Customer Reviews

Traveling between the Worlds: Conversations with Contemporary Shamans

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I picked up this book thinking it was a modern-day counterpart of the excellent "Shamanic Voices: A Survey of Visionary Narratives" by Joan Halifax. But while Halifax interviewed or referenced the words of "traditional" shamans, many maintaining a life in their indigenous tribal settings, Webb chose to interview "contemporary" shamans who have all brought their teachings to Western consumers.

I recommend Webb's book as a wonderful overview of the current "shamanic" market out there today. It presents, in nicely packaged chunks, interviews with two dozen people who have dedicated themselves to sharing modern-day "shamanic" healing practices and philosophies to pretty much anybody who is willing to take the time to listen (although, in some cases, you'll need to bring a wad of cash as well).

Notice I put "shamanic" in quotes, because some of the people interviewed by Webb can only be called a "shaman" by using modern-day pop terminology, and only a few appear to have gone through any of the traditional grueling rituals and (often painful) rites associated with the type of shamanism often portrayed in Halifax's book (and Mircea Eliade's ground-breaking work on the subject as well). Nonetheless, pretty much everybody in Webb's book meets Eliade's definition of a shaman, i.e. "in which a spiritual leader traveled to an upper or lower world through a controlled state of ecstasy (trance) and conversed with spirits in those other worlds for the benefit of the community (or individuals within the community)", so I'm willing to give Webb and her subjects the benefit of the doubt in that respect.

That being said, readers of Webb's book would be well advised to take a healthy dash of salt with them as they peruse the words of the 24 modern-day shamans she interviews.

I said Webb presents a wonderful overview of the current shamanic market, and I mean it in that she gives a very good look into what's out there, both good and bad. Webb seems to see herself as the journalistic explorer, foraging through the jungles of spirituality to find hidden wellsprings of spiritual knowledge. And, as such, she doesn't seem to ever cast the eyes of doubt upon any of her subjects, instead presenting all of them as equally valid sources of divine truth.

In short, Webb leaves the validation of her sources as an exercise to the reader. And, like many exercises, I found this one to be quite stimulating and beneficial, although tiring at times.

Some of the interviews in this book are real gems. For example, I found the ideas of Gabrielle Roth to be quite inspiring, the views and advice of Tom Cowan to be very insightful, and the anecdotes of Malidoma Patrice Some' to be very intriguing. Several other people interviewed by Webb presented truly memorable ways of thinking that I find myself repeatedly turning back to for enjoyable reference.

Yet mixed in between the established, respected modern-day shamanic practicioners are interviews people of very dubious backgrounds. Some, like the infamous Brooke "Medicine Eagle" Edwards, are considered by indigenous people to be among the most exploitive frauds out there today. Others, such as "Bee Shaman" Simon Buxton, are entertaining to read but offer no basis of reference that anything they say is anything more than a glorious work of fiction.

I finished the book quite glad to have read it, even if I wasn't always certain of the validity of the people Webb was quoting. In the cases where I found myself doubting the integrity of one of Webb's sources, I had to ask myself why I felt that way, and to search inside to understand what it was that I felt was spiritually rubbing me the wrong way. Likewise, I also made sure I questioned myself when I found a writer I particular agreed with to make sure I was accepting their views because they made sense, and not just because of their charismatic verbal abilities.

Webb should be applauded for her effort. And even if a particular basis for ritual presented by one of her sources isn't historically sound, that doesn't mean it isn't spiritually valid. As Tom Cowan told Webb, "Every shaman has an idiosyncratic way of practicing. Even if you are in a strong tradition and are trained by elders in that tradition, you end up practicing in your own unique way. ... [T]he power you get comes from the spirits." Only you can judge for yourself whether a particular path, no matter how modern or traditionally based, is the one that's right for your life's journey. Having a good selection to choose from, to me, can only help the process - as long as you make your choice in a well thought-out manner.

Enjoy!

If you are interested in shamans and shamanic ideas you will find a lot to like in this book. Shamans are, after all, people. And don't we find most people intriguing by their very individuality? The shamans in this book are indeed quite individual. Some are serious (the world may well be ending soon), some are funny (the spirits didn't like me because when I did the fire ritual I got blisters on my feet). Some are full of odd ideas (to get psychic powers, give up sex), some are full of truth (you can't be a good shaman unless you stay humble). And some are full of themselves (I think and I find and I view and I feel that I do it better than anyone). These are not direct quotes, BTW, but paraphrased statements because I did not wish to disrespect by name and remove someone's dignity in public. Every shaman in the book is quite capable of doing that for themselves. But while some tried, few succeeded.

There was something worthwhile in each chapter. I learned more about human nature and certainly learned more about what is thought of as Westerm shamanism in this interview overview. Hillary Webb does a fair job with her questions and allows some of the best hearts in the country to express their wisdom to the reader. I would unhesitantly recommend to an interested party they buy this book.

This book takes the reader on a wonderful journey. It is full of fascinating information and one gets different definitions of shamanism and as many perspectives on its role as the number of people interviewed. The questions are pertinent and the shamans interviewed are experienced and from various cultural backgrounds. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in shamanism or curious about understanding its role in today's society.

Oh, how I enjoyed this read. Other than being in the same room with all these wonderful souls and holding one on one discussions; this is the next best experience. I am very grateful to Hillary Webb for her commitment to bring this forward. The discussions are personal and honest. This book reaffirmed my own path and invited me to step fully into my Shaman heart.

i found this book quite fascinating. it is uplifting to read the views of many different practitioners of this archaic art.
i study shamanism in norway with sami shaman ailo gaup, and think it is an excellent practice to reach the deeper, inner self, the authentic and big Heart, while at the same time emphazising the importance of healing nature and to "be an agent" for mother earth. this is a way to direct experience of ones true nature and the sacred. this is a way opposite of fundamentalism and fanatism, "us and them". this is religious experience without the dogma of organized religion. i strongly recommend anyone with philosophical inclinations to look into shamanism, and to find a compassionate and wise shamanic teacher!

This book was required reading for a course I took, and I wasn't excited about having to read it. The murky waters of neoshamanism are often challenging to tread and I wasn't sure what to expect. I come from a reconstructionist tradition on several fronts, and most often find that modern shamans who claim a specific lineage, thus cultural slant in their work, really aren't connected with it at all, but to what they interpret it to be. Not the same thing, and a point of contention in how this kind of work is presented to potential clients who are misled.

I was pleasantly surprised that the neoshamans not raised in a shamanic culture or lineage not only pointed out that fact themselves, but distinguished that while they feel connected to a specific culture they do not call themselves discrete shamans of those cultures--others do. Having read the words of these noted modern shamans, such as Geo Trevarthen, Tom Cowan, Rabbi Gershon Winkler, Christina Pratt, and Sandra Ingerman to name a few, I feel affirmed in the modern shamanic movement, specifically that while we do not have a uniting culture of shamanic awareness, we share the roots of timeless responsibility to our ancient and indigenous soul travelers.

Webb, herself, does not give direct commentary on the issues facing modern shamans, though through the course of talking with these dynamic speakers concerns emerge. In these introspective and educational interviews, Webb carries us far forward of the limiting, archaic views of shamanism thrust into the western consciousness by Eliade and even Harner, addressing issues such as where allopathic fits into shamanic work, the role of women in modern shamanism, and how many contemporary soul travelers face balancing the need for income with devotion to spiritual work. Wildly inspiring and deeply profound, this book is a great resource for anyone wanting to understand the path of a modern shaman, and to gain insight into the many ways that path can manifest.

This is a quick read that will induce thought for a long time. Most compelling for me is the creation/divinity ideas expressed by Geo Trevarthen, Ph.D. of Celtic Druidism and pre Druid shamanism. I have long held the idea, I quote from the book: "In the Celtic tradition, the belief is that God created the universe out of him/her/itself. God is the stuff of which the universe is made, because there wasn't anything else for God to make it out of. So if God is in all matter, then we ourselves are facets of God. The idea, then is that God is becoming an ever more complex and evolved being through this whole experience of manifesting into form. Creation then becomes a mutual process between God and us. He's creating us, she's creating us, we are creating him/her/it."

And I had never heard of Jewish shamanism and their eight steps to healing. Fascinating.

Serge Kahlil King PhD speaks about Kahuna Healing. I have always avoided this, without knowing what it is about. Wow, it is very similar to what I have been using for many years.

If you want inspiration and/or an overview of Western Shamanism traditions, then this is an excellent book for you.