So I just finished watching the Sinister Shamanism course by Asbjorn Torvol and it was extremely great in my opinion, short yes but a great starting point. The Heathen book is on its way and I am just starting out on this Shamanistic Sorcery mixed path but I wanted to know if anyone knew any other good books on practical shamanism?
The best way to learn is to “let nature teach you” as I’ve gotten from the course but as a knowledge hoarder (a strength or a weakness of mine depending on how you look at it) I do like to have books on it so I can test out different methods.
My problem so far has been most of the books I’ve seen are more therapeutic, instead of a magick aspect its more using nature as an escape which is part of Shamanism, yes but it’s not practical. I was wondering if any of you or @asbjorntorvol (if you want to chime in) know any good books on shamanistic practices that you could adapt for different paths or have interesting Shamanistic techquinces? I lean towards more a left-hand path point of view but open to any book that has strong practices.
But though I still give some praise to the Sinister Shaman course, really good stuff. I’m going to start meditation on the runes and I did an indoor cleansing as I felt my room needed to cleansed of all the depressed energy I brought to it last year.
Haven’t read this but will now I know it’s a thing - the how to for the lessons in the book above:
I learned some Peruvian shamanism word of mouth from a student of a Peruvian teacher who held a local drumming circle and classes. If you search there are books now on Peruvian shamanism.
I learned celtic shamanism doing a CD course via the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids out of the UK. This is much more involved and includes a lot of lore and culture before teaching skills, in three year-long courses. I’ve only done the first one, the Bardic grade.
Then there is Mongolian shamanism as well. Sarangerel is a good author.
Then there are books that use techniques I recognise and shamanistic, but aren’t called that. Robert Moss’ Dreamgates is about mastering lucid dreaming, and that feels shamanistic to me.
What i most recently got into was the Nordic Shamanism from the course but its more I want books that have magickal practices. I am more Celtic so that does interest me but more a book on Shaman trances, spell work, getting intune with nature, ancestors, the practices you see in most Shamanistic traditions
EA’s course is probably one of the best content wise that melds shamanism as I think of it, and runework and galdr of the Norse traditions, but I haven’t started it yet to give a truly honest opinion.
I like it because he uses shamanic journeying to go to the various worlds to meet the inhabitants on their own ground.
Otherwise, as I understand it, Norse shamanism is, like Celtic shamanism, a reconstructed invention of modern time. For this reason I’m glad I learned shamanistic techniques from a living source first, then coming to the Norse current I have another resource for questions and troubleshooting when the Norse stuff, which is more thin on the ground, ends.
If I knew a living Shaman that would be awesome, @asbjorntorvol course is really good and gives practical elements and teachings you can use for most shamanistic and magician based things. Holding the Shaman in high regard and that mixing shamanism with sorcery could be extremely beneficial. The only thing is that there are a lot more shamanistic techniques to learn and I would like a book or source that would help me out with that. I see it as a long road but also some of the techqines might get me out of this stumpt i’m in.
Sorry, by living source I mean a tradition that is not reconstructed. Mongolian, Peruvian and Native American shamanism are all living, unbroken traditions.
Ohh okay, either one would do for me honestly. I do have really high respect for the Native American (the others too but I know more about the Native American.
It’s my goto method of working and all the skills and understands in transferable and gives plenty of perspective and insight into how the lhp stuff works.
I don’t keep a physical temple or alter, I just use the grove and other places in the astral I made and found journeying in my working with lhp currents, and find it easier to travel out to meet folks on their own ground than bring them to the physical.
I don’t see a difference between those, except in where you’re going and the path to get there.
Ideally journeying is soul travel, but can be more mental projection into the astral, and you want to be in trance to do it.
Okay because I’ve had trouble with Soul Travel because I like to know I’m out of body and not just imgaining (I know it can still be real even if its in my head but for some reason that just pulls me out of the ritual) and I have trouble with the TGS method for some reason. I’m hoping I can find methods that are more shamanistic to help with that as I’ve been told I have that influence and my readings have lead me to incorporating the teachings into my work.
As far as I can tell, it’s all the same thing. Just described over and over again in different ways across the traditions. Qigong remote healing was my first exposure to it, where you’re essentially journeying in the middle world, aka astral travelling to and scanning a person. Different language, different pantheon or lack thereof, different intention and vibrations, same technical underpinnings.
You just have to keep working at it until you’re happy with it.
Its more the methods I’ve been presented haven’t worked well for me or I’m not picking up on exactly what I should be doing. So its not exactly what I’m trying to so im disappointed in, its the methods themselves not resenting with me.
I agree with your description though like you could do the same thing in an OBE as a journey but its a bit different being based on your intention, what you want out of it, vibrations, visuals, etc.
Journeying is a technique in shamanism, so I’m not sure there’d be a book on just that, but I didn’t learn from books so apart from what I already posted, I wouldn’t know.
I think if you search here for shamanism and journeying you’ll find something… I did and look:
