Rating: 
Summary: Nonfiction or imagination - still a great read!
Review: -
I read this volume after hearing an interview Hank had given.
Although many of the individuals providing a review of this are Shamans or Shaman-apprentices, I am not. I have the amount of experience that Hank had at the mid point of his story. I am gathering from this story that it might be that neither Nainoa or Hank were in control of the experiences.
I truly valued the mystical aspect of the story in which Pele, the Leopardman, and the guardians provide lessons and assistance. The interactions between the various spirits and Hank or Nainoa is enlightening. Hawaii is truly a place which inspires the mystical experience.
I truly enjoyed the story. I am not here to debate the actual reality of this story. Regardless of the classification of fiction or non-fiction, this book is extremely entertaining and is a very good read. My only complaint is that the version I read was published in 8 pt font so it was straining to read such tiny print. If the print of this volume is as depicted in the Amazon preview, then it is a different edition that the edition that I read. Amazon's version appears to have at least a 10 pt font.
On a personal note, I enjoyed it since I have had random occurrences such as visions of the Leopardman (and of a stern owl), the pulsing when transitioning, the buzzing, the paralysis, some of the geometric visions, etc. I have never tried to control or expand on these. This story comforted me in that I know that I do not have an illness or disorder. It was very enlightening to know that this is a common spiritual occurrence that has been happening throughout the millenia.
I highly recommend this book and I must say that it has inspired me to read additional books written by Hank Wesselman.
Rating: 
Summary: Couldn't put it down.
Review: A must read for anyone who's interests lie in this field of study. From the first word to the last, the book held my attention with it's beautiful imagery and style. It will change the way you think and your view of the world. It is truly one of the most powerful pieces of literature that I have ever read. Hank Wesselman is a true visionary whose experiences within the spirtworld hold truth and enlightenment. If your looking for a book that deals with the spiritual aspects of youself then this is the book for you.
Rating:
Summary: Humbled with gratitude
Review: All I can give is praise and deep thanks. Had it been written as a science fiction novel (as the author once considered doing), it would have been one of the best I ever read. But having the author's own thoughts and insights and feelings about it interspersed was breathtaking. It verified everything I have known "intuitively" about the meaning of life. And I am so happy about the picture given of this wonderful Earth's future. I look forward to reincarnation at that time; it sounds like heaven to me (the cheerful, peace-loving, nomadic hunter-gather tribes anyway ... not so sure about the Hawaiian chiefdoms). I look forward with great anticipation to reading the next two books in this trilogy.
Rating:
Summary: Humbled with gratitude
Review: All I can give is praise and deep thanks. Had it been written as a science fiction novel (as the author once considered doing), it would have been one of the best I ever read. But having the author's own thoughts and insights and feelings about it interspersed was breathtaking. It verified everything I have known "intuitively" about the meaning of life. And I am so happy about the picture given of this wonderful Earth's future. I look forward to reincarnation at that time; it sounds like heaven to me (the cheerful, peace-loving, nomadic hunter-gather tribes anyway ... not so sure about the Hawaiian chiefdoms). I look forward with great anticipation to reading the next two books in this trilogy.
Rating:
Summary: Thought Provoking
Review: At first I was really bored by Wesselman's description of his experiences. I've read a lot of New Age books and I was thinking this is just another guy telling about his 'weird experience'. However once he met Nainoa and started describing life in the future, I got interested. I was very surprised by his discussion of metals. We really take a lot for granted these days and this book will make you think about what life would be like without the conveniences we have today.
Rating:
Summary: Spiritwalker Participant-Observer
Review: Hank's first book was a journey that perked my interest (in 1996) when his experiences mirrored puzzling sensations of sleep states I was experiencing (minus the sex). If you are open to the messages you can see and experience the wisdom as it unfolds. Reading this book I had a familiarity with a lot of the information he was processing. This book may not be for everyone, or I should say, it is not for the closed mind or "quick to judge", if you refuse to put aside layers of societal brainwashing and criticize at every step, you will not be ready to receive the gift of shared wisdom. I speak from growing up with traditional teachings of a Mohawk Nation, and often times, my formal anthropological education clashed with my cultural beliefs. Spiritwalker allowed me to fill in the gaps that a formal education often tries to dispel over traditional teachings. Thank you Hank for the wisdom shared and gratitude to the Hawaiian Elders and the Ancestors for their validation, also the Descendants who helped the process, and the Divine Spirit who guided.Not forgetting to mention, in the book the perceptions of "human nature" people experience, often makes people question their own survival in the Human (Rat) Race. So some people choose therapy, and/or any array of other vices to dull their senses. I like how the "shared wisdom" sheds light on topics such as addictions and other human nature fallacies. In Spiritwalker, I found affirmation in the shared wisdom ... the answers that are attainable if we re-learn "living" without the fear-based mentality and destruction we "pre-set" for ourselves. Onen ...
