Shamanism

Moving Mountains: Shamanic Rock art and the International of Experimental Artists

by Psychogeography from 'Transgressions'

by Simon Crook, 'Transgressions: A Journal of Urban Exploration', 1998, number 4

'Psychogeography from 'Transgressions'' brings you classic pieces from the early days of the psychogeography revival

Шарапов В.Э., Несанелис Д.А. Мотив раскачивания в традиционном мировоззрении коми и обских угров // Кунсткамера. Этнографические тетради. Вып. 8-9. – СПб., 1995. – С. 303-313.

by Valery Sharapov

In english:
Sharapov V., Nesanelis D. Theme of "Swinging" in Shamanism and Folk Culture // ELORЕ, Suomen Kansantietouden Tutkijain. – Joensuu, 1997.
http://www.elore.fi/arkisto/2_97/sha297.html

Studies of shamanism often discussed the idea that shamanistic notions and rituals (including the experience of... more Studies of shamanism often discussed the idea that shamanistic notions and rituals (including the experience of ecstatic states) were typical not only for "classic centres" of this cultural phenomenon, but also for those traditions, in which one could not distinguish the special institution of "shaman". The cultural theme of "swinging" is the universal metaphor for real, as well as for conceptual motion - the way in space-time for many cultures. Semantic and typological analysis of this matter will probably confirm the above mentioned thesis.
The present article deals with the theme of "swinging", based on the analysis of folklore and ritual texts collected by the authors in the Komi Republic and Tumen region (Shurishkansk and Nefteugansk).

The arawakan Flute Cults

by Robin Wright

« Preuve et malentendu : sur le mythe historiographique de l’origine et de la transmission du chamanisme en Grèce ancienne », dans M. Vartejanu-Joubert (éd.), La preuve en Histoire : controverses, Cahiers du Centre de Recherches Historiques 45 (avril 2010), p. 109-128

by Dan Dana

Shamanic diffusions: A technoshamanic philosophy of electroacoustic music

by Jon Weinel

Forthcoming in Sonic Ideas/Ideas Sonicas

Electroacoustic music affords the possibility of creating journeys through non-realistic or illusory spaces, through... more Electroacoustic music affords the possibility of creating journeys through non-realistic or illusory spaces, through the use of sonic materials.  This article proposes the application of the concept of ‘technoshamanism’ as a principle for composing and performing electroacoustic works of this type.  I shall commence by examining the use of the term ‘technoshaman’ in relation to psy-trance culture.  Through consideration of Rouget’s (1985) definitions of ecstasy and trance, I will discuss the relationship of psy-trance culture to Rouget’s definition of trance.  From this position I shall then propose the use of electroacoustic music in relation to Rouget’s definition of ecstasy.  This will enable me to define ‘shamanic diffusions’ as an opposing technoshamanic approach to that which is used in psy-trance.  Under this discussion, electroacoustic music will be considered as an ecstatic technology.  I shall then conclude with some comments and speculation regarding how this concept may be useful as an approach for the composition and performance of electroacoustic music.  For example, in various composed works I have used altered states of consciousness and hallucinations, as a principle for the design of sonic materials and musical structure.  Through the course of this article then, I will describe a conceptual model through which to consider electroacoustic composition and performance.

A 12,000-year-old Shaman burial from the southern Levant (Israel)

by Natalie Munro

Grosman, L, N.D. Munro and A. Belfer-Cohen. 2008. A 12,000 year old burial from the southern Levant (Israel): a case for early shamanism. Proceedings of the Natinal Academy of Sciences. 105(46): 17665-17669

Plantas enteogénicas, chamanismo y la evolución de la mente, parte II

by José Manuel Rodríguez

Rodríguez, J.M. 2010. Plantas enteogénicas, chamanismo y la evolución de la mente, parte 2. Semanario Universidad, No. 1876: 20 Opinión.

Plantas enteogénicas, chamanismo y la evolución de la mente, parte I

by José Manuel Rodríguez

Rodríguez, J.M. 2010. Plantas enteogénicas, chamanismo y la evolución de la mente, parte 1. Semanario Universidad, No. 1851: 23 Opinión.

El instinto universal de alterar la conciencia

by José Manuel Rodríguez

Un artículo de opinión publicado en el periódico costarricense Semanario Universidad.

