The Way of the Shaman is the culmination of several years of an anthropologist’s work studying shamans in various cultures.
It gives a basic overview of common aspects of shamanism found worldwide, with a wealth of examples from various cultures. This wealth of examples is extremely helpful in showcasing how much shamanism can differ from culture to culture. For example, one confusion many beginners to spirit work may have is whether everyone has guardian spirits or not. This book answers that question: like many spiritual practices, it depends on the culture and tradition. Some traditions say that everyone has guardian spirits, while other cultures say that only certain people do (page 81, para 3).
Ah, but how can one tradition claim that everyone has it, while some say that only some has it? Let me repeat that sentence with a key modification: “Some traditions say that everyone (within their culture) has guardian spirits, while (in other cultures), they say that only certain people do.” It is very helpful to remember that cultures often contain complete cosmologies in and of themselves.
Practice Exercises Available
Each chapter covers various aspects of shamanism, and in certain chapters there are beginner-friendly exercises that one may undertake. There are also more intermediate and advanced exercises further in the book, and Harner is very clear on what should be learned before attempting those next-level shamanic practices.
An Actual Practicing Anthropologist’s Genuine Immersion
However, not only did Harner study them academically, he also immersed himself in shamanism by learning directly from the teachers and actually participating in shamanic practices. So this book includes his experiences as a typical Westerner, learning all of these methods and becoming more open-minded. I do think this makes it special relative to the vast majority of spirituality books written by academic anthropologists, which frequently downplay the magical aspects of spirituality, in favor of imposing an often racist and colonialist psychological model for spirits, in spiritual traditions that very clearly do not follow that model.
I do genuinely appreciate Harner’s willingness to call out some of Westerner’s usual disrespectful tendencies. Such as Westerners believing that all POC who follow spiritual traditions lack rational capability. And Westerner’s overreliance on the psychological model of magic (page 70, para 5). And Westerners’ tendency to make such judgements about rationality without bothering to understand the depth of complexity of spiritual practices, particularly that traditional magic is a skill with rules: followed properly, it will work reliably.
Still Misinformed in Other Ways
So, no spirituality book is going to have entirely perfect information. That is entirely understandable.
However, it is a problem when a claim very significant to many practices is incorrect. At the beginning of Chapter 7, Harner makes the assertion that “(unlike their wild counterparts), domesticated animals and plants simply do not have the spiritual power necessary to be of significance in shamanism.” And unlike his usual skill at elaborating on the differences of practice between different cultures, he does not mention what culture this was taken from, or what other cultures this is completely untrue- which is a lot of them.
Domesticated plants and animals hold significant power in many cultures: domesticated animals are frequently companions or servants to the divine. Two well-known examples are the entire cat cult of Egypt, and Freyja’s chariot being pulled by cats. As for plants, cacao is considered an extremely powerful magical force in Latin America.
Overall, his treatment of Plant Spirits is not great. In addition to stating that domestic plants are weak, he implies that there are only individual plant spirits and not The Spirit of X Plant, just like there are The Spirit of Bear vs an individual bear spirit. He then goes on to say that these individual plant spirits are weak and that one should just stick with Animal Spirits…But that is based on his misinformation that there is no Totality of Plant spirits, just like Animal Spirits.
Both the incorrectness on domesticated animal and plant strength, and the misinformation on plant spirits in general is a huge, huge miss. Plants in general play an extremely powerful role in many cultures around the world. Do I even need to cite? Witchcraft in many countries…Traditional Chinese Medicine…Ayurveda…The European Traditional Craft Poison Path…Druidry. All of these can call on plants, both domesticated and wild, for various spiritual purposes.
Perhaps this bias came from interviewing primarily, or solely, hunter-gatherer cultures with no agriculture or animal farming at all. But for those of us with agriculture ingrained into our cultures, domesticated plants and animals can be powerful allies.
Respectul in Most Ways, a Bit Dated in Others
Though Harner is quite forward in some aspects, he is still a couple of steps back in others. It is an old book, published in the 1980’s, and it does show that age. To refer to certain groups of people, he uses terms that are widely considered either incorrect or incredibly rude by those people. Such as “Indians” for Native Americans, and Esk*mos for Inuit.
For those unaware, Academia, Webster’s Dictionary, and other scholarly sources are NOT authorities on what is or is not offensive to a group of people. This is because such groups are frequently run by a majority white and privileged population, and they often speak on behalf of such POC/marginalized people without actually consulting them. Only the people themselves, and organizations run by those people, can decide what is or is not offensive.
Another point, it’s also a bit odd that he always chooses to add “Indians” anytime he mentions a native peoples…It would be akin to saying “British Europeans”, “Japanese Asians”, “Moroccan Africans” or so on, at every mention. But perhaps he was writing for a different time, where the world was not nearly as globalized as today. A lot has changed in 40 years.
He also frequently refers to those following such spiritual traditions “primitive”, which is quite rude as well, as it implies that the Western way of life is superior. Which it is not- I am quite certain a large portion of those living this Western life would love to escape the 9-5 corporate office hell, navigating traffic jams, full parking lots, and horribly dirty city air…
Other Things of Note:
Chapter 1 isn’t super necessary to read if you are looking more for strictly information on shamanism. The first chapter is just Harner’s personal tale and story of how he came to study shamanism, so it’s not solid, practical info. But it does give some additional background on shamanism, especially how shamanic practices can differ widely between different cultures.
Chapter 2 and beyond is where there is more actual information on shamanism and how it is practiced.
Summary:
Overall a recommended book if you are looking to gain a general background on shamanism. In addition to my other criticisms above, just bear in mind that the information on working with plants and their spirits through shamanism is extremely limited and very incorrect in this book.
However, do note that the book is quite long-winded and exhausted, listing so many examples for every practice. With so many examples, generally the practices are only covered in a shallow level. So if you are looking for a more in-depth manual, it is best to search for resources on the specific shamanistic practice you are looking to learn more about. If you would like a no-frills guide to journeying for beginners, I recommend Shamanic Journeying by Sandra Ingerman.
Post Edition: March 17 2022
The Malachite Library 