Urban Shaman

by Serge Kahili King

The first practical guide to applying the ancient healing art of Hawaiian shamanism to our modern lives. Uniquely suited for use in today's world, Hawaiian shamanism follows the way of the adventurer, which produces change through love and cooperation—in contrast to the widely known way of the warrior, which emphasizes solitary quests and conquest by power. Now, even if you can't get out into the wilderness or undertake a long apprenticeship with a shaman, you can learn to practice the art of shamanism. You'll learn how —Interpret and change your dreams —Heal yourself, your relationships, and the environment —Cast the shaman stones to foretell the future —Design and perform powerful rituals —Shapechange —Make vision quests to other realities And more.

Genres: Spirituality, Nonfiction, Self Help, Magick, Paganism, Psychology, Audiobook

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[Ayz]

if you’ve experienced mystical states, or been witness to reality-bending moments in your life, then this book will only shed more light on the things you’ve already experienced, but maybe could not articulate, nor control, due to lack of knowledge and understanding.

a book for people who’ve brushed shoulders with the mystical and want to know what might be going on, or how to harnass the knowledge to help others and yourself.

obviously not for the uninitiated, nor any staunch materialist. just hit skip, if you are.

otherwise you’re in for a treat.

[Eileen]

An amazing and eye-opening book for me. About the traditional practices of native Hawaiians, which are based on 7 principles: the world is what you think it is, there are no limits, energy flows where attention goes, now is the moment of power, to love is to be happy with, all power comes from within, and effectiveness is the measure of truth. Much of this world view is similar to what science is telling us about the body, the mind, and basic physics. As a philosophy of life, it is helpful and hopeful, for oneself, others, our communities, and the planet.

[Bruce]

I first read this book 10-15 years ago, and was impressed and I suppose overwhelmed with the number of practices, albeit explained in an accessible style. This book is dressed up as Huna magic, but it touches on many different areas from the author's informed and eclectic practice.

I'm reviewing it now because I've picked it up again after all this time and found that it has good information on two more topics that I have since gotten quite deeply into but wasn't aware of at the time.

This is real, actionable knowledge from a modern practitioner. Highly recommended.

[James]

This is a really cool little magical system. It has been said before but I think that this isn't so much pure Huna as much as it is Kahili King's creation from his varied shamanistic practices. I think that this book needs to be used alongside one of his others called "Mastering the Hidden Self." I actually like that one a bit more although Urban Shaman is a cooler title. I haven't used everything in this book because I don't think I am advanced enough in my "hoo doo" but I have used some things and they work well. In particular I really like a divination technique that he describes using coins. I use that technique from time to time and the results have been right on.

[Sandra]

While I don't buy into 100% of the claims made in this book, I loved learning about the Polynesian approach to Shamanism. The exercises in this book are really interesting and practical. I look forward to trying them out. All in all, a great read peppered with fun stories. In a genre full of a million copies of practically the same text, it was nice to read something different.

[Geoff Skellams]

This was one of the books that literally changed my life. The revelations I had from the first three chapters were so profound, I nearly ended up in tears. A year later, I did a workshop with Serge King and it was a wonderful learning experience.

[Erisson]

Read this one quite a while ago, so this is going to be a "review light". I really liked this book when I first read it, and have read it at least once since. It may have been a side effect of what I was reading at the time, but it reminded me quite a bit of NLP, rather than any occult or magical tradition I am familiar with. So that makes me question the legitimacy of the "Ancient Hawaiian Tradition" aspects.

But I'm an eclectic mage/witch/shaman/heathen/whatever you want to call me, so what really matters is the effectiveness of the techniques. And like NLP, the techniques are remarkably effective. Also like NLP, the results are fleeting unless you can maintain the mindfullness needed to keep aware of the techniques, and keep practicing them in daily life. That's not something I've ever been very good at.

I'd be curious what others think of the link between Huna and NLP. I think I read Using Your Brain for a Change and I feel there's a connection. Also, I'm currently reading The Book of Results, one of the seminal books on Chaos Magic, and I feel there's also quite a bit of overlap/sourcing there.

[Abby]

I bought this book way back in the middle 90s when I worked in Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA. At the T stop (subway) was a man selling books on a big wooden cart. This caught my eye so I bought it. I have read and re-read it a few times. The book is spiritual, and very much about healing your mind, body, and soul. No matter what your beliefs are, I think everyone could relate to this book and glean something peaceful from it.

[Buck Wilde]

A white dude was adopted by a Hawaiian family and inducted into the traditional Hawaiian shamanic belief systems, which is like a cross between Barnes and Noble New Age philosophy and mid-century psychoanalysis.

The shamans call the unconscious something else, but it serves the same function, sort of a middle ground between psychodynamic and Adlerian individual psychology wherein the individual creates the reality that best support their narrative, in that the narrative is defined by the reality that this internal spirit/unconscious placeholder accepts. I wish I remembered the word, but I don't speak Hawaiian and I listened to it on audiobook so my phonetic attempts would embarrass us both.

Soul retrieval is PTSD therapy, almost exactly. Mr. King kind of admits to being a huckster, but in a good-natured and charmingly self-deprecating way, best paraphrased as, "What matters is the people believe it, and it makes them feel better."

A little woo for my tastes, but an excellent read, especially if you can draw the psych parallels.

[Catherine Green]

A friend bought me this book as a birthday gift, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. At the time I was concerned that my shaman activities were not progressing as they should, but now I feel calm, confident and filled with renewed enthusiasm about my life journey. If you are curious about what it is to be a shaman, then this is a good book to start with. It is easy to read, does not dictate a strict regime or spiritual practise, and gives you plenty to think about and explore in your own time. If you are already a practising shaman, this book serves as a useful resource for reference and alternative cultural practices.

[Ranae]

By the time this book came out I had already read all of Max F. Longs books on Huna, and King made this sound way to easy. I was very disapointed in it. I went through it and was able to use alot of it since it was not in the christian context as Longs is, but it still was a disapointment to me.

[David]

The Huna philosophy is so flexible and based on love; there is room in even system, every environment for Huna to coexists with already existing ideas. A sure fire path to learning the innate self-healing capacity of the human.

[Corbett]

Just trying the exercises he presents makes a difference.

[Kar]

This is a great pratical book about how to make your life better by doing very simple exercises and just thinking a little in a different way.

[Michael]

A really significant book and very supportive if you want to get in tune with energy manifestations in the environment and yourself.

[Melita]

This is an awesome book! It really helped me to understand my healing gifts in a deeper and more profound way.

[May Reads]

An interesting introduction to Shamanism - definitely worth a read.

[Becki Baumgartner]

Loved this book!

[Ugnius]

It's a book that quite in detail describes very rich practises and worldview of Hawayian Shamanism. It broadened my understanding of shamanism and esoteric practices overall, also it contains some super usefull perspectives and practical advises to incorporate into one's everyday life. However, some of content is hyper-esoteric and author tries to back it up logicaly, sometimes even from a scientific aproach, but he fails to be precise in it, therefore I give it 4 not 5 stars. All in all it's a very useful book to read.

[Zen Shaman]

An intriguing and necessary read for those of us looking to practise Shamanism in the modern, urban world.

In the past, shamans were forest dwellers who lived alongside nature. They were a nomadic people who were in tune with nature.

This age needs a new spirit of shamanism that is suitable to modern life. I highly recommend this to new practitioners of shamanism or those who are seeking to apply old beliefs to the modern world.

[Renee]

Excellent reference source for those looking for information, from a modern perspective, about the Hawaiian Huna history and practice. Well written and does not read like a new age self help text. Instead, we learn about today’s Huna practitioners and their work based on ancient traditions, through the eyes of someone who can correlate it with modern scientific/psychological understanding.

[Alexpa]

Good vibration. Positive

[Logan Streondj]

Very good practical overview of Hawaiian shamanism with history, explanations of concepts, practical application and exercises.

[Marina Marchese]

Be aware
Be free
Be focused
Be here
Be loved
Be strong
Be healed

This has been my mantra for the past 30 years.

[LauraJL]

4.5

[Branusik]

Gud, thank you mister

[Michael Moy]

Huna works but it is a totally different lens. Not for those who are unwilling to suspend rationality.

[Drake]

Hippie shit

[Awenydd Orchantra Faeryn]

3.5 Stars


Having new vocabulary steeped in tradition is helpful in moving away from possible negative connotations associated with spiritual words that maybhave developed (consider ego")

I enjoyed my time in this read, and the self-reflections.
I would read another book by this author.

[Bill Smith]

UPDATE: The more I think about it, the more I recommend this book. You can see where non Hawaiian took a Theosophy approach to Hawaiian beliefs. You can also see where Scientology took concepts from them. HOWEVER Serge Kahili King takes a much better approach to Huna than it’s “western founder Max Long took.—-
Honestly I originally had mixed feelings about this book and the author. I gave the book a second change and I loved it. I agree with him on the importance of mindset and how we view the world.