Folded plate (1 leaf, 39 x 61 cm, folded to 19 x 16 cm) in pocket.

The fascinating account of a pioneering ethnobotanist’s travels in the Amazon—at once a gripping adventure story, a passionate argument for conservationism, and an investigation into the healing power of plants, by the author of The Amazon: What Everyone Needs to Know For thousands of years, healers have used plants to cure illness. Aspirin, the world's most widely used drug, is based on compounds originally extracted from the bark of a willow tree, and more than a quarter of medicines found on pharmacy shelves contain plant compounds. Now Western medicine, faced with health crises such as AIDS, Alzheimer's disease, and cancer, has begun to look to the healing plants used by indigenous peoples to develop powerful new medicines. Nowhere is the search more promising than in the Amazon, the world's largest tropical forest, home to a quarter of all botanical species on this planet—as well as hundreds of Indian tribes whose medicinal plants have never been studied by Western scientists. In Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice, ethnobotanist Mark J. Plotkin recounts his travels and studies with some of the most powerful Amazonian shamans, who taught him the plant lore their tribes have spent thousands of years gleaning from the rain forest. For more than a decade, Dr. Plotkin raced against time to harvest and record new plants before the rain forests' fragile ecosystems succumb to overdevelopment—and before the Indians abandon their own culture and learning for the seductive appeal of Western material culture. Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice relates nine of the author's quests, taking the reader along on a wild odyssey as he participates in healing rituals; discovers the secret of curare, the lethal arrow poison that kills in minutes; tries the hallucinogenic snuff epena that enables the Indians to speak with their spirit world; and earns the respect and fellowship of the mysterious shamans as he proves that he shares both their endurance and their reverence for the rain forest.

Discover the history and core elements of Shamanism Shamanism is a widely used term for a broad range of spiritual practices across time, continents, and cultures. Shamanism is your all-in-one reference guide to shamanic traditions and healing modalities around the world. Entertaining and easy to navigate, Shamanism is a rich collection of unique facts and stories from shamanic cultures. You'll find engaging entries on cultural beliefs, spiritual motifs, sacred objects, and rituals, like Vibrational Medicine and Soul Retrieval (recovering lost souls or soul parts). Shamanism includes: Shamanic handbook—Explore the history and mythology of Shamanic cultures, as well as engaging info on spiritual ecology or the back-to-nature movement. All about rituals—Learn about numerous rituals and techniques, like healing with crystals and extracting malevolent spirits with a Soul Catcher. Animism to Zoroastrian—This guide is organized alphabetically for easy reference so you can build your knowledge on the go. Discover the magic, mythology, and healing history of Shamanism with this introductory guide.

Defines the practise of shamanism, recounts its role in religion and culture throughout history, and its influence today.

This Introduction surveys the beliefs, rituals and techniques found in shamanic traditions around the world.

You never know what you might encounter in Atlanta. Alpha Male Shaman, Faeries, Werewolves, Vampires, Wizards, Witches, Demigods, Curses, Monsters, Demons, True Love, Sexy Elves, Magic, and More. This is Book One in the Unseelie of Atlanta series. Each book in this series is a standalone story with returning characters. Luna Randal is a palm reader who needs help finding the creature who ate her best friend. She doesn't believe in faeries, but fae shaman Liam Corrigan, with his lavender eyes and long white hair, is unlike anyone she's ever met. When he sprinkles a potion in her coffee that "lifts the veil," her eyes are opened to a whole new magical world – touch-feely nymphs, sexy werewolves, adorable leather-clad elves, and a hot as hell horned demigod. Surely one of them can help locate the monster she is looking for. Warning: This story contains many awesome characters and one hard to resist fae shaman. You might be left with the urge to attempt to summon a hot demigod.

"In this dazzling book, Chidester moves effortlessly and insightfully between the serious and solemn and the playful and humorous. The case studies are so very fresh and interesting, and he brings a wonderfully nuanced eye to the material."—Edward T. Linenthal, author of The Unfinished Bombing "Chidester's analysis of popular religion and culture is the most extensive and penetrating that exists."—Wade Clark Roof, author of Spiritual Marketplace "This book is impressively wide-ranging in the scope of its discussion, adding a global dimension for a vantage point that makes it quite unique."—Bruce Forbes, coeditor of Religion and Popular Culture in America