I have several books about shamanism. As I told a few people via txt, I just got Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy, by Mircea Eliade, for 50% off at the Borders closing sale, which is what brought all this on right now. I also have Shamanic Voices, by Joan Halifax. That's very cool, because, after a 30-page introduction, the bulk of the book is the actual words of many shamans from around the world. Here's an excerpt from the first, a Siberian shaman named Sereptie:
Crazy stuff!I set out, found a suitable tree and started to cut it down. When the tree fell, a man sprang out of its roots with a loud shout. I was petrified with fear (from this unexpected event). The man asked: "Where are you going?" "What could I do - I am going to my tent." "Why, of course, since you have a tent, you must go there. Well, my friend, I am a man, who came out of the roots of the tree. The root is thick, it looks thin in your eyes only. Therefore I tell you that you must come down through the root if you wish to see me." - "What sort of a tree is that?" I asked. "I never could find it out." The man answered: "From times of old, it is of this tree that the kuojka sledges have been made and the shamans have been growing from. Rocked in the cradle, they become shamans - well that's what this tree is for." - "All right, I shall go with you."