Geheimen van een sjamaan

by Hachumak, David L. Carroll, Ed van Eeden (Translator)

Spirituele levenslessen over wijsheid, genezing, ayahuasca en magie, door een Peruaanse sjamaan.

De Amazone is mysterieus en krachtig, net als de alternatieve geneeswijzen en rituelen die uit het regenwoud voortkomen. Sjamanen benutten de pure krachten uit de natuur al eeuwenlang in hun ceremonies, maar wisten hun geheimen vooralsnog goed te bewaren. Tot nu.

De Peruaanse genezer Hachumak geeft in dit boek een zeldzaam, diepgaand inkijkje in de wereld van een sjamaan en het gebruik van ayahuasca. Hij beschrijft zijn eigen pad tot curandero en laat aan de hand van zijn eigen ervaringen en verhalen zien hoe traditionele ceremonies mensen kunnen helpen.

Of je nu nieuwsgierig of sceptisch bent, dankzij dit boek zul je het sjamanisme en het gebruik van medicinale planten beter begrijpen: wat het is, wat je kunt verwachten en ook wat de mogelijkheden en beperkingen zijn.

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Self Help, Spirituality

384 pages, Paperback

First published July 5, 2022

Reviews

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed learning more about plants and "plant medicine." This is an especially relevant book if you've ever thought about doing ayahuasca.

[Don Pollard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Educational and inspiring

Very helpful explanation of shamanism and its potential to help people. Also helpful explanation of the role of sacred and healing plants. A good and important read for anyone considering the use of hallucinogenic plants.

[Milan De Roode · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings on this book. On one hand, it was a really nice read. It explores the history of ayahuasca use, indigenous rituals of South-Americans and warns against the commodification of spirituality and healing by capitalism. This was the cool part. The part I still feel confused about is the lack of scientific background, as he discusses himself as well (Hachumak rejects Western reductionist approaches on psychedelic healing and instead turns to a traditional 'magic' explanation regarding how the process works).

All with all definitely a cool and compelling read :)

[Darren Faber · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was totally awesome. For anyone who works with plant medicines in a ceremonial setting, whether a facilitator or a participant, this book provides tons of perspective and information regarding these practices. Highly recommend.

[Brian Kirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

pretty good stuff about spiritualism i think it gets a little indulgent in the hallucinations and stuff but overall good stuff

[Paris · Rating 4 out of 5]

borderline woowoo but an important read for anyone doing all the plant medicines in peru

[Frank Merkx · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hachumak starts autobiographical. He is a Peruvian shaman. But he started very basic, as a young guy interested in Kung-Fu. He didn’t come from a spiritual background. As a healthcare worker he came in contact with the elderly who still remembered the ancient traditions. If the student is ready the teacher appears. And so Hachumak became a pupil, being tutored in the ways of the spirits, ghosts and the invisible realm. Taking his time, he grew as a healer for over two decades. Till he became a teacher of his own. Hachumak divided his book in various parts: an explanation of the way of the shaman seen from the Periluvian tradition, a closer look into the tradition of healing, an explanation of the types of invisible spirit creatures, and a deeper dive into healing mechanisms: from laying on of hands to Ayahuasca ceremonies. The book then spends a fair amount of pages to narrate the way of Ayahuasca; where it came from, how it should be used, what it is used for, etc. Hachumak writes honest and open without judging. We live in times of spiritual poverty. And at the same time people are hungry for transformative trips and/or hallucinating experiences. A lot of us need introspection. But we have to understand that it’s a journey, a long process. We can’t expect to find deeper meaning after a few crazy days in a sweat lodge. Hachumak is very nuanced and tries to explain how we should start working on ourselves and how a shaman or healer can help in this process. This is a very clear and clever book. And even you are a non-believer of spiritual energies, it’s a fun book to read. You can tell that Hachumak is a skilled biologist and chemist who definitely knows what he’s doing. Highly recommend!