Articles on Traditional and Contemporary Shamanism
Shamanic Healing in the Treatment of PTSD
By S. Mokelke, JD; N. Caldwell, MTCM, L.Ac; A. Solomon, MSW, LCSW; S. Williams, MA
Shamanic healing is finding a well-deserved place as an effective complementary healing modality for people who struggle with the disabling effects of trauma in general, and for Veterans with combat related PTSD in particular.
Shamanism and Personal Transformation
By Susan Mokelke
Shamanism is a kind of dance between the inner personal dimension and outer community action. As you grow in understanding and compassion, you work differently in the world.
The Healing Power of Song
By Susan Mokelke
It is not surprising that songs and shamanism are synergistic for healing. The shaman sees with the heart and music speaks to the heart. When a song is imbued with the compassion of the helping spirits, it offers powerful healing for body and soul.
Spiritual Help for the Burning West
By Nan Moss
While originally written in 1999 during the drought in the Western United States, which experienced a series of calamitous wildfires, with drought and fires sweeping many areas of the world, this article is especially relevant today.
A Personal Look at Core Shamanism
By Timothy Flynn
I became a member of the tribe of “shamanic worshippers” shortly after graduate school. We’re spread around the globe, from the United States to Canada to Austria to Singapore.
Shamanism and the Spirits of Weather
By Nan Moss and David Corbin
“Though I have held a passion for weather all my life, and thought I recognized the aliveness, the spirit in all things, I saw that I still carried our culture’s world view of weather a purely physical forces….”
Tuva, Land of Eagles
By Bill Brunton
The Foundation’s 1993 expedition to Tuva.
The Reality of Spirits
By Edith Turner
In the past in anthropology, if a researcher “went native” it doomed him academically. My husband, Victor Turner, and I had this dictum at the back of our minds when we spent two and a half years among the Ndembu of Zambia in the fifties.
Shamanic Healing: We Are Not Alone
Interview of Michael Harner by Bonnie Horrigan, Alternative Therapies.
The Reawakening of Shamanism in the West
By Bill Brunton
A brief survey of the emergence of modern shamanism in the West.
What Core Shamanism Has Given Me
By Timothy Flynn
This morning I got up at dawn for my daily spiritual practice. It has developed from a variety sources including dance, meditation and martial arts…my relationship to non-ordinary reality, as communicated by the FSS nourishes my practice.
Why Study Core Shamanism?
By Susan Mokelke
For many years, I worked with an organization concerned with global community. Our work stemmed from a belief in the principle that “all is one.”… It was wonderful, useful, inspiring work.
An Evening with an Inuit Elder
By Alesia Kunz
Mr. Henry Kablalik, Inuit elder from Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, Canada, demonstrating the divination technique of “head lifting.”
Shamanic Training in Digital Space
By Susan Mokelke
With a global reach, shamanic training in digital space offers humanity a profound and effective tool for learning shamanic practice and how to connect with the compassionate helping spirits.
My Path in Shamanism
Roger Walsh and Charles S. Grob interview Michael Harner for his story of how he became involved with shamanism, its study and practical applications.
History and Work of the Foundation 2005 Update
Michael Harner’s 2005 update to the article originally published in 1991 in the “Foundation for Shamanic Studies Newsletter.”
History and Work of the Foundation for Shamanic Studies
By Michael Harner
Asked to [summarize] the history of the Foundation by then editor of Shamanism, Bill Brunton for this special twenty-fifth anniversary issue, including a glimpse into the future, I went over past issues of the journal and came across the following piece published almost a decade and a half ago…
Shamanism and Creativity
By Sandra Harner
One of the great surprises that shamanism affords is the joy of the unknown and that the unknown is joyous. There is a sense of wholeness that proceeds from the creativity that is inherent in the shamanic journey.
Effective Core Shamanic Drumming Circles
By Susan Mokelke
A shamanic drumming circle can be a powerful way to deepen the knowledge and practice of shamanism.
Healing the Aftermath of Terror
By Bill Brunton
Response to the September 11 tragedy.
The Need for a Spirituality Focused on Healing – Free of Politics
A letter from Michael Harner in response to September 11.
Ethical Considerations in Shamanic Healing
By Susan Mokelke
In this article, I hope to surface some of the issues involved in ethical shamanic healing, as well as to provide some basic guidelines.
The Shaman Unbound: A Teaching Miracle
By Susan Mokelke
Over the course of the more than 25 years that the Foundation has been offering the Thee Year Program of Advanced Initiations in Shamanism and Shamanic Healing, we have witnessed countless examples of amazing teachings provided by the spirits.
The Way of the Shaman: A Conversation with Susan Mokelke
By David Phillips for “Network: Ireland’s Holistic Magazine”
Susan Mokelke, president of the Foundation for Shamanic Studies, talks about the work of the Foundation.
Core Shamanism and Daily Life
By Susan Mokelke
“I am often asked if there is an article that explains what core shamanism is and how it can be used in everyday life. This article is intended as an introduction to the subject.”
A Core Shamanic Theory of Dreams
By Michael Harner
Presented August 14, 2010, at the Foundation for Shamanic Studies Shamanic Dreamwork workshop, San Francisco, California. Michael Harner, who originated core shamanism and pioneered the return of shamanism and shamanic healing to the West, recently formulated this general shamanic theory of dreams.
Power Animal Retrieval
By Lora Jansson
“I have to admit I have special fondness for power animal retrieval. Clients seem to like it as well. [W]hen I tell them I am going to do one, they grin like kids…”
Michael Harner: An 80th Birthday Tribute
By Susan Mokelke
We asked people whose lives have been touched by Michael’s work to contribute to an 80th birthday book for Michael. The outpouring of responses was fantastic. This tribute includes some of those responses along with a chronology of Michael’s work.
Passion Projects: What Fuels the Heart
By Lora Jansson
“I am a woman who is in love with Bear. This is a vital love that is fed by gratitude to Bear for all of the cures he has performed…for all the gentle ways he has held me through the darkest times…”