Shamanic Journeying: A beginner's guide

by Sandra Ingerman

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Boulder, CO: Sounds True 2004.  79 pp.  $19.95

This is a lovely book which instructs the reader in how to explore the lower, middle and upper realms of shamanic journeying. Sandra Ingerman, a very gifted Harner -trained shaman and shamanic teacher, is also a gifted writer. Her discussions are clear and concise, well illustrated with examples from her practice, and sensibly empowering readers to explore and learn to trust their own experiences and judgment.Spirit guides frequently present images or make suggestions that may have diverse interpretations. I was particularly taken with the following example of caution needed in interpreting the language of metaphors:

…the Aramaic language – the language of Jesus… was highly metaphorical and poetic. When the Bible was translated from Aramaic into Greek and then into English, the metaphors were translated literally, often changing the meaning of the words. One example is that there is no word in the Aramaic language for either 'good' or 'evil.' The most comparable words in Aramaic were 'ripe' and 'unripe,' referring to how everything is part of an ongoing, organic process. But when the Bible was translated into Green and then English, the words chosen to represent 'ripe' and 'unripe' were 'good' and 'evil.' This mistranslation alone shaped the evolution of Judao-Christian culture such that human nature became perceived as something separate from the natural cycles of readiness and unreadiness. (p. 43-44)

A drumming CD to help shift consciousness for journeying comes with the book.

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