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The Heart of the Shaman: Stories and Practices of the Luminous Warrior
“Wake up from the slumber you are living in,and dream with your eyes open so that all thepossibilities of the future are available to you.”The Heart of the Shaman will take you on a journey into the sacred world of the shaman, through stories, dreams, and ancient rites.In his latest book, Alberto Villoldo sets his focus on the dreaming and time-travel practices of the medicine men and women of the Andes and Amazon, whose wisdom radically changed his worldview. Villoldo shares some of their time-honored teachings that emphasize the sacred an ephemeral, yet powerful vision that has the potential to guide us to our purpose and show us our place in the universe.The practices in this book will help you forge a sacred dream for yourself. They will help you craft a destiny infused with courage, and driven by vision. You’ll be invited to follow the footsteps of the luminous warrior and learn how to break out of the three nightmares surrounding love, death, and safety that have held you captive, and transform them into the experience of timeless freedom, known as the Primordial Light. This creative power exercised by shamans will lead you to create beauty and healing, and dream a new world into being.When you transform these dreams and accept that life is ever changing, that your mortality is a given and that no one except you can free you from fear —the chaos in your life turns to order, and beauty prevails.
176 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 31, 2018
240 people are currently reading
386 people want to read
About the author
Alberto Villoldo
71 books353 followersBy his mid-20s Alberto Villoldo was the youngest clinical professor at San Francisco State University. He was directing his own laboratory, the Biological Self-Regulation Lab, investigating how energy medicine and visualization could change the chemistry of the brain.
One day in his biology laboratory, Alberto realized that his investigation had to get bigger instead of smaller; Alberto needed to find a system larger than the neural networks of the brain. The microscope was the wrong instrument to answer the questions he was asking. Many others were already studying the hardware – Alberto Villoldo wanted to learn to re-program the SYSTEM. Anthropological stories hinted that there were people around the globe who claimed to know such things, including the Inka in Peru, the few remaining “shamans” in today’s modern civilization.
As he did initial research into the Inka, Alberto decided that he needed to personally investigate the roots of the Inka civilization itself to collect the vestiges of a 5,000-year-old energy medicine known for healing through Spirit and light.
A few weeks later, knowing this investigation was not going to be a “part time” pastime or a brief sabbatical for a few weeks’ time, Alberto Villoldo resigned his post at the university.
University colleagues thought Alberto Villoldo was absolutely mad.
Not to be dissuaded, Alberto Villoldo traded his laboratory for a pair of hiking boots and a ticket to the Amazon. He was determined to learn from researchers whose vision had not been confined to the lens of a microscope, from people whose body of knowledge encompassed more than the measurable, material world that Alberto had been taught was the ONLY reality. He wanted to meet the people who sensed the spaces between things and perceived the luminous strands that animate all life.
Scattered throughout the remnants of this ancient Amazonian empire were a number of sages or “Earth Keepers” who remembered the ancient ways. Alberto traveled through countless villages and hamlets and met with scores of medicine men and women. The lack of a written body of knowledge meant that every village had brought its own flavor and style to the healing practices that still survived.
For more than 10 years, Alberto Villoldo trained with the jungle medicine people. Along the way, he discovered that his journey into shamanism had actually been guided by his personal desire to become whole.
In healing his own soul wounds, Alberto Villoldo walked the path of the wounded healer and learned to transform old pain, grief, anger and shame to sources of strength and compassion.
From the Amazon, Alberto Villoldo trekked the coast of Peru, from Nazca, the site of gigantic markings on the desert floor that depict power animals and geometric figures, to the fabled Shimbe lagoons in the north, home to the country’s most renowned sorcerers. Then, in Lake Titicaca – the Sea on Top of the World – Alberto Villoldo collected the stories and healing practices of the people from which, the legends say, the Inka were born.
Through it all, Alberto Villoldo discovered a set of sacred technologies that transform the body, heal the soul, and can change the way we live and the way we die.
These ancient teachings and understandings explain that a Luminous Energy Field (LEF), whose source is located in infinity, surrounds us. The LEF acts as a matrix that maintains the health and vibrancy of the physical body.