Rating: 
Summary: Ho hum. ;-(
Review: Here I go again. ;-( Many people knowing of my interested in assorted forms of Shamanism recommended this book as an autoritive book on the subject. Not in my opinion. ;-( First; Dr. Wesselman is unable to decide whether to write about HUNA (as espoused by Serge Kahili King (not much regard for this author when it comes to HUNA).), or to write about Core Shamanism as espoused by Michael Harner. I have a high amount of respect for Michael Harner, and the Foundation for Shamanic Studies. Second; These experiences happened to Dr. Wesselman, and he had no control over the experiences. The Shaman MUST have control over the experience (either by his/her conscious will, or by getting help from his/her totem (power)animal that protects and guides the Shaman on journeys into the Otherworld. Sometimes the Shaman has to be the 800 pound gorilla and tell the spirits where to get off. A shaman without the inner strength and will to do what must be done is a worthless Shaman. Third. Every visionary experience was to visit Nainoa living about 5000 years in the future. To me this is very suspect. When I began seeing and hearing the spirits 40 years ago, I encountered many different spirits. Some were friendly, and many were not. fourth; The largest portion of the book occurs 5000 years in the future (after the fall of western civilization) with elephants, spotted tigers, and many other animals today only found in circuses and zoos. It is improbable if not impossible for those animals to be the decendents of the animals in circuses and zoos. I say that for two reasons. a. the gene pool would not be sufficient to sustain the colony. b. If western civilization falls, and people get hungry, you will see the people killing animals for food, and decimating the forests for wood to use as fuel to keep warm in cold weather, and use for cooking the food they can get, and animals in cages would be food the hunter gatherers could get much easier than wild animals in the forests. I encourage questions and comments about reviews; Two Bears. Wah doh Ogedoda (We give thanks Great Spirit)
Rating: 
Summary: Another New Age Fundamentalist?
Review: I am amazed that the author takes his dreamlike experiences 5000 years in the future literally. Isn't it a wonderful coincidence that he lived on Hawaii and then started having these dreamlike visions (after hot sex) about a descendent (from Hawaii) in California 5000 years from now? And after 5000 years, they still have books written in English? Let's get a sense of time proportion here. The Egyptian high culture is less than 5000 years old. The idea that books written today will be on book shelves in 5000 years (in a language accessible to the survivors of an apocalypse that marked the destruction of civilization) is more far fetched than the view that animals now only native to Africa will be wild in California at that time. What I've found in my personal experience is that those with a highly developed intellect (left brain focus) who start having any sort of mystical experiences tend to lack a discernment in evaluating them. They take them literally and start espousing a new "truth" (copywrite pending) and then take to the road of bookstores and lectures to promote it. This is a form of New Age Fundamentalism, not much different from the person raised in a secular home who finds comfort and security in the literal focus of a fundamentalist religious dogma, then goes around preaching it. If you want another New Age book about wild adventures that would make Edgar Rice Burroughs proud (he liked the theme of the jungle life inside a hollow earth, or on secluded islands or via Tarzan in the interior of Africa) then buy the book. If you are seeking SPIRITUAL enlightenment, you can do a lot better.
Rating:
Summary: thoughts from one of Dr. Wesselman's students
Review: I am currently a student of Dr. Wesselman, and read this book at his reccomendation. While not nearly as captivating as his lectures, this book definately kept my attention. The part that bothered me was his method of achieving an altered state. While it is reveiled in the second book why the visions are always early in the morning, it doesn't make sense. We learn that visions like this are achieved through suffering, he is able to vision after intense pleasure. Overall, this book kept my attention and helped my studies.
Rating:
Summary: Spiritwalker: Messages from the future
Review: I was at a small town library at a craft show. This book just about fell into my hands. So I took the book home. Now I have always wanted to read Carlos Castanda's books ,which I have all of them, but never have opened them. For some reason this one attracted me. It is written very well and I have learned quite a bit from the book. I am anxious to start the sequel to Spiritwalker and hope to find the same quality of writting and interest. This is a must for anyone wanting to learn about shamanism.
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