Michael Harner: Founder of Core Shamanism

BY NICOLE LAU

Michael Harner (1929-2018) transformed from academic anthropologist to practicing shaman, creating "core shamanism"—a distillation of universal shamanic techniques that could be practiced by modern Westerners without appropriating specific indigenous cultures. Through his book The Way of the Shaman and the Foundation for Shamanic Studies, Harner made shamanic journeying, power animal retrieval, and healing practices accessible to thousands while maintaining respect for indigenous traditions. His work sparked a global shamanic revival, showing that ancient techniques for accessing non-ordinary reality remain valid and powerful in the modern world.

From Anthropologist to Shaman

Harner's transformation was gradual and grounded in direct experience:

Academic Beginnings (1929-1960):

Early life: Born in Washington, D.C., showed early interest in indigenous cultures and anthropology. Pursued academic study with the intention of becoming a traditional anthropologist.

Academic training: Earned his Ph.D. in anthropology from UC Berkeley in 1963. Studied under leading anthropologists and prepared for a conventional academic career.

Fieldwork: Conducted anthropological research among indigenous peoples of the Amazon (Jívaro/Shuar people of Ecuador) and the Pacific Northwest Coast. Initially approached shamanism as an outside observer, not a practitioner.

The Ayahuasca Initiation (1960-1961):

The invitation: While living with the Conibo Indians of the Peruvian Amazon, Harner was invited to drink ayahuasca (a powerful psychoactive plant brew used in shamanic ceremonies). He accepted, seeking to understand shamanism from the inside.

The experience: The ayahuasca journey was profound and terrifying. Harner experienced visions of cosmic serpents, witnessed the creation of life on Earth, and encountered beings that seemed more real than ordinary reality. This shattered his materialist worldview.

The validation: When he described his visions to the indigenous shamans, they confirmed he had seen what they see—the same spirits, the same cosmic realities. This wasn't hallucination but access to genuine non-ordinary reality.

The shift: Harner realized shamanism wasn't primitive superstition but a sophisticated technology for accessing other dimensions of reality. He began studying shamanism not as an anthropologist but as an apprentice.

Learning from Indigenous Teachers (1961-1980):

Multiple traditions: Harner studied with shamans from various cultures—Amazonian, North American, Siberian, and others. He learned their techniques, participated in ceremonies, and underwent initiations.

The pattern recognition: Despite cultural differences, Harner noticed universal patterns—the shamanic journey, power animals, spirit helpers, healing techniques. These core elements appeared across cultures that had no contact with each other.

Academic career: Meanwhile, Harner maintained his academic position, teaching anthropology at various universities including UC Berkeley, Yale, and the New School for Social Research. He published scholarly works on shamanism while privately practicing.

Going Public (1980-2018):

The Way of the Shaman (1980): Harner published his groundbreaking book presenting shamanic techniques in a way Westerners could practice. This was revolutionary—making shamanism accessible beyond indigenous cultures.

Foundation for Shamanic Studies (1985): Founded FSS to preserve indigenous shamanic knowledge, train practitioners in core shamanism, and support indigenous shamans worldwide.

Teaching and training: Spent the rest of his life teaching shamanic workshops, training practitioners, and documenting indigenous shamanic practices before they disappeared.

Death (2018): Harner died at 88, leaving a legacy of thousands of trained shamanic practitioners and a global revival of shamanic practice.

What is Core Shamanism?

Harner's most important contribution was identifying universal shamanic techniques:

The Concept:

Universal elements: Core shamanism extracts the techniques common to shamanic traditions worldwide—the shamanic journey, power animals, spirit helpers, healing methods—while leaving aside culture-specific elements like particular spirits, myths, or rituals.

Not cultural appropriation: By focusing on universal techniques rather than specific cultural practices, core shamanism avoids appropriating any particular indigenous tradition. You're not pretending to be a Lakota medicine person or Amazonian curandero.

Accessible to all: Anyone can learn core shamanic techniques regardless of cultural background. The spirit world is available to all humans, not just indigenous peoples.

