Soul Journeys: Christian Spirituality and Shamanism as Pathways for Wholeness and Understanding

Perhaps the title of this book should have been, "Everything you wanted to know about Shamanism, but as a Christian, we're afraid to ask. "This is not a "How To" book. Rather it is a thorough and informative Shamistic apologetic which explores journeys through the Upper, Middle, and Lower worlds, guided by spiritual helpers, healing spirits, and animal protectors. And in this Mundus Imaginalis, a way is even found to help the Chicago Cubs win the World Series."Shamanism", the authors note, "awakens us to the aliveness of all creation." A good read, the book is lively and did awaken me to the tug of sacred mystery. Christians may not agree with everything the authors propose, but well worth examining. The spirits, as the authors suggest, are there for us all.

I studied shamanism and spirituality with all three of these directors personally, and eventually they admitted that the shamanism promoted in this book is entirely artificial and "imaginal" or IMAGINARY. Many of the positive reviews on this book are deposited here on Amazon by contacts of the authors themselves, who solicit them from their seminary students.As a testament to the pseudo-authenticity of this book's spirituality, Daniel Prechtal is longterm friend of J.R Mabry, and publishes space fiction on Mabry's private imprint Xenophile Press, under the name B.J. West. He also publishes Amazon erotica under multiple pseudonyms, including Neil Bimbeau, for spiritual direction purposes? Happy Soul Journeying.The most profoundly disturbing aspect of Soul Journeys is the way that the authors suggest that the "Upper World" is a realm meant sophisticated spiritual beings, traditional powerful gods and goddesses, and classical saints from Christianity, while the "Lower World" is for animals, talking plants, and Native Americans and similar "tribal peoples." They're literally sending tribal people to hell like it's an underworld reservation. And these are the people teaching interfaith spirituality.It's literally White People like stealing the spirituality of real shamans and selling it on the global market.

I am rather disappointed in this book. To be honest, I’m not quite sure what I was expecting, but what I found was a mish-mash of spiritualities and a bunch of self-absorbed “woo-woo”. I am certainly not some Christian fundamentalist (been a practicing Episcopalian for decades), but I still cannot fathom what Christianity has to do with soul journeys involving pagan deities like Asclepius and Isis or animal spirits like Bear and Lion. Even one of the authors (John R. Mabry, whose contributions are the only saving grace for the book) states “…it’s problematic for us to mix-and-match worldviews when we are talking about shamanism and Christianity. They really do posit two different universes, and these universes are mutually exclusive places.” Shamanism is a beautiful, enriching practice for those who practice it, and it certainly does not need any Christian overlay. If you are looking for ways to directly encounter spirits (i.e. shamanism) within the Christian worldview (i.e. Jesus; Mary; the Saints; Angels; etc.) you will find little help in this book. I would suggest works by Morton Kelsey (who one of the authors of this book mentions), like Discernment, A Study in Ecstasy and Evil, and Christo-Psychology; or classic works on Christian mysticism, Ignatian spirituality, and Augustinian prayer. You may find these more helpful than getting out the drum and rattle.

The interfaith movement may simultaneously move in two directions: horizontally, to build bridges across religions and religious denominations; and vertically, to discover the common and ancient roots to our individual faith traditions. The roots of spirituality may be ancient but, as Daniel Prechtel, John Mabry, and Katrina Leathers show, the ancient roots are alive today; the vines and branches that spring from them are forever flowering. I loved this book because it clearly and eloquently explores the nature of our common spirituality and humanity and, also, the spiritual nature of our common world.

that I had great difficulty writing this review, though I enjoyed it immensely! The concepts are so abstract and nuanced that I found it difficult to get past the limitation posed by words, or at least by my words! Both the Tree of Life of Jewish mysticism and the theories posed by quantum physics, seem to point to ten dimensions of existence. It is also often opined that humans are energetically multidimensional beings, that might unwittingly or deliberately change dimensions several times a day, and, perhaps, communicate with beings that are not experienced at the material level. Angels are one example. This is achieved by changing one's level of consciousness, at will. These are the same abilities experienced by many yogis, mediums, energy healers, psychics, priests, shamans, Asian monks, and others recorded in holy books such as the Bible, Quran, the Torah, and Budddhist tomes. Some come by this trans-dimensional ability as a natural gift. Others by training. Some, spontaneousIy, like Saul/Paul. I happen to have known the author since college, and he has always been a seeker, always reaching for the spritual realms. After a concentrated period of learning ancient shamanic exercises, he has been able to use these skills to "travel" and to heal. This book is not only interesting and entertaining, it could inspire others to reach for the higher and finer universal energies, found above Malkuth (the material level described by the Qabala}. This is transcendental. This is obtainable. We CAN experience other frequencies above the physical. But, for most of us, this requires a lot of training and practice. I recommend this book, and will be watching for others, on this subject.