Shamanism and Tantra in the Himalayas

Shamanism and Tantra in the Himalayas PDF

Author: Claudia Müller-Ebeling

Publisher: Inner Traditions

Published: 2002-09-01

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 9780892819133

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

The first comprehensive guide to the shamans and tantrikas of Nepal • 605 color and black-and-white illustrations, including 135 color thangkas. • Includes more than 20 psychoactives never before documented. • The result of 18 years of field research. The Himalayan kingdom of Nepal may be the only culture in the world where both shamanic and tantric techniques are still alive and in full practice today. The result of eighteen years of field research, Shamanism and Tantra in the Himalayas presents for the first time a comprehensive overview of shamanism that is based on the knowledge and experience of the different tribes from that region. Included are original statements from the various ethnic groups and 135 color thangkas, which act as visual guides to the specific practices of the tantric tradition. In addition to the thangkas, the book is lavishly illustrated with numerous photos of different shamanic healing ceremonies, ritual objects, and culturally significant plants that have never been published before. The book also contains a wealth of original recipes, smoking mixtures, scientific tables, charts, and descriptions of more than 20 plants whose psychoactive properties and uses by shamans have never before been researched or documented.

Witchcraft Medicine

Witchcraft Medicine PDF

Author: Claudia Müller-Ebeling

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2003-10-01

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 159477661X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

An in-depth investigation of traditional European folk medicine and the healing arts of witches • Explores the outlawed “alternative” medicine of witches suppressed by the state and the Church and how these plants can be used today • Reveals that female shamanic medicine can be found in cultures all over the world • Illustrated with color and black-and-white art reproductions dating back to the 16th century Witch medicine is wild medicine. It does more than make one healthy, it creates lust and knowledge, ecstasy and mythological insight. In Witchcraft Medicine the authors take the reader on a journey that examines the women who mix the potions and become the healers; the legacy of Hecate; the demonization of nature’s healing powers and sensuousness; the sorceress as shaman; and the plants associated with witches and devils. They explore important seasonal festivals and the plants associated with them, such as wolf’s claw and calendula as herbs of the solstice and alder as an herb of the time of the dead--Samhain or Halloween. They also look at the history of forbidden medicine from the Inquisition to current drug laws, with an eye toward how the sacred plants of our forebears can be used once again.

World Shaman

World Shaman PDF

Author: Ellen Winner

Publisher: iUniverse

Published: 2003-11-03

Total Pages: 254

ISBN-13: 9781462074273

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Supporting three wives, twelve children, and assorted relatives, Mohan Rai is a thoroughly modern man, convinced he's escaped an outmoded duty to follow his father as shaman to his Bhutanese village. But the gods and spirits, ancient protectors of the tribe, have other ideas. Dishonored and vengeful, they enter his dreams and haunt his days, destroying his business, his health, his sanity, and finally, his freedom. Based on Mohan's letters from prison, this true account by his first Western initiate will transform your worldview. "Ellen's retelling of Mohan Rai's first-hand account of his shamanic apprenticeship in Bhutan is a valuable contribution to the preservation of this ancient knowledge." -Michael Harner, Ph.D., author, The Way of the Shaman and Founder, Foundation for Shamanic Studies "I was fascinated. Like Autobiography of a Yogi, Mohan Rai's story shares much wisdom. Portraying his training from childhood in the ancient, mystical traditions of the shaman, this book brings a hopeful vision I will carry into my everyday life forever a reminder of the mysteries that sustain our lives and how little we know of them. The message runs deep." -Hal Zina Bennett, Ph.D., author, Spirit Animals and the Wheel of Life: Earth-Centered Practices for Everyday Living

