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Summary: Thank you Kay Whitaker for a FABULOUS book!
Review: If you liked Dan Millman's "Sacred Journey of the Peaceful Warrior", then let Kay Whitaker's "The Reluctant Shaman" take you on even deeper sacred journey. My consciousness altered noticably every time I started reading it...and then magical shifts started happening in my life!
Suggestion: read "Reluctant Shaman" for pleasure and knowledge, then use it as a text book. I have practiced many of the exercises (finding my song, the kundalini and chakra experiences, etc.) and I'm delighted with the surprises that have made me grow! I love to e x p a n d my awareness and this book is a treasure into which I repeatedly dig. There is more packed in here than meets the eye! This book's a keeper for anyone who is a mystic/shaman in training! Let your heart sing!
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Summary: An experiential book
Review: It was so comforting to realize that a single woman living pretty much in a middle America lifestyle could actually go on adventures and really learn about herself while staying in school and raising childern! I thought this was pretty much impossible. My hopes for myself have been transformed-if Kay did it; why not me?
I respect Kay Whitaker's courage to share about her fears and confusion during the teaching process.This also confirms for me that she was not trying to be put herself on a pedestal, but instead was sharing her entire process. Again I get the message that even through all those fears, Kay still pursued connecting to the unseen spirits on this Earth and connecting to her true Self. If She can do it, then so can I!
The different stories Kay shares that are from her teachers, the Hetakas,has helped me to change my perspective from a head oriented approach of viewing myself and Mother Earth to a more heart feeling point of view. These stories have filled me with a strong desire to learn how to truly connect to my Self and to Mother Earth. I love reading them again and again.
This book is for anyone who is curious about Self. You begin the adventure simply by reading the book and letting it touch your heart.
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Summary: A truly interesting story, but a difficult read...
Review: Kay Cordell Whitaker's book detailing the beginnings of her life as a shamanic practioner is a great story but - in the humble opinion of this double degree Lit grad - is hard reading. Whitaker's literary style in itself is simple, but nearly ALL of the book is composed of direct quotations from her teachers, which becomes rather exhausting after a while and, for those looking to get quickly to the meat of a story, drags that meat as though it were on a teasing stick before the reader. Ironically, the highlights of the book are actually the little stories told by her male teacher, of spiritual life in his native village in South America. If you're a patient soul, and you can get all the way through this, I am certain you will gain much. Personally, I found Paradise Lost a breeze compared to this...
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Summary: Genuine initiation into shamanism
Review: My first meeting with Kay's Teaching was several years ago, when I ran into her book at a bookshop in Belgrade and it has been my companion ever since. Initiation, a Source of Inspiration for Discovering the Higher Self. I am very, very grateful for that experience and spiritual support. My interest in shamanism, healing sciences etc. has been rapidly growing ever since. When I complete my degree -I am resolved to come to the United States for a full training. If there is a Life task then "Reluctant Shamanism(lol)" is a part of it - a major stepping stone.
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Summary: Different....
Review: Okay, I'll admit I bought this book because of the fabulous cover art. Not the first time I've done this, sad to say. But the circle of stones in front of the refrigerator intrigued me and my imagination went wild with the possibilities of the story line. It was not what I expected, but I'd probably buy it again, if only for the great cover. The story was a bit unbelievable and convoluted, but interesting. You've got to admire the author for her spunk in writing this little tome. I'll definitely give her another chance and read more of her writing. In the future I'll also try to remember that worn old adage, "You can't judge a book by it's cover...."
Rating:
Summary: Different....
Review: Okay, I'll admit I bought this book because of the fabulous cover art. Not the first time I've done this, sad to say. But the circle of stones in front of the refrigerator intrigued me and my imagination went wild with the possibilities of the story line. It was not what I expected, but I'd probably buy it again, if only for the great cover. The story was a bit unbelievable and convoluted, but interesting. You've got to admire the author for her spunk in writing this little tome. I'll definitely give her another chance and read more of her writing. In the future I'll also try to remember that worn old adage, "You can't judge a book by it's cover...."
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Summary: INSPIRING, BEAUTIFUL, MAGICAL
Review: One of my favorite books...I was caught up in the beauty and magic of the story...inspires you to look and pray for such a beautiful connection with shamanic teachers of heart and spirit!
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Summary: The most incredible book about Finding and Living Your Song
Review: The most incredible book about Finding and Living Your Song, Living Your True Beingness!I happen to not only know Ms. Whitaker but also to have studied with her for almost a decade. The Reluctant Shaman together with her forthcoming book Sacred Link are the only two books I ever wanted to read more than once. In fact her work is so incredible I am still rereading her books. For two_bears, the previous reviewer of this book, to assume that Domano spiked Ms. Whitaker's coffee with a psychotropic substance is not only presumptuous but also preposterous, arrogant, incompetent and, contrary to what two_bears wants to make us believe, not in the least observant. Kay Cordell Whitaker, the author of this incredible work had to make a commitment to never ever consume any kind of hallucinogenic, psychotropic or other mind-altering substances such as alcohol for the rest of her life before Domano and Chea would even agree to teach her and if two_bears would actually read what he bashes he could read that right in the book. Mind altering substances never were part of their training and are in no way part of Ms. Whitaker's teachings. So much for his trained eye, or might it be blind? I checked two_bears list of reviews and bio and he starts most of his many negative reviews with either "I despise writing negative reviews" or "Here I go again" and than in the prejudice manner of many of his colleges, he writes about things he has no idea about. Just because he doesn't understand chapter 3, or the entire book for that matter, doesn't mean it's a bad book. Two_bears states that he carries a pipe made out of catlinite no less. I happen to carry a pipe made of the same stone, and I happened to have been in and around native ceremonies for many years. What I often hear from these people is, just because we are different and the white culture doesn't understand us, doesn't mean we are bad! So perhaps Mr. two_bears ought to refresh himself with tribal belief; just because The Reluctant Shaman is different from most of what he is reading and he doesn't have a clue of what the author is writing about, doesn't mean it's a bad book. I also happen to have gone through the ceremony of meeting Death and Destiny - the one that two_bears' blind eye cannot see for what it truly is and has mistaken it for a drug experience - and it was among the most life altering experiences I have ever encountered and nothing that I have experienced with North American Native ceremony, or any other tradition for that matter, comes even remotely close. It might puff up Mr. two_bears' ego to have the power to strike down on other peoples who do incredible work in their field, but it only confirms my experience and suspicion with far too many pipe carriers - if that's what he truly is - that many of them carry arrogance and prejudice right along with their pipe and that arrogance and prejudice matches or even outranks that of the white culture any day. The commitment of Ms. Whitaker to her teachers and her spirit guides is to teach people about Song, a poetic term Domano and Chea Hetaka used to describe one's true Self, one's individual piece of Creator, one's true Beingness; something I highly doubt Mr. two_bears will ever experience because judgment is not part of the Hetakas' way of life, in fact Domano and Chea's people didn't even have a word for judgment in their language. In his bio Mr. two_bears states that he sees it as his duty to caution those that follow in his footsteps about what he has read. I usually caution everybody about following another person's footsteps; I generally encourage people to walk their own. And I especially cannot caution you enough to even think about following this mans footsteps. If you are on a path to finding the truth about who you really are, of finding your own Song, and what your purpose is in this life; if you are on a path to truly waking up and are tired of living a life surrounded by judgment; if you would like to take control of your life and shed the habitual social programming which Domano and Chea called our masks, ignore the previous review, get the book and quite possibly enjoy the most wonderful teachings and stories ever shared by a people. Wanowa Ka Ta See
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Summary: Mesmerizingly Beautiful
Review: The Reluctant Shaman is so much more than a compellingly good read (which it also is!). It is one of those precious and rare books that is alive with the energy of what it is expressing. And it is an invitation to connect with the power and generosity of the tradition, wisdom and perspective of Kay's teachers, the Hetakas of Eastern Peru. I was quickly drawn into its force field of transformation. It entered my dreams and I found myself waking in the middle of the night just to get up and savor another chapter and the energy and transformation it would bring. As I read it, I felt a definite inner shift, bringing a heightened feeling of aliveness and connection. I also highly recommend Kay's CD's: Song Magic and the Dance of the Earth Fire Serpent. They are powerful, clear and deeply transformational.
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Summary: Kay Cordell Whitaker makes what she does sound do-able.
Review: This book makes me want to kiss the sky and reminds me to hug the wind. Like the other reviewer I love to reread The Reluctant Shaman. I always seem to find a new story and to experience small shifts in my relationship to the web of the world. I've given copies of this book to many people. I would say she out Castanedas Carlos Castaneda, but somehow I think she is too imbued with her song, and thus too modest to care. I am pleased -- no, thrilled -- to learn she has another book and a CD to provide drumming for one's journey.
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