Today, Alberto Villoldo is a best-selling author and founder in the world-renowned Institute of Energy Medicine, The Four Winds Society. In all of his teachings and writings, Alberto shares the experience of infinity’s easy ability to heal and transform us, to free us from the temporal chains that keep us fettered to illness, old age and disease.
Over the course of two decades with the shamans in the jungles and high mountains of the Andes, Alberto Villoldo would discover that we are more than flesh and bone, that we are a
One day in his biology laboratory, Alberto realized that his investigation had to get bigger instead of smaller; Alberto needed to find a system larger than the neural networks of the brain. The microscope was the wrong instrument to answer the questions he was asking. Many others were already studying the hardware – Alberto Villoldo wanted to learn to re-program the SYSTEM. Anthropological stories hinted that there were people around the globe who claimed to know such things, including the Inka in Peru, the few remaining “shamans” in today’s modern civilization.
As he did initial research into the Inka, Alberto decided that he needed to personally investigate the roots of the Inka civilization itself to collect the vestiges of a 5,000-year-old energy medicine known for healing through Spirit and light.
A few weeks later, knowing this investigation was not going to be a “part time” pastime or a brief sabbatical for a few weeks’ time, Alberto Villoldo resigned his post at the university.
University colleagues thought Alberto Villoldo was absolutely mad.
Not to be dissuaded, Alberto Villoldo traded his laboratory for a pair of hiking boots and a ticket to the Amazon. He was determined to learn from researchers whose vision had not been confined to the lens of a microscope, from people whose body of knowledge encompassed more than the measurable, material world that Alberto had been taught was the ONLY reality. He wanted to meet the people who sensed the spaces between things and perceived the luminous strands that animate all life.
Scattered throughout the remnants of this ancient Amazonian empire were a number of sages or “Earth Keepers” who remembered the ancient ways. Alberto traveled through countless villages and hamlets and met with scores of medicine men and women. The lack of a written body of knowledge meant that every village had brought its own flavor and style to the healing practices that still survived.
For more than 10 years, Alberto Villoldo trained with the jungle medicine people. Along the way, he discovered that his journey into shamanism had actually been guided by his personal desire to become whole.
In healing his own soul wounds, Alberto Villoldo walked the path of the wounded healer and learned to transform old pain, grief, anger and shame to sources of strength and compassion.
From the Amazon, Alberto Villoldo trekked the coast of Peru, from Nazca, the site of gigantic markings on the desert floor that depict power animals and geometric figures, to the fabled Shimbe lagoons in the north, home to the country’s most renowned sorcerers. Then, in Lake Titicaca – the Sea on Top of the World – Alberto Villoldo collected the stories and healing practices of the people from which, the legends say, the Inka were born.
Through it all, Alberto Villoldo discovered a set of sacred technologies that transform the body, heal the soul, and can change the way we live and the way we die.
These ancient teachings and understandings explain that a Luminous Energy Field (LEF), whose source is located in infinity, surrounds us. The LEF acts as a matrix that maintains the health and vibrancy of the physical body.
Today, Alberto Villoldo is a best-selling author and founder in the world-renowned Institute of Energy Medicine, The Four Winds Society. In all of his teachings and writings, Alberto shares the experience of infinity’s easy ability to heal and transform us, to free us from the temporal chains that keep us fettered to illness, old age and disease.
Over the course of two decades with the shamans in the jungles and high mountains of the Andes, Alberto Villoldo would discover that we are more than flesh and bone, that we are a
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October 19, 2019
Another absorbing read from Alberto Villoldo, distilling the messages and teachings he learned from spending time with Don Manuel, hearing about the Laika.
He shares and expands on the 3 nightmares that have weakened our resolve and debilitated our spirit throughout history, attributes that are not only personal, but at the heart of society and how the Laika transform them.
- the daydream of security turned into the nightmare of insecurity - how do you stay safe in a dangerous world
- the daydream of permanence turned into the nightmare of death - why does everything, including life, have to end?
- the daydream of love that is unconditional turned into the nightmare of conditioned love - how will you find the one you love, and who will love you as you are?
Each of the nightmares has an associated giveaway, a path towards expressing a higher level of understanding and consciousness. Of who, I am.
He shares and expands on the 3 nightmares that have weakened our resolve and debilitated our spirit throughout history, attributes that are not only personal, but at the heart of society and how the Laika transform them.
