Free eBook: The Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees

This eBook is a reprint of the classic 1891 ethnographic study of Cherokee shamanic practice by the gifted anthropologist James Mooney. Based on several manuscripts written by Cherokee shamans, it includes the actual text of the rituals to treat various diseases, information on herbs used, love spells, hunting rituals, weather spells etc., and, in fact, embodying almost the whole of the sacred rites of Cherokee shamanism. The original manuscripts were written by the shamans of the tribe, for their own use, in the Cherokee characters invented by Sikwa'ya (Sequoyah) in 1821, and were obtained, with the explanations, either from the writers themselves or from their surviving relatives. 

 

Originally published as two separate volumes by the U.S. Bureau of Ethnology, James Mooney's History, Myths, and Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees has enduring significance for both Native Americans and non-Indian people. The book contains the full texts of James Mooney's Myths of the Cherokee (1900) and The Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees (1891), with an exclusive biographical introduction by George Ellison, James Mooney and the Eastern Cherokees. Mooney's exhaustive research preserved essential Cherokee history, lore, and rituals in a time when such knowledge was dying because younger Cherokees were accepting Western education, commerce, and medicine. The first section of this text covers Cherokee history from the time of DeSoto's search for gold in the 1600s to the late 1800s when the tribal consciousness nearly came to an end.

The second section reveals the rich Cherokee mythology, detailing how the earth was made, how all "people" (both two-and four-footed) came about, and how they could all converse with each other. The third section of the book provides 28 sacred formulas from a mass of over 600 prayers, formulas, and songs. These formulas are centered on such things as medicine, hunting, love, finding lost articles, and frightening away storms. Exclusive to this edition, George Ellison's biographical portrait of James Mooney emphasizes the ethnologist's timeliness and his empathy for the Cherokees and their rich heritage. Completing this book are photographs of many of the chiefs and shamans, a glossary of terms, an index, and an immense section on notes and parallels to the Cherokee myths. Download The Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees.   

Free Online I Ching Reading

Divination is the art of seeing and interpreting signs in everything around us. The goal of shamanic divination is to encourage well-being by helping a person live in harmony with the universe around them. One of the best known systems of divination is the I Ching, or Book of Changes. For some 3,000 years, people have turned to the I Ching to help them uncover the meaning of their experience and to bring their actions into harmony with their underlying purpose. The I Ching is an invaluable divination tool in the shamanic art of restoring harmony and balance. Consult the I Ching online using a javascript hexagram generator based on the yarrow stalk method. The result is the immediacy of the coin tossing method with the reliability of the yarrow stalk method.

 

The program is based on my book I Ching: The Tao of Drumming -- the only shamanic interpretation of the I Ching from a rhythmic perspective. A synthesis of shamanic drum ways and Taoist philosophy, The Tao of Drumming provides for the first time the rhythmic structure of the 64 hexagrams or potential human situations. Drum patterns derived from the hexagram images render the essence of each archetype of experience into sound, giving it physical, mental, and spiritual impulse. Through the natural law of resonance, the drummer then embodies the qualities and attributes necessary to effect change or harmonize with change in any given situation.

More than an oracle, the I Ching is a keyboard or periodic table of rhythm archetypes. The key to understanding the I Ching and its place in your life is to realize that the universe is made of vibrational energy; that it is a single, flowing, rhythmic being. According to quantum physics, everything in the universe, from the smallest subatomic particle to the largest star, has an inherent vibrational pattern. The entire universe is created through vibration and can be influenced through the vibrations of drumming. The Tao of Drumming is a shamanic tool for altering or harmonizing the vibrational state of the drummer or a particular situation in the community. With clear and practical explanations of each of the 64 hexagrams along with useful exercises and illustrations, this innovative handbook demonstrates how drumming these simple rhythm archetypes brings the essential self into accord with the pattern or way of cyclical change, and that way is known as Tao. Find an I Ching Rhythm for your need of the moment.

 

Drumming the Hollow Bone

We need to get out of the way of our dreams and passion so they can be birthed in a clear way. In the current issue of Sacred Hoop Magazine, I share a simple meditation method using the drum to help us shift our consciousness to become a hollow bone or conduit for spirit. It is a way to clear away anything that could possibly clog the bone of our spirit and mind. When we can move our ego and rational mind out of the way to channel the divine power of the universe through us, anything is possible. Read my article "Drumming the Hollow Bone" in Sacred Hoop Magazine, Issue 78, 2012.

Our Ancestors, the Acoustical Engineers

Chavín de Huántar

New discoveries in the young field of archaeoacoustics hint that just as we create elaborate sonic environments with our electronic stereos and theatre sound systems, the ancients may have sculpted their soundscapes as well. In a recent article in Discover Magazine, archaeologists demonstrated that ancient builders of the temple complex of Chavín de Huántar in central Peru designed subterranean soundscapes as stirring as any special effects. In short, the temple's designers may have been not only expert architects but also skilled acoustical engineers. View the Chavín acoustic findings video.