Book Review: Pocket Guide to Shamanism

I looked askance at mi madre when I found this book in the stack of books I had at her house last time I visited, but decided to take it east with me anyway. I’m oddly glad I did. Elliot Cowan’s book from Crossing Press is a charming and well-thought out text that in just over 120 pages covers the basic concepts of both native shamanism from around the globe and core shamanism in modern practice, while also diving into the different routes shamans and shamanic practitioners take towards their work. The part I actually found the most surprising and useful was a segment on both types of shamanic approaches on not just how to find a shaman and how to approach them and figure out if they are worthwhile, but also what to pay them, how to negotiate, see if you are a good fit, and more. I had not expected that chapter, and found it well thought out.It’s cheap, it has quality info boiled down into bite size pieces, and though I didn’t learn any new information, I did appreciate acquiring some new ways to phrase what I or others I know are doing with slight language differences and approaches to packaging our work.