The Elements of Shamanism

by Nevill Drury

A richly illustrated voyage into the rituals and inner world of Shamanism. Discusses the power of drumming, animal and spirit guides, sacred plants.

Genres: Nonfiction, Religion, Spirituality, New Age

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Nevill Drury PhD is an independent historical researcher whose specialist interests include modern Western magic, shamanism, transpersonal psychology and visionary art. His most recent publications include The Varieties of Magical Experience (co-authored with Lynne Hume; Praeger, January 2013), Dark Spirits: The Magical Art of Rosaleen Norton and Austin Osman Spare (Salamander, 2012); Stealing Fire from Heaven: the Rise of Modern Western Magic (Oxford University Press 2011); Homage to Pan (Creation Oneiros 2009), The Dictionary of Magic (Watkins 2005) and The New Age: the History of a Movement (Thames & Hudson 2004). He received his Ph.D from the University of Newcastle in 2008 for a dissertation on the visionary art and magical beliefs of Rosaleen Norton (awarded 'Best Humanities Ph.D'. in that year).

Born in England in 1947 but resident in Australia since 1963, Nevill has worked as an international art-book publisher, lecturer and magazine editor and is now a full-time writer. He is the author/co-author/editor of seventy books covering a range of subjects like contemporary art (Images in Contemporary Australian Painting, New Sculpture, Australian Painting Now, Fire and Shadow: Spirituality in Contemporary Australian Art), Aboriginal culture (Wisdom from the Earth), holistic health (The Healing Power, Inner Health) and the magical traditions (Dark Spirits; Stealing Fire from Heaven: Sacred Encounters; Homage to Pan, Inner Visions). He is also the author of a work of mythic fiction, The Shaman's Quest, which was described by Publisher's Weekly as a 'poetic' book that 'could become a classic'. His work has been published in 26 countries and 19 languages.

Reviews

[Zuzanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brief, condense work on shamanism. Touches multiple aspects of shamanish, giving examples from different cultures.

[Shyames · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bardzo dobre wprowadzenie w tematykę szamanizmu. Wychodząc od źródeł szamanizmu dowiadujemy się jakie są wspólne elementy występujące na wszystkich kontynentach, co łączy szamanów ze wszystkich stron świata, jak przedstawia się podstawowa kosmologia, itp. Cenne jest również przytoczenie przez autora wypowiedzi kilku szamanów na temat ich praktyk. Autor odsyła również do podstawowych jego zdaniem pozycji analizujących szamanizmem.
Bardzo dobry punkt wyjścia do dalszej lektury.

[Alana Cash · Rating 1 out of 5]

First of all, this book is not about personal experiences or the author's interaction with shamans. It is a compilation of information that the author has harvested from books written by authors who had personal interactions. For that reason the book is flat and shallow, and the writing is dull. It reads like a dissertation.

Second, the author refers to shaman and shamaness.

Shaman, the word, is not a word indigenous to South America or Mexico, which is the author's main focus. Shamanism is the religion of a Northern Siberia people. The source or the English usase is derived from either a Russian word [Siberia], a Germanic word, or a Chinese word Sha'men. So, "shamaness" is just silly, but also indicative of the author's mentality. It is like saying "Christian" and "Christianess."

This book was written at a time when the mainstream new very little about the religious beliefs, rites and practices of indigenous people and there was growing interest.

[Sinan Cingöz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kitabı Türkçe çevirisinden, Şamanizm Şamanlığın Öğeleri ismi altında okudum.

Genel olarak, şamanizm hakkında fazla detaylı bilgi bulunmuyor. Akademik bir çalışma gibi değil kitap fakat şamanlığın özü gereği böyle olmaması aslında kitabın kıymetini artırmış. Anlatılan şamanik görüler ve yaşanan deneyimler, okuyanın zihninde belli fikirleri uyandırmak için yeterli olmuş.

Ayrıca belirtmek gerekirse, şamanizmin dini taraflarından çok kültürel ve ruhani kısımları aktarılmış. Yani tarafsız bir bakış dengeli bir şekilde nakşedilmiş kitabın sayfalarına.

Keyifle ve ilgiyle okuduğum bir kitap oldu.

[Searchingthemeaningoflife Greece · Rating 5 out of 5]

[...] Αυτός ουσιαστικά είναι ο ρόλος του σαμάνου, να ταξιδέψει σε άλλους κόσμους και να χρησιμοποιήσει την αποκαλυφθείσα γνώση για μία θετική έκβαση. Με τον τρόπο αυτό, ο σαμάνος γίνεται ο διάμεσος ανάμεσα στους θεούς και το ανθρώπινο γένος.[...]

[M. Kutlu · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Şamanlık eğer başka birşey değilse Doğa 'ya saygı duyan dinsel bir bakış açısıdır"

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

A clear and concise introduction to shamanism

[uelker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Daha iyi anlamak için Kültür Bakanlığı'ndan çıkmış, Eski Türk Dini'ni lütfen okuyun. Karşılaştırmak için ikisi gayet ideal.

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

Whatever.

[Clivemichael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short course on the subject, some interesting examples.

[Paweł]

. (this toon is a repeat)