects. Over the last decade, however, Hoffmann and Mills argue that a new era of Indian law has emerged that protects Indigenous cultures based on Indigenous value systems. This "third way" -- neither solely Indigenous nor European, but rather both -- shows tribal nations working within those legal constraints in novel ways, or changing them altogether, to better reflect their values. This could mean different outcomes in future cultural protection conflicts.

In A Third Way, Hillary Hoffmann and Monte Mills share what they've learned over their combined 31 years of teaching Indian law and working with tribal nations. They explore the myriad ways Indigenous people are decolonizing laws around cultural protection. The book details the history, context, and future of the ongoing legal fight to protect indigenous cultures. At the federal level, this fight is shaped by the assumptions that led to current federal cultural protection laws, which many tribes and their allies are now reframing to better meet their cultural and sovereign priorities. At the state level, centuries of antipathy toward tribes are beginning to give way to collaborative and cooperative efforts that better reflect indigenous interests. Most critically, tribes themselves are building laws and legal structures that reflect and invigorate their own cultural values. Taken together, and evidenced by the recent worldwide support for indigenous cultural movements, events of the last decade signal a new era for indigenous cultural protection. I highly recommend this important book to anyone interested in the legal reforms that will guide progress toward protecting indigenous cultures.

Five Groundbreaking Books on Shamanism

1. Shamanism: A Biopsychosocial Paradigm of Consciousness and Healing by Michael Winkelman (2010): Michael Winkelman's volume on shamanism has replaced Mircea Eliade's classic text as the most authoritative and innovative book on the topic. This book examines shamanism from evolutionary and biological perspectives to identify the origins of shamanic healing in rituals that enhance individual and group function. Winkelman presents the shamanic paradigm within a biopsychosocial framework for explaining successful human evolution through group rituals. According to Winkelman, shamanism is rooted in innate functions of the brain, mind, and consciousness. As Winkelman puts it, "The cross-cultural manifestations of basic experiences related to shamanism (e.g., soul flight, death-and-rebirth, animal identities) illustrates that these practices are not strictly cultural but are structured by underlying, biologically inherent structures. These are neurobiological structures of knowing that provide the universal aspects of the human brain/mind." Winkelman's Shamanism is essential reading for anyone interested in shamanism, human evolution, the origin of religion, and traditional healing practice.

2. An Encyclopedia of Shamanism by Christina Pratt (2007): Christina Pratt's outstanding two-volume encyclopedia combines the philosophy, concepts, and practical elements that make up shamanism. Pratt has compiled a potentially useful -- although rather expensive -- reference tool that bears testimony to how far shamanism has come in the last few decades. Thirty years ago, shamanism was rarely discussed outside of scholarly anthropological circles. Today, we find this two-volume encyclopedia set offered by a mainstream academic press that specializes in educational books for young readers. Moreover, the set's contents are rich enough to provide shamanic practitioners with some stimulating windows into the transformative worlds of both traditional and contemporary shamanism. Unlike many cross-cultural overviews on shamanism, the essays and many of the entries in these volumes are enriched by the author's personal background in several experiential shamanic traditions.

3. Ecstatic Body Postures: An Alternate Reality Workbook by Belinda Gore (1995): Anthropologist Felicitas Goodman discovered that specific yoga-like poses recur in the art and artifacts of world cultures, even societies widely separated by time and space. Goodman's hypothesis, therefore, was that these postures represented coded instructions on how to produce consistent trance-like effects. Goodman researched and explored ritual body postures as a means to achieve a bodily induced trance experience. She discovered that people who assume these body postures report strikingly similar trance experiences irrespective of their worldview or belief systems. With clear instructions and illustrations, Belinda Gore, one of Dr. Goodman's prominent students, demonstrates these shamanic postures and how to work with them. There are different postures that facilitate divination, shapeshifting, spirit journeys, and more.

4. Soul Retrieval: Mending the Fragmented Self by Sandra Ingerman (1991): Ingerman's visionary book revives the ancient shamanic tradition of soul retrieval for healing emotional and physical illness. Most shamanic cultures around the world believe that whenever we suffer an emotional or physical trauma a part of our soul flees the body in order to survive the experience. By soul I mean our spiritual essence, life force, the part of our vitality that keeps us alive and thriving. It has always been the role of the shaman to go into an altered state of consciousness and track down where the soul fled to in the alternate realities and restore it. The loss of life force is known as soul loss. It is important to understand that soul loss is a natural thing that happens to us. It is how we survive pain. Our psyche cannot endure the kind of pain associated with a severe emotional or physical trauma. So our psyches have this self protect mechanism where a part of our essence or soul leaves the body so that we do not feel the full impact of a painful experience. In psychology we call this disassociation. The major characteristic of all dissociative phenomena involves a detachment from reality. It isn't hard to recognize that there is a lot of planetary soul loss today based on how we behave towards each other and the web of life.

5. The Way of the Shaman: A Guide to Power and Healing by Michael Harner (1980): Founder of the Foundation for Shamanic Studies, Harner blazed the trail for the worldwide revival of shamanism and shamanic drumming with his 1980 seminal classic. This informative guide to core shamanic practice set me on a new course in life. From this guide, I learned to hone my skills of shamanic journeying. Harner teaches core shamanism, the universal and common methods of the shaman to enter "non-ordinary reality" for problem solving and healing. Particular emphasis is on the classic shamanic journey; one of the most remarkable visionary methods used by humankind to access inner wisdom and guidance by the teachers within. Learning to journey is the first step in becoming a shamanic practitioner.

Book Review: "Black Elk, Lakota Visionary"

Black Elk was one of the most influential Native American leaders of the twentieth century. His influence flows from the enduring power and wisdom of his spiritual teachings, his lifetime of work with the problems of his people, and the catalytic effect of the book Black Elk Speaks on the revival of traditional religion and culture. Even though many books have been written about the iconic Lakota holy man, Harry Oldmeadow's 2018 book, Black Elk, Lakota Visionary: The Oglala Holy Man and Sioux Tradition, is significant in that it corrects the historical record through drawing upon recently discovered sources and places Black Elk within a universal context that extends across the world's religions. This engaging account by Oldmeadow explores the remarkable life of Black Elk, his visions, his relationship with Catholicism, and his commitment to revive traditional religion and culture. Oldmeadow clarifies from the beginning that this book is not intended to be "a full-dress biography, nor a history, nor a systematic account of Lakota religious life." The 256 page book consists of seven chapters and of three appendices that contain excerpts from letters that help further clarify Black Elk's life and mission.

Black Elk was born in 1863 on the Little Powder River, in what is now Wyoming. Like his father before him, Black Elk became a warrior, as well as a holy man of the Oglala Lakota tribe. Black Elk's early years were spent living the old nomadic life, and he was present at Custer's Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876. In the 1880s, Black Elk toured with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show before returning to the Pine Ridge Reservation established for the Oglala in South Dakota. On his return to Pine Ridge in 1889, he became a leader of the Ghost Dance. When the government responded with troops, Black Elk called for armed resistance, and he was present at the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890. After being wounded in an attempt to retaliate after Wounded Knee, Black Elk was convinced to surrender by another Sioux chief, Red Cloud. He remained living on the Pine Ridge Reservation and later converted to Catholicism.

Black Elk's conversion to Catholicism in 1904, then in his 40s, was surrounded by great controversy and often misunderstood. The publication of John G. Neihardt's Black Elk Speaks in 1932 put Black Elk in an awkward position in relation to the Catholic Church. His reputation on the Pine Ridge reservation was built as a Catholic catechist, not as a Native spiritual leader. The Jesuit priests at Holy Rosary Mission were shocked and dismayed at the suggestion that one of their most respected catechists still harbored beliefs in the old pagan religion. The monotheistic position that people are supposed to belong to one religion, or at least to one religion at a time in devoted allegiance to a singular belief system, has contributed significantly to the controversy around Black Elk's beliefs. Black Elk, like most Lakota converts to Christianity, was quite capable of moving between two or more religious systems on a situational basis, drawing from each and all those prayers, songs, rituals, myths, and beliefs that satisfied the needs of the particular time. For Black Elk, Christianity and traditional Lakota spirituality were part of one vision, one Spirit.

