Product Description
An in-depth look at the role of plant spirits in shamanic rituals from around the world • Shows how shamans heal using their knowledge of plant spirits as well as the plant’s “medical properties” • Explores the core methods of plant shamanism--soul retrieval, spirit extraction, and sin eating--and includes techniques for connecting with plant spirits • Includes extensive field interviews with master shamans of all traditions In Plant Spirit Shamanism, Ross Heaven and Howard G. Charing explore the use of one of the major allies of shamans for healing, seeing, dreaming, and empowerment--plant spirits. After observing great similarities in the use of plants among shamans throughout the world, they discovered the reason behind these similarities: Rather than dealing with the “medical properties” of the plants or specific healing techniques, shamans commune with the spirits of the plants themselves. From their years of in-depth shamanic work in the Amazon, Haiti, and Europe, including extensive field interviews with master shamans, Heaven and Charing present the core methods of plant shamanism used in healing rituals the world over: soul retrieval, spirit extraction, sin eating, and the Amazonian tradition of pusanga (love medicine). They explain the techniques shamans use to establish connections to plant spirits and provide practical exercises as well as a directory of traditional Amazonian and Caribbean healing plants and their common North American equivalents so readers can ex-plore the world of plant spirits and make allies of their own.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 5.0 based on 8 reviews)

this book will open your mind about our world by Lataavi (East coast, USA)

5 Stars
October 13, 2009
I bought this book with little knowledge about plants, other than herbalism. I'm very glad that I read it because it totally changed the way I look at plants, and our earth now. Before plants were just green things to me, they were just there. I never realized how truly alive and 'intelligent' they are. I loved reading this book, very enjoyable read and fascinating. the more you read, the more you begin to appreciate the beautiful and fragile nature of our world. I really came to appreciate plants a lot more. I'm glad I'm a vegetarian, because I can see how healthy plants can very positively affect the human body.

Excellent book on the benefits of nature's healers by Pamela Penge

5 Stars
October 10, 2009
Have been studying shamanism as a hobby for the past few years and find that this book is a helpful tool in gaining beneficial insights to the mysterious plant spirit world. Both authors did a wonderful job by bringing forth their experiences and knowledge in a manner that was easy to understand and open to other possibilities. Thank you for Pablo Amaringo's Foreword in your book, who I greatly admire, for his beautiful artistic visions that resulted from journeys he experienced while working with nature's intellingence of the plant world.

Letting the Plants Do the Talking by Elliot Malach (Galveston, Tx)

5 Stars
September 05, 2009
This is a great book on the perspective of healing from a shaman's view instead of the Western scientific reductionist view of the pharma industry. The author interviews shamans from different cultures, but most all their work has the same basis. Everything, including plants and flowers, has consciousness and has the ability to communicate with other sentient beings. The shamans listen to the wisdom of the plants. Through their spirits the shamans have been able to determine the answers to questions about the brain and our universe that modern science still hasn't figured out with any clarity. Plus, any book that quotes the late comedian Bill Hicks is definitely worth of 5 stars.

Fascinating Guide Through Shamanism by Alexander F. Heyne (South Carolina)

5 Stars
February 27, 2009
Plant Spirit Shamanism is a wonderful book detailing some cultural and religious practices of shamanism. But more than that, it's an important guide and sign post for those of us who are taking that first step into the jungle as explorers. It is very interesting, has loads of exercises with each chapter - and is overall a powerful read.

Great for those practicing the earth path. by S. Tift

5 Stars
August 19, 2008
This book is full of exercises, for both Amazon Jungle and here in the West. It explains tradition which is very exciting. I love this book.

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