Anthropology, Shamanism, and Alternate Ways of Knowing–Being in the World: One Anthropologist's Journey of Discovery and Transformation
Anthropology and Humanism December 1, 2010 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1111/j.1548-1409.2010.01067.x
Summary
The author shares a personal journey from skepticism to a deeper understanding of spirituality through experiences with shamans in northern Peru and the United States. This transformation led to a significant shift in consciousness, allowing for new engagement with Spirit. The narrative also explores the challenges faced in redefining the author's role as an anthropologist and suggests benefits for the discipline from embracing broader perspectives.
Study at a glance
| Key finding | A specific experience led to a profound shift in consciousness, prompting a reevaluation of the author's anthropological work. |
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Abstract
SUMMARYFrom over 20 years of working with shamans and their apprentices in northern Peru and the United States, this article describes my own journey from scientist and skeptic to humanist and adept. It tells of the fundamental shift in consciousness I experienced as a result of a specific instance in which the veil between the seen and unseen worlds temporarily lifted, allowing me to engage with Spirit in new ways. It presents, as a result of this shift, the struggles I have faced in redefining my own relationship to my work as an anthropologist. Finally, it suggests some of the advantages to our discipline that can come from thinking outside the paradigmatic box that has, for much too long, kept us disengaged from the world in which we live.