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The Heart of Life: Shamanic Initiation & Healing In The Modern World
The Heart of Life is an exploration into the depths of what it means to be alive, when the cellophane packaging we wrap around life to keep it safe and sterile has been unwrapped and discarded . It reveals how the ancient path of shamanism and indigenous wisdom can offer us solutions to the many problems facing the modern world, both global and collective. It offers a unique cosmology that explores how these problems, from potential global ecological catastrophe to the multitude of mental and physical illnesses afflicting individuals, are intrinsically linked and how they can be treated. How the soul sickness that is affecting the modern world may well be the initiation we are going through as a species. This is illustrated through the personal and professional experiences of contemporary shaman Jez Hughes, who cured himself successfully of convulsive fits and mental illnesses using shamanic methods and has since gone on to treat thousands of people in the same way."
- GenresSpiritualityNonfiction
306 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 27, 2015
7 people are currently reading
90 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 27, 2016
I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I started reading this book. I've been a shamanic practitioner for a long time now, and I've read a wide variety of books that offer different versions of the nuts-and-bolts: how to prepare yourself, how to journey, how to make shamanic tools, how to connect with the spirits. But Heart of Life isn't like that. It has a certain amount of how-to, but it goes deeper than that. If I had to characterize it, I'd say it's a book about the philosophy behind shamanism and how it can be applied to heal not just individuals but whole family lines and even the Earth itself. I found it to be profoundly moving. The ideas within these pages give me hope.
Author Jez Hughes divides the concept of the soul, and the book, into three parts: the Body Soul (the physical body and its connection with the material world), the Ancestral Soul (the part of ourselves and our families that is passed down over the generations), and the Dreaming Soul (the spirit-portion of ourselves in which we create our story, the spiritual architecture of our lives). Within each section he explores the way each soul-part affects our inner and outer lives. From this information he develops paths for healing each aspect, ways in which we can put ourselves, our families, and the Earth itself back together again.
Though this cosmology was new to me, I find that it works and makes sense. What's especially touching is the way the author opens up about his own wounds and healing experiences via this three-part worldview. It was his journey through shamanic initiation and into healing that helped him form these concepts. Throughout the book, I got the strong sense that shamanic practice is not just relevant, but vital for the modern world. It's not some antiquated set of ceremonies that 'primitive tribes' practice, but an active, living method of healing wounds and putting ourselves and the world back together again, better than before.
Author Jez Hughes divides the concept of the soul, and the book, into three parts: the Body Soul (the physical body and its connection with the material world), the Ancestral Soul (the part of ourselves and our families that is passed down over the generations), and the Dreaming Soul (the spirit-portion of ourselves in which we create our story, the spiritual architecture of our lives). Within each section he explores the way each soul-part affects our inner and outer lives. From this information he develops paths for healing each aspect, ways in which we can put ourselves, our families, and the Earth itself back together again.
Though this cosmology was new to me, I find that it works and makes sense. What's especially touching is the way the author opens up about his own wounds and healing experiences via this three-part worldview. It was his journey through shamanic initiation and into healing that helped him form these concepts. Throughout the book, I got the strong sense that shamanic practice is not just relevant, but vital for the modern world. It's not some antiquated set of ceremonies that 'primitive tribes' practice, but an active, living method of healing wounds and putting ourselves and the world back together again, better than before.
February 26, 2024
This is a great dive into shamanism. I love how Jez looks at it through a modern lens and in a way that acknowledges the difficulties of living in our culture. He doesn't encourage folks to break away and live off the grid, but instead gives tools and ideas on how to manage.
I'd say this book is best for those who are already on their shamanistic path, and those with some type of support. Some of the techniques would be difficult for those just starting out or figuring out things on your own.
A great read that I know I'll continue to come back to as all healing is cyclical!
I'd say this book is best for those who are already on their shamanistic path, and those with some type of support. Some of the techniques would be difficult for those just starting out or figuring out things on your own.
A great read that I know I'll continue to come back to as all healing is cyclical!
December 29, 2015
In this fascinating book, Jez Hughes bares his soul through a deeply personal account of a journey into shamanism as a healer and teacher. Here is a story into the mind and heart of a man who has discovered the shaman within through the fierce initiation process of a life so far, who has faced his demons and is not afraid to talk about it.
It is a story of healing that reflects how some of the most challenging times in a person's life can be turned around, of how the dark night of the soul can be an opportunity to grow and learn - to ground the spirit and be fully human. The author has done this with clear, down to earth writing and an endearing honesty which is hard not to like.
Divided into three parts of the Body, the Ancestral and the Dreaming Soul, the author shares with the reader the teachings of his own experience through his travels and encounters with the indigenous people and shamans of the world. And his trust in the spirits and guidance received from those subtle realms demonstrates an unwavering faith in a journey of personal discovery and deep transformation.
In The Heart of Life, Jez Hughes is both the seeker and the seer, the wounded healer and the wisdom keeper. Ultimately, he has produced an important work - one which will resonate with and further the knowledge of those already on the shamanic path and for those who have wandered too long without clear and conscious direction... now they have it. Well done to him.
A book to inspire and treasure.
It is a story of healing that reflects how some of the most challenging times in a person's life can be turned around, of how the dark night of the soul can be an opportunity to grow and learn - to ground the spirit and be fully human. The author has done this with clear, down to earth writing and an endearing honesty which is hard not to like.
Divided into three parts of the Body, the Ancestral and the Dreaming Soul, the author shares with the reader the teachings of his own experience through his travels and encounters with the indigenous people and shamans of the world. And his trust in the spirits and guidance received from those subtle realms demonstrates an unwavering faith in a journey of personal discovery and deep transformation.
In The Heart of Life, Jez Hughes is both the seeker and the seer, the wounded healer and the wisdom keeper. Ultimately, he has produced an important work - one which will resonate with and further the knowledge of those already on the shamanic path and for those who have wandered too long without clear and conscious direction... now they have it. Well done to him.
A book to inspire and treasure.
March 17, 2016
The Heart of Life: Shamanic Initiation & Healing In The Modern World by Jez Hughes is an integral part of healing yourself. Author Jez had struggled with his own physical and mental ailments and received no consistent help from traditional medicine, which brought up the idea what did early people do before the huge pharmacology appeared with a pill for every perceived ache, pain, or even fatigue?
Author Hughes explores how failure to interact with the Earth and all its inhabitants denies us the healing power of nature. Likewise, refusing to acknowledge out shadow self results in increased fears, phobias, and mental illness. A self destructive need causes us to do things that are harmful to our body. We’ve gone so far to eliminate all the darkness from our lives that we created a devil to represent those dark, shadowy things we won’t acknowledge existing.
The Heart of Life explores the healing methods of meditation combined with the integration of nature in your life, be it gardening, hiking, or providing a wildlife sanctuary. Our thoughts are intentions, we imagine are the blueprint for our physical life. With that in mind, make sure you draw your true heart intentions as opposed to societal goals.
Jez Hughes does a wonderful job of pulling together mythology, shamanism, and contemporary thought together into a life changing book. It is a well-researched treatise, but not too scholarly allowing the average reader to gain from the numerous insights contained between the book cover.
Author Hughes explores how failure to interact with the Earth and all its inhabitants denies us the healing power of nature. Likewise, refusing to acknowledge out shadow self results in increased fears, phobias, and mental illness. A self destructive need causes us to do things that are harmful to our body. We’ve gone so far to eliminate all the darkness from our lives that we created a devil to represent those dark, shadowy things we won’t acknowledge existing.
The Heart of Life explores the healing methods of meditation combined with the integration of nature in your life, be it gardening, hiking, or providing a wildlife sanctuary. Our thoughts are intentions, we imagine are the blueprint for our physical life. With that in mind, make sure you draw your true heart intentions as opposed to societal goals.
Jez Hughes does a wonderful job of pulling together mythology, shamanism, and contemporary thought together into a life changing book. It is a well-researched treatise, but not too scholarly allowing the average reader to gain from the numerous insights contained between the book cover.
April 15, 2016
A very readable, rewarding book that has a lot to offer. Warmhearted, generous, and optimistic without getting into the kind of 'tyranny of positive thinking' that blights a lot of books. Jez has a realistic, compassionate approach to wounding and healing, and a lot to offer. I would have given it 4 and a half, but Goodreads won't let me.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews