The Shaman's Doorway: Opening Imagination to Power and Myth

by Stephen Larsen, Joan Halifax (Foreword by)

Overview

The Shaman’s Doorway is one of the most significant and inspiring works on the relationship of shamanism to both the psyche and society. Drawing on his experience as a psychotherapist and his understanding of primordial shamanic traditions, Stephen Larsen shows the relevance of this path to the modern world and how it can lead to a creative and affirmative relationship with life. “Life dismembers us,” Larsen says, and a new grasp of these ancient techniques for altering consciousness is required to escape from the alienation and confusion caused by our demythologized and industrialized environment. Defining the task of the shaman as one of bringing meaning and healing into life, Larsen clearly shows how the shaman, all too often perceived as belonging to the world’s past, holds the key to our future.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780892816729
Publisher:	Inner Traditions/Bear & Company
Publication date:	03/28/1998
Edition description:	Original
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	278,147
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Stephen Larsen is a practicing psychotherapist and director of the Stone Mountain Counseling Center. Codirector of the Center for Symbolic Studies, he is the author of The Mythic Imagination and coauthor of Fire in the Mind, the biography of his friend and mentor Joseph Campbell.

Table of Contents

Foreword

Preface to the Second Edition

Preface

Introduction 

1 The Mythic Imagination

2 The Enactment of Vision

3 Priests, Scientists, Yogis

4 Myths of Relationship and Integration

Epilogue

Source Notes

Bibliography

Index

What People are Saying About This

Joesph Campbell

An excellent analytical and harmonizing survey of this very complex field.

Stanley Krippner

Shamanism represents a body of knowledge that is pertinent to the ailments of contemporary society. Dr. Larsen guides us through this legacy with skill and ease, teaching us how the shaman's visions can expand our own awareness.

From the Publisher

"Shamanism represents a body of knowledge that is pertinent to the ailments of contemporary society. Dr. Larsen guides us through this legacy with skill and ease, teaching us how the shaman's visions can expand our own awareness."

"An excellent analytical and harmonizing survey of this very complex field."

Editorial Reviews

"Shamanism represents a body of knowledge that is pertinent to the ailments of contemporary society. Dr. Larsen guides us through this legacy with skill and ease, teaching us how the shaman's visions can expand our own awareness."

Stanley Krippner

"An excellent analytical and harmonizing survey of this very complex field."

Joseph Campbell

"An excellent analytical and harmonizing survey of this very complex field."

"Shamanism represents a body of knowledge that is pertinent to the ailments of contemporary society. Dr. Larsen guides us through this legacy with skill and ease, teaching us how the shaman's visions can expand our own awareness."

From the Publisher

This book remains a solid introduction to the subject for shamanism neophytes, and even those with an existing shamanic library will want to add it to their shelves—if it's not there already. Congratulations to Inner Traditions for returning this classic work to print.

Independent Publisher