Illumination: The Shamans Way of Healing

Illumination: The Shamans Way of Healing
by Alberto Villoldo Ph.D.

Illumination: The Shamans Way of Healing
List Price: $24.95
Our Price: $9.99
You Save: $14.96 (60%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $6.35 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


(Click here)
Buy this book at online book store in your country
Canada | UK | Germany | France

Book Summary Information

Author: Alberto Villoldo Ph.D.
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2010-03-01
ISBN: 1401923283
Number of pages: 216
Publisher: Hay House

Book Reviews of Illumination: The Shamans Way of Healing

Book Review: Facing the Real Ordeals of Initiation in a Bold and Patient Way
Summary: 5 Stars

I had been a student of a very wise old professor at the University of Chicago named Mircea Eliade in the 1870's, who had written the acknowledged Masterwork of Scholasatic Shamanism (called "Shamanism"). When it came time to write a thesis I used ideas from Eliade and noted Chicago Anthropologist Victor Turner's classic "The Ritual Process," which dealt extensively with tribal initiations, particularly from childhood to sdulthood.

My thesis, which dealt extensively with initiatory efforts in the counter/youth culture.of that time which the author would see as incomplete initiations because a lot of it was based on non sacred use of psychedelic drugs; like in the then very popular books by Carlos Castaneda about the sorcerer Don Juan and "the Yagui way of knowledge" which were ideals that were aspired to but never really reached mainly because of the hedonism that permeated that age.

The reason I mention Eliade and Turner (and my own less evolved work) is that Villodo's work is somewhat a synthesis of their work transposed into a modern message of hope in a world careening out of control. Villodo feels, like with the counter culture of the 60's and 70's, that most initiations (e, g, adulthood, marriage, parenthood,death) are shallow and incomplete.

Look at a typical coming of age movie which is mostly about externals like cars, infatuation, maybe drugs,and sports. These are indicative of arrested spiritual/shamanic development. According to the author in many cases we are adult children, who are unstable and incomplete, and, at the core, very unhappy and angry.

In order to reach true personal development we must go through deep personal symbolic processes. To this end, Villodo likes to refer to Carl Jung's alchemical allegory of going beyond ego consciousness to true individuation as an example of authentic, and totally complete, spiritual transformation.


Villodo spends a lot of time writing about the seven deadly sin of Christianity: Pride,Greed,Envy,Lust,Sloth,Anger,Gluttony.
He sees these "sins" as blocking spiritually meaningful initiations, and his background as clinical psychologist (no longer
practicing adds depth and credibility to his argument. However Shamanism, in Villodo's, view is not only for the archetypal spiritual "medicine man.," but is possible, at least in my interpretation, too anyone who fallows the initiatory spiritual
path, which is a fairly unique vision of shamanism, in particular, and spiritual traditions in particular.


Villodo's recommendation is that we take bold initiatory and transformative action to fully develop, overcome the scourge of the seven deadly sins and "essentially" save the world as they save themselves. But at the same time we should be very patient in this process and let go of the fear and compulsiveness that characterizes our age and trust that development will come if we wait and patiently, and let truth, love and beauty unfold. As poet T. S. Eliot wrote in transcendent, and very spiritual masterpiece "The Four Quartets: "we must be still and still moving" to achieve spiritual rebirth in the span of one, or many, lifetimes.

This is a very idealistic message, but beautifully crafted and inspirational. It may seem like a bit of a dream, but it may be a dream that needs to come true before it might be too late. And although highly critical of modernity, and post modernity, it offers a captivating, and engrossing, vision of authentic self realization.

Summary of Illumination: The Shamans Way of Healing

Illumination guides the reader on a healing journey, forged by the timeless wisdom of indigenous cultures and the latest theories of neurobiology. Through various stages in this journey of initiation, we grow to understand the causes of our suffering and how to free ourselves from the pain and drama of our unhealed emotions. Life itself invites us to be initiated through many means?the possibility of love, the loss of a parent or friend, the birth of a child, or a serious health crisis. True initiation is empowered by facing personal challenges and experiencing the spiritual rebirth?or illumination?that follows.

Unifying this book is the sacred process of transforming toxic emotions into sources of power and grace. Illumination shows us how to bid a joyful goodbye to the people and places we have met, discovering a sacred space where the spirit inhabits, uniting the body and soul. When we learn to let go from difficult situations and problems, to accept our lives as they are, we can begin to identify with a self that is eternal.

Recounting his own experiences, tracing the mythologies of an array of cultures, and expanding his inquiry into the field of neurobiology, Alberto Villoldo shows readers how they can benefit from these sacred practices. 

Shamanism Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in Shamanism Books
Alejandro Tsakimp: A Shuar Healer in the Margins of History (Fourth World Rising) ImageAlejandro Tsakimp: A Shuar Healer in the Margins of History (Fourth World Rising)
by Steven L. Rubenstein
University of Nebraska Press; Published: 2002-10-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $38.90
Price in other shops: $70.00
The Flying Tiger: Women Shamans and Storytellers of the Amur (McGill-Queen's Native and Northern) ImageThe Flying Tiger: Women Shamans and Storytellers of the Amur (McGill-Queen's Native and Northern)
by Kira Van Deusen
McGill-Queen's University Press; Published: 2001-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $28.15
Price in other shops: $32.95
Plant Spirit Journey: Discover the Healing Energies of the Natural World ImagePlant Spirit Journey: Discover the Healing Energies of the Natural World
by Laura Silvana
New Age; Llewellyn Publications; Published: 2009-12-08; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.54
Price in other shops: $16.95
Beyond 2012: A Shaman's Call to Personal Change and the Transformation of Global Consciousness ImageBeyond 2012: A Shaman's Call to Personal Change and the Transformation of Global Consciousness
by James Endredy
Llewellyn Publications; Published: 2008-02-08; Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.20
Price in other shops: $16.95
Career Discernment: Shamanic Laws & Statutes for Dispirited Professionals and Spirited Job Seekers ImageCareer Discernment: Shamanic Laws & Statutes for Dispirited Professionals and Spirited Job Seekers
by Vincent Presti
I Wanna Be On Productions; Published: 2009-04-10; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.50
Price in other shops: $7.95
Dreaming Your World Into Being: The Shaman's Secrets To Having The Life You Desire Now ImageDreaming Your World Into Being: The Shaman's Secrets To Having The Life You Desire Now
by Jon Rasmussen
Jon\Rasmussen; Published: 2008-06-21; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.69
Price in other shops: $14.95
Twilight of Transformation: A New Paradigm for a New Age ImageTwilight of Transformation: A New Paradigm for a New Age
by Carol Ostrouch
iUniverse; Published: 2003-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $16.00
Price in other shops: $16.95
The Maya Book of Life: Understanding the Xultun Tarot ImageThe Maya Book of Life: Understanding the Xultun Tarot
by Michael Owen
Kahurangi Press; Published: 2011-03-31; Paperback; Book
Best price: $40.00
A Woman's Guide to the Earth Traditions: Exploring Wicca, Shamanism, Paganism and Celtic Spirituality ImageA Woman's Guide to the Earth Traditions: Exploring Wicca, Shamanism, Paganism and Celtic Spirituality
by Vivianne Crowley
Thorsons; Published: 2001-09-25; Paperback; Book
Best price: $175.50
The Active Side of Infinity ImageThe Active Side of Infinity
by Carlos Castaneda
Harper; Published: 1998-12-09; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $13.80
Price in other shops: $25.00
Similar Books and other products
Soul Retrieval: Mending the Fragmented Self ImageSoul Retrieval: Mending the Fragmented Self
by Sandra Ingerman
HarperOne; Published: 2006-08-08; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.03
Price in other shops: $15.99
Awakening to the Spirit World: The Shamanic Path of Direct Revelation ImageAwakening to the Spirit World: The Shamanic Path of Direct Revelation
by Sandra Ingerman, Hank Wesselman
Sounds True, Incorporated; Published: 2010-02-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.71
Price in other shops: $19.95
Courageous Dreaming: How Shamans Dream the World into Being ImageCourageous Dreaming: How Shamans Dream the World into Being
by Alberto Villoldo Ph.D.
Hay House; Published: 2008-03-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $2.48
Price in other shops: $24.95
Dance of the Four Winds: Secrets of the Inca Medicine Wheel ImageDance of the Four Winds: Secrets of the Inca Medicine Wheel
by Alberto Villoldo, Erik Jendresen
Destiny Books; Published: 1994-12-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.00
Price in other shops: $16.95
Courageous Dreaming: How Shamans Dream the World into Being ImageCourageous Dreaming: How Shamans Dream the World into Being
by Alberto Villoldo Ph.D.
Hay House; Published: 2009-03-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.00
Price in other shops: $14.95
Mending the Past and Healing the Future with Soul Retrieval ImageMending the Past and Healing the Future with Soul Retrieval
by Alberto Villoldo Ph.D.
Hay House; Published: 2005-06-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $3.35
Price in other shops: $19.95
Healing States: A Journey Into the World of Spiritual Healing and Shamanism ImageHealing States: A Journey Into the World of Spiritual Healing and Shamanism
by Alberto Villoldo, Ph.D. Stanley Krippner
Touchstone; Published: 1987-06-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.72
Price in other shops: $16.95
Power Up Your Brain: The Neuroscience of Enlightenment ImagePower Up Your Brain: The Neuroscience of Enlightenment
by David Perlmutter, Alberto Villoldo
Hay House; Published: 2011-02-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $14.98
Price in other shops: $24.95
The Four Insights: Wisdom, Power, and Grace of the Earthkeepers ImageThe Four Insights: Wisdom, Power, and Grace of the Earthkeepers
by Alberto Villoldo Ph.D.
Hay House; Published: 2007-10-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.70
Price in other shops: $12.95
Shaman, Healer, Sage: How to Heal Yourself and Others with the Energy Medicine of the Americas ImageShaman, Healer, Sage: How to Heal Yourself and Others with the Energy Medicine of the Americas
by Alberto Villoldo Ph.D.
Crown Archetype; Published: 2000-12-19; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $11.00
Price in other shops: $23.00
Book store. Illustrated catalog of books on different categories