- the daydream of security turned into the nightmare of insecurity - how do you stay safe in a dangerous world
There are four adjectives that keep us asleep in the dream of security.
I am hungry. I am afraid. I am angry. I am lonely.
- the daydream of permanence turned into the nightmare of death - why does everything, including life, have to end?
- the daydream of love that is unconditional turned into the nightmare of conditioned love - how will you find the one you love, and who will love you as you are?
Each of the nightmares has an associated giveaway, a path towards expressing a higher level of understanding and consciousness. Of who, I am.
April 8, 2023
An incomplete book on shamanism
This is a whole other world, a seemingly bizarre practice that at first defies modern logic but could potentially make sense once we dig deeper under the surface and understand it well enough.
The book is written by Alberto Villoldo, a medical anthropologist dubbed by the New York Times as “the Indiana Jones of the spirit world.” He earned this nickname by looking for an alternative to cure age-old illnesses and found it in the deep jungle of Peru by befriended Q’ero shamans (including his main source for this book, Don Manuel) or by actions like accessing Machu Pichu’s citadel at night.
While he was already accustomed to the Afro-Indian healing tradition practiced by his nanny during his childhood in Cuba, it was during his doctoral years at San Francisco State University when he really explored about mind-body medicine and neurophysiology of healing, though his travels to Southwestern United States, the Andes, and the Amazon. He then stayed for 4 decades in Peru, blending science and spirituality, teaching about shamanic energy medicine while producing 17 books about shamanism.
Hence, it is not an exaggeration for having such a high expectation for this book. But I’m afraid this is where the honeymoon period stops.
The book continuously written in the borderline between a coverage about shamanism, his own semi-autobiography, and one of those self-help books that based themselves in the law of attraction. It has the feel of “The Secret” element to it, where tapping the creative power of the universe means “when you hold a sacred dream, the universe begins to actively conspire on your behalf to make the impossible doable.” Which is fine if this is indeed a form of practice by shamanism, but Villoldo rarely clarify whether what he’s specifically writing about at that instance is a shaman practice or a personal view.
This makes the book quickly turned from the exciting prospect of teaching us everything about the mysterious shamanism, into one that “borrows” some of the ideas from it and then expanded using the author’s own judgement and experience outside shamanism. But I read on.
To keep the focus on the subject matter, this is what Villoldo wrote that is actually inline with shaman belief: he argues that we’re more than just flesh and bone, that we’re also made of spirit and light surrounded by a Luminous Energy Field (LEF), which is an unending source that exists in every cell of our bodies. And in this book he teaches us how to tap into the creative power of the universe. Sort of. “When you find your sacred dream,” Villoldo remarks, “the creative power of the universe, known by the shamans as the Primordial Light, becomes available to you to create beauty in the world, and to heal yourself and others. You become a luminous warrior.”
So the key question is, what is a sacred dream? There are 3 types of waking dreams: the nightmare, the daydream, and the sacred dream. Out of the 3, only sacred dream can help you fulfill your mission in life.
While a nightmare does not offer you much hope for things to change (such as poor health, growing old, frustrating job or failed marriage), a sacred dream “encourages you to explore the mysteries of life and of love, to glimpse a reality beyond death and discover a timeless truth for yourself. It demands that you act boldly and courageously, and not collude with the consensual—that which everyone agrees on and no one questions—even though it is a popular story that traps us in daydreams that become nightmares.”
So, how do we find our sacred dream? As explained by Villoldo, “[y]ou find your sacred dream by transforming three common dreams many of us are convinced are true and cannot seem to wake up from. They are the dream of security, the dream of permanence, and the dream of love that is unconditional.”
And what do the Shamans do to transform these three? “The shamans do not practice prayer as we know it. They do not meditate. Instead they go on vision quests and practice journeying. They go into nature and fast, drinking only water. After a few days of not eating, once they have burned through all the sugars in their system, they slip into that state between sleeping and waking, where reality ceases to be objective and becomes fluid. In this realm time seems to stop, to warp and fold onto itself, just as it does when we are dreaming.”
“You could be at the foot of a mountain one moment,” Villoldo continues, “and next magically on a beach, the warm sand beneath your feet. An ordinary person might experience this as a mild hallucination induced by starvation. But shamans retain their awareness and focus in these states, so they can meet masters devoid of physical form who offer their wisdom to them. These beings are made of light, since their nature is identical to that of the Primordial Light, and they offer their boundless generosity to anyone seeking help. The closest image we have of these beings is that of the angels we read about in the Bible—numinous, translucent, heavenly.”
If all of these look vague and confusing to you, you’re not alone. At this point, it is vital to point out the importance of the plant hallucinogens that the shamans consume as a key element of the ceremony, a somewhat LSD-like transcendental experience. Which would make this whole seemingly bizarre experience a perfect sense. But Villoldo omitted this massive detail entirely from the book, which was baffling and even misleading.
This incompleteness can be found throughought the book, which creates knowledge gaps between the many different lessons and a difficulty to see the relevance between shamanism and other topics such as his failed marriage (which you will read a lot about in the book). So much so that after reading the book I still have an unclear idea about what shamanism is about. It is such a missed opportunity, given the calibre of the author on this subject. 3.5 stars out of 5.
This is a whole other world, a seemingly bizarre practice that at first defies modern logic but could potentially make sense once we dig deeper under the surface and understand it well enough.
The book is written by Alberto Villoldo, a medical anthropologist dubbed by the New York Times as “the Indiana Jones of the spirit world.” He earned this nickname by looking for an alternative to cure age-old illnesses and found it in the deep jungle of Peru by befriended Q’ero shamans (including his main source for this book, Don Manuel) or by actions like accessing Machu Pichu’s citadel at night.
While he was already accustomed to the Afro-Indian healing tradition practiced by his nanny during his childhood in Cuba, it was during his doctoral years at San Francisco State University when he really explored about mind-body medicine and neurophysiology of healing, though his travels to Southwestern United States, the Andes, and the Amazon. He then stayed for 4 decades in Peru, blending science and spirituality, teaching about shamanic energy medicine while producing 17 books about shamanism.
Hence, it is not an exaggeration for having such a high expectation for this book. But I’m afraid this is where the honeymoon period stops.
The book continuously written in the borderline between a coverage about shamanism, his own semi-autobiography, and one of those self-help books that based themselves in the law of attraction. It has the feel of “The Secret” element to it, where tapping the creative power of the universe means “when you hold a sacred dream, the universe begins to actively conspire on your behalf to make the impossible doable.” Which is fine if this is indeed a form of practice by shamanism, but Villoldo rarely clarify whether what he’s specifically writing about at that instance is a shaman practice or a personal view.
This makes the book quickly turned from the exciting prospect of teaching us everything about the mysterious shamanism, into one that “borrows” some of the ideas from it and then expanded using the author’s own judgement and experience outside shamanism. But I read on.
To keep the focus on the subject matter, this is what Villoldo wrote that is actually inline with shaman belief: he argues that we’re more than just flesh and bone, that we’re also made of spirit and light surrounded by a Luminous Energy Field (LEF), which is an unending source that exists in every cell of our bodies. And in this book he teaches us how to tap into the creative power of the universe. Sort of. “When you find your sacred dream,” Villoldo remarks, “the creative power of the universe, known by the shamans as the Primordial Light, becomes available to you to create beauty in the world, and to heal yourself and others. You become a luminous warrior.”
So the key question is, what is a sacred dream? There are 3 types of waking dreams: the nightmare, the daydream, and the sacred dream. Out of the 3, only sacred dream can help you fulfill your mission in life.
While a nightmare does not offer you much hope for things to change (such as poor health, growing old, frustrating job or failed marriage), a sacred dream “encourages you to explore the mysteries of life and of love, to glimpse a reality beyond death and discover a timeless truth for yourself. It demands that you act boldly and courageously, and not collude with the consensual—that which everyone agrees on and no one questions—even though it is a popular story that traps us in daydreams that become nightmares.”
So, how do we find our sacred dream? As explained by Villoldo, “[y]ou find your sacred dream by transforming three common dreams many of us are convinced are true and cannot seem to wake up from. They are the dream of security, the dream of permanence, and the dream of love that is unconditional.”
