Dance of the Four Winds: Secrets of the Inca Medicine Wheel [Paperback]

Alberto Villoldo (Author), Erik Jendresen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1994

Dance of the Four Winds recounts the adventures of the American psychologist Alberto Villoldo as he journeys to Peru to explore the visionary ceremonies of the native shamans. Here Quecha masters use the jungle plant ayahuasca to further their spiritual progress along the four paths of the Medecine Wheel. Entering a magical realm of enigmatic sorcerers and powerful animal totems, Villoldo confronts the hidden powers of his own mind as he unlocks the secrets of the human psyche.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The stuff of anthropological bestsellers . . . a flight of serious fancy, confounding our categories of fiction and nonfiction."
(

New York Times

)

"Interspersed with direct journal excerpts, the story is told with a rich mix of narrative, mythic and colloquial images. Given the transitional nature of Villoldo's experience, his is an excellent story to serve as an introduction for the uninitiated to the belief system and cultural traditions of the Quechua masters."
(

Talking Leaves

)

From the Back Cover

ANTHROPOLOGY / SHAMANISM

A deft balance of Western psychology and native wisdom, novelistic drive, and touchingly human characters.
--San Francisco Chronicle

The stuff of anthropological bestsellers. . . . A flight of serious fancy, confounding our categories of fiction and nonfiction.
--New York Times Book Review

A vital, well‑written, and exciting tale of one man’s exploits in the real real world, as he seeks a reunion with Nature, the unconscious, the powers of healing, and the naked facts of life and death.
--San Diego Tribune

Dance of the Four Winds recounts the adventures of the American psychologist Alberto Villoldo as he journeys to Peru to explore the visionary ceremonies of the native shamans. Here Quechua masters use the jungle plant ayahuasca to further their spiritual progress along the four paths of the Medicine Wheel. Entering a magical realm of enigmatic sorcerers and powerful animal totems, Villoldo confronts the hidden powers of his own mind as he unlocks the secrets of the human psyche.

ALBERTO VILLOLDO, Ph.D., is also the author of Island of the Sun, Millennium, Healing States, and Realms of Healing. Erik Jendresen is a playwright and screenwriter.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Destiny Books; Later Printing edition (December 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892815140
• ISBN-13: 978-0892815142
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #497,346 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #78 in Books > History > Ancient > Incan

More About the Author

Alberto Villoldo, Ph.D., a psychologist and medical anthropologist, has studied the healing practices of the Amazon and Inka shamans for more than 25 years. While at San Francisco State University, he founded the Biological Self-Regulation Laboratory to study how the mind creates psychosomatic health and disease. Dr. Villoldo directs The Four Winds Society, where he trains individuals in the U.S. and Europe in the practice of energy medicine and soul retrieval.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Helpful insight into a new way of seeing, May 28, 2000

By 

James P. McMahon "www.cleanairpurewater.com" (Brookside, UT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dance of the Four Winds: Secrets of the Inca Medicine Wheel (Paperback)

I found this book to be extremely helpful in understanding or beginning to 'see' within the world of the shaman. The world around us is constantly providing us insights, clues, answers to our most profound questions. Yet we have learned, through rigorous training, to not be able to 'see' these very important clues. As a new student of shamanism, studying with Alberto, I heard the words offered in the workshops and I sensed the essence of the teachings through the experiential practices. But it was by reading this book that I began to renew my relationship with the earth; with intuition, with the contant feedback that is provided us from the natural world.

The book is easy to read and provided great insight into the shamanic realm. I highly recommend it.

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Sensitive and Honest Bridge Between Cultures, August 15, 2002

By 

Mary Finnell (morgantown, wv United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dance of the Four Winds: Secrets of the Inca Medicine Wheel (Paperback)

I really do not understand the two, short, negative reviews
submitted for this book. They are either ignorant ot have an
axe to grind. I have been studying and practicing energy
healing for over a decade, and read this book along with Joan
Parisi Wilcox's study of Q'ero shamans. I have read many books!
I just read "Shaman, Healer, Sage" as well, and find that the
work of this author is truly an energy wishing to work towards
greater connection and healing in the world. Rome wasn't built
in a day, and it surely must be difficult to translate 25 years
of personal experience into a format that the rather brainwashed
garden variety westerner can understand and appreciate. I
recommend these books people open to understanding other cultures
and to those wishing to learn more about the world of true healing. They are a lovely addition to my home and office
libraries.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read! Really blows your mind!, May 28, 2000

By 

John K. Towery "kellyboy" (Denver, CO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dance of the Four Winds: Secrets of the Inca Medicine Wheel (Paperback)

This is one of the best book I've read. It's so vivid. So mesmerizing. It really takes you on a journey. Reading this book is like actaully experiencing what the character in the book experience. It is one of the book that has a big impact on me and changed the way I see life and Nature. It's just a great book. I've read it two times and plan to read it again soon.