Following are links to our favorite web sites and blogs related to shamanism and/or animism.
There are literally millions of sites that mention shamanism or shamans. Some are helpful. But many people and practices are labeled “shamans” and “shamanism” that actually aren’t. We hope this list saves you a lot of time and confusion.
There are many other excellent types of healers. They may be energy healers, herbalists, holy people, oracles, curanderas, priests, priestesses or psychic surgeons. But if they do not travel to the spirit world to do their work, they are not shamans. See this page for a discussion of what shamanism is.
This list will keep growing, so please stop by often.
Shamanism
Articles on Shamanism. Author Michael Drake offers many fine articles on shamanism on his web site, Talking Drum Publications.
Foundation for Shamanic Studies (http://www.shamanism.org), the organization founded by Michael Harner, Ph.D., to teach and promote shamanism and to help revive and preserve it among indigenous peoples.
Sacred-Texts.com. These are excerpts from old, out-of-copyright books. Not all were written by anthropologists, and they are skewed by the late-Victorian upbringing of the authors, but there is eyewitness information.
Shaman Links (http://www.shamanlinks.net) Articles and links to a wide variety of shaman-related information.
Shamanista Blog (http://shamanista.blogspot.com) A new blog by White Cranes on shamanism and animism. It is related to this site.
Tuvan Shamanism. This page begins with one of the best articles on shamanism that I’ve ever seen, “In the Land of Song and the Drum: Receiving Inspiration from Tuvan Shamans” by Christiana Harle-Silvennoinen. On the same page is an excellent article by Michael Drake on the Bear Spirit and how to call upon her for healing.
This page on the Friends of Tuva web site offers links to great info on Tuvan shamanism.
Woman Shaman, an excellent article on the worldwide history of women as shamans at the Suppressed Histories web site. (http://www.suppressedhistories.net/articles/womanshaman.html)
Drumming
Shamanic Drumming is the web site of Michael Drake, author of The Shamanic Drum: a Guide to Sacred Drumming, an excellent book on how to do shamanic drumming. This site is packed with excellent information on shamanism in general as well as on drumming.
Newsletter on Shamanic Drumming (free) by Michael Drake, in the form of a Yahoo group:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/talkingdrumpub/
List of web sites relating to shamanic drumming coming soon!
Indigenous Peoples
Cultural Survival is an organization dedicated to helping indigenous people worldwide preserve their cultures. It is a wonderful resource for information not found anywhere else, such as the survival of shamanism in Siberia.
Guam. The Chamoro people of Guam believe in land spirits called the Taotaomona.
Mongolian and Tuvan Shamanism, an article on a gathering of Mongolian and Tuvan shamans, focusing on the state of shamanism in Tuva today.
Nigeria. This article explains the importance of the indigenous land spirits of Nigeria and how the ancient practices are still carried out today.
Southeast Asian Sea Nomads. Animist sea people, the Orang Laut, Moken and Bajau. Many still live on boats from Indonesia to the Philippines.
Tuva. The Friends of Tuva web site has a page that lists resources on shamanism in Tuva, a country between Mongolia and Siberia. Tuva is the throat-singing capital of the world and the official Center of Asia.
Voices of the Earth. How animists feel about the environment, biodiversity, and other living things. Quotes from animist elders worldwide.
Sound for Healing
Tengsha: Healing With Sound (http://tengsha.blogspot.com) is a blog on using sound for healing, including the healing power of drumming, rattling, Tibetan bowls and bells, toning and throat-singing, chanting, didgeridu, and more.
Videos of Throat-Singing! Go to YouTube.com, log in (or set up a free account if you don’t have one), and search on the phrase “throat-singing.” There are many videos, most made in Tuv
More web sites on the use of sound for healing, including healing self and others with drumming, rattling, singing, chanting, and toning coming soon!
Nature, Wildlife, and Animals
Animal Spirits. http://www.animalspirits.com. Photos, sounds, and some spiritual meanings for many wild animals. It is far better to learn about how animals live in their natural habitats and discover in the spirit world what each animal means to you, but this is an interesting site.
Just remember that the same animal sometimes mean different things even to different indigenous peoples living in the same area.
Sacred Places and Ceremonies
Bear Butte (also called Devil’s Tower) in South Dakota, USA
Enchanted Rock in Texas, USA
Python Shrine in Botswana, Africa
Silbury Hill in England, UK
Uluru (or Ayers Rock) in Australia
Descriptions and more web sites on sacred places and ceremonies coming soon!
Trance Postures and Dances
Ecstatic Trance Postures. Cuyamungue Institute (http://www.ritualbodypostures.com/) is the foundation started by Felicitas D. Goodman, Ph.D., to study and teach ecstatic trance postures. Here is an article on how the ancient postures were rediscovered.
Ju/’hoan Healing Trance Dances. In this article at the Cultural Survival web site Ju/”hoan (!Kung San, or Bushmen) healers discuss their shamanic trance dances.
More web sites on trance postures and movement, including dances, coming soon!