And what do the Shamans do to transform these three? “The shamans do not practice prayer as we know it. They do not meditate. Instead they go on vision quests and practice journeying. They go into nature and fast, drinking only water. After a few days of not eating, once they have burned through all the sugars in their system, they slip into that state between sleeping and waking, where reality ceases to be objective and becomes fluid. In this realm time seems to stop, to warp and fold onto itself, just as it does when we are dreaming.”
“You could be at the foot of a mountain one moment,” Villoldo continues, “and next magically on a beach, the warm sand beneath your feet. An ordinary person might experience this as a mild hallucination induced by starvation. But shamans retain their awareness and focus in these states, so they can meet masters devoid of physical form who offer their wisdom to them. These beings are made of light, since their nature is identical to that of the Primordial Light, and they offer their boundless generosity to anyone seeking help. The closest image we have of these beings is that of the angels we read about in the Bible—numinous, translucent, heavenly.”
If all of these look vague and confusing to you, you’re not alone. At this point, it is vital to point out the importance of the plant hallucinogens that the shamans consume as a key element of the ceremony, a somewhat LSD-like transcendental experience. Which would make this whole seemingly bizarre experience a perfect sense. But Villoldo omitted this massive detail entirely from the book, which was baffling and even misleading.
This incompleteness can be found throughought the book, which creates knowledge gaps between the many different lessons and a difficulty to see the relevance between shamanism and other topics such as his failed marriage (which you will read a lot about in the book). So much so that after reading the book I still have an unclear idea about what shamanism is about. It is such a missed opportunity, given the calibre of the author on this subject. 3.5 stars out of 5.
November 8, 2018
I had high expectations of this book but unfortunately I was disappointed.
It is supposedly about finding a sacred dream, shamans of the Andes and luminous warriors.
Unfortunately, I had difficulty in understanding what the book was all about. It was a bit too spacey, if one can say that, and not concrete and focused enough for me. There were too many new concepts and names to remember.
There was the Primordial light and the power of Ti. There were the Laika, whoever they were. There was the myth of Inkari and the Q’ero villages.
Other reviewers found this to be a great book; it’s just not for me.
It is supposedly about finding a sacred dream, shamans of the Andes and luminous warriors.
Unfortunately, I had difficulty in understanding what the book was all about. It was a bit too spacey, if one can say that, and not concrete and focused enough for me. There were too many new concepts and names to remember.
There was the Primordial light and the power of Ti. There were the Laika, whoever they were. There was the myth of Inkari and the Q’ero villages.
Other reviewers found this to be a great book; it’s just not for me.
April 14, 2023
Можеше и по-дълбоко и не толкова разхвърляно. Началото беше грабващо и макар да имах няколко Аха-моменти и места с истински прозрения, като цяло усещането е, че авторът се плъзга по повърхността и не дава най-важното - техниките, чрез които се достига на практика до това, за което говори. Освен това усетих горчив привкус от лошия му опит с католицизма, който го кара твърде натрапчиво да се опитва да те убеди във вредата от религията като цяло. Все пак ще си взема няколко важни идеи, над които бих задълбала по-подробно, докато си пия чая. :)
May 5, 2020
Starting with the universal daydreams that keep us all in their thrall, Villoldo notes that each of these can ultimately become a nightmare. We imagine we are secure, but how can we really be safe? We dream that our existence or circumstances are permanent, but we know this is not true. We believe that love is unconditional and forever, but.... His analysis is a neat way of summing up the human condition. The author then explores the more purposeful and creative dreaming of the Andean and Amazonian shamans, giving snippets of his experiences and interactions with them. The message of the book is that ultimately, the dream/nightmare of our lives can be transformed to a kind of freedom as we dream a new world into being. Woo-woo to be sure, but rather captivating.
January 24, 2019
4.5/5
Simple, easy read on taking in practices on Shamanism in three ways. It is filled with anecdotes from his own life while also providing an historical perspective and how it affects the world today.
Simple, easy read on taking in practices on Shamanism in three ways. It is filled with anecdotes from his own life while also providing an historical perspective and how it affects the world today.
August 9, 2019
Easy to read, interesting stories, and helpful reminders. I like the recommended exercises at the end. A great way to stay centered and connected.
July 26, 2022
3.5
Maybe one day my dream of having half stars for ratings on Goodreads will exist! 🤞🏼 💫 💥
Maybe one day my dream of having half stars for ratings on Goodreads will exist! 🤞🏼 💫 💥
August 23, 2021
An inspiring reminder to dream big, shed the ego, and become love. It is filled with sublime insights into our divine nature, our power to transform life, and the beauty of transience. Villoldo shares his wisdom as a self-transformation guide, but it is heavily infused with the anthropology and beliefs of the Q’ero—a remote ethnic group in the southern highlands of the Andes—and one shaman in particular—Don Manuel Quispe—whom Villoldo travelled with for thirty years. The highlight of the Q’ero belief system, for me, is their application of dream analogies to understand Reality. The Q’ero and the author make excellent use of our nightly teachers.
”Wide awake, we realize that life is indeed a dream and that we can transform it, that we can dream with our eyes open, and that we have the power to have original dreams”
Unfortunately, I found the book difficult to follow at times. It tends to jump between prescriptive guidance, Q’ero anthropology, snippets of autobiography, digressions into Christianity and Buddhism, and other cultural references. The slices are so thin and scattered that it is difficult to determine which tradition the lesson is drawing from and which chapter of the author’s fascinating life he is referring to. Some of the lessons seem to be syncretizations of Q’ero culture and nondualist philosophy. The nondualist portions are extremely compelling, like embracing impermanence, becoming no one—simply Being, purging desire and fear, and experiencing our connection to all of creation. But many of the extra, Q’ero-flavored components were hard for me to swallow.
Specifically, the Laika are the hardest to swallow. They are the wise, ancient sage-shamans who have reincarnated as the modern Q’ero but have existed for untold millenia, quietly steering our world from catastrophe by choosing the best of our alternate destinies with their mountaintop dreams. The Laika are all remnants and reincarnations of an ancient race from the star cluster Pleiades. They have the power to fly, become invisible, choose the time and place of their rebirth, and even forestall reincarnation by stepping out of time, remaining in a “field state of limitless possibilities” until the world is ready for their teachings. They built Machu Picchu and Monte Verde (which is 16,000 years old). They foretold the founding of the Incan empire as well as its conquest by the Spaniards. They are guided by Force-ghost-like luminous apparitions, and they await the return of their messiah—Inkari—or their apocalypse—Pachakuti—whichever comes first. I could not find a single reference to the Laika on the internet that did not originate from the author’s own work.
Villoldo does not report on the Laika impartially, as an anthropologist might, but instead he adopts much of it into his prescriptive lessons as truth. But if we decide we don’t buy it, which pieces of guidance can we trust? The author himself makes this exact argument about Christianity on page 108. I guess we need to decide quickly, before our nine tries at divinity run out and life consumes our soul (page 105).
“We can’t transform the dream by borrowing someone else’s story.”
”Wide awake, we realize that life is indeed a dream and that we can transform it, that we can dream with our eyes open, and that we have the power to have original dreams”
Unfortunately, I found the book difficult to follow at times. It tends to jump between prescriptive guidance, Q’ero anthropology, snippets of autobiography, digressions into Christianity and Buddhism, and other cultural references. The slices are so thin and scattered that it is difficult to determine which tradition the lesson is drawing from and which chapter of the author’s fascinating life he is referring to. Some of the lessons seem to be syncretizations of Q’ero culture and nondualist philosophy. The nondualist portions are extremely compelling, like embracing impermanence, becoming no one—simply Being, purging desire and fear, and experiencing our connection to all of creation. But many of the extra, Q’ero-flavored components were hard for me to swallow.
Specifically, the Laika are the hardest to swallow. They are the wise, ancient sage-shamans who have reincarnated as the modern Q’ero but have existed for untold millenia, quietly steering our world from catastrophe by choosing the best of our alternate destinies with their mountaintop dreams. The Laika are all remnants and reincarnations of an ancient race from the star cluster Pleiades. They have the power to fly, become invisible, choose the time and place of their rebirth, and even forestall reincarnation by stepping out of time, remaining in a “field state of limitless possibilities” until the world is ready for their teachings. They built Machu Picchu and Monte Verde (which is 16,000 years old). They foretold the founding of the Incan empire as well as its conquest by the Spaniards. They are guided by Force-ghost-like luminous apparitions, and they await the return of their messiah—Inkari—or their apocalypse—Pachakuti—whichever comes first. I could not find a single reference to the Laika on the internet that did not originate from the author’s own work.
Villoldo does not report on the Laika impartially, as an anthropologist might, but instead he adopts much of it into his prescriptive lessons as truth. But if we decide we don’t buy it, which pieces of guidance can we trust? The author himself makes this exact argument about Christianity on page 108. I guess we need to decide quickly, before our nine tries at divinity run out and life consumes our soul (page 105).
“We can’t transform the dream by borrowing someone else’s story.”
February 19, 2022
Insightful book:
1. Transform dream of security into "I am". Become the dreamer and not the dream, the storyteller and not the story.
2. Transform dream of permanence into discovering infinity. There is life in death and death in life. The beauty of impermanence is in the day to day and that this moment will never happen again.
3. Feeling love as the force that help us see the truth amidst the lies. When you practice truth perfectly, then everything you say becomes true, becomes so. Dream at one level above which the problem was created.
3 practices:
1. Speak your truth. Share your truth freely.
2. See beauty everywhere. It is an active and empowering deed. Smile sincerely.
3. Give love freely. Unconditioned love is wild and fierce, still and tempestuous. It demands nothing yet requires everything. Love is a state of being. When you become love, you immediately heal your separation from the source of all things visible and invisible. It is the practice of paying it forward, without expecting anything in return.
1. Transform dream of security into "I am". Become the dreamer and not the dream, the storyteller and not the story.
2. Transform dream of permanence into discovering infinity. There is life in death and death in life. The beauty of impermanence is in the day to day and that this moment will never happen again.
3. Feeling love as the force that help us see the truth amidst the lies. When you practice truth perfectly, then everything you say becomes true, becomes so. Dream at one level above which the problem was created.
3 practices:
1. Speak your truth. Share your truth freely.
2. See beauty everywhere. It is an active and empowering deed. Smile sincerely.
3. Give love freely. Unconditioned love is wild and fierce, still and tempestuous. It demands nothing yet requires everything. Love is a state of being. When you become love, you immediately heal your separation from the source of all things visible and invisible. It is the practice of paying it forward, without expecting anything in return.
September 9, 2020
This book was a huge challenge for me, mainly because I didn’t know much about shamanism. I did understand the 3 dreams, and the idea that we live in 5 forces, and I thought these were well-explained. The most one that resonated with me was love, and that it’s important to love oneself because that would be unconditional.
I felt the key of the book/shamanism is that we should meet our basic human needs (security, life, and love) through ourselves, rather than seek it externally.
The challenge for me was trying to understand his points and apply them to my life, without getting too caught up in the “superstitious” parts. After removing those parts, it felt like what he’s teaching, is taught through therapy, although he kept saying it’s not. Also, it was a challenge to see how my existence should only and solely be validated by myself, because after all, we are social creatures and cannot survive on our own.
I felt the key of the book/shamanism is that we should meet our basic human needs (security, life, and love) through ourselves, rather than seek it externally.
The challenge for me was trying to understand his points and apply them to my life, without getting too caught up in the “superstitious” parts. After removing those parts, it felt like what he’s teaching, is taught through therapy, although he kept saying it’s not. Also, it was a challenge to see how my existence should only and solely be validated by myself, because after all, we are social creatures and cannot survive on our own.
February 23, 2022
In this fascinating book, Alberto Villoldo takes us into the world of the shaman. He talks about their teachings and practices such as dreaming and rituals. The shamans mastered the art of dreaming. Dreaming the world into being.
He writes that we participate in creating our dreams consciously or unconsciously. We have three dreams that can turn into nightmares - These are safety/security, love and fear of death.
There are some simple exercises in the book that are helpful. I enjoyed reading about some of the anecdotes from his life and his conversations with Dom Manuel. Highly recommend the book
He writes that we participate in creating our dreams consciously or unconsciously. We have three dreams that can turn into nightmares - These are safety/security, love and fear of death.