Respectful foundation: Core shamanism honors indigenous traditions as the source of this knowledge while making it available to modern practitioners in a respectful way.

The Core Techniques:

1. The Shamanic Journey: Entering an altered state of consciousness (usually through drumming) to travel to non-ordinary reality and interact with spirits, power animals, and teachers.

2. Power Animal Retrieval: Connecting with power animals (spirit allies in animal form) who provide protection, guidance, and power for healing and life.

3. Soul Retrieval: Recovering lost soul parts that split off due to trauma, returning them to restore wholeness and vitality.

4. Extraction Healing: Removing spiritual intrusions or negative energies that cause illness or imbalance.

5. Divination: Journeying to obtain information, guidance, or answers to questions from spirit helpers.

The Shamanic Journey

The journey is the foundation of core shamanic practice:

What It Is:

Altered state: The shamanic journey is an intentional altered state of consciousness, different from both ordinary waking consciousness and sleep/dreams. You remain aware and can remember everything afterward.

Non-ordinary reality: In the journey, you access non-ordinary reality—the spirit world that exists alongside ordinary reality. This isn't imagination or fantasy but a genuine dimension of existence.

The three worlds: Shamanic cosmology typically includes three worlds—the Lower World (accessed by going down through the earth), the Upper World (accessed by going up), and the Middle World (the spiritual aspect of ordinary reality).

How to Journey:

The drum: Monotonous drumming at 4-7 beats per second induces the shamanic state of consciousness. The drum is called the "shaman's horse"—it carries you to the spirit world.

The intention: Set a clear intention before journeying—what do you want to learn, who do you want to meet, what healing do you seek?

The entry: Visualize an opening in the earth (for Lower World) or a way to ascend (for Upper World). This could be a tree root, cave, hole in the ground, or a mountain, tree, or ladder going up.

The journey: Travel through the opening into non-ordinary reality. Meet your power animal or spirit teacher. Receive guidance, healing, or information. When the drumming changes (callback signal), return the same way you came.

Integration: Upon return, record your journey and integrate any teachings or healing received.

What You Encounter:

Power animals: Spirit allies in animal form who provide protection, power, and guidance. Everyone has at least one power animal, often several.

Spirit teachers: Wise beings in human or other forms who provide teaching, healing, and guidance. These might be ancestors, ascended masters, or other spiritual beings.

Landscapes: The spirit worlds have their own geography—forests, rivers, mountains, caves, cities. These are as real in non-ordinary reality as physical places are in ordinary reality.

The Constant Unification Perspective

Harner's core shamanism demonstrates universal spiritual truths:

• Shamanic journey = Meditation/contemplation: Different techniques for accessing non-ordinary states of consciousness—same goal of spiritual knowledge
• Power animals = Spirit guides: Every tradition has spirit helpers—angels, devas, ancestors, power animals—different forms, same function
• Three worlds = Universal cosmology: Lower/Middle/Upper worlds parallel underworld/earth/heaven in many traditions
• Soul retrieval = Psychological integration: Shamanic soul retrieval and psychological work with dissociated parts address the same fragmentation

The Foundation for Shamanic Studies

Harner's organization continues his work:

The Mission:

Preserve indigenous knowledge: Document and preserve shamanic practices from indigenous cultures before they disappear due to modernization and cultural loss.

Train practitioners: Teach core shamanic techniques to modern practitioners through workshops, training programs, and certification.

Support indigenous shamans: Provide financial and practical support to indigenous shamans and their communities.

Research: Conduct and support research into shamanic practices, altered states of consciousness, and healing.

The Programs:

Basic workshops: Introduction to shamanic journeying, power animal retrieval, and basic techniques. Open to anyone interested.

Advanced training: Three-year program in shamanic healing and counseling for serious practitioners.

Teacher training: Certification program for those who want to teach core shamanism.

Shamanic healing: Training in soul retrieval, extraction, and other healing modalities.

Practical Applications

Beginning Shamanic Practice:

Get a drum or recording: You need monotonous drumming at 4-7 beats per second. You can drum yourself or use a recording (FSS and others sell shamanic journey recordings).

Create sacred space: Find a quiet place where you won't be disturbed. Lie down or sit comfortably. Some people like to cover their eyes.

Set intention: Decide what you want from the journey—meet your power animal, get guidance on a question, receive healing.

Journey: Start the drumming, visualize your entry point, and journey. Trust what you experience. Don't judge or analyze during the journey—just experience.

Record: Immediately after returning, write down or record what you experienced. Details fade quickly.

Meeting Your Power Animal:

The journey: Journey to the Lower World with the intention of meeting your power animal. Look for an animal that appears four times or shows itself clearly.

The greeting: When you meet your power animal, greet it respectfully. Ask if it's your power animal. If yes, thank it and ask what it wants to teach you.

The relationship: Power animals aren't servants but allies. Build relationship through regular journeys, honoring them, and following their guidance.

Multiple animals: You may have several power animals for different purposes or life phases. Some stay with you always; others come for specific times or tasks.

Using Shamanic Practice:

Guidance: Journey to ask questions and receive guidance from power animals and teachers. They often see what you can't.

Healing: Journey for healing—physical, emotional, or spiritual. Power animals can perform healing in non-ordinary reality that manifests in ordinary reality.

Creativity: Artists, writers, and creators can journey for inspiration and creative guidance.

Life transitions: Journey during major life changes for support, guidance, and power to navigate transitions.

Criticisms and Controversies

Cultural Appropriation Concerns:

The criticism: Some argue that extracting shamanic techniques from indigenous cultures and teaching them to Westerners is cultural appropriation, even if called "core shamanism."

Harner's response: Core shamanism doesn't claim to be any specific indigenous tradition. It's based on universal human capacity to access non-ordinary reality, which belongs to all humans.

Indigenous perspectives: Some indigenous shamans supported Harner's work, seeing it as preserving and spreading valuable knowledge. Others felt it was inappropriate for outsiders to practice or teach shamanism.

Authenticity Questions:

The criticism: Can shamanism be learned from books and workshops, or does it require traditional initiation and years of apprenticeship?

Harner's position: The techniques work regardless of how you learn them. The spirit world responds to sincere practice, not credentials or lineage.

The debate: This remains contentious. Traditional shamans often undergo years of training, initiations, and ordeals. Can a weekend workshop produce genuine shamanic practitioners?

New Age Commercialization:

The concern: Shamanism has been commercialized and trivialized in New Age culture—shamanic tourism, expensive workshops, superficial practice.

Harner's approach: FSS kept fees reasonable and emphasized serious practice over entertainment. But the broader shamanic revival has included much commercialization.

The Legacy

Global revival: Harner sparked a worldwide revival of shamanic practice. Thousands of people practice core shamanism, and many have gone on to study with indigenous teachers.

Preservation: FSS has documented and preserved shamanic practices from cultures where they were disappearing, creating an archive of invaluable knowledge.

Bridge building: Harner built bridges between indigenous wisdom and modern Western culture, showing that ancient practices remain relevant and powerful.

Healing modality: Shamanic healing has become a recognized complementary healing approach, with practitioners working alongside conventional medicine.

Conclusion

Michael Harner transformed from skeptical anthropologist to practicing shaman, then shared what he learned with the world through core shamanism. By identifying universal shamanic techniques and making them accessible to modern practitioners, he sparked a global shamanic revival while maintaining respect for indigenous traditions.

His work shows that shamanism isn't primitive superstition but a sophisticated technology for accessing non-ordinary reality, healing, and spiritual growth. The shamanic journey, power animals, and healing techniques work for modern Westerners as effectively as they did for indigenous peoples—because they're based on universal human capacities, not cultural beliefs.

For modern seekers, Harner's core shamanism offers a practical, accessible path to direct spiritual experience. You don't need to believe anything—just practice the techniques and see what happens. The spirit world is available to all who sincerely seek it.

In our next article, we'll explore The Way of the Shaman in depth, examining Harner's accessible method for shamanic practice and how this groundbreaking book made ancient wisdom available to contemporary practitioners.

---

This article continues our Western Esotericism Masters series, now expanding into shamanic and indigenous wisdom traditions.