The Strong Eye of Shamanism

January 1, 1999
Shamans were and are healers, mythographers, and the spiritual leaders of their communities; the ecstatic nature of their trances is a transformative state of consciousness. Shamanism is a prehistoric practice, beginning with the dawn of humanism and continuing to the present day. Ryan, a researcher in mythology and comparative religion, pulls together anthropological and ethnological writings on shamans to trace commonalities, showing similar practices in cultures from Siberia to Nepal to Australia. Caves are analogous to the inward journey of the shaman, which transforms the person as well as the culture, and Ryan analyzes the cave drawings of several ancient shamanic cultures. This book has a strong scholarly base, copious illustrations, and well-supported arguments. The bibliography is thorough. Recommended for academic libraries supporting anthropology, ethnology, and religion.--Gail Wood, SUNY Coll. of Technology Lib., Cortland, NY

February 1, 1999
Shamanism is a prehistoric practice, beginning with the dawn of humanism and continuing to the present day. Shamans were and are healers, mythographers, and the spiritual leaders of their communities; the ecstatic nature of their trances is a transformative state of consciousness. Ryan, a researcher in mythology and comparative religion, pulls together anthropological and ethnological writings on shamans to trace commonalities, showing similar practices in cultures from Siberia to Nepal to Australia. Caves are analogous to the inward journey of the shaman, which transforms the person as well as the culture, and Ryan analyzes the cave drawings of several ancient shamanic cultures. This book has a strong scholarly base, copious illustrations, and well-supported arguments. The bibliography is thorough. Recommended for academic libraries supporting anthropology, ethnology, and religion.--Gail Wood, SUNY Coll. of Technology Lib., Cortland

December 15, 1998
Shamanism continues to hold the public's interest, with scores of titles competing for attention. Few, however, are as well written or well researched as this one. Nor do many offer as intriguing an angle on the subject. Shamanism, Ryan contends, is the original religion of most of humanity. Analyzing Paleolithic cave art and comparing it with records of historical shamans, Ryan reveals a continuity of tradition that amply sustains his argument. The one oversight--and it is, alas, a major one--is Ryan's apparent ignorance of the increasing literature on female shamans; his text implies that shamans the world over were men. This caveat aside, Ryan has not only made a significant contribution to the academic literature on shamanism but has crafted an engaging work that will appeal strongly to the lay reader. ((Reviewed December 15, 1998))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1998, American Library Association.)