Birds of Prey, Birds of Wisdom: Relating to Non-Humans in Contemporary Western-Based Shamanism

Open Access
Authors
Publication date 12-2022
Journal Religions
Article number 1214
Volume | Issue number 13 | 12
Number of pages 16
Organisations
  • Faculty of Humanities (FGw) - Amsterdam Institute for Humanities Research (AIHR) - Amsterdam School of Historical Studies (ASH)
Abstract Birds of prey appear frequently in contemporary forms of shamanism. For example, Michael Harner’s Core Shamanism references the ‘power animal,’ or the authentic self, which sometimes takes the form of a strong and benevolent eagle. However, precisely how meaning and belief concerning these birds may have been lost, challenged or (re)invented remains to be explored. In this contribution, we have used the methods and vision of netnography to explore the relationships between contemporary western-based, self-defined shamans and birds of prey: real, imagined or represented.
Document type Article
Language English
Published at https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13121214
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religions-13-01214 (Final published version)
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