The Temple of Shamanic Witchcraft: Shadows, Spirits and the Healing Journey (Penczak Temple Series) [Paperback]

Christopher Penczak (Author)

Book Description

Series: Penczak Temple Series | Publication Date: July 8, 2005

Is shamanism all that different from modern witchcraft? According to Christopher Penczak, Wicca's roots go back 20,000 years to the Stone Age shamanic traditions of tribal cultures worldwide. A fascinating exploration of  the Craft's shamanic origins, The Temple of Shamanic Witchcraft offers year-and-a-day training in shamanic witchcraft.

Penczak's third volume of witchcraft teachings corresponds to the water element - guiding the reader into this realm of emotion, reflection, and healing. The twelve formal lessons cover shamanic cosmologies, journeying, dreamwork, animal/plant/stone medicine, totems, soul retrieval, and psychic surgery. Each lesson includes exercises (using modern techniques and materials), assignments, and helpful tips. The training ends with a ritual for self-initiation into the art of the shamanic witch - culminating in an act of healing, rebirth, and transformation.

COVR Award Winner

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About the Author

Christopher Penczak is an award-winning author, teacher, and healing practitioner. He has studied extensively with witches, mystics, shamans, and healers in a variety of traditions from around the world to synthesize his own practice of magick and healing.

Formerly based in the music industry, Christopher was empowered by his spiritual experiences to live a magickal life, and began a full-time practice of teaching, writing, and seeing clients. He is the author of the award-winning Temple of Witchcraft series: The Inner Temple of Witchcraft, The Outer Temple of Witchcraft, The Temple of Shamanic Witchcraft, and The Living Temple of Witchcraft Volumes 1 and 2.

His other books include City Magick (Red Wheel/Weiser), Spirit Allies (Red Wheel/Weiser), Gay Witchcraft (Red Wheel/Weiser), Magick of Reiki, Sons of the Goddess, Ascension Magick, Instant Magick, The Mystic Foundation, The Witch's Shield, The Witch's Coin, and the forthcoming The Witch's Heart. Christopher Penczak resides in New Hampshire. Visit him online at http://www.christopherpenczak.com.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

1
Witchcraft and Shamanism

To most people, witchcraft and shamanism appear to be two distinct and separate disciplines. The general public associates shamanism with the holy healing people of native tribes, while they associate witches with spells, potions, Halloween, and, due to popular misconceptions, evil. The two seem worlds apart, but in reality, they come from a very similar root.

What Is a Shaman?

The word shaman, or saman, is Tungus in origin, coming from the Ural-Altaic tribal people of Siberia. Related to the Tungus word sa, which translates as “to know,” the Siberian people use the word saman to refer to men and women who act as the spiritual healers and wise ones of the tribe. They are the ones who know the mysteries of spirit. The word shaman is properly used to refer to the spirit healers of those tribes who share a similar genetic origin to those of Siberia. It is usually used in reference to the healers of the North and South American tribes, but culturally and linguistically it can be used throughout Eurasia.
The role of the shaman applies to both men and women, though culturally one gender can be more prevalent than the other. Few refer to female shamans with a different word, such as shamaness. Sexual orientation and gender identity does not preclude one from shamanism either. In many traditions, shamans dress in the clothes of the opposite gender or practice homosexuality.
For anthropologists exploring the spiritualities of tribal societies, the word shaman is an easier and safer term than the words witch, wizard, sorcerer, magician, and seer, even though these labels were used in the past to describe the tribal shaman’s European counterparts. For those from a Western mainstream academic background, shaman has less negative baggage than these other highly charged terms.
In an effort to be more precise, some anthropologists and mystical students use the term core shamanism to differentiate the use of shamanic techniques and ideas from traditional Siberian or Native shamanism. Although it is not a religion, shamanism has a definitive set of core practices that sets it apart from other traditions of magick, yet it can be found worldwide, particularly in tribal cultures, and in the foundations of visionary traditions. Not all mystics can be referred to as shamanistic in the truest sense of the word.
Core concepts to the practice of shamanism include the following:
·The ability to enter an altered state of consciousness through the use of sound, rhythm, movement, and plants.
·The experience of one or more nonphysical realities that are just as “real” to the practitioner as the physical world, and of actions in the nonphysical worlds that directly affect the physical world.
·The use of an altered state, a trance sometimes defined as an ecstasy, to project self-awareness from the physical world to the nonphysical worlds.
·Dealings with nonphysical beings, or spirits, who enter into a relationship with the practitioner. They offer guidance, healing, or power used to create change in the physical world.
·Other mystics may have the same gifts and abilities but do not access them through ecstatic trance or working with the spirits. Though they can be gifted medicine people or spell casters, without that link to the spirit world they are not necessarily shamans.
The voluntary interface with the unseen and the ability to use this link to create change is what sets a shaman apart from other magi. Shamans are typically equated with the title of “medicine person,” though not all medicine men and women use shamanic techniques to effect healing.
Humanity seems to be hard-wired with a few common ways to interface with the spirit world. These interfaces are a natural part of our physical and spiritual makeup. Wise ones across the globe separately discovered and applied these techniques and then applied their own cultural beliefs and rituals to them. These techniques have survived because they work. Archaeological evidence indicates that shamanic practice is at least 20,000 years old, making it truly the oldest profession. The recognition of core shamanic techniques in the lands beyond Siberia and the Americas has led to the somewhat controversial use of terms such as Celtic Shamanism and Norse Shamanism, applying a cultural adjective to the shamanic practice.
Practitioners of these other cultural traditions sometimes resent the label of shamanism. The word shaman, being from Siberia, was never used by the ancestors of the Celts, Norse, or any other Europeans. A Celtic practitioner once asked me why we don’t say Siberian Druidism or Asian Druidism, and in a way he had a point. Through this anthropological choice, shamanism became a default term recognizable to all.
This practice of using the word shaman as a generic label has led to a bit of confusion and some difficult feelings. Those involved in the Native tribes feel that culturally it is their word and resent it being used as a generic label or default term. Modern pagans, sharing a similar spiritual history with tribal communities, should be sensitive to these feelings and make an effort to create bridges of understanding. As you study these techniques, it is important to remember that although there are great similarities between the healing practices of many cultures, there are also great differences in thought, philosophy, and interpretation. Such differences must be respected.
When I first started on my shamanic path, I attended a lecture in the Boston area by a scholarly and experienced Celtic practitioner of the Underworld traditions, visiting from the United Kingdom. He insisted, and made quite a convincing case, that there is no such thing as Celtic shamanism. In his opinion, people who use the term are careless, sloppy scholars and need to be better educated. The very next week, I attended another lecture by a Harvard scholar and practicing Celtic shaman who outlined the reasons why someone would call her practice shamanism. She, too, was quite convincing.
I realized then that if the professional experts can’t agree, then perhaps there is no one right answer. I use the term shamanism myself because it’s practical when teaching and I truly feel called to the word. I like its meaning, history, and associations. The practice of core shamanism, and how it relates to the traditions of witchcraft, is a primary focus of my own work.

Stone Age Witchcraft

When I teach workshops on core shamanism, during the introductions I hear stories of students who, like me, are of European descent. They tell me how they sought out spirituality in Native American traditions, going to drumming circles and sweat lodges, and how they are saddened that their own culture only has rigid, dogmatic institutions and not personal spiritual traditions. They ask me, “Why don’t we have our own shamans? Why didn’t we carry on these traditions?” We did. Our shamans were called witches.
When I trace back the history of witchcraft and paganism, I find my oldest spiritual ancestors in the Stone Age. During the Stone Age, we have evidence of Goddess-reverent cultures. In these seemingly primitive cultures, there is evidence of ritual and ceremony. We had a people directly dependent upon nature for survival. They learned to partner with the environment around them to prosper. They honored the earth as Mother Goddess, and perhaps the grain, sun, or animals as Father God. They believed in the innate magick, divinity, and spirit in all things. They worked with these spirits to create change, ranging from a successful hunt to rainstorms.
In these tribes were people who acted as spiritual guides. They had a deeper sense of connection with the spirit world and psychic ability. They could partner with the spirits and gods to receive information from the unseen lands that would help the tribe. Most likely many of these wise ones were women, since in the hunter-gatherer societies, the females were protected because of their ability to bring life into the tribe, while one man could father many children. The older men and the injured hunters with spiritual ability would join these women, offering their gifts and guidance to the tribes. This started the archetypal image of the female witch, the wise old wizard, and the wounded healer. They were the first shamans.
As these lands developed into an agrarian society, many of these wise ones gathered to form the first temples and became the first priestesses and priests of society.
They used the tools of the new society, such as writing and formal ritual items, in their crafts. Eventually these mystics created the high arts of ceremonial magick and worship. We find these priestesses and priests influencing the rulers of the Mediterranean, Middle East, and Egypt as those cultures grew into their classical empires.
Some wise ones chose to stay on the fringes of society, without formal temples. They continued on their primal paths to power. They did not have formal schools of training, but kept their teaching personal and individual. They kept the ways of the herbs and medicines. They were in closer contact to untouched nature, the elements and the animals, and continued their relationship with all to better serve those in need. The newly evolving urbanites were more likely to go to the formal temples, while the rural peasants sought help from the simple wise woman or man.
Thus the traditions remained, as empires grew and crumbled. Migrations of many tribes from the East, those of the Celts and Teutons, stretched out across Europe, absorbing the culture, myths, and magick of the indigenous people of Europe, those who had erected the mounds, henges, and standing stones. When you go back to the Stone Age root of all these spiritual and magickal traditions, all evidence points to the core shamanic techniques as a co...

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications (July 8, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738707678
• ISBN-13: 978-0738707679
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #92,951 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #46 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Earth-Based Religions > Shamanism

More About the Author

Christopher Penczak is an author, teacher, and healing practitioner. Rooted firmly in the traditions of modern Witchcraft, he draws from the timeless wisdom of many cultures in the creation of new techniques and traditions.

Christopher is the author of numerous books, including the award-winning six-volume Temple of Witchcraft series (Llewellyn) and the Three Rays of Witchcraft (Copper Cauldron Publishing). Other works include Ascension Magick, Instant Magick, and the Witch's Shield (Llewellyn) and City Magick, Gay Witchcraft, and Spirit Allies (Red Wheel/Weiser). He has been a featured columnist for newWitch magazine and publications such as Genre, InnerSelf, and Kaleidoscope.

Christopher is a co-founder of the Temple of Witchcraft tradition and not-for-profit religious organization, and teaches and travels extensively teaching Witchcraft. He also offers a variety of online classes and lectures. For more visit www.christopherpenczak.com and www.templeofwitchcraft.org.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Penczak does it again!, June 30, 2005

By 

Elizabeth Walter (Wheatfield, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Temple of Shamanic Witchcraft: Shadows, Spirits and the Healing Journey (Penczak Temple Series) (Paperback)

"The Temple of Shamanic Witchcraft" was highly anticipated by myself, and I got it the day it was released. My only thoughts right now are: whatever the fourth book will be in the series, I am there.

Once again, Christopher Penczak hits the nail on the head. He starts off with an in-depth cultural history of shamanism, more than I was ever aware of. After that, he's off and running. Sacred space, ethics, cosmology, tools, power animals, the Underworld, the Angelic world, countless journeying...I can go on and on. Just about everything, almost every concept, is illustrated with diagrams and/or tables.

This is more information than I have ever seen before altogether in one book about shamanism. Although I have studied this practice myself and have some wonderful teachers, this book will be invaluable to me. As always, Mr. Penczak brings my spirit to that place of wonder, excitement, and awe in the natural world. I am now impatiently awaiting his fouth book in the Temple series. Whatever it is, I am so there. Thanks, Christopher.

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Amazing!, September 5, 2005

By 

E. Cantrell - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Temple of Shamanic Witchcraft: Shadows, Spirits and the Healing Journey (Penczak Temple Series) (Paperback)

I had not read anything by this author before, but I am a Hellenic Shaman, so I thought I'd give it a read. I was absolutely blown away by the care and research that Christopher put into this book. He includes Shamanic techniques from all around the world. There was even some Greek information, which I enjoyed immensely.

I like Christopher's focus on healing, as I am in the process of retrieving soul pieces myself. It is obvious that this man has dedicated his life to helping and healing others. After reading this, I just had to run out and get a copy of Spirit Allies, which I'm enjoying just as much.

Basically, this author is fantastic. You've GOT to read him.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Third "Temple" Book, October 30, 2007

By 

hmv (New Mexico) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Temple of Shamanic Witchcraft: Shadows, Spirits and the Healing Journey (Penczak Temple Series) (Paperback)

This is the third in Penczak's Temple of Witchcraft Series. I actually read it out of order, after the Inner Temple. I don't think I missed much by skipping the Outer Temple, but he did reference material and exercizes in both books frequently. As with the others, this book is laid out as a year-long lesson plan, with a few introductory chapters, then 12 lessons, one per month, with exercizes culminating in an initiation ritual.

All the Temple books are long, 400+ pages, and packed with information. It took me a long time to get through this one, but I'm glad I finished it. I've decided I don't really care for Penczak's writing - he tends to be verbose and repetitious, but not excessively so - but I do like his books.

This book describes the first lessons of a potential shaman. There are chapters on animal spirits, plant medicine (he even explains the poisonous ones), healing, and traveling in the three spheres, the upper, middle and lower worlds. The ultimate exercize at the end of the book is called "distilling the shadow," where you really get in touch with yourself. I haven't done any of the exercizes myself yet, in fact I am just starting the first book's exercizes, because I like to read it first to get an idea of what's in store. In fact, I recommend that, because even Penczak says the shamanic path is not for everyone. Even if you don't follow the lessons, this is still a good book full of information.

Being initiated into shamanism is no easy task. It takes a lot of hard work and you really have to be willing to put the time and effort into it. He said the distilling the shadow experience can make you not your usual self for weeks.

I highly recommend this book and the series. They are good guides for solitary practitioners.