Hughes and Walsh

Hughes 2

I found it very interesting that shamans are able to work with dreams and have the ability to be conscious and in control while dreaming. Personally, I do not see how that is possible. I'm not sure how a person can be dreaming, but still be in control. If a shaman is still in control, then has he or she really entered an altered state of consciousness? I found it fascinating that most potential shamans have suffered a near-death experience. They must enter some kind of trance when they are about to die. I'm assuming it is in that crucial moment that some overlying force just takes over. So many people seemed to have had crazy and out there experiences, so there must be some truth to it all. To me, it sounds crazy, probably because I have never had a creative escape to another world. I thought the readings were very interesting, but some of it is hard for me to believe. I think I need to meet a shaman in person.

Walsh I.

I am surprised that shamanism has survived so long, and still nothing can be proven or really understood by most scholars. I feel that some anthropologists have been smart by actually attempting to practice shamanism. How could a person understand shamanism, without actually doing it? It seems like there are a lot of different types of shamanism. Neoshaminism does not appear to be as serious or as involved as traditional forms of shamanism. I think most shamanism is a matter of the mind. People start doing shamanism with thoughts that something imaginative might occur, and then it does. I feel like it is just a matter of mind over body.

Walsh II.

I can definitely relate to this chapter, because a lot of the myths that are associated with shamanism I believed. I used to be a psychology major, so I think that is why I had the perceptions that I had. I am now trying to be more open minded towards the practice. Obviously, I don't know enough about shamanism to make any kind of fair judgement. However, I hope this book allows me to develop some rational understanding of the practice. So far, I am very skeptical and undecided about how I feel towards the whole idea of shamanism.