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The Ultimate Guide to Shamanism

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Member Reviews

I appreciated the nod to the Native Americans as the root of Shamanic practice. However, I found the overall text to feel more like a basic this is my water downed experience rather than an actual guide. I was hoping to learn things to incorporate in my own practice; however, this felt very much like a money grab.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Good little book for a beginner or anyone interested in Shamanism, highly recommended.
Not necessarily one of the better books out there but still good as a starting point

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The book "The Ultimate Guide to Shamanism" is a beautifully published book for everyone interested in Shamanic Practices. You will find here the history of Shamanism, modern practices, and principles that will guide you towards the spiritual practice of healing.

Who is this book for:

✦ Someone interested in learning more about Shamanism, its history, and principles.
✦ Practitioners that would like to connect to the natural kingdom of plants, minerals, and elements.
✦ A person who is in the quest of self-discovery and spiritual healing and would like to implement the practical aspect of Shamanism into their daily life.

"The Ultimate Guide to Shamanism" is a beautiful book for the personal library, no matter of your spiritual practice. It will bring more knowledge about ancient shamanic practices and ways to incorporate them into our modern lives. I cannot wait to get my physical copy and implement the practices from this book.

* Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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This book is absolutely beautiful with the colors! The book was very informative about shamanic practices and easy to understand. I didn't really understand Shamanism so much before this book, now I feel much more informed. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

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This book had lovely art and I learned a lot.
The "Ultimate" just means the author gives you all kinds of shamanism. To realize helped me be bitter about the author. Rebecca Keating is a white girl. I understand that she has studied these religions for a long time and has even become a leader at some. I have no problem with that. Unless there is something I missed, she making money off these revered practices. That's not right.
The only criticism of the book itself is that it repeats pictures and these pictures don't have captions. There was many a time that I didn't under what the picture was showing.

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Talk about a cover that catches the eye!! The artwork is simply stunning and I enjoyed seeing images throughout the text that breaks up some of the sections of reading.

I thought the topic was interesting and really enjoyed reading this.

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There is a growing interest in Shamanism currently, and the author does a wonderful job of explaining what Shamanism is (and isn’t). This book is full of excellent historical information, but also functions as a guide for those who want to delve in deeper and find inner healing and peace.

The author’s voice is relatable and heartfelt. It will be a great addition to any library.

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I received a free ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

What I did appreciate about this book is that it actually addresses the fact that shamanism has strong roots in native American practice. There is one page that addresses the fact that although shamanism (insofar as it is the practice of communing with the spirit world) is an international practice that is found in various cultures, our popular understanding of shamanism greatly appropriates native American culture. I had high hopes, especially after the author addressed the generational trauma inflicted upon many indigenous communities by colonialism.

Having said that, I did find that the suggestions and practices described in the book contained what could be described as either a diverse/eclectic (to put it positively) or a mishmash (to put it negatively) of deities and artefacts from different cultures - to give a few examples, there is mention of the Egyptian Ankh, Kuan Yin (a Buddhist bodhisattva), and the word Aho (a Native American word used by native American shamans that is frequently "borrowed"/appropriated by the new age movement).

As a BIPOC person, while I found some of the spiritual guidance in this text useful and enlightening, I did not feel entirely at ease with the smattering of often unexplained ideas from different cultures as well as frequent watercolours of depictions of native American shamans/folk that were included in this text. If Ankhs, Kuan Yin, the word Aho, etc must be included in the text, I wish that there had been a detailed explanation of the cultural significance of these and an attempt to situate them in the context of these rich cultures, instead of just allowing them to go unexplained like so many new age buzzwords.

Ultimately, it was rather disappointing to me that a book that acknowledges the ways in which new age communities have appropriated native & indigenous culture seemed to then simply go ahead and do more of the same. It is a shame because I could sense very much that the author does have genuinely good intentions for her readers.

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I found this book to be very informative in shamanic practices. I especially enjoyed reading about healing the ancestral line. It’s a topic I’m very interested in at the moment. The books presentation is lovely. Bright and inviting. I really, really enjoyed the read. Thank you for your work.

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The Ultimate Guide to Shamanism is a great modern introduction to the tradition of Shamanism. It aims to teach you how to incorporate shamanic practices and ceremonies into your ordinary everyday life. It is an ancient and widespread tradition dating back to the beginning of the human race itself. The book is beautifully illustrated throughout and as well as the history a number of skills for journeying, healing, working with power objects, spirit allies, ancestors and so much more is included.

It is well written and a brilliant starting point from which the beginner can choose to further explore any of the techniques or study shamanism in more depth. I think the best version of this book would be in hard copy so the wonderful artwork can be enjoyed.

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I have been a student of Shamanic teachers for many years . I truly enjoyed and trusted the information in this book by Ms Keating. A history of shamanism is given first and some definitions about it. First off the statement that here is a difference between a Shaman and a Shamanic Practitioner was right on. There are shamans born into tribes that have a family lineage and don't need to go to a shamanic institute to learn. Total honesty and simple exercises make up the whole of this book. The explanations are direct and the sequence of learning makes total sense. Even though Ive been involved on and off with shamanic work for over thirty years I found myself learning new things and also understanding teachings that I wondered about in the past. This book IMO is meant to be worked with and not just read , all though that is ok too. If you are interested in learning about shamanism and also making your life better in real time tested ways then this book is for you.

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Book title: The Ultimate Guide to Shamanism
Author: Rebecca Keating
Publisher: Quarto Publishing Group – Fair Winds
Publication Date: 6 July 2021
Review Date: 11 June 2021 on Goodreads

My thanks to Netgalley, Fair Winds and Rebecca Keating for an advance copy

BEAUTIFULLY ILLUSTRATED

All exists within. We create our own reality.

This is a beginner's book outlining the origins and principles of shamanism, the seven directions of sacred space, the power of prayer, the elements, chakras, the aura, essential oils, crystals and more.

I was interested to read that the first recorded culture to heal with sound was the Australian aborigines' use of the digeridoo.

It is well written and a special shout out to the illustrator Roberta Orpwood for her delicate watercolours throughout. I would like to get a hard copy of this book.

Thank you, and so it is.

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The colours in the book are so lovely and vibrant and goes with brought the book. There is also pictures going through the book which breaks the writing up. The information in the book is really interesting and I now how more of insight in shamanism.
Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this book.

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