The Way of the Shaman: Harner's Accessible Method

BY NICOLE LAU

The Way of the Shaman (1980) revolutionized Western spirituality by making shamanic practice accessible to anyone willing to learn. Michael Harner's groundbreaking book provided clear, step-by-step instructions for shamanic journeying, power animal retrieval, and healing techniques—practices that had been the exclusive domain of indigenous shamans. By presenting core shamanic methods stripped of cultural specifics, Harner showed that ancient techniques for accessing non-ordinary reality work for modern Westerners. Over 40 years later, the book remains the essential introduction to shamanic practice, having trained thousands in the art of journeying between worlds.

The Book's Revolutionary Approach

What made The Way of the Shaman different from previous books on shamanism?

Practical, Not Academic:

Previous books: Most books on shamanism were academic anthropology—describing shamanic practices from the outside, analyzing them theoretically, but not teaching how to actually do them.

Harner's innovation: He wrote as a practitioner, not just an observer. The book teaches you how to journey, how to meet power animals, how to heal—practical instructions you can follow.

The assumption: Harner assumes shamanic techniques work and that readers can learn them. You don't need special gifts, indigenous ancestry, or years of apprenticeship—just willingness to practice.

Experiential Learning:

Try it yourself: The book includes exercises and journeys to practice. Harner doesn't just describe shamanism—he guides you to experience it directly.

Verification through practice: You don't have to believe Harner's claims. Practice the techniques and see what happens. The proof is in your own experience.

Progressive structure: The book builds from simple to complex—first learning to journey, then meeting power animals, then healing work. Each chapter prepares you for the next.

Respectful Extraction:

Core techniques: Harner extracted universal shamanic techniques found across cultures—the journey, power animals, healing methods—while leaving aside culture-specific elements.

Honoring sources: He acknowledges indigenous teachers and traditions as the source of this knowledge, showing respect while making it accessible.

Avoiding appropriation: By teaching core shamanism rather than specific indigenous practices, Harner avoided cultural appropriation while preserving valuable knowledge.

The Structure and Content

The Way of the Shaman is organized into clear, practical sections:

Part One: Discovering the Way

Harner's journey: His personal transformation from skeptical anthropologist to practicing shaman, including the ayahuasca experience that opened his eyes to non-ordinary reality.

What is shamanism: Definition of shamanism, the shaman's role in indigenous cultures, and the universal elements found across shamanic traditions worldwide.

The shamanic state of consciousness: How shamans access non-ordinary reality through altered states, typically induced by drumming, dancing, or plant medicines.

Part Two: The Shamanic Journey

Preparing to journey: Creating the right environment, using drumming or rattling, setting intention, and entering the shamanic state.

The Lower World: Journeying down through the earth to the Lower World, the realm of power animals and nature spirits. Detailed instructions for the first journey.

The Upper World: Journeying up to the Upper World, the realm of spirit teachers and celestial beings. How this differs from Lower World journeys.

The Middle World: The spiritual aspect of ordinary reality, used for finding lost objects, distant healing, and connecting with the spirits of place.

Part Three: Power and Power Animals

What is power: In shamanic terms, power is spiritual energy that provides health, vitality, protection, and effectiveness in life. Loss of power leads to illness and misfortune.

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

Meeting your power animal: Step-by-step instructions for journeying to meet your power animal, how to recognize it, and how to build relationship.

Power animal retrieval: How to journey on behalf of others to retrieve their lost power animals, restoring power and health.

Part Four: Shamanic Healing

Extraction healing: Removing spiritual intrusions—negative energies or entities that cause illness. Detailed technique for seeing, extracting, and disposing of intrusions.

Soul retrieval: Introduction to recovering lost soul parts that split off due to trauma. (Harner notes this is advanced work requiring extensive training.)

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

Death and dying: The shaman's role in helping souls transition at death, psychopomp work guiding spirits to the afterlife.

Part Five: The Journey Continues

Advanced practice: Developing your shamanic practice, working with multiple power animals and teachers, and deepening your relationship with the spirit world.

Ethics and responsibility: The shaman's ethical obligations, the importance of working only for healing and helping, and avoiding misuse of power.

Integration: Bringing shamanic practice into daily life, using journeying for guidance and problem-solving, and maintaining connection with spirit allies.

Key Techniques Explained

The Basic Journey:

1. Preparation: Lie down in a quiet, darkened room. Cover your eyes with a cloth or bandana. Have your drum or drumming recording ready.

2. Intention: Set a clear intention for the journey. What do you want to learn, who do you want to meet, what healing do you seek?

3. Entry point: Visualize a place in nature you know well—a tree, cave, hole in the ground, body of water. This becomes your entry to the Lower World.

4. Start drumming: Begin the monotonous drumming at 4-7 beats per second. This induces the shamanic state of consciousness.

5. Journey down: Visualize entering your opening and traveling down through a tunnel or passage. You may see lights, geometric patterns, or darkness. Keep going down.

6. Emergence: You'll emerge into a landscape—forest, desert, ocean, mountains. This is the Lower World. Look around and explore.

7. Meet beings: You may encounter animals, beings, or teachers. Interact with them, ask questions, receive teachings or healing.

8. Return: When the drumming changes to the callback signal (rapid drumming), thank any beings you met and return the same way you came—up through the tunnel and back to ordinary reality.

9. Integration: Immediately record your journey in a journal. Note what you saw, who you met, what you learned.

Meeting Your Power Animal:

The journey: Journey to the Lower World with the specific intention of meeting your power animal.

Recognition: Your power animal will appear clearly, often multiple times. Harner suggests looking for an animal that shows itself four times or makes itself obviously known.

Verification: Ask the animal if it's your power animal. If yes, ask what it wants to teach you or how it will help you.

Bringing it back: Visualize embracing the animal or having it enter your body. Return with it to ordinary reality.

Honoring: Dance your power animal—move as it moves. This honors it and integrates its power into your body.

Power Animal Retrieval for Others:

The need: When someone has lost power—feeling depleted, depressed, accident-prone, or chronically ill—they may need power animal retrieval.

The journey: Journey to the Lower World with the intention of finding a power animal for the person. Look for an animal that appears and is willing to return with you.

The return: Bring the power animal back and blow it into the person's chest and crown of head. This transfers the power animal to them.

The revelation: Tell the person what animal came and any messages it brought. They should honor it through dance or other means.

The Constant Unification Perspective

Harner's shamanic techniques demonstrate universal spiritual truths:

• Shamanic journey = Meditation/contemplation: Different methods for accessing non-ordinary states of consciousness and spiritual knowledge
• Power animals = Spirit guides: Every tradition has spirit helpers—angels, devas, totems, power animals—different forms, same function
• Three worlds = Universal cosmology: Lower/Middle/Upper worlds parallel underworld/earth/heaven across traditions
• Extraction healing = Energy healing: Removing negative energies is practiced in all healing traditions—different techniques, same principle

Practical Exercises from the Book

Exercise 1: Your First Journey

Purpose: Experience the shamanic state of consciousness and journey to the Lower World.

Method: Follow the basic journey instructions above. Don't worry about doing it "right"—just experience whatever happens.

What to expect: You might see vivid landscapes, meet animals or beings, receive messages, or just experience darkness and sensation. All are valid. Trust your experience.

Exercise 2: Meeting Your Power Animal

Purpose: Connect with your primary power animal ally.

Method: Journey to the Lower World specifically to meet your power animal. Look for an animal that appears clearly or repeatedly.

Building relationship: Once you've met your power animal, journey regularly to visit it, ask for guidance, and strengthen your connection.

Exercise 3: Divination Journey

Purpose: Obtain guidance or information on a specific question.

Method: Formulate a clear question. Journey to your power animal or spirit teacher and ask the question. Receive the answer—it may come as words, images, feelings, or knowing.

Integration: Consider how the guidance applies to your situation. Spirit answers are often symbolic or indirect—contemplate their meaning.

The Book's Impact

Making Shamanism Accessible:

Thousands trained: The Way of the Shaman has sold hundreds of thousands of copies and introduced countless people to shamanic practice.

Workshop foundation: The book became the basis for Foundation for Shamanic Studies workshops taught worldwide.

Shamanic revival: Sparked a global revival of interest in shamanism, leading many to study with indigenous teachers or develop their own practice.

Influencing Other Fields:

Psychology: Shamanic techniques have been integrated into some therapeutic approaches, particularly for trauma healing (soul retrieval parallels work with dissociated parts).

Healing arts: Many energy healers, bodyworkers, and complementary practitioners incorporate shamanic techniques.

Spirituality: Shamanic journeying has become a recognized spiritual practice alongside meditation, prayer, and contemplation.

Criticisms and Limitations

Oversimplification: Traditional shamanic training takes years and includes ordeals, initiations, and deep cultural immersion. Can a book really teach shamanism?

Cultural context missing: Shamanism in indigenous cultures is embedded in community, cosmology, and tradition. Core shamanism extracts techniques but loses this context.

Safety concerns: Some argue that journeying without proper training or supervision can be psychologically destabilizing for vulnerable individuals.

Harner's response: The techniques work regardless of how you learn them. The spirit world responds to sincere practice. Start simple, build gradually, and seek training if you want to go deeper.

How to Use the Book

For Beginners:

Read thoroughly: Read the entire book before attempting any journeys. Understand the context and principles.

Start simple: Begin with basic journeys to explore the Lower World. Don't rush into healing work or complex techniques.

Practice regularly: Journey regularly—weekly or more often. Consistency builds skill and relationship with spirit allies.

Keep a journal: Record all journeys immediately. Patterns and teachings emerge over time.

For Deepening Practice:

Reread periodically: The book reveals new layers as your practice develops. Reread it annually.

Seek training: Consider Foundation for Shamanic Studies workshops or other reputable training to deepen your practice.

Find community: Practice with others. Shamanic circles and drumming groups provide support and learning.

Honor your allies: Build ongoing relationships with power animals and teachers through regular journeys and honoring practices.

Conclusion

The Way of the Shaman transformed shamanism from an exotic anthropological subject into a practical spiritual path accessible to modern Westerners. Michael Harner's clear instructions, experiential approach, and respectful extraction of core techniques made ancient wisdom usable for contemporary practitioners.

The book's enduring value lies in its practicality—it doesn't just describe shamanism but teaches you how to do it. By following Harner's instructions, you can experience shamanic journeying, meet power animals, and access non-ordinary reality for yourself. The proof isn't in belief but in direct experience.

For modern seekers wanting direct spiritual experience beyond meditation or prayer, shamanic journeying offers a powerful alternative. The spirit world is available to all who sincerely seek it, and The Way of the Shaman provides the roadmap for accessing it.

In our next article, we explore Carlos Castaneda and his controversial accounts of apprenticeship with the Yaqui sorcerer Don Juan, examining how these books—whether fact, fiction, or something in between—profoundly influenced Western understanding of shamanism and altered states of consciousness.

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This article continues our exploration of shamanic and indigenous wisdom traditions in the Western Esotericism Masters series.