Tantra, Magic, and Vernacular Religions in Monsoon Asia

Tantra, Magic, and Vernacular Religions in Monsoon Asia PDF

Author: Andrea Acri

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2022-11-03

Total Pages: 280

ISBN-13: 1000686442

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

This book explores the cross- and trans-cultural dialectic between Tantra and intersecting ‘magical’ and ‘shamanic’ practices associated with vernacular religions across Monsoon Asia. With a chronological frame going from the mediaeval Indic period up to the present, a wide geographical framework, and through the dialogue between various disciplines, it presents a coherent enquiry shedding light on practices and practitioners that have been frequently alienated in the elitist discourse of mainstream Indic religions and equally overlooked by modern scholarship. The book addresses three desiderata in the field of Tantric Studies: it fills a gap in the historical modelling of Tantra; it extends the geographical parameters of Tantra to the vast, yet culturally interlinked, socio-geographical construct of Monsoon Asia; it explores Tantra as an interface between the Sanskritic elite and the folk, the vernacular, the magical, and the shamanic, thereby revisiting the intellectual and historically fallacious divide between cosmopolitan Sanskritic and vernacular local. The book offers a highly innovative contribution to the field of Tantric Studies and, more generally, South and Southeast Asian religions, by breaking traditional disciplinary boundaries. Its variety of disciplinary approaches makes it attractive to both the textual/diachronic and ethnographic/synchronic dimensions. It will be of interest to specialist and non-specialist academic readers, including scholars and students of South Asian religions, mainly Hinduism and Buddhism, Tantric traditions, and Southeast Asian religions, as well as Asian and global folk religion, shamanism, and magic.

Marijuana Medicine

Marijuana Medicine PDF

Author: Christian Rätsch

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2001-03-01

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 1594776598

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

A comprehensive survey of the therapeutic, historical, and cultural uses of cannabis in traditions around the world. • The most complete visual record of cannabis culture ever published. • Christian Ratsch is one of the world's foremost ethnopharmacologists and is the current president of the German Society for Ethnomedicine. Marijuana Medicine explores the role of hemp in medicinal systems spanning the globe. Cannabis has accompanied the development of human culture from its very beginnings and can be found in the healing traditions of cultures throughout Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Even today it is an important part of many Asian healing traditions: in Ayurveda cannabis is praised for its tonic and aphrodisiac qualities and in traditional Chinese medicine it is cited as a superb antidepressant. It also remains a significant part of the healing and visionary traditions of Latin American curanderos and Brazilian, Nepalese, and Indian folk medicine. Modern research has confirmed the effectiveness of marijuana's application in treating such diseases as asthma and glaucoma. Christian Ratsch profiles the medicinal, historical, and cultural uses of cannabis in each of these societies and medical systems, providing remedies and recipes for those interested in how cannabis can be used to treat specific conditions.

Shamanism

Shamanism PDF

Author: Marilyn Walker

Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.

Published: 2020-03-17

Total Pages: 223

ISBN-13: 1646112059

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Discover the history and core elements of Shamanism Shamanism is a widely used term for a broad range of spiritual practices across time, continents, and cultures. Shamanism is your all-in-one reference guide to shamanic traditions and healing modalities around the world. Entertaining and easy to navigate, Shamanism is a rich collection of unique facts and stories from shamanic cultures. You'll find engaging entries on cultural beliefs, spiritual motifs, sacred objects, and rituals, like Vibrational Medicine and Soul Retrieval (recovering lost souls or soul parts). Shamanism includes: Shamanic handbook—Explore the history and mythology of Shamanic cultures, as well as engaging info on spiritual ecology or the back-to-nature movement. All about rituals—Learn about numerous rituals and techniques, like healing with crystals and extracting malevolent spirits with a Soul Catcher. Animism to Zoroastrian—This guide is organized alphabetically for easy reference so you can build your knowledge on the go. Discover the magic, mythology, and healing history of Shamanism with this introductory guide.

The Nepalese Shamanic Path

The Nepalese Shamanic Path PDF

Author: Evelyn C. Rysdyk

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2019-02-19

Total Pages: 360

ISBN-13: 1620557959

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

An experiential guide to the shamanic spiritual practices of the Himalayas shared by a 27th-generation Nepalese shaman • Presents step-by-step, illustrated instructions for authentic Himalayan shamanic practices, including physical and spiritual healing, shamanic journeys, and ceremonies • Includes exercises to meet the ancestors in your shamanic lineage, techniques to use your voice as a shamanic tool, and practices for negotiating the spirit world safely • Details shamanic chants and rituals, how to create an altar, and the sacred objects of the shaman, along with exercises and techniques for using them properly There are few areas of our world where shamanic traditions have been preserved in their original context and form. Nepal is one of these rare and special places. In the shadow of the Himalayas Nepalese shamans, known as dhamis or jhankris, are still consulted for healing and divination, as well as for providing comfort and maintaining harmony. Following the devastating earthquake in Nepal in 2015, shamanic teacher Evelyn Rysdyk and 27th-generation dhami Bhola Nath Banstola decided it was time to safeguard Nepalese shamanic knowledge for future generations by recording the practices in a book. With this comprehensive, experiential guide to the ancient spiritual traditions of Nepal, Rysdyk and Banstola present step-by-step instructions for authentic Himalayan shamanic practices, including techniques for physical and spiritual healing, shamanic journeys, and advanced ceremonies, such as the Kalchakra Katne, a shamanic ritual for removing toxic energies from an individual. They include exercises to help you meet the ancestors in your shamanic lineage, techniques to use your voice as a shamanic tool, and practices for negotiating the spirit world safely. They detail shamanic chants and rituals, how to create an altar, and how to use the sacred objects of the dhami/jhankri, including the mala, the magic mirror, the drum, and the Khurpa, the shaman’s magic dagger. Rysdyk and Banstola also examine the importance of Nepalese cosmology in shamanic ritual and spiritual deities such as Hanuman, Garuda, and the Nagas. Illustrated with photos and Rysdyk’s artwork, the book also explores the history of Nepal, its culture and myths, and the different ways Nepalese shamans serve their communities. Written specifically to share the traditional Himalayan shamanic method with the Western world, this guide not only preserves these ancient teachings but also reveals how they are still relevant in the modern world.

Haunted by the Archaic Shaman

Haunted by the Archaic Shaman PDF

Author: H. Sidky

Publisher: Lexington Books

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 9780739126219

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Haunted by the Archaic Shaman critically engages the general discourse on shamanism by using ethnographic data gathered among different ethnic groups in the Nepal Himalayas to address several key conceptual issues and problems in the scholarly field of shamanic studies. Sidky not only tackles topics that appear beyond resolution to many, such as defining shamanism and delimiting its geographical scope, but also challenges on empirical and theoretical grounds several widely held ideas that have assumed the status of incontrovertible facts, such as the antiquity of shamanism and its place in the rise of human religiosity. This book makes a significant theoretical contribution to the field of shamanic studies and the anthropology of religion.

Flying with Shamans in Fairy Tales and Myths

Flying with Shamans in Fairy Tales and Myths PDF

Author: Nana Nauwald

Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand

Published: 2021-01-20

Total Pages: 206

ISBN-13: 3752640952

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Full of exciting journeys through the shamanic worlds of many different cultures, Flying with Shamans in Fairy Tales and Myths is enchanting as well as instructive. In addition to an introduction to the world's shamanic beliefs, Nana Nauwald provides background information about the culture from which each fable comes. On this enchanting flight with the shamans, you'll learn about the three worlds, the world tree that connects them all, and the magical shape-shifting and healing powers of the she- and he-shaman. You'll journey through ancient Europe, Siberia, Japan, North and South America, discovering how the magic of human imagination conjures images that people in widely separate parts of the world hold in common. Fairy tales and myths until today are carrier of information about the knowledge of the interrelation of all life. By reading the reader is creating the world and happenings anew in her or his mind. In this book many "stars" contained in the rich pot of shamanic cultures are sparkling for you!

Pagan Christmas

Pagan Christmas PDF

Author: Christian Rätsch

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2006-10-24

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 1594776601

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

An examination of the sacred botany and the pagan origins and rituals of Christmas • Analyzes the symbolism of the many plants associated with Christmas • Reveals the shamanic rituals that are at the heart of the Christmas celebration The day on which many commemorate the birth of Christ has its origins in pagan rituals that center on tree worship, agriculture, magic, and social exchange. But Christmas is no ordinary folk observance. It is an evolving feast that over the centuries has absorbed elements from cultures all over the world--practices that give plants and plant spirits pride of place. In fact, the symbolic use of plants at Christmas effectively transforms the modern-day living room into a place of shamanic ritual. Christian Rätsch and Claudia Müller-Ebeling show how the ancient meaning of the botanical elements of Christmas provides a unique view of the religion that existed in Europe before the introduction of Christianity. The fir tree was originally revered as the sacred World Tree in northern Europe. When the church was unable to drive the tree cult out of people’s consciousness, it incorporated the fir tree by dedicating it to the Christ child. Father Christmas in his red-and-white suit, who flies through the sky in a sleigh drawn by reindeer, has his mythological roots in the shamanic reindeer-herding tribes of arctic Europe and Siberia. These northern shamans used the hallucinogenic fly agaric mushroom, which is red and white, to make their soul flights to the other world. Apples, which figure heavily in Christmas baking, are symbols of the sun god Apollo, so they find a natural place at winter solstice celebrations of the return of the sun. In fact, the authors contend that the emphasis of Christmas on green plants and the promise of the return of life in the dead of winter is just an adaptation of the pagan winter solstice celebration.