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This is an ongoing US and global project to help enthusiasts, scholars, practitioners, and curious parties learn more about shamanic living in a contemporary culture. The space here is devoted to sharing info, experiences and opinions about all forms of shamanic expression covering shamanism's multiple permutations. Among subjects explored are traditions, techniques, insights, definitions, events, artists, authors, and creativity. You are invited to draw from your own experiences and contribute.

What is a SHAMAN?

MAYAN: "a technichian of the Holy, a lover of the Sacred." CELTIC: "Empower the people...by changing the way we think." MEXICAN APACHE: "Someone who has simply learned to give freely of themselves..." AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL: "...a teacher or healer, a wisdom keeper of knowledge... (who) takes people to a door and encourages them to enter." W. AFRICAN DIAGRA: "views every event in life within a spiritual context." HAWAIIAN: "...human bridges to the spiritual world and its laws and the material world and its trials..." QUECHUA INDIAN: "embodies all experience." AMAZON: "...willing to engage the forces of the Universe...in a beneficial end for self, people, and for life in general."


-- from Travelers, Magicians and Shamans (Danny Paradise)

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Alchemy & Mysticism

I found this book while pursing the local Borders store. The full title is: The Hermetic Museum - Alchemy & Mysticism by Alexander Roob. It's published by Taschen and the ISBN is 978-3-8228-5038-1. This is one of Taschen's 25th anniversary special editions and it is beautiful to behold. It is brimming with artwork and quotations throughout all ages relating to the written subject matter such as Macrocosm (includes sun, moon, cosmic time...), Opus Magnum (genesis, purification...), Microcosm (human form divine, brain & memory...) and ending with Rotation (whirl & magnet, divine geometry...). This book is helping me to go deeper and wider in my understanding of the subject matter from our required reading of The Emerald Tablet by Dennis William Hauck. This will become a "go to reference" for me for understanding the long and varied history of this ancient sacred path of becoming a shaman.

4 comments:

Rainbow Warrior said...

Thanks for sharing! I've had this book recommended to me as well and have seen it referenced by a few other people in other reading I've done. I'll defnitely be adding it to my ever-growing reading list! I am going to need to add a wing to my house for my expanding library. Among the many topics and concepts we've covered in our shamanic studies, I feel a strong connection with alchemy.

Still Waters said...

I also have felt very drawn to alchemy. I wonder if Spirit is guiding us back to our "roots", so to speak to bring back that which was sacred but now is mostly unknown. If you find any other books and/or courses, please pass them on. I think Walks in Two Worlds mentioned that there was an Alchemy class this fall...

Allowing the light said...

Thanks for the reference. If you could bring it to our next gathering, it would be great...
I have had a strange relationship with our readings. At times, I read a lot... In others, it seems like I just need the things to settle down in me and go their own way. The outside appearances might be that I simply have much more difficulties finding time some weeks than others but these are only appearances. I feel that, in many ways, the way I read for this apprenticeship is very much like the way I used to cook and look at recipes and just absorb several elements of them, very much in a bulimia mode sometimes, a much more contemplative mode at other moments, until something different would come out some day in my cooking. It is very "physical" and "experimental" in some ways. It has a lot to do with alchemy... that's for sure! In my new (simpler) life, I will be cooking more!

Robin Rice said...

I'm not sure about an alchemy class...but there is alchemylab.com, which is great. Alechemy is the basis of shamanism...you have to "go there" yourself to be an effective healer. It is what cooks you. All essence level healing is alchemical at it's core.