A fascinating glimpse at a day in the life of a Peruvian shaman, Eduardo el Curandero relates the philosophies of a Peruvian shaman and illustrates the medicinal use of natural drugs. This revised version of Eduardo el Curandero includes an updated preface, an 'in memoriam' section devoted to the life Eduardo Calderòn, and new photographs of Eduardo's healing artifacts.

A distinguished anthropologist–who is also an initiated shaman–reveals the long-hidden female roots of the world’s oldest form of religion and medicine. Here is a fascinating expedition into this ancient tradition, from its prehistoric beginnings to the work of women shamans across the globe today. Shamanism was not only humankind’s first spiritual and healing practice, it was originally the domain of women. This is the claim of Barbara Tedlock’s provocative and myth-shattering book. Reinterpreting generations of scholarship, Tedlock–herself an expert in dreamwork, divination, and healing–explains how and why the role of women in shamanism was misinterpreted and suppressed, and offers a dazzling array of evidence, from prehistoric African rock art to modern Mongolian ceremonies, for women’s shamanic powers. Tedlock combines firsthand accounts of her own training among the Maya of Guatemala with the rich record of women warriors and hunters, spiritual guides, and prophets from many cultures and times. Probing the practices that distinguish female shamanism from the much better known male traditions, she reveals: • The key role of body wisdom and women’s eroticism in shamanic trance and ecstasy • The female forms of dream witnessing, vision questing, and use of hallucinogenic drugs • Shamanic midwifery and the spiritual powers released in childbirth and monthly female cycles • Shamanic symbolism in weaving and other feminine arts • Gender shifting and male-female partnership in shamanic practice Filled with illuminating stories and illustrations, The Woman in the Shaman’s Body restores women to their essential place in the history of spirituality and celebrates their continuing role in the worldwide resurgence of shamanism today.

"A wide-ranging anthology of ethnopoetry including origin texts, visionary texts, texts about death, texts about events--collected from Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and the Ancient Near East, and Oceania."--Provided by publiher.

Build Your Own Shamanic Toolkit In this beautifully illustrated guide, artist and shamanic teacher Evelyn C. Rysdyk shows you how to create, decorate, consecrate, and use various sacred tools in ritual and healing. Navaho traditional healers bring rattles, corn pollen, eagle feathers, and sage smoke together with songs and dances to affect healing. Ulchi shamans use drums, rattles, and larch tree wands called gimsacha to work healing magic. Manchu shamans will perfume the air with incense and tie on a heavy bustle of iron jingles as a part of their ceremonial costume. Modern shamanic practitioners likewise use sacred tools to facilitate our connection to helper spirits in the Upper, Middle and Lower Worlds, as well as the spirits of nature. While you can purchase many of these tools, there’s nothing quite as powerful as making your own. You’ll find instructions for making rattles, drums, masks, mirrors, spirit figures, fans, bells, pouches, wands, prayer bundles, flutes, whistles, and more. Plus suggestions for responsible ways to obtain the materials you’ll need. “Having an intimate connection to all the spirits that came together in my favorite rattle—knowing that the tiny pebbles came from the local riverbank, the wood handle from a lightning-struck maple in my yard, and the rawhide from a black bear that was hunted by a native friend for food—gives it a far deeper meaning and power.” —from the introduction The author’s original artwork and photographs of shamans and their authentic tools appear throughout the book.

First published in 2004. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Based on extensive archival research, The Power of Huacas is the first book to take account of the reciprocal effects of religious colonization as they impacted Andean populations and, simultaneously, dramatically changed the culture and beliefs of Spanish Christians. Winner, Award for Excellence in the Study of Religion in the category of Historical Studies, American Academy of Religion, 2015 The role of the religious specialist in Andean cultures of the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries was a complicated one, balanced between local traditions and the culture of the Spanish. In The Power of Huacas, Claudia Brosseder reconstructs the dynamic interaction between religious specialists and the colonial world that unfolded around them, considering how the discourse about religion shifted on both sides of the Spanish and Andean relationship in complex and unexpected ways. In The Power of Huacas, Brosseder examines evidence of transcultural exchange through religious history, anthropology, and cultural studies. Taking Andean religious specialists—or hechizeros (sorcerers) in colonial Spanish terminology—as a starting point, she considers the different ways in which Andeans and Spaniards thought about key cultural and religious concepts. Unlike previous studies, this important book fully outlines both sides of the colonial relationship; Brosseder uses extensive archival research in Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Spain, Italy, and the United States, as well as careful analysis of archaeological and art historical objects, to present the Andean religious worldview of the period on equal footing with that of the Spanish. Throughout the colonial period, she argues, Andean religious specialists retained their own unique logic, which encompassed specific ideas about holiness, nature, sickness, and social harmony. The Power of Huacas deepens our understanding of the complexities of assimilation, showing that, within the maelstrom of transcultural exchange in the Spanish Americas, European paradigms ultimately changed more than Andean ones.

"In The Elements of Spellcrafting, Jason Miller shares his knowledge, experience, and insights with us and he does it with grace, good humour, and practical common sense. This book will be of interest to anyone interested in the magical arts or wishing to become a better spellcaster."—Judika Illes, author of The Element Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells There is no shortage of spells out there. Some books highlight thousands of spells, but do any of them actually work? And how well do they work? I don't mean just getting a result--I mean getting a result that matters, a result that will impact your life or the lives of those you work for. The Elements of Spellcrafting provides the most effective and efficient ways to get things done with magic. The Elements of Spellcrafting identifies and explains 21 keys to successful sorcery--a best practices of sorcery--in three sections: Principals and strategies for how best to apply magic before you begin. Methods and tactics that will ensure a positive outcome. How to take spells to the next level--building a life of spiritual accomplishment and material success beyond the basics. If you have ever cast a spell that didn't work, The Elements of Spellcrafting will help you figure out why. If you regularly cast spells that seem to work but you still wind up in the same circumstances, this book will definitely help you chart a new course for victorious spellcrafting.