Spirits Ride The Wind

"The book is clearly written for the general reader and includes many descriptions of trance experiences. It may serve as a good introduction to the nature and appeal of the shamanic revival in modern Western cultures." —Theological Book Review " . . . a case study in experiential anthropology that offers a unique mix of autobiography, mythology, experiential research, and archaeological data to support a challenging thesis—that certain body postures may help induce specific trance states." —Shaman's Drum "This is a spellbinding and exceptionally readable book by an extraordinary woman." —Yoga Journal "And suddenly the understanding of my own vision washed over me like a mighty wave . . . For life or for death, I was committed to that mighty realm of which I was shown a brief reminder, the world where all was forever motion and emergence, that realm where the spirits ride the wind." —from the Prologue Goodman reexamines our notions of the nature of reality by studying the ritual postures of native art assumed by her subjects during trance states. For readers desiring to discover this world of ancient myths, she has included a practical guide on how to achieve such ecstatic experiences.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The story of Cynthia Ann Parker and the last days of the Comanche In 1836, when she was nine years old, Cynthia Ann Parker was kidnapped by Comanche Indians from her family's settlement. She grew up with them, mastered their ways, and married one of their leaders. Except for her brilliant blue eyes and golden mane, Cynthia Ann Parker was in every way a Comanche woman. They called her Naduah—Keeps Warm With Us. She rode a horse named Wind. This is her story, the story of a proud and innocent people whose lives pulsed with the very heartbeat of the land. It is the story of a way of life that is gone forever. It will thrill you, absorb you, touch your soul, and make you cry as you celebrate the beauty and mourn the end of the great Comanche nation.

In this visionary memoir, author Michael Drake recounts his spiritual journey into shamanism. Drake's engaging narrative moves from his first ecstatic experience as a youth at a church revival to his mystical shamanic awakening, transformational pilgrimages to sacred places, working with indigenous wisdom keepers, to the experiences that prompted his writing, particularly his trance experiences "riding the drum" or Spirit Horse. Studying with Native elders and shamans, Drake discovered his shamanic gifts as a drummer, storyteller and ceremonialist. Riding Spirit Horse takes readers on a transcendent pilgrimage of the soul through birth, death, rebirth, ritual and ceremony to the frontiers of expanded consciousness.

Ecstatic Trance contains in-depth information on 60 ritual body postures and describes them in precise, accurate detail, with clear illustrations. The first complete manual on this subject, presented here are age-old postures (one dates back 32,000 years and was inspired by a cave painting) along with newly-researched postures, published here for the first time. Learn these postures and access, energize, and integrate your creative potential. Practicing these postures also leads to new insights into healing, inner development, and rebirth. And combined with appropriate rhythmic stimulation--music and dance, for example--the postures can engender a profound change in consciousness, leading the participant to experience altered states of reality including visions and ecstatic trance states. The postures themselves do not promote any one belief system or dogma but are elements in an overall shamanic worldview.

Specific body postures reappear in the art and artifacts of world cultures, even those widely separated by time and distance. What are these images of unusual postures telling us? Medicine people, shamans, priests, and priestesses of indigenous cultures have passed on this sacred body of knowledge for thousands of years. Anthropologist Felicita Goodman discovered that people who assume these postures report strikingly similar meditative experiences. The results from this research are inspiring, proving that certain body gestures and movements allow us to access higher states of consciousness. With clear instructions and illustrations, Belinda Gore demonstrates these shamanic postures and how to work with them. Ecstatic Body Postures is a "must read" for anyone interested in meditation, shamanic practice, yoga, or body work.

The New York Times bestseller “The Shadow of the Wind is ultimately a love letter to literature, intended for readers as passionate about storytelling as its young hero.” —Entertainment Weekly (Editor's Choice) “One gorgeous read.” —Stephen King Barcelona, 1945: A city slowly heals in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, and Daniel, an antiquarian book dealer’s son who mourns the loss of his mother, finds solace in a mysterious book entitled The Shadow of the Wind, by one Julián Carax. But when he sets out to find the author’s other works, he makes a shocking discovery: someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book Carax has written. In fact, Daniel may have the last of Carax’s books in existence. Soon Daniel’s seemingly innocent quest opens a door into one of Barcelona’s darkest secrets--an epic story of murder, madness, and doomed love.

In Nevada in 1861, a young Pony Express rider races for his life, pursued by seven Paiute warriors who are determined to drive white settlers out of their territory.

This book discusses the cultural importance of spirits, what spirits want, and how humans interact with them, using examples from around the world and through time. Examples range from the vengeful spirits of the Zulu that cast lightning bolts from clear skies to punish wrongdoers, to the benevolent Puebloan Kachina that encourage prosperity, safety, and rain in the arid American Southwest. The case studies illustrate how humans seek to cooperate (or counteract) spirits to heal the physical and spiritual ailments of their people, to divine the truth, or to gain resources. Building from their cross-cultural analyses, the authors further discuss how our physiology and psychology impact our interaction with the spirits. Readers will come away with an appreciation of the beauty and power of the spirits that continue to shape the lives of people around the world.

Sun & Moon Cycle this crow skyless sunset eyes you and the blue heron i float ... dance ... love melancholy my solitary life i remember a separate reality The Cycles of an Inflamed Mysticism is a collection of poems – a spiritual journey of self-discovery and exploration of the cycles of life. Here, Time is put in context with dreams, poetry, love and healing.