Shamanism

Deftly interweaving memoir, journalism, his own anthropological fieldwork, and cutting-edge archaeology, Manvir Singh's Shamanism provides a bracing new look at one of our species' oldest and most characteristically human experiences—reaching into the spiritual realm through the powerful figure of the shaman. Traveling from the Indonesian forest to the wilds of Burning Man, Singh takes us deep into history and the human heart, showing us that this ancient religion is very much present in our lives today -- Charles C. Mann, author of The Wizard and the Prophet Singh’s Shamanism is a fast-paced, erudite, lyrical adventure through time and space that explores who shamans are, where they come from, what they do, and why we believe—or don’t—in their supposed powers. This wildly enjoyable book will transform how you think about the human mind and the nature of culture -- Daniel Liebermann, author of Exercised Way back in the Pleistocene, shamanic voyaging may well have ignited the strange kind of consciousness we call our own. We've been constitutionally shamanic since. Singh's splendid, vibrant, fast-paced account shows us what sort of creatures we were, are, and might be. Read it to know your ancestors, yourself and your descendants -- Charles Foster, author of Cry of the Wild