Here are some well-known authors who write about shamanism from various perspectives:

Anthropological & Historical Perspectives:

  • Mircea EliadeShamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy (a foundational academic work on shamanism worldwide)
  • Michael HarnerThe Way of the Shaman (pioneered "core shamanism" in the West)
  • Carlos CastanedaThe Teachings of Don Juan (controversial but influential accounts of his apprenticeship with a Yaqui shaman)

Spiritual & Practical Approaches:

  • Sandra IngermanSoul Retrieval (modern shamanic healing techniques)
  • Alberto VilloldoShaman, Healer, Sage (Peruvian shamanism & energy medicine)
  • Eliot CowanPlant Spirit Medicine (connection between shamanism and plant intelligence)
  • John PerkinsShapeshifting (personal experiences with Amazonian shamans)

Mythology & Comparative Religion:

  • Joseph CampbellThe Hero with a Thousand Faces (not explicitly about shamanism but deeply related)
  • David Lewis-WilliamsThe Mind in the Cave (shamanism and prehistoric cave art)

Indigenous & Traditional Voices:

  • Martín PrechtelSecrets of the Talking Jaguar (Guatemalan Mayan shamanism)
  • Black Elk (as told to John Neihardt)Black Elk Speaks (Lakota shamanic visions and teachings)
  • Malidoma Patrice SoméOf Water and the Spirit (West African Dagara shamanic initiation)

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