There are some simple exercises in the book that are helpful. I enjoyed reading about some of the anecdotes from his life and his conversations with Dom Manuel. Highly recommend the book
July 2, 2018
The Heart of the Shaman, Stories and Practices of the Luminous Warrior by Alberto Villoldo. Hay House, Inc. Hay House, Inc. Religion & Spirituality, Self-Help. Publication Date 31 Jul 2018. Link: https://thefourwinds.com
5 Stars. An interesting read that imparts the lush wisdom of the Andes along with anecdotes from the author’s experiences with Q'ero medicine man, Don Manuel. Shaman or not, if you havent given Alberto Villoldo’s books a go before, I urge you to give this one a try. Highly recommend.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing this ebook for review.
5 Stars. An interesting read that imparts the lush wisdom of the Andes along with anecdotes from the author’s experiences with Q'ero medicine man, Don Manuel. Shaman or not, if you havent given Alberto Villoldo’s books a go before, I urge you to give this one a try. Highly recommend.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing this ebook for review.
January 1, 2019
Very good spiritual book. I loved the 3 ways at the end to transform your life. Found them relevant particularly the one on living in love and loving your enemy. I also liked that he touched upon both shamanism and Buddhism in his writings.
One small thing, As I read more spiritual books it gets a bit frustrating as this one did in that it spends so much time on how not to live. I suppose appropriate for someone reading their first spiritual book. I will have to read some of his others.
One small thing, As I read more spiritual books it gets a bit frustrating as this one did in that it spends so much time on how not to live. I suppose appropriate for someone reading their first spiritual book. I will have to read some of his others.
October 1, 2018
An easy read with some great wisdom from the shamanistic tradition. Even though he works with shamans specific to the Andes Mtn, the wisdom shared is true for anyone.
November 26, 2018
Another lovely book...thanks Alberto!! So much to learn xx
December 7, 2018
Awesome read
Highly recommend it. Very informative and beautifully written. I finished it in a week and am ready to ready to learn more
Highly recommend it. Very informative and beautifully written. I finished it in a week and am ready to ready to learn more
December 5, 2019
Good insight.
December 13, 2020
我看的是中文版，語句之間的翻得感覺不太有邏輯，所以不好讀，但還是能懂。
薩滿對愛的比喻那段很有趣：你的愛是玉米麵包，還是爆米花？
薩滿對愛的比喻那段很有趣：你的愛是玉米麵包，還是爆米花？
May 24, 2021
Very good described the will power of a Shaman described by Alberto Villoldo.
November 23, 2021
Beautiful. Beautiful. Beautiful. This book made me cry tears of truth.
December 5, 2021
My heart is overflowing with love.
This book explained my world. Love is all. I have waited for this book to help me understand who I is .
This book explained my world. Love is all. I have waited for this book to help me understand who I is .
December 18, 2023
This was helpful for just getting into shamanism
November 15, 2024
Not for me
November 3, 2019
This tells about daydreaming and the concept of time and very insightful things.
February 28, 2021
It s a book that changes your perspective a little about the material decisions we face every day, I recommend, I would continue to see the following book. The author surprised me :)
October 7, 2019
I considered featuring this book as one of Iphelia.com’s Editor’s Bookshelf selections but have yet to finish it. The book is very well written and intriguing; however, I found I couldn’t stay the course as the book went deeper into the specifics (numbers, etc.) of shamanism. I hope to revisit it one day and finish what I started. Alberto Villoldo writes with obvious passion for his subject and is a gifted storyteller. Many will find what they’re looking for in The Heart of the Shaman’s pages.
July 7, 2020
The Heart of the Shaman is a well written and intriguing book. Several of the concepts in this book are things I’ve read and heard several times in several ways. However l, the way Alberto Villoldo writes and shares his findings definitely helped me steep some of the concepts stronger in my minds eyes. Though I’ve finished reading this book I’m sure I will be continuously referring to the spiritual lessons this book laid out simply.
June 28, 2018
An extraordinary book of dreaming about the things in life that we need. Health, love and security are things we hope for but are unable to find. Things we all want yet cannot seem to find. It's about joy and peace. Reading this book was an honor. I hope to be able to do the things that he is teaching. Anyone reading this book will see how to find that which we dream of.
April 29, 2019
It was a good short read, but it sounded heavy handed. I got the same feeling from it as I did with Eat, Pray Love. Shed all of your responsibility, and you will find freedom. As a mother of two, I cannot walk away from everything.
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