New Mysteries

In many of the essays I have written over the past several years, I have repeatedly made mention of the fact that a new spiritual complex is coming into being in the West, one that exists beyond the well-patrolled borders of organized religion, one at whose center lies the realization that each of us has the ability to make the direct, transpersonal connection with the sacred realms that defines the mystic... the shaman.Read more

In the midst of the annual holiday potlatch—(the Great Spending followed by the Great Giveaway)—my thoughts tend to turn in many unexpected directions... and I try to pay attention in case something important might appear on the screen. Read more

My recent series of essays posted on sharedwisdom.com have been focused upon the growing interest in the New Mysteries that are taking form in the Western world once again… and with this in mind, I have been exploring the issue of re-enchantment—the re-enchantment of ourselves as well as the world in which we live. Read more

This is the fourth essay in a series focused upon the New Mysteries that are reemerging in the Western world in response to our growing need for their presence in our lives once again.

In these narratives, I have brought up the concept of 're-enchantment,' and I must admit that I like this term. I keep returning to it and not surprisingly, my thoughts and meditations have expanded into new directions in response. Read more

Many of my readers are aware of the prophesy made by the Oglala medicine man and shaman Black Elk before his passing more than 60 years ago.

As part of his retelling of the story of the gifting of the first sacred prayer pipe to the people by White Buffalo Calf Woman, Black Elk observed that with the ending of this cycle of ages—the one that is winding down right now and appears to be coming to closure in 2012—that the primordial spirituality would re-emerge and re-establish itself... and it would be on this foundation that the next cycle would begin again. Read more

In thinking about the shape of ‘what has been' from my perspective as an anthropologist, as well as the various possibilities of ‘what's to come' from my perspective as a modern shamanic practitioner and teacher, several givens come up for consideration.

The Givens

For example: Given the prominence of some form of religion in peoples' lives virtually everywhere, it is obvious that there exists a great psychological need among humans to believe in something greater than ourselves. Read more

Those who have read my books and essays about my encounters with ‘the supernatural’ on the shaman’s path may at times find it difficult to reconcile these accounts with what we have been taught about the world by our parents and friends, teachers and religious authorities. 

Science and Spirituality

In thinking about this, I might add that it is currently impossible for Western science to seriously consider the experiences I have shared with you the reader as real, let alone investigate or even validate them. Read more