The Shamanism Bible: The Definitive Guide to Shamanic Thought and Practice

by John Matthews

Shamanism Bible

Genres: Spirituality, Nonfiction, Reference, Paganism

400 pages, Paperback

Published August 4, 2014

About the author

John Matthews is an historian, folklorist and author. He has been a full time writer since 1980 and has produced over ninety books on the Arthurian Legends and Grail Studies, as well as short stories and a volume of poetry. He has devoted much of the past thirty years to the study of Arthurian Traditions and myth in general. His best known and most widely read works are ‘Pirates’ (Carlton/Atheneum), No 1 children’s book on the New York Times Review best-seller list for 22 weeks in 2006, ‘The Grail, Quest for Eternal Life’ (Thames & Hudson, 1981) ‘The Encyclopaedia of Celtic Wisdom’ (Element, 1994) and ‘The Winter Solstice’ (Quest Books, 1999) which won the Benjamin Franklin Award for that year. His book ‘Celtic Warrior Chiefs’ was a New York Public Library recommended title for young people.

Reviews

[Brandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, very interesting, lovely pictures, and a nice worldwide overview of shamanism.

However, on page 265, the author makes reference to 'Skoll and Hati' as 'Odin's two wolves', who are chasing the sun and moon to eat them. This is inaccurate; Skoll and Hati indeed chase the sun and moon, but Odin's wolves are Geri and Freki. This inaccuracy/misrepresentation makes me wonder what ELSE in the book might be 'wrong'.

[Indigo Crow · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of the better books I've read on the subject of shamanism so far. It's a quick and easy read with lots of example pictures. I think the author did a better job describing rituals and devotionals that the beginner can do than other books I've read on this subject have. In fact, the author gives clear and easy to relate to examples of most things being discussed. I appreciated that. I wish more authors would do it.

Although, is this really a "definitive" guide? That I'm not sure I agree with. It's pretty thorough and gives a brief overview of shamanism in various cultures around the world, but when it comes down to applying it to yourself, it fell a bit short. I suppose what I'm trying to say is that the book spends more time talking about various cultures and their history and less time on how a modern practitioner might conduct ritual and journey for themselves. There are rituals and exercises that one could do, but I felt that not enough attention was given to this part and it felt like something of an afterthought.

Regardless, it's a good book if this is a subject of interest to you for any reason.

[Marc Rhodes-Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

very enlightening i certainly learnt much more about shamanism after reading this book than i ever knew before. matthews makes it clear that shamanism is an international practice carried out by a number of indigineous cultures. this was mindblowing at least to me, but did help to explain some things which i had not been aware of before. shamanism certainly appears to be alive and well, not simply a historical practice. is it possible to practice shamanism in the west? it would appear so if one chooses to follow particular principles then ideally the same result should be achieved. what you actually connect with may be different from what a different people connect with due to time and place and history, which may differ between your country and someone else's. in other words, certain things will change if you start to use shamanism as an inspiration, the results will not be the same. ronald hutton has commented on siberian shamanism and its supression by the russian government in his book shamans, this is a very specific historical record which relates to a particular type of shamanism and a particular country, and not to any of the current living traditions which still exist.

[Felix Delong · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, it is a very nice overview, but it is more "basic" than "definitive". Meant really as an introduction. But as an introduction, it works pretty well with its many well-selected pictures.
It contains a few factual errors 'Skoll and Hati' are not Odin's two wolves, for example...
Overall it seemed nice, but introductory and maybe even containing mistakes... 5/10

[Emil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good introduction

This book provides a well-researched account of Shamanism across time and space. It covers many aspects of the Shamanic thought and practice, and I have learned quite a bit. The author has provided a list of resources for those willing to expand their knowledge on Shamanism and go beyond the scope of this book.

[Veronica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overview of shamanism. Interesting to learn about the history and how shamanism is practiced all over the world. I didn't give it a higher rating because it is written like a textbook, and that can only be so gripping to a reader. But I did appreciate the overview and visuals.

[Amanda Gallacher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read. Great general overview of Shamanic History and Cross Cultural Practice.

[Autumn (Triquetra Reviews) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not finish.

[Johanna Haas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book in pictures and words. Travels around the world looking at shamanic cultures past and present, ending with modern-day applications.

[Joseph Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

very clear and concise reference book concerning Shamanism

[Kendra · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, if you've studied shamanism, there's nothing new. It's basically a brief overview of cultures around the world and commonalities and differences among them that still qualify as shamanism. It's a hefty, beautiful book. If you're new to shamanism, it's a decent overview about it.

[Darth Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great intro into the world of shamanism and pagan ideas/archetypes.

[Danielle Brusco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice overview of Shamanism

[Melinda Flaugher · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book gave a basic overview of Shamans. I personally enjoyed reading about the spirit animals. The photographs appeal to the more visual readers. A nice reference book.