Although the Lakota elder was embarrassed in front of the priests, he never denied the sincerity of his belief in the way of the sacred pipe. Near the end of his life, Black Elk told his daughter Lucy and other family members, "The only thing I really believe is the pipe religion." Joseph Epes Brown--author of The Sacred Pipe (1953), a fascinating narrative on Black Elk and his remarkable visions--recounts that, "Black Elk says he is sorry that his present action towards reviving Lakota spiritual traditions shall anger the priests, but that their anger is proof of their ignorance; and in any case Wakan Tanka [Great Spirit or Great Mystery] is happy; for he knows that it is His Will that Black Elk does this work."

Though many books have been written about Black Elk, none have arguably explored the entirety of the Lakota holy man's life and the centrality of his universal vision as this book by Harry Oldmeadow. This biography will assist with correcting the historical record and will no doubt spark more interest in the life and legacy of Black Elk. This book depicts how the spiritual legacy of Black Elk is instrumental in representing the ancestral traditions in the pre-reservation era, their destruction, and subsequently a powerful revival that continues today. The old-time Lakota always believed that it was the warriors who would save them. What Black Elk taught his people was to depend instead on something harder to take away than guns--the trust that prayers in their own language, delivered in their own way, would reach the supreme being they addressed as Wakan Tanka.

Five Books for Connecting With Power Animals

Shamanism is the endeavor to cultivate ongoing relationships with power animals to gain insight, healing methods, and other vital information that can benefit the community. Power animals are also called guardian spirits, spirit allies, totem animals, and tutelary animals. A power animal is the archetypal oversoul that represents the entire species of that animal. It is actually the spirit of one of the First People, as they are called, who at the end of mythic times turned into the animals as we know them today. The following books will help connect you with the collective strength and wisdom of power animals:

1. Medicine Cards: The Discovery of Power Through the Ways of Animals by Jamie Sams: Jamie Sams is a best-selling author and medicine teacher of Iroquois and Cherokee descent. I have used her unique and innovative divination tool since its publication in 1988 for guidance, insight, and help in finding answers to life's questions. The messages always clearly reflect whatever life situation I am going through at the time. This card-based divination system draws upon ancient wisdom and tradition to teach the healing medicine of animals. The deck of cards and book connect the natural attributes and behaviors of the animal with the native lore relating to each creature in a way that is both sensible and spiritual. The suggestions for introspection are evocative, and I find myself returning to them again and again.

2. Animal-Speak: The Spiritual & Magical Powers of Creatures Great & Small by Ted Andrews: Easy-to-read and understand, Ted Andrews's bestselling Animal Speak shows readers how to identify his or her animal totem and learn how to invoke its energy and use it for personal growth and inner discovery. Nature lovers will love this insightful compendium filled with touching stories about animals, natural history, and animal folklore. Readers will also learn magical animal rites and how to read omens of nature. Animal Speak includes a dictionary of bird, animal, reptile, and insect totems, which describe each creature's meaning. This bestselling guide has become a classic reference for anyone wishing to forge a spiritual connection with the power and wisdom of the animal world. 

3. Bird Medicine: The Sacred Power of Bird Shamanism by Evan T. Pritchard: Evan T. Pritchard is a descendant of the Mi'kmaq people (part of the Algonquin nation) and the founder of The Center for Algonquin Culture. Pritchard's scholarly and illuminating book is based on his field interviews with people in the Native community on birds as teachers, guardians, role models, counselors, healers, clowns, peacemakers, and meteorologists. They carry messages and warnings from loved ones and the spirit world, report deaths and injuries, and channel divine intelligence to answer our questions. Bird Medicine is a treasure trove of ornithological insight and indigenous wisdom. It provides numerous examples of everyday bird sign interpretations that can be applied in your own encounters with birds as well as ways we can help protect birds and encourage them to communicate with us.

4. Power Animals: How to Connect with Your Animal Spirit Guide by Steven D Farmer: Dr. Steven Farmer is a psychotherapist, shamanic healer, and the author of several best-selling books. In Power Animals, Dr. Farmer guides you through a journey on the accompanying audio download to connect with your power animal. Once you meet your power animal, you can refer to the text to learn what this says about you and read a channeled message for you from that animal spirit. This is an easy-to-read introduction to the concept of power animals, and provides descriptions on 40 different animals. It's clear, insightful, fully developed but not overly wordy, and all of it is helpful.

5. Animal Spirit Guides: An Easy-to-Use Handbook for Identifying and Understanding Your Power Animals and Animal Spirit Helpers by Steven D Farmer: After the publication of his book Power Animals, many readers inquired about the meaning of power animals that were not contained in that work. In Animal Spirit Guides, Dr. Farmer provides concise, relevant details about the significance of more than 200 animals that may come to you in physical or symbolic form as guides and teachers. He lists three things for each animal: 1) if the animal shows up, what does it mean, 2) when you should call on the particular animal that you are reading about, and 3) if the animal is your power animal what does it mean. This makes the information very concise and easy to find and understand. It is an excellent reference book to have on the shelf.

Book Review: "The Shamanic Journey"

Shamanism represents a universal conceptual framework found among indigenous tribal humans. It includes the belief that the natural world has two aspects: ordinary everyday awareness, formed by our habitual behaviors, patterns of belief, social norms, and cultural conditioning, and a second non-ordinary awareness accessed through altered states, or ecstatic trance, induced by shamanic practices such as repetitive drumming. The act of entering an ecstatic trance state is called the soul flight or shamanic journey, and it allows the journeyer to once again communicate with animals, plants and all living things. Shamans believe that this direct communication is possible because the entire universe exists within human consciousness. The capacity to enter a range of trance states is a natural manifestation of human consciousness. Our journeying ability is part of our human heritage.

In his book, The Shamanic Journey: A Practical Guide to Therapeutic Shamanism, shamanic practitioner, teacher and psychotherapist Paul Francis has created a practical step-by-step guide to experiencing your first shamanic journey, developing a relationship with your power animal, and interpreting trance experiences. Shamanic journeying is not an exceptional skill reserved for certain people, but knowing what to do with intuition, how to respond to it, and how to integrate it into day-to-day life is an exceptional skill that can, and should, be learned. Building on the core shamanism developed by Michael Harner, author of The Way of the Shaman, Francis has written a common sense guide for beginners interested in shamanism and looking for a place to start practical application of its practices for themselves. At once both practical and deeply thought-provoking, this book examines how to make shamanic practice relevant and central to our modern-day lives. This useful guidebook is recommended to anyone seeking to experience the shamanic journey -- a core practice common to all shamanic cultures.

The Book of Ceremony

Ceremony is essential for a healthy and balanced personal and communal life. Many persistent personal and social problems can be linked to the lack of ceremony. Ceremonies reduce tension, anxiety and stress, produce deeper self-awareness, and connect us to our community. They connect us with our deepest core values and our highest vision of who we are and why we are here. That's why shamanic teacher Sandra Ingerman wrote The Book of Ceremony -- to help us recover the sense of deeper meaning and sacred connection that makes ceremony a powerful tool for transformation and healing. "Ceremonies have always been used to create transformation," writes Ingerman. "Performing ceremonies creates a bridge between the material world we live in and the world of the unseen, the divine, the power of the universe." This practical guidebook is recommended to anyone seeking to engage the powers of the unseen world. Look inside The Book of Ceremony: Shamanic Wisdom for Invoking the Sacred in Everyday Life.