WELCOME!

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, July 26, 2011

Radio Show: Why Shamanism Now?

Christina Pratt, expert shaman, Qi Gong teacher, and author of the mammoth Encyclopedia of Shamanism, has been hosting her own online radio show, Why Shamanism Now?, since April of last year. You can listen to it here live every Tuesday at 11 a.m. (Pacific Time).

This week (today), Pratt hosts film producer, Dan McGuire, to “explore the world-view of Balinese healers and their attitudes towards sickness, health, and the healing power of transformative ritual.” A subject of importance since Bali is one of the few societies left where the shaman is revered (you can read about my experience with a Balinese healer, Jero Ayu, here).

“Through the story of Mangku Pogog, McGuire illustrates the effect of globalization on the belief systems of traditional people and poses the questions: What new challenges are presented to traditional healers as people come for healing with different worldviews and diverse beliefs about healing? Will traditional wisdom survive or be changed by “spiritual tourism?” McGuire, a journalist with many years experience in Indonesia is currently completing his documentary “Balian”.

A shamanic practitioner for 21 years, Pratt calls herself an authentic, non-traditional contemporary shaman and is the founder of the Last Mask Centers for Shamanic Healing

Archives of her prior shows are available here. Here are some of the more interesting titles:

The Power of Joy
What is a Wounded Healer?
Shamanism and the Spiritual Warrior
Why You Need to Heal Your Ancestral Lines
Vitality and Life Force of Your Purpose
Transforming Pain

1 comment:

Night Sings said...

Christina tells me that archives for the show go back as far as January 2009. You can access them here: http://whyshamanismnow.com/ Look to te sidebar on the lower left.