"Image of the day: Shaman by Simone Ludeman"

Simone Ludeman is an illustration student at the University of Westminster. She has created a powerful series of contemporary shamanic images. In a recent interview with Computer Arts Magazine, Simone had this to say about her art: "I’ve always been interested in different cultures, so I set myself a brief inspired by indigenous tribes. All the images represent health issues: for example, fertility, insomnia, death and the image of the day is the shaman. I was interested in shamanism because of how different the processes of healing is to our own.  I’m generally drawn to subjects of a spiritual or surreal nature. My inspiration comes from experience. I feel it’s something you subconsciously absorb. I tend to include a lot of pattern and embellishment within my illustrations." Read more.

Michael Harner's "Cave and Cosmos"

Michael Harner blazed the trail for the worldwide revival of shamanism and shamanic drumming with his 1980 seminal classic The Way of the Shaman (over 600,000 sold). His long-awaited sequel, Cave and Cosmos: Shamanic Encounters with Another Reality, sold out of its first print run in advance of the April 9 release and is now into a second printing. It is #1 on Amazon's Paganism bestsellers list and #3 on the Shamanism list. Written by one of the leading authorities on shamanism, Cave and Cosmos, provides new evidence of the reality of the heavenly or "Upper World" realm. It is a must-read not only for those interested in shamanism, but also for those interested in spirituality, comparative religion, near-death experiences, healing, consciousness, anthropology, and the nature of reality. 

The Tao of the Shaman

The roots of Taoism, like many other spiritual belief systems, can be traced back to shamanic practices from the earliest tribal civilizations. The Chinese word for shaman or "wu" was first recorded during the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BC), but it is believed that these traditions date back to the very origins of Chinese culture. In fact, many of the stories surrounding Fu Hsi, the mythological founder of Chinese civilization (about 5,000 years ago), have a distinctly shamanic feel to them. For instance, Fu Hsi is considered the creator of the I Ching, the basis of all Chinese philosophy. According to the legend, he discovered the I Ching in the arrangement of markings on the back of a turtle that emerged from a river. This is a classic shamanic tale that marries nature and divination, resulting in the attainment of profound knowledge. 

Thunder Magic

Taoism Five Thunder Drum

Weather Magic is practiced in many cultures around the world, however, Chinese Taoism seems to have the most well documented rituals. The chief purpose of Taoist Thunder Magic is to seek intervention when the weather is detrimental to human survival. For example, droughts and floods are such problems that can endanger the well-being of agrarian communities. Other purposes include protection, exorcism of evil spirits, and healing. Drums, like the "Taoism Five Thunder Drum," are often used for calling rain and performing Thunder rituals. The Chinese character for "thunder" is written on the face of the drum. Read more.

Corn Woman - Goddess of Nourishment

In my book, Shamanic Drumming, I describe the shamanic journey in which I met the spirit guide who became my mentor in the ways of the spirit world. Known as Corn Woman, or Corn Mother, she is an important deity archetype in Pueblo mythology. She represents fertility, life, and the feminine aspects of this world. The importance of corn deities in Pueblo mythology reflects the importance of corn in the Pueblo diet. The ritual corn dance is performed to honor Corn Woman and pray for rain, growth, and fertility. A drummer and a chorus of chanting men support the lines of dancers who move in a continually changing zigzag pattern. The dancers make gestures to indicate their requests to Corn Woman: lowering the arms depicts the lowering clouds, moving the arms in a zigzag motion denotes lightning, lowering the palms signifies rain, and lifting the hands symbolizes the growing stalks of corn. Read more.