Los alucinógenos, el cerebro y la mente

by Carlos Manuel Quirce Balma

El presente trabajo intenta establecer el difícil puente entre la
psicofarmacología antropológica, religiosa y... more El presente trabajo intenta establecer el difícil puente entre la
psicofarmacología antropológica, religiosa y botánica; a la vez desglosa los mecanismos conocidos de acción de varias drogas psicodélicas. Una clasificación tri-partita de drogas que alteran la conciencia es expuesta y se logra aclarar diferencias entre los mecanismos de la acción neurocerebral de cada una hasta donde es posible científicamente hoy día. Mucha de la información proviene también del estudio del chamanismo suramericano y
norteamericano. Algunos trabajos psicofarmacológicos al respecto de la brujería europea son incluídos.

Shamanism and indigenous youthhood in the Brazilian Amazon

by pirjo kristiina virtanen

2009. Amazônica. Revista de Antropologia 1(1): 152-177.

This article deals with contemporary shamanism among young Indians in Brazilian Amazonia. It explores the meaning of... more This article deals with contemporary shamanism among young Indians in Brazilian Amazonia. It explores the meaning of shamanic practices for today’s Amazonian young Indians. The article focuses on the ayahuasca ceremonies practiced by young Manchineri living in both the indigenous reserve and urban areas in the State of Acre, Brazil. Ethnographic fieldwork was carried out between 2005 and 2007. Shamanic practices produce symbolic capital that may credit in one’s own native community and in interethnic relations. The spiritual and traditional knowledge, trust, values, and instructions on life generate cultural capital, social capital, as well as ethnic capital. Through shamanism young people have an active role in the construction of their agency and personhood, as it also is about youth’s own decision to interact with the spirits and other humans. Shamanic practices have marked a turning point in the lives of many native young people.

Artistic Shamanism - Aesthetic or Political?

by Tom Penney

Discusses the implications of "shamanism" as an aesthetic or political framework post Suzi Gablik, in terms... more Discusses the implications of "shamanism" as an aesthetic or political framework post Suzi Gablik, in terms of relational aesthetics, the artist Marcus Coates, and a recent discussion between Nicholas Bourriaud and Jacques Ranciere.

El chamanismo y las drogas enteogénicas/alucinatorias del mundo precolombino

by Carlos Manuel Quirce Balma

This article presents some of the most current and widespread theories on shamanism.
Both traditional and modern... more This article presents some of the most current and widespread theories on shamanism.
Both traditional and modern theories which lean towards neurophysiologic interpretations
of altered and higher states of consciousness are dealt with. The generalized and central
use of psychedelics and plants containing altering substances by the different pre-
Columbian cultures are discussed. Moreover, work by psychedelic anthropologists has
been contrasted with the schools of thought influenced by Mircea Eliade.

Kradi Mliva: The Phenomenon of Tiger-Transformation in the Traditional Lore of the Kondh Tribals of Orissa

by Francesco Brighenti

Lokaratna, Vol. 4 (2011)
[Lokaratna is the official journal of the Folklore Foundation, located in Bhubaneswar, Orissa.]

The belief in a form of therianthropy consisting of the nocturnal migration of one’s soul-substance into the body of a... more The belief in a form of therianthropy consisting of the nocturnal migration of one’s soul-substance into the body of a tiger, which thereby comes to be controlled by the will of a sleeping human, forms an important component of the traditional lore of the Kondhs, a complex of Dravidian-speaking tribal groups in the highlands of the eastern Indian state of Orissa. The Kondhs never describe this type of human-to-animal transformation as the physical metamorphosis of a person into a tiger (that is, as shape-shifting) ― a motif which, conversely, recurs in the main bulk of weretiger tales associated with witchcraft across Middle and Eastern India; nor do they ever describe it as possession of the human body by any tiger-spirit or tiger-deity. Besides, the transformation is reportedly not achieved through evil magic, but is rather conceived of by the Kondhs as a spontaneous psychic phenomenon affecting individuals ― sometimes even children ― thus predestined by divine entities. Although the majority of the Kondhs tend to believe the faculty of commanding a living tiger in dreamtime to be the prerogative of religious specialists such as shamans and healer-diviners, this supernatural ability is generally understood by them as being potentially available to laypersons as well. The little-studied Kondh weretiger-lore is of great anthropological and historical interest in that the only other area of South Asia where beliefs in similar psychic phenomena are known to be widespread is the north-eastern mountain region inhabited by the Naga, Garo and Khasi tribes, which nevertheless lies at a great distance from Orissa.

Toward a Multidisciplinary Approach to Ayahuasca Studies

by Steve Beyer

A review of the current state of ayahuasca studies: an introduction to the Special Ayahuasca Issue of the journal... more A review of the current state of ayahuasca studies: an introduction to the Special Ayahuasca Issue of the journal Anthropology of Consciousness

Schamanen - Wanderer zwischen den Welten?

by Gerhard Mayer

Co-authored with Michael Schetsche, published in W. Gebhardt und R. Hitzler (Eds.): Nomaden, Flaneure, Vagabunden. Wissensformen und Denkstile der Gegenwart. Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, pp. 216-227.

Healing with spirits: ethical issues arising from neoshamanistic practices and similar forms of alternative healing

by Gerhard Mayer

published in "Spirituality and Health International", 2008, 9(4), 218-229.

Abstract:
The communication with spirits in the non-ordinary reality (NOR) represents a central element in... more Abstract:
The communication with spirits in the non-ordinary reality (NOR) represents a central element in neoshamanistic treatment methods. Shamanistic practitioners each have their own personal power animals or spirit helpers. These provide information that is used both for diagnostic purposes and for everyday practical decisions. Even in the healing rituals, it is not the shamanistic practitioners who initiate the healing process but the spirits. On the one hand, this viewpoint leads to a certain humility, but on the other hand, it also presents the question of responsibility because the helping spirits from the NOR are made into authorities that define the actual happenings.
After the introductory part, which will introduce the basics of neoshamanistic practice, ethical problems that may occur in this context will be discussed on the basis of data from a qualitative study on neoshamanism in Germany. These problems are not restricted to neoshamanism and can also be found in other related practices of alternative healing but can be clarified particularly well by this example. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Figure of the Shaman as a Modern Myth. Some reflections on the attractiveness of shamanism in modern societies

by Gerhard Mayer

published in "The Pomegranate. The International Journal of Pagan Studies", 2008, 10 (1), 70-103.

With an increasing interest in shamanism in western societies during the last decades the character of the shaman... more With an increasing interest in shamanism in western societies during the last decades the character of the shaman was–with an act of identifying–implanted into the cultural perspective of many subcultures. Due to the widespread psychologization of shamanism an overgeneralized and oversimplified view of traditional shamanism gives a matrix which creates the different popular conceptualizations of the figure of the shaman. In this paper, four areas explicitly referring to the figure of the shaman are described, demonstrating the fascination it holds and the manifold possibilities of interpretation. The four areas are: neoshamanism, the ‘urban shaman’ as cultural critic and rebel, technoshamanism/cybershamanism, and the field of performing and visual arts. Looking at these areas one can find ten elements of the shaman myth which form the popular image of shamanism in western societies and which constitute the attractiveness and the fascination of the figure of the shaman. Referring to some philosophical concepts of the German philosopher Karl Jaspers the figure of the shaman can be understood as a powerful cipher of transcendence.

Die Figur des Schamanen. Zur Attraktivität des Schamanismus in modernen Gesellschaften

by Gerhard Mayer

Published in 'Zeitschrift für Anomalistik', 2009, pp. 52-81.

Zusammenfassung – Im vorliegenden Aufsatz werden verschiedene Facetten der Figur des Schamanen beleuchtet, die dessen... more Zusammenfassung – Im vorliegenden Aufsatz werden verschiedene Facetten der Figur des Schamanen beleuchtet, die dessen westliche Rezeption prägen und sie zu einer geeigneten Projektionsfläche für vielerlei Phantasien werden ließen. Dazu wer-den vier soziale Felder/Bewegungen genauer betrachtet, die sich in besonderem
Maße dieser Figur annehmen. Auf der Grundlage dieser Untersuchung werden zehn Elemente des Schamanenmythos herausgearbeitet, die für die Konstruktion des
populären Schamanenbildes besonders relevant sind. Schließlich wird die Figur des Schamanen noch auf ihren Zusammenhang zu den „Chiffren der Transzendenz“ im Sinne Karl Jaspers hin untersucht – eine Perspektive, die sich als fruchtbar für das Verständnis der gegenwärtigen Attraktivität der Figur des Schamanen erweist.

Geneza popularności Wiedźmina - interpretacje

by Mariusz Filip

Kultura Popularna 2(8)/2004: 95-103

Celem artykułu jest próba odpowiedzi na pytanie o przyczyny popularności postaci Wiedźmina. Argumentuję, że... more Celem artykułu jest próba odpowiedzi na pytanie o przyczyny popularności postaci Wiedźmina. Argumentuję, że interpretacja, wedle której Wiedźmin jest ułomnym supermanem, jest niewystarczająca. Wskazuję, że Wiedźmin posiada cechy Herosa, Ofiarnika, Mesjasza, Króla, Kata, które zbiegają się w postaci Szamana. Dowodzę, że Wiedźmin jest wariacją tego archetypu, przy czym jego sakralność została poddana materializacji.