Category: Shamanism

• Held by All-That-Is

  It is good to situate ourselves within All-That-Is, understand ourselves as part of Creation, and give a sacred context to our lives. To live in relation to All-That-Is is to reside in the unfathomable and holy immensity of the universe. It is to be part of, and held by, a great unfolding mystery.

  Michael Watson PhD

  November 17, 2014

  Ecopsychology, First Nations, Shamanism

  All-That-Is, Ecopsychology, Native American, psyche, Shamanism

• Spirits, Shamans, and the Unsettling of Ecopsychology

  I’ve been thinking about the links between Ecopsychology and Shamanism. It makes sense to me that Ecopsychology would be drawn to the wisdom of Indigenous people. After all, we Indigenous tend to see ourselves in the context of both human society and the natural world. The attraction of shamanism is that it attempts to maintain…

  Michael Watson PhD

  November 14, 2014

  Ecopsychology, First Nations, Shamanism

  Ecopsychology, Shamanism, spirits

• November and Remembrance

  November is a month of Remembrance. Last weekend we honored the Ancestors and other departed loved ones. This week we remember the veterans who have served our country in peacetime and war. Later in the month Thanksgiving arrives with its complex patina of memory, culture and meaning. November in Vermont brings dark gray skies and…

  Michael Watson PhD

  November 9, 2014

  native american, Shamanism, Stories

  ancestors, Native American, Remembrance, Shamanism, spirits

• Humor: When Cultures Go Bump In the Night

  Humor is at the heart of many shamanic traditions around the world. Indeed, Indigenous people, contrary to popular perception, are very funny.  We like to laugh; at the same time, our humor often has teeth. A splendid example of this is the writing of Sherman Alexi. Another, more recent set of poignant, heartbreaking, often hilarious…

  Michael Watson PhD

  October 30, 2014

  native american, Shamanism

  Humor, Native American, Shamanism