Throughout time, the shaman has carried the responsibility of escorting the souls of kindred members to the realms of beyond. Today this service is still greatly needed. Although the knowledge of how to accomplish this task has faded as the close-knit tribal community has given way to modern civilization, shamanic practitioners are discovering the call to guide souls, or to act as a psychopomp, inadvertently through their ecstatic journeys. Legendary works such as Pert em hur; Bardo Thödol; and Ars Moriendi provided a map of the afterlife. But what is the destiny of those who have not been exposed to these manuals of post mortem navigation? Without this directional knowledge many souls become stuck in the liminal space between realms. Thus, the need of a guide to assist in completing the crossing. Presented in an effort to provide the seasoned practitioner familiar with the basic concepts of shamanism with a guide, I provide first hand accounts to assist the reader with examples of how to accomplish the sacred task of psychopomp. Additionally, I explore why some spirits are unable to complete the crossing and how the shamanic practitioner deals with the trauma entailed in performing the role of psychopomp.

It may be one of the most complex questions ever asked:What really happens to the soul after death?Some discarnate souls may cross over; others may stay in the earthy realm to help or protect family members; and other earthbound souls may need to work through psychospiritual dilemmas before being escorted to the Other Sidewith help from a shaman psychopomp. Dr. David Kowalewski relies on personal experiences and his studies with shamans of many continents to illuminate the mysterious worlds of life, death, and afterlife and share an inside look at the ancient craft of psychopomping. While presenting over ninety cases of psychopomp work, Dr. Kowalewski offers statistics that explain why souls become earthbound; relay how often unfamiliar spirits show up during journeys; and provide reasons why shamanic protocols, practices, and adventures with the dead in daily life can help the task along. Included are other fascinating examples of psychopomp practices of indigenous peoples from around the world. Death Walkersshares compelling stories and evidence for why there are ghosts around us and the important role shamans play in guiding these earthbound souls to their final resting places. Drawing on first-hand accounts and cross-cultural research, David Kowalewski offers us an engaging Western perspective on the art and methods of the psychopomp Bill Plotkin, PhD, author ofSoulcraft This is an important book for the times we live in, for as people die more consciously, the more conscious the earth becomes. Sandra Ingerman, MA, author ofSoul Retrieval

According to José Stevens and Lena Stevens, business leaders and shamans share many important traits: the abilities to solve problems, to achieve goals, to see the big picture, and to forecast events. What their previous book, Secrets of Shamanism, did for the growth of the individual, The Power Path does for the growth of business managers and entrepreneurs. On the basis of years of study with shamans, the authors share a new way of thinking about the nature of power. By applying shamanic traditions of power to the workplace, readers learn how to improve work relationships, to understand employees' strengths and limitations, and to inspire effective teamwork — techniques aimed ultimately toward increasing business success.

The book makes out a case for the introduction of a new genre of tale, the shamanic story, which has either been based on or inspired by a shamanic journey, or contains a number of the elements that are typical of such a journey. The stories featured are the Book of Jonah from the Old Testament, two traditional stories from the Republic of Georgia–The Earth will take its Own and Davit, a contemporary German tale Bundles, and the Korean story of Shimchong, the Blindman’s Daughter. By making use of textual material from a number of different cultures and times, the intention is to highlight the pervasive influence shamanism has had and to show how the “new” genre being proposed is a universal one. The research questions addressed include 1) defining what shamanism is, deciding whether it should be classified as a religion, a methodology or a way of life 2) considering whether a case can be made out for the introduction of a new genre of tale and, if so, what its characteristics are. It is hoped the book will be of interest not only to those involved in the study of shamanism but also to those whose interest is in the study of literary texts. Since the old bearers of shamanic traditions quite often were, and even today are, illiterate, the study of their folklore–epic songs, laments, narratives–undoubtedly provides a rich source for research.

This Introduction surveys the beliefs, rituals and techniques found in shamanic traditions around the world.

Stories have traditionally been classified as epics, myths, sagas, legends, folk tales, fairy tales, parables or fables. However, the definitions of the terms have a tendency to overlap, making it difficult to classify and categorize material. For this reason, a case can be made for the introduction of a new genre, termed the shamanic story - a story that has either been based on or inspired by a shamanic journey (a numinous experience in non-ordinary reality) or one that contains a number of the elements typical of such a journey. Other characteristics include the way in which the stories all tend to contain embedded texts (often the account of the shamanic journey itself), how the number of actors is clearly limited as one would expect in subjective accounts of what can be regarded as inner journeys, and how the stories tend to be used for healing purposes. Within this new genre, it is proposed that there exists a sub-genre – shamanic stories that deal specifically with divination, and examples are presented and analysed to support this hypothesis. By means of textual analysis it can be shown they all share certain attributes in common, the identification of which forms the conclusion of the work.

Stories from various cultures and periods of time can be identified which deal with a concept of soul loss that is essentially shamanic. In shamanism, soul loss is the term used to describe the way parts of the psyche become detached when we are faced with traumatic situations. In shamanic terms, these split-off parts can be found in non-ordinary reality and are only accessible to those familiar with its topography. Case studies are presented to show how the way soul loss is dealt with by indigenous shamans differs from the way it is treated by neo-shamanic practitioners. Stories have traditionally been classified as epics, myths, sagas, legends, folk tales, fairy tales, parables and fables. However, the definitions of the terms have a tendency to overlap, making it difficult to classify and categorize material. For this reason, a case can be made for the introduction of a new genre, termed the shamanic story–a story that has either been based on or inspired by a shamanic journey (a numinous experience in non-ordinary reality) or one that contains a number of the elements typical of such a journey. Within this new genre it is proposed that there exists a sub-genre, shamanic stories that deal specifically with soul-loss, and examples are presented and analysed to support this hypothesis.

Explores the shamanic themes of altered states of perception; integrative wholeness of mind, body, soul and spirit; and transformative “healing” approaches and explains how a therapist can effectively integrate these into his or her practice. Original.

Shamanism can be defined as the practice of initiated shamans who are distinguished by their mastery of a range of altered states of consciousness. Shamanism arises from the actions the shaman takes in non-ordinary reality and the results of those actions in ordinary reality. It is not a religion, yet it demands spiritual discipline and personal sacrifice from the mature shaman who seeks the highest stages of mystical development.