First published in 1951, this book soon became the standard work in the study of this mysterious and fascinating phenomenon. Writing as the founder of the modern study of the history of religion, Romanian emigre--scholar Mircea Eliade (1907-1986) surveys the practice of Shamanism over two and a half millennia of human history, moving from the Shamanic traditions of Siberia and Central Asia -- where Shamanism was first observed -- to North and South...

"Illumination shows us how to bid good-bye to our past, discover a sacred space of spirit and joy, and unite the body and soul." -- Cover, p. [4].

As a dedicated young psychiatrist at an austere state hospital in the former Soviet Union, Olga Kharitidi battled the difficulties of Soviet life and the constraints of medical science in her fight to save her suffering patients. Joining an ailing friend on a spur-of-the-moment trip into Siberia's Altai Mountains, Kharitidi was launched on an unexpected journey of revelation when she was taken into apprenticeship by an enigmatic native shaman. The...

For anyone who's ever had the desire to look at the world through the eyes of our indigenous ancestors, here is a unique opportunity. Traveling between the Worlds is a treasure trove of insight and exploration into the ancient spiritual wisdom of such diverse cultures as Ireland, Africa, and the Americas. The keeper of this wisdom is the shaman--a man or woman who can, at will, enter into altered states of consciousness in order to acquire extrasensory...

In this revised editon, Roth expands on the themes that have guided her: ways of transforming daily life into sacred art.