Primal Awareness: A True Story of Survival, Transformation, and Awakening with the Rar?muri Shamans of Mexico [Paperback]

Don Trent Jacobs (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1998

The remarkable story of one man's rediscovery of his primordial mandate and of the strange journey that took him there

• Explores the innate knowledge that exists within us all, a "primal awareness," that can help us to live in harmony with our world

• Shows how we can rediscover this unseeable realm 

In 1983, caught in a violent rainstorm while kayaking the Rio Urique in Mexico's Copper Canyon, Don Trent Jacobs was swept into an impassable catacomb of underwater tunnels toward what he believed was certain death. But instead of panic, Jacobs found himself filled with a strange consciousness that left him feeling at peace and invigorated with a confidence he had never before known. Moments later he was spit from the tunnel alive--not at the end of his journey, but only at its beginning. 

Primal Awareness tells the story of Don Trent Jacobs's remarkable vision of the human mind and heart and the compelling spiritual quest that brought him to it. Through his experiences with the Raramuri people of Mexico and his research of other indigenous societies, Jacobs identifies what he calls our "primal awareness," an innate knowledge that exists within us all.  Jacobs shows how we can rediscover this primordial mandate that unites all things and that helps us to find our own inner strength an harmony. 

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Primal Awareness is a great book. Equal in effect to Carlos Castaneda's writings, it challenges our thinking in a way that reveals the true magnificence of human potential."
(Daniel Hays, coauthor of My Old Man and the Sea )

"Although some articles have been written about what is happening to my people regarding the drugs, lumbering and violence, only Don Jacobs has captured the spiritual understandings that have allowed us to live in balance for thousands of years. As a recipient of the Goldman Environmental Award, as the Directorof the Sierra Madre Alliance and as a half-Raramuri Indian, I can say without reservation that Primal Awareness will help make the world a better place if enough people read it. I agree with Dan Millman's review of the book when he said it is a 'suspense story that embraces realms of psychology, anthropology and magic."
(Edwin Bustillos, recipient of the Goldman Environmental Award, has suffered 4 assasination attempts at the hands of the Fontes Drug Cartel, and is a Raramuri/Mexican advocate for his people.? )

"A philosophical quest for the lost ark, filled with adventure.
(Sam Keen, author of Fire in the Belly )

"Don Jacobs is a renaissance man who has written an adventure story that reflects his depth of experience as well as his heart.Primal Awareness is compelling reading with a profound impact. Both suspense story and spiritual quest, it embraces realms of psychology, anthropology, and magic. As I turned its pages, I was moved to laughter and tears. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the mysteries of the human mind and heart."
(Dan Millman, author of Way of the Peaceful Warrior, and Everyday Enlightenment )

"Don Jacobs has uncovered the roots of indigenous psychology that all people share and that, once found, can lead to harmonious living."

(Ed McGaa, Eagle Man, author of Mother Earth Spirituality )

"A fantastic tale of unbelievable magnitude."
(Lori Colomeda, Tribal College Journal, Summer 2000 )

About the Author

Don Trent Jacobs earned a doctorate in health psychology while training wild horses, playing piano in nightclubs, and working as an EMT.   He holds a second doctorate in education renewal and is the Education Department Chair of the Oglala Lakota College on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.  He is the author of The Bum's Rush: The Selling of Environmental Backlash and seven other books.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Inner Traditions (September 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892816694
• ISBN-13: 978-0892816699
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #164,236 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #70 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Other Practices > Tribal & Ethnic
  • #84 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Earth-Based Religions > Native American

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Primal Awareness will make the world a better place to live., December 1, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Primal Awareness: A True Story of Survival, Transformation, and Awakening with the Rar?muri Shamans of Mexico (Paperback)

Although some articles have been written about what is happening to my people regarding the drugs, lumbering and violence, only Don Jacobs has captured the spiritual understandings that have allowed us to live in balance for thousands of years. As a recipient of the Goldman Environmental Award, as the Directorof the Sierra Madre Alliance and as a half-Raramuri Indian, I can say without reservation that Primal Awareness will help make the world a better place if enough people read it. I agree with Dan Millman's review of the book when he said it is a 'suspsne story that embraces realms of psychology,anthropology and magic.'

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Age-old wisdom - startlingly new and essentially vital!, November 28, 1998

By 

Judith Prager, Ph.D. ([e-mail]) (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Primal Awareness: A True Story of Survival, Transformation, and Awakening with the Rar?muri Shamans of Mexico (Paperback)

Forget all of those bogus, would-be "shamans" and read this book if you want to viscerally understand what primal people have to teach a civilization too far from its roots to heal itself. Don Jacobs is the most courageous human being I can imagine - from his daring "horse-whispering" exploits with wild mustangs and his death-defying vision quests in the land of the Raramuri to his theories and propositions which boldly challenge all of our assumptions. He reminds us that we are literally "this close" to being fully- realized. even psychic, humans, our main impediment to our greatness being those comforts we cherish. Having read this book, I know that I will never be the same.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I could not put the book down. Both uplifting and tragic., November 4, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Primal Awareness: A True Story of Survival, Transformation, and Awakening with the Rar?muri Shamans of Mexico (Paperback)

At times I was saddened to tears, other moments I was inspired. This is truly a unique book, combining a remarkable true life story with a more "scholarly" analysis of the thinking processes that differentiate between indigenous thinking and traditional wetsern thinking and how we can all regain our amazing "primal awareness' to help us live a full and balanced life.