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Chosen by the Spirits: Following Your Shamanic Calling
• Mongolian shamaness Sarangerel provides a hands-on guide for serious students of the shamanic path.
• Includes complete directions for traditional Siberian rituals, meditations, and divination techniques never before published.
• Shows how to recognize and acknowledge a call from the spirits.
• Offers traditional wisdom for nurturing a working relationship with personal spirit helpers to promote healing and balance in a community.
The shaman's purpose is to heal and restore balance to his or her community by developing a working relationship with the spirit world. Mongolian shamanic tradition maintains that all true shamans are called by the spirits--but those who are not from shamanic cultures may have difficulty recognizing the call or nurturing the essential shamanic relationship with their helper spirits.
Buryat shamaness Sarangerel has written Chosen by the Spirits as a guide for both the beginning shaman and the advanced practitioner. Although raised in the United States, she was drawn to the shamanic tradition, and in 1991 returned to her ancestral homeland in the Tunken region of southern Siberia to study with traditional Buryat shamans. Her first book, Riding Windhorses , provided an introduction to the shamanic world of Siberia. Chosen by the Spirits delves more deeply into the personal relationship between the shamanic student and his or her "spirit family." Sarangerel recounts her own journey into shamanic practice and provides the serious student with practical advice and hands-on techniques for recognizing and acknowledging a shamanic calling, welcoming and embodying the spirits, journeying to the spirit world, and healing both people and places.
• Includes complete directions for traditional Siberian rituals, meditations, and divination techniques never before published.
• Shows how to recognize and acknowledge a call from the spirits.
• Offers traditional wisdom for nurturing a working relationship with personal spirit helpers to promote healing and balance in a community.
The shaman's purpose is to heal and restore balance to his or her community by developing a working relationship with the spirit world. Mongolian shamanic tradition maintains that all true shamans are called by the spirits--but those who are not from shamanic cultures may have difficulty recognizing the call or nurturing the essential shamanic relationship with their helper spirits.
Buryat shamaness Sarangerel has written Chosen by the Spirits as a guide for both the beginning shaman and the advanced practitioner. Although raised in the United States, she was drawn to the shamanic tradition, and in 1991 returned to her ancestral homeland in the Tunken region of southern Siberia to study with traditional Buryat shamans. Her first book, Riding Windhorses , provided an introduction to the shamanic world of Siberia. Chosen by the Spirits delves more deeply into the personal relationship between the shamanic student and his or her "spirit family." Sarangerel recounts her own journey into shamanic practice and provides the serious student with practical advice and hands-on techniques for recognizing and acknowledging a shamanic calling, welcoming and embodying the spirits, journeying to the spirit world, and healing both people and places.
224 pages, Paperback
First published May 15, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 15, 2013
I got this book for research purposes, to learn about the specifics of Tengriism and because I was told it has a complete shamanic pantheon (which I can't really find anywhere else). It met both those expectations, giving clear and concise descriptions of shamanic rituals and providing a full, almost encyclopedic listing of the various gods and spirits worshipped in high Asia.
One thing I wished this book had of dealt with which it didn't was the issue of fatalism in Sky Worship. I've heard that there's a very strong fatalist element to the religion, and Sarangerel does list Tenger Esege [Tengri] as “...the ultimate determiner of the fate of everything” [Page 216] but there's no discussion of destiny beyond that.
For research purposes, I have to give it a five star, because I'll definitely be using some of the information in here in the novel I'm working on.
One thing I wished this book had of dealt with which it didn't was the issue of fatalism in Sky Worship. I've heard that there's a very strong fatalist element to the religion, and Sarangerel does list Tenger Esege [Tengri] as “...the ultimate determiner of the fate of everything” [Page 216] but there's no discussion of destiny beyond that.
For research purposes, I have to give it a five star, because I'll definitely be using some of the information in here in the novel I'm working on.
January 12, 2019
Even if you don't plan on exploring a tradition that could be considered shamanic or shamanic inspired this is an interesting exploration of Buryat shamanism and the cosmology and technology therein.
October 28, 2022
Amazing Book <3
November 27, 2022
Wonderful
Highly recommended work! I cannot say enough good things about this work and am thankful for stumbling across it. Thank you Sarangerel for sharing your traditions with us!
Highly recommended work! I cannot say enough good things about this work and am thankful for stumbling across it. Thank you Sarangerel for sharing your traditions with us!
September 20, 2015
Sarangerel takes us deeper into the specifics of Buryat shamanism than any other source I've found. Her precision in words and organization of practices is essential to any shaman or researcher. Sarangerel does not write deeply on "dark," "heavy," or "light-less" spirits while discussing soul travel, or house clearings, etc. I wish she had. I will be buying her other book for this source, which she claims to have detailed further.
So grateful to have found such a treasure. Thank you, Sarangerel!
So grateful to have found such a treasure. Thank you, Sarangerel!
June 10, 2013
Excellent information based on vast experience, expressed clearly with warmth and an encouraging spirit of generosity. A more extended review at my blog:
http://paradoxmysteryandawe.blogspot....
http://paradoxmysteryandawe.blogspot....
October 14, 2008
An American born Buryat, goes back to her people, learns the true Shamanism and writes about it.
November 7, 2012
This book surprised me. I truly enjoyed it, learned a great deal, and was impressed by how much of it resonated deeply with my own beliefs. There is much to be learned here.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews