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Summary: The best introduction to Shamanic work available
Review: 'The Way of the Shaman' is a profound look into shamanism. The author knows his subject both as a researcher and from within the magical world of the true shaman. He does not merely explain, he opens doors into mystical places, and gives many practical avenues the reader can use to enter the shamanic world. He empowers the reader, as only one who truly understands the mystical world can, to discover the power within oneself. This is both a primer for those who are curious, and a veritable encyclopedia for those who have some understanding of nonordinary realities, of how to access power through those explorations, and apply that power to benefit both oneself, and others.
If you have any curiosity about shamanism, this book will answer your questions. If you have some experience in shamanic explorations, this book will help to deepen your understanding, and guide further exploration. If you are a Shaman, give this book to people! It will save you a lot of explaining! Castaneda recommends it, and so will anyone who is familiar with the worlds to be explored through Shamanic work. I highly recommend it! Go for it! Working on developing your own shamanic ability? This book is indispensible! Definitely a must-have! Don't miss it!
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Summary: Great book! Became a member of organization.
Review: After reading several books by Native American authors, I read this and look forward to taking the courses.
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Summary: The first and the best.
Review: As far as I can tell, Michael Harner is responsible for creating the new age phenomenon of Neo-Shamanism. This book was the first of its kind, and although many books on the subject litter the bookstore shelves these days, Harner's is by far the best of the ones I've read and perused. Most of the complaints by reviewers here are concerned with Harner "stealing" the traditions from other cultures and/or "corrupting" these traditions. Ignoring the obvious flaw in thinking regarding "theft" of cultural or spiritual traditions, I think this is exactly where Harner excels over the others. Rather than turning out some new-age fluff that pretends to adhere painstakingly to any particular tradition, Harner cuts to the viscera of the real phenomenon of Shamanism. Although there are specific exercises and methods in this book, the fact that they don't rigidly conform to any one tradition is what makes it great. It is rather like the approach of Chaos Magick, which doesn't rely on precise traditional incantations, sigils, etc, to perform magick. Instead, the idea is that this power is latent within us, and is basically archetypal within the framework of the psyche. In cultures with Shamanism, every once in a while a shaman is born; they are discovered to be "special" (in a way specific to that culture) and/or predisposed to this sort of thing. Even though the modern Western world doesn't have any significant "place" for these sorts of individuals, they are still are born into our society. I like to call them (us) the weirdoes. These are latent shamans or mystics. Books like Harner's just might be a key to helping us "weirdoes" find our "place".
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Summary: Shamanism is Universal
Review: First off, this book gives extremely useful practical information on how to use the techniques of Shamanism. I was able to use them after reading this book. If you want to stop reading about Shamanism and do it, this is the book for you. As to the claims of stealing Shamanism from native cultures, I'll just remind the previous reviewers that Shamanism is a universal practice that all people used at some time, including Europeans. Many of us of European descent still use them, through non-Native techniques. European and Native American Shamanic practices are very similar. There are some things that are unique to each, of course, but at the base, they are the same. My knowledge of one greatly aided my learning the other.
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Summary: A true 5 star book on Shamanism
Review: For all those intrested in Shamanism or to those would be shamans, this book is one of those keys in life that you've been looking for. Though many paths were looked down, and I felt the need for elaboration upon some stories and subjects. The information given was enough to keep me reading all the way on my flight from America to Japan this past winter. A must read for anyone intrested in Shamanism.
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Summary: An indispensible resource in cross-cultural shamanic study
Review: From cover to cover, Michael Harner has depicted an incredible account of cross-cultural shamanic practice in his trademark down-to-earth, knowledge-based, straight-forward, infectiously light-hearted style. I think the information in this book is of value to shamanic practitioners of all levels and displays Michael Harner's untiring quest to keep shamanism true and alive all over the world.
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Summary: Pure Commercialism and Pseudo-Shamanism
Review: Harner deserves most of the blame for starting the modern Pseudo-Shaman movement, where silver spoon fed suburbanites engage in loads of wishful thinking by imagining one can learn to be a "shaman" quickly and painlessly for only the price of a $$$ book or an "advanced" seminar lasting three days for $$$ What the pseudo-shamanism movement is is merely the New Age movement with a new marketing angle, since both movements have always been far more about commerce, and very little about enlightenment other than lightening the contents of people's wallets. REAL shamans don't charge money, don't make a living off it, don't hang out a shingle on the internet or at new age fairs. They also don't live in the 'burbs or profit off of people who do. They remain in their traditional communities where they are needed. Even worse, some members of the pseudo-shaman movement wind up DYING, as have some people very badly "trained" by Harner who tried to do sweatlodges. This book, and all of Harner's books, are beyond nonsense. They actually threaten (and sometimes take) the very lives of the poor misguided saps who fall for them.
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Summary: A wonderful introduction into the world of shamanism
Review: Harner is brilliant. He is fun to read and makes shamanism easy to understand for beginners. I highly recommend this book, I couldn't put it down.
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Summary: Harner's version of Shamanism
Review: Harner's work has been eclipsed by many authentic ethnical and tribal sources. The reading here is very dated. What he presents is a stripped down version (antiseptic) of some techniques for journeying. But Harner's philosophy is pretty locked into what drum-beat rhythms work and this is simply not true, not required to do shamanic journeys. You will get a very slanted almost confined view. And that is the antithesis to shamanism in general.
Shamanism is best accessed, especially for the beginner, within some cultural context and Harner has cleansed his techniques away from their cultures. Even his views (and his disciples Ingerman) on soul retrieval are still changing due to lack of root within cultural context.
If you are new to shamanism then start instead with The Book of the Shaman by Nicholas Wood. If you are into some healing aspects then goto Shaman, Healer, Sage by Villoldo or Woman who glows in the dark by Elena Avila.
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Summary: One of the few "must-haves"
Review: I have read and reread this book and I can't get enough of what it has to teach. Do yourself a favor and also try to take one of the Foundation for Shamanic Studies' workshops. The book does a great job at introducing shamanism and showing one how to journey (among other things) but the experience of journeying with like-minded individuals is even more exciting. Don't just read it, practice it, and then purchase a drumming cd and start to do some of the exercises inside. You won't be sorry!
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