Customer Reviews

Medicinemaker

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Dr. Wesselman, an anthropologist, has written a paranormal narrative that is convincing, and entertaining enough that it's hard to put this one down. (There are obvious comparisons to Carlos Casteneda. I wonder if Dr. Wesselman's peers have received his story with any more open-mindedness.)

Meeting your own descendant, (or perhaps your own reincarnated self) 5000 years into a post-apocalyptic future makes for a pretty incredible read. Also interesting is the description of a dig in the Rift Valley of Africa where Wesselman and colleagues find the most ancient human remains--along with a few mystical encounters.

This story raises many questions about the destiny of our planet, and our spirits: the workings of visionary journeys, and reincarnation in relation to the Grand Scheme; and, particularly, about the time line. Just how unalterable, or malleable might it be? The end of the story left me wondering how Dr.W copes with the apparent knowledge that his descendant, Nainoa, lives in a world that is testament to the decimation of human civilization by catastrophic global warming. Does he believe that there may still be hope (to alter our collective course in time)?

Go ahead, read this book! If you feel yourself "gravitating" toward this book; if inexplicably you find yourself wishing you "had time" to read 'that sort of "fanciful" (or whatever your own qualifying word is for it) book,' just go ahead and do it! Read the book, and you won't be sorry.

This is a book of beauty and honesty. You may wonder how Wesselman recreates the vivid detail of setting, action and dialogue of his mystical experiences. --But if something like this has ever happened to you, or if you really Want it to (your spirit yearns for such experience), you will understand that the reality of other dimensions reaches out to us in as much as we reach out to it-- and that all perception is ultimately a product of our own heart.

The chapter I liked best, that I thought was very beautiful, was Chapter 7, where Wesselman takes a walk along a streambed and visits a pool and rocks called "The Narrows" at the Tassahara Zen retreat. If you have spent a day in the sun, near the water, and drawn closer to all joyful, atomistic and interconnected aspects of the Universe-- you'll feel as if You were there, too. ...After all, You were!

"Medicinemaker" is actually the sequel to Wesselman's first book "Spiritwalker". After reading both, I must say that the subject matter is absolutely fascinating, and the style of writing used has made these books both easy and thoroughly enjoyable to read.

"Medicinemaker" is the continuation of a true story re: a series of visions the author experienced, where he actually meets himself 5,000 into the future. Once again, the author takes you on a journey with him - a journey into his amazing, vivid visions - and, just as he actually experienced parts of the life he is living 5,000 from now, you feel like you're experiencing this with him. He does such a wonderful job of pulling the reader in - there were actually times when I could really "see", "feel" & "hear" right along with him - what an exiting reading experience it was!

You may think that since the visions were about human society 5,000 years in the future, that this book will be filled with amazing technology - like the Jetson's - but you'll be surprised to find out that all technology had been wiped out, and the people living at that time were living "off the land" - like our ancestors did many, many years ago.

Overall, if you're looking for a real "page turner", and enjoy books on various metaphysical phenomena, then this book's definitely for you! I can't recommend it highly enough!

This is the second in the amazing series of books written by Hank Wesselman. Having met the man, and taken a class from him, I can only believe that what he has writen is true. The beauty of these books is that he is a wonderful writer. Wether you take the story as truth, or just an intertaining read, you will not be disapointed. Truely fasinating, and a book that cannot be put down until you reach the very end.

I enjoyed reading this book. It is one that I didn't want to put down. Reads easily and smoothly. Good storyline and makes you think--always a good formula for good reading, I think.

Let me begin first by saying that I think what Dr. Wesselman has experienced is simply a unique event and is something of which we do not have an experiential overlap. I would like to sit back and easily contend with him, but I cannot say that these experiences did not occur, or could never occur. If there is one thing I am certain of it is that our materialistic perspective, which is inadvertently, or intentionally (based on your perspective), established in our conscious mind through our conventional education and culture, is quite devoid and nowhere in the vicinity of rendering to us the truth of BEING. While I have a very reserved skepticism, this situation is the prototypical "seeing is believing". As I read I became intertwined into his eloquence and very detailed account of his experience and was led astray of the truth, this is actually intended to be non-fiction. In the end I came around and placed the non-fictional intent to the side and focused on the interwoven philosophy, which is why I decided not to rate the book two stars.

Dr. Wesselman is a very talented and intelligent writer and has my admiration on that aspect. His very definitive descriptions elicit a level of superb imagery and visual brilliance that is nearly palpable. Whether one agrees with him or not I do not think you can contend with the fact that this is a well written piece of literature. Agree or not, you will find there is much more to gain from this book than some may think. The ruminations of love, being, mind, the collective unconscious and the pursuit of the intuition that is inherent within our psyche can all be extracted from this work. While I have my reservations about the experiences I have to give credit where credit is due.

Overall I think the future that his visions postulate is complete BS, I hope that man can enter a more prudent future and not regress back to where we were nearly fourteen thousand years ago. This to me is a transgression of transcendence and it definitely does no justice to those of us that are fervent futurists. Maybe it is my bias of human ascension to become the gods we are, but I cannot fathom that man will allow itself to revert back to a hunter-gather society. Man is more resilient and adaptable than that! LOL, to me this portent is more or less heresy to my vision for mankind.

Now, the five steps that Wesselman admonishes us to take to attempt to avert a global catastrophe, which is brewing, I agree with him emphatically. These are evident on pages 214-216 and cover a few of our current crisis and others to come if we do nothing. They are the issues of population control, ecological degradation (we need more organic technologies and lifestyles), resource management and cataloging, corporation's responsibilities and marketing of the issues that we face as result of the preceding crises.

Near the end of the book, when you get much more practical and literal exposure, I found more resonance especially with the descriptions of the New Age movement and those characteristics that define us, along with the new nomenclature of "modern mystics". Also there was the lucid elucidation of the darajuadiok perspective from pages 285-290 that mirrored the hallucinogenic experiences that I encountered, which caused me to wonder how much experience he has had with these substances. Every once and a while I will come across a book that moves me in a way not intended by the context, while the shift that I felt with this book is ineffable at the time, it changed something within my subconscious existence that feels profound.

As far as a recommendation to "hit or miss" this book, it really is left to how you feel, this is not something that I would advocate as a "must read".

Others have covered the content of the book well, and it's an interest read whether you believe his journeys or not. That's what my star rating is for.

However.

It's absolutely ridiculous that the text-to-speech is turned off on this book on the Kindle. It's too bad I didn't notice this before buying it, because I would not have done so. It's the entire reason I got a Kindle instead of a Nook or some other, more capable and compatible device.

Please, I urge everyone who buys Kindle books like this one to *NOT BUY THEM* until text-to-speech is enabled.

Medicinemaker is the 2nd book of a trilogy. The first book being "Spiritwalker," and the last one is titled, "Visionseeker."

In Medicinemaker, Hank Wesselman continues to beautifully illustrate his extraordinary visionary experiences with using a writing style which is easy to follow and often peppered with humor. The concepts presented in the book -- such as out-of-body consciousness and shamanism's healing methods, etc. -- are thoroughly investigated and explained to the best of the author's ability, with the Western, scientifically-oriented perspective in mind. Hank's "inner scientist," stemming from his previous education in the Anthropological field, compels him to come up with rational and logical reasons as to how and why these extraordinary experiences are taking place. Using scientific reasoning and traditional Hawai'ian beliefs, he is able to explain (was able to explain to me, at least) what would normally be unexplainable.

The content of the entire trilogy generally includes: 1) his first encounters and reactions to his initial out-of-the-ordinary experiences, 2) his understanding and explanation of these experiences through a scientific and traditional Hawai'ian Kahuna's perspective, 3) an extraordinary account of his repeated "journeys" to a possible future Earth, seeing it through another man's eyes, and 4) several undeniably relevant and important proposals which connect his experiences to our present time and global situation.

I appreciated Hank's openmindedness and sincerity when he approached his difficult-to-explain/understand experiences. Both his experiences and perspective inspired me to look at my life and future in a new way. The Spiritwalker trilogy has made a significant difference in my life. I highly recommend all three books.

Dr. Wesselman's work is getting some better, but is still in need of work.

This book takes up with Nainoa (again, and again, and again....). About a year has passed, and it is time for Nainoa to return to his people, so Nainoa, William (father of Nainoa'a companion Kenojelak (SP), and Williams Son Zaki (if memory serves) and their dogs leave the Ennu camp to return to his people in a precinct ruled by a local chief Kaneohe to report his discoveries while away.

An evil chief had stolen an item of Choef Kaneohe's clothing and was using it in sorcery to make Chief Kaneohe sick; nearly to death.

Nainoa returns literaly in the nick of time. William (a powerful Shaman, and Nainoa set about conducting a healing ceremony for Chief Kaneohe.

Because of success in healing the chief, and the information that horses could be found beyond the mountains. Nainoa is promoted from his commoner class to the Chiefly class, and becomes a healing Kahuna.

Nainoa takes a woman (of chiefly class) as wife, and unconsciously kills the evil sorcerer.

I have MANY of the same problems with this book that I spelled out when I reviewed "Spiritwalker" by the same author. Only that by now; Dr. Wesselman has discovered that a Shaman can initiate a Shamanic journey at will.

Unfortunately; Dr, wesselman buys into the notion of Global warming, and the greenhouse effect hook, line and sinker.

The Earth IS slightly warmer, but nowhere as bad as the NWS stations would imply. The U.S. has become much more urban than it was , and with the effect of billions of tons of asphalt, and concrete acting as a heat sink used for buildings, parking lots, interstate highways, etc; they are encroaching on the NWS weather stations, is causing the weather stations to provide faulty data.

If weather stations in China, Siberia, etc that was showing a similar temperature increase; I would take it much more seriously.

I encourage questions or comments about my reviews; Two Bears.

Wah doh Ogedoda (We give thanks Great Spirit)

I've read all 3 books in this series. In two places his implies
that his story is not fiction. One was an editorial and the other
was a second hand quote saying castenada's work was fiction (unlike his).

His argument for the truth of his experience is that his KU (our unconscious mind ) by defintion is not creative. Therefore his story as told is true. Yet as a highly trained anthropologist he certainly has sufficient bacground to come with a story that just happens to take place in places that he has lived or is familar.

His female lovers all look strangely similar to his wife, therefore he states they must be future incarnations of her. I don't buy it. Anyone who recalls their dreams know how creative they can be. I have had concious dreams( without the help of my stuffed childhood animal) and have found it interesting how the lanscapes are from 'my memory banks'.

I also believe the future (especially 5000 yrs from today) is definitly not cast in stone. IMHO the the future is a probability.

To me Hank's 3 books are similar to many new age story's that offer hints of human growth potential to travel in time and space as well as communicate with others (ESP).