Shamanism : an encyclopedia of world beliefs, practices, and culture

A comprehensive guide to worldwide shamanism, emphasizing historical and current cultural adaptations.

Shamanism has its origins in early human history and is as ubiquitous as the human desire to penetrate the mysteries of the supernatural.

For millennia shamans have traveled into the realm of the spirits on our behalf to hunt lost souls, heal the sick, interpret dreams, and provide guidance in human endeavors.

In the wake of a rapidly transforming world, new forms of shamanism are developing and thriving.

This two-volume reference is the first comprehensive exploration of shamanic beliefs from the Stone Age to the present day.

In 230 detailed, readable essays, leading ethnographers and historians explain the general principles of shamanism as well as the details of widely varied practices.

What is it like to be a shaman? Entries describe region by region the traits, such as sicknesses and dreams, which mark a person as a shaman, as well as the training undertaken by initiates.

They detail the costumes, music, rituals, artifacts, and drugs the shaman uses to achieve an alternate state of consciousness, communicate with spirits, travel in the spirit world, and retrieve souls. But unlike most Western books on shamanism, which focus narrowly on the individual's experience of healing and trance, the encyclopedia also examines the function of shamanism in society from social, political, and historic perspectives and identifies the ancient, continuous thread that connects shamanic beliefs and rituals across cultures and millennia.