The Quest For The Shaman
Miranda & Stephen Aldhouse-Green
Hardcover: 240 pages
Publisher: Thames & Hudson Ltd (Jun 2005)
ISBN: 0500051348
Reviewed By Binz
Before we review this book, lets just look at what it is not; it is not how to find the shaman within, it is not ‘new age’, it is not the teachings of Don Juan and it is not fluffy.
Ok, that’s got that out of the way, now let’s have a look at what we’ve actually got here.
The book opens by defining shamanism and how it could be recognised from archaeological evidence, then begins the quest in the Stone Age with modern humans living alongside our Neanderthal relatives.
This is a well structured work, each chapter having introduction, body of evidence with discussion, and then a clear summary of the conclusions reached during the chapter.
Although drawing conclusions where the evidence is strong, it also leaves some questions open for the reader to consider, such as were Neanderthals spiritually aware?
The quest then progresses through (pre)history via caves and passage graves, considering representations in art of shamanic/transitional states and visions of the otherworld, then on through Bronze and Iron Age bog people, hallucinogens, divination and music.
Moving into more recent times, the quest looks at the links between shamans and smiths; the politics and characteristics that are shared by both shamans and the druids described in roman texts; and finally reviews how the characters of early Celtic literature journeyed to the otherworld.
I knew this was going to be a serious book when I picked it up in the History section of Ottakar’s and not in the MBS section.
This is an academic review of the evidence for shamanism in Europe, well researched and extensively referenced, while avoiding the risk of becoming an overly dry or heavy read.
It comes across as an open minded study, uncoloured by romantic beliefs or personal spirituality; or as the book itself puts it “we did not know at the outset what our conclusion would be”.
I would recommend this book to those with a serious interest in the spirituality of our ancient ancestors, and (of course) especially to those also practising shamanism.
After reading this book it is clear to me that although focussing on Celtic history/spirituality can provide focus for learning, such an approach could provide only a narrow view of our spiritual ancestors and how they could (and we can) connect to our indigenous spirituality.
Those practicing shamanism in Europe today are continuing a tradition founded by our ancestors at least thirty thousand years ago, and possibly several hundred thousand years ago.