Seeking Guidance from the Spirits: Neo-Shamanic Divination Rituals in Modern Dutch Society
Hanneke Minkjan
Social Compass March 1, 2008 DOI: 10.1177/0037768607086498 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Highly educated women in the Netherlands engaging in neo-shamanic practