Shamanism

"From a brilliant, young Harvard-trained anthropologist and contributor to the New Yorker comes a fascinating investigation into the spiritual practice of shamanism from its history through to the present day, for readers disaffected with organized religion who seek a more personal approach to spirituality. "Shamanism" is broadly defined as a religious practice of spiritual transformation wherein a specialist uses initiations, drug-induced altered states, and deprivation to heal, divine, and otherwise tame life's uncertainties. A centuries-old phenomenon, is shamanism a reservoir of ancient knowledge, an embodiment of our once-true spirituality and connection to nature, or is it a relic of a backwards era, mere "superstitious savagery" produced by crafty showmen to exploit naèive credulity? Informed by the latest developments in cognitive science, evolutionary biology and anthropology-and relying on field research in remote Indonesia, the Amazon and the South Pacific-Manvir Singh holds a magnifying glass to the practice of shamanism, examining its long history, its pitfalls, and its potential benefits to today's society. At its core, this is a book about about faith and healing and the universal hunger for god. Shamanism is a deep dive into archaic wisdom that feels uniquely relevant in a moment of specious modern religiosity"--