The Strong Eye of Shamanism
A Journey into the Caves of Consciousness
Robert E. Ryan, Ph.D.
- An
- exploration
- of
- shamanism
- and
- the
- archetypal
- symbolism
- that
- sits
- at
- the
- foundation
- of
- all
- human
- life•
- Not
- just
- an
- academic
- work.
- Helps
- the
- reader
- experience
- the
- actual
- mindset
- of
- the
- shaman•
- Presents
- a
- cohesive
- view
- of
- the
- recurrent
- patterns
- of
- symbolism
- and
- visionary
- experience
- that
- underlie
- all
- religionThe
- human
- psyche
- contains
- archetypal
- patterns
- largely
- lost
- to
- contemporary
- society
- but
- which
- shamans
- have
- employed
- for
- over
- 30,000
- years
- to
- gain
- access
- to
- the
- spiritual
- world.
- Shamanic
- symbols
- both
- affect
- and
- reflect
- these
- durative
- patterns
- that
- exist,
- with
- uncanny
- similarity,
- in
- civilizations
- separated
- by
- expanses
- of
- time
- and
- distance.
- The
- Strong
- Eye
- of
- Shamanism
- draws
- together
- the
- many
- facets
- of
- the
- art
- of
- shamanism,
- presenting
- a
- cohesive
- view
- of
- the
- recurrent
- patterns
- of
- symbolism
- and
- visionary
- experience
- that
- underlie
- its
- practice.The
- "strong
- eye"
- of
- the
- title
- refers
- to
- the
- archetypal
- symbolism
- that
- sits
- at
- the
- foundation
- of
- all
- human
- life--whether
- in
- Paleolithic
- caves
- or
- today's
- temples.
- The
- author
- asserts
- that
- society
- has
- become
- separated
- from
- the
- power
- of
- those
- symbols
- that
- lead
- us
- into
- deeper
- understanding
- of
- our
- spirituality.
- In
- today's
- world
- of
- splintered
- psyches,
- a
- world
- in
- which
- people
- are
- in
- search
- of
- their
- souls,
- shamanism
- survives
- as
- an
- age-old
- technology
- of
- soul
- recovery,
- a
- living
- Rosetta
- stone
- that
- reminds
- us
- of
- the
- shared
- foundation
- that
- exists
- beneath
- even
- the
- most
- radically
- different
- perspectives.
- Through
- its
- study
- of
- shamanism,
- archetypal
- psychology,
- and
- symbolism,
- The
- Strong
- Eye
- of
- Shamanism
- encourages
- individuals--and
- society--to
- look
- inward
- and
- remember
- that
- the
- deepest
- forms
- of
- awareness
- begin
- with
- the
- knowledge
- that
- the
- answers
- reside
- within us.
