Native Faith and nature-worshiper groups in Slovenia frequently utilize “sacred” plants in their rituals. Most participants identified with the terms Rodnovera/Starovera in regards to naming their beliefs, or preferred to eschew labels. A variety of plants were used for both sacred and secular purposes, with eighty-four categories emerging when participants’ lists were combined. The most...
Shamanic practices and practitioners in western countries are often derided as 'inauthentic' by both scholars and members of indigenous communities. The experience derived from such practices is therefore also implied to be contrived. This paper analyses shamanism in the UK as part of 'western shamanism' rather than 'neo-shamanism'. Western shamanism is understood to be a valid religious...