NEOSHAMANISM

Also neo-Shamanism, neoshamanism, new shamanism,whiteshamanism, contemporary shamanism, urban shamanism, Western shamanism. A term applied by scholars to engagement with, application of, or appropriation from indigenous or prehistoric shamanism by Westerners (mostly those of European descent) for personal or communityhealingand empowerment. With an increase inentheogen tourism, there are now many books recounting neo-shamanic experiences, one of the most compelling of which is Daniel Pinchbeck’sBreaking Open the Head:A VisionaryJourney from Cynicism to Shamanism(2002). Worldwide, the most popular practice is that ofcore shamanismtaught byMichael Harner, founder of theFoundation forShamanic Studies, to Westerners as well as Native people seeking to revive their own traditions. A number of indigenous and Métis (partindigenous) shamans have also taught neo-shamans, includingSunBearandBrooke Medicine Eagle, while the teachings ofNicholasBlack Elkare also popular. Other key figures in the United States areCarlos Castaneda, who popularized shamanism with his series of books on the fictionalYaqui sorcerer Don Juan, andLynn Andrews, who styled themedicine wheelteachings for non-NativeAmericans. Other neo-shamans have turned to prehistoric indigenous traditions inNorthern Europein order to reconstruct ancient shamanisms for contemporaryWiccan, Celtic, and NorsePaganpractice, most notably theHeathenpractice ofseidrandDruidicrevival ofAwenyddion. Key figures in Great Britain include the environmental educatorGordon“the Toad”MacLellanand the founders of Eagle’s Wing for Contemporary Shamanism, Leo Rutherford and Howard Charing, who offerdrummingand other workshops.Most recently, theSacred Trust, founded and directed bySimon Buxton, has become the most prominent organization for neo-shamans in Great Britain. Such magazines asSacred HoopandShamans’ Drumserve as resources to practitioners seeking information on shamans and workshop programs.

Those who genuinely feel their practices are authentic and not dissimilar from indigenous traditions might deem the termneoshamanoffensive. Nonetheless, neo-shamanic practices do tend to romanticize indigenous shamans, neglect the negative aspects of “dark shamans,” and be more consumer-oriented and based on self-growth. Others directly appropriate indigenous traditions despite clear opposition from such groups as theAmerican IndianMovement.Native American spiritualityhas been a focus of contention in this regard, as someeldershave openly taught nonNatives, while others have condemned the commodification of their spiritual practices.

Taking a more nuanced approach than those who might be termed “wannabe Indians,” the title “shaman” is viewed as honorific by practitioners such as MacLellan, whose efforts are aimed at community education and healing rather than self-oriented personal development. The boundary between indigenous/prehistoric shamans and neo-shamans is increasingly permeable, as accelerating numbers of Westerners engage with indigenous shamans directly, and vice versa, such as inayahuascaandpeyoteceremonies. The study of neoshamanism, and its cognate contemporary Paganism, gained coherency and respectability in the 1990s with work byGraham Harvey, Marion Bowman,Ronald Hutton, and others. Ethnographies of neo-shamanisms have been offered byJenny Blain, GalinaLindquist, andRobert Wallis.