Customer Reviews

Native Healer: Initiation into an Ancient Art

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I like this book; I am NOT entirely happy with it; but it is a well written volume.

Page 7: "There is something different about a person who is meant to be a Native Healer. You are born with a special kind of power, gift, talent, and knowledge." _| I can not agree more. I received many beatings, and was put on medication (at the age of six!) for telling the truth about what was happening to me. It's as if you are living in the same world; but with a different set of rules.

Page 7: "But a real medicine man should not have to identify himself as such. It is not the indian way." _| Medicine people will not identify themself as such for fear of offending their helping spirits.

Page 12: "The path to becoming a Native healer is full of trials and tribulations, suffering and sacrifice." _| It takes time for the Shaman to develop compassion for their brothers and sisters; but I believe the Shamanic path is MUCH worse in the east (especially in the bible belt) than where medicine people are common.

Page 15: "I have met people who claim they identified their "totem" through meditation or a tarot card reading, but they are only fooling themselves." _| I have never had a tarot card reading to discover my totem animal, so I will reserve comment. I CAN speak to discovering your totem animal via meditation. In meditation you will experience the totem animal you EXPECT. Your totem animal will NOT infrienge on your free will.

Page 31: "To become a medicine man or woman you must be a lonely person because human beings won't really understand you." _| I think the author mis-wrote. I would substitute the words "lonely person" with the word loner. Just because a person is a loner; does not mean she or he is lonely.

Page 35: "Some of the medicine people in the southwest use datura medicine." _| Datura is a halucinogenic, and will induce visions like other halucinogenics such as Peyote, Hayascua, and others. I do NOT recommend the use of halucinogenics. Anyone that can not journey in the spirit world without these crutches is not much of a shaman (in my opinion).

Page 35: "but I did try peyote once with Stanley during one of his sacred ceremonies. I didn't like it at all. I got terrible headaches and was nauseated;" _| I have never used ANY halucinogenics, and never will.

Page 60: "Anyone who is meant to be a medicine man or woman will know it sooner or later. He or she will be shown in dreams, instructed in dreams, then guided to an older medicine person who will intuitively "know"; and that person will become a mentor." _| This is not always the case. Many times the prospective medicine person is left to their own devices. If you experience things others do not; go in nature, and pray for guidance, then look for omens, and record your dreams (your spirit helpers can easily offer guidance through dreams).

Page 61: "For me it became a calling into the medicine ways and an initiation into shamanhood." _| This Shamanic initiation idea drives me up a tree! A shaman can not make or initiate another shaman. If the spirits work with you; you are a shaman (no matter what you call yourself or others may call you). If the spirits do not work with you; you are NOT a shaman. It is that simple.

Chapter 6 "The training Of Women Healers; Past And Present" is a bit explicit.

Page 119: "There are insane asylums in this country full of people who have become posessed, no matter how the White doctor tries to rationalize and explain it." _| I could NOT agree more. I am of the opinion; that about 90-95% of them can be helped without dugs such as Paxil, Prozac, etc.

Page 126: "The pipe was also used as a means to summon the shamans spiir allies; in this sence it served as a "key to the spirit world"." _| It is A key; not THE key. Using a rattle to summon the spirits, or leaving a gift of cornmeal, food or tobacco are other keys.

Page 135 - 136: This "shadow" often follows people home and torments them by causing poltergeist types of activity: opening doors, rattling windows, etc. Periocicaly, it even attacks by jumping full force onto the victims chest. It is often seen as a shadowy figure darting across the room, but many people simply dismiss it as a figment of their imagination. Thom further explains that the shadow comes in two forms human or a large cat." _| I am of the opinion these shadow entities are shape shifters, and will take on whatever appearance that will cause the most fear or panic. I have personaly seen them take the form of humanoid, snake, and spider. Esmeralda Arana in her book "The path: A Practical Approach To Sorcery" reports being frightened by a large shadowy spider during a hypnogogic state. Dr. Clark Wilkerson in his book "Hawaiian Magic" relates the story of one of his clients that had been tormented by visions of shadow snakes.

Page 136: "but I think it (shadows mentioned above) likes to prey on those who have a weak aura; or people who are emotionaly or mentally weak and under some kind of stress." _| From my experience; they prey on people who have irrational fears (phobias), or people that have a lot of envy, hatred, jealousy, or other negative emotions; then feed of that person's lifeforce, and the more fear, or negative emotions they can insill in a person; the more palatable the energy is; to these beings.

E-Mail if you have questions or comments; Two Bears.

Since I have known the author personally for the past ten years,(and happen to like him a lot) this review should be taken with a grain of salt. However, the vitriolic way in which some other reviewers have responded to this book prompts me to write a reply.--It seems the baby is being thrown away with the bathwater.

From a Western point of view, one could certainly interpret the moontime (menstrual) practices traditionally followed by the Yurok (and many other tribes for that matter)as androcentric and blatantly sexist. But Robert Lake, without pulling any punches, is simply outlining what he has learned from his apprenticeship with sixteen different elders (both male and female) and from the experience he has gained acting as a traditional healer.

If people are interested in embarking upon a traditional spiritual path, there is much to be learned from reading this book. I learned most of its contents through direct contact with the author and his wife over a period of years. The book is practical, accessible, and provides an inside perspective on a dying cultural milieu. It is certainly worth a read.

Lake has studied with Lakota, Iroquois and Karuk/Yurok teachers (the well known Karuk medicine man Charlie Red Hawk was one of them).

The author provides us with interesting information on native dreaming practices. Dreams have always been mportant to the Indans; consequently, sets of highly specialized techniques for lucid dreaming and efficient retrieval of the dream material (similarities to Tibetans here) can be found across many different tribes. "To become a medicine person", writes Lake, "you must have faith in the Great Creator, the dreams, the spirits, the good powers, and in yourself. At first dreams bring the calling and initiation into shamanhood; later they become tools for self-discovery, spiritual self-development, protection, diagnosis and healing." According to Lake, all illness has a symbolic component. "In order to heal the patient, the source of "stress" - the symbol, the physical object, the form of power and the fear associated with it - must be transformed and eradicated." Interesting stuff: to heal the patient one has to address both the physical and the mental/spiritual. Modern medicine (the "integrative medicine") is discovering the same thing these days. Nihil sub sole novum!

The book provides specific information on sweat lodges, vision quests and on lake's training as a native healer. One basic message is that the path of a native shaman is filled with trials and tribulations. Lake has learnt his trade the hard way and he doesn't want the reader to forget it. For me, one of the highlights of the book is his interview with Tela Starhawk (his ex-wife), a formidable medicine woman in her own right, talking about female shamanic practices.

What I like in this book are the descriptions of Native attitudes towards nature and life - the reverence for all living creatures and the sensitivity and awareness of the signs, through which nature speaks to us. I recommend it.

This book contains rare and precious indigenous knowledge written in a very accessable manner. I found the descriptions of the trials a true medicine person goes through particularly interesting. As a female I was delighted to hear a wise elder describe the beautiful power of the female menses cycle, as well as the ramifications of the misuse of this power. The descriptions of the communication between the natural, animal and human worlds were very insightful.

I read this book for a research project I was on doing Native American Shamanism and found this book extremely helpful. Although it may not be a great literary work it is a wonderful source of information and insight into the rites of passage into becoming a shaman. The author, Robert Lake has had a vast amount of experience in the field, undergoing the rites and rituals of the shaman as well as being an observer. I recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in Native American culture, especially shamanism.

I appreciate Grizzlybear Lake does not try to be politically correct or temper his book to appeal to a wider audience. Like some of the reviewers, some descendants of the Indian Nations, I don't agree with everything he writes but appreciate the heartfelt and honest account of this man's journey and experiences in the traditional healing practices of his people. He emphasizes in traditional healing one does not simply wake up one day and decide to become a healer. Lineage and ability judged by other trained and recognized healers are important aspects of the healing path unlike Western culture where anyone can take some courses, get a certificate and claim to be a healer. Besides his own journey and point of view, he includes conversations with other Native American healers. I also appreciate the explanation of how a native healer would view and approach illness, especially psychological illness. Sample of the subjects covered: trials and tests, power dreams, vision seeking and vision quests, the calling, training of women healers, plant people, apprenticeship, native healing philosophy and practice, medicine sweat, healing yourself, practicing in today's society.

I apologise for the negative sound of this review, but I simply can't recommend it. I was so angry when I read it. To me, it seems that Mr. Lake has some very serious problems with Women and Power. He also seems to have problems with humanity, in general. He takes Shamanism and really slams home the rules ... the laws ... right down to listing them in the back. But Shamanism isn't about rules outside of the context of each individual's culture/practices. There are no laws for Shamanism. I do not doubt the sincerity with which Mr. Lake wrote this, but I fear some un-enlightened person will read this book and learn only one lesson - self loathing. I came away from reading this book with the idea that the Spirits really think we're all scum, our bodies are filthy, and that women in general are unclean. I cannot agree. I can only hope that this is either a terrible mis-reading of his intention, or if he really felt this way that he has since healed.

If this is your first book on Shamanism, general Native American practice (although there is no such thing as one practice for all N.Am. cultures), I can only believe that bad, self-hating habits will mar any future potentential.

Please do not make this your first book.

Native Healer is really not worth the money spent on it. I threw my copy away rather than be responsible for another person having spent their money on it.

My biggest complaint is the attack on menstruating women. "Unclean" because their bodies are eliminating "toxins".

Their bodies are eliminating blood, the force of life, that was being prepared to nurture the birth of a new human being. Blood that needs to be kept fresh.

This book turns Shamanism into a religion, rather than a free-form spiritual practice as it so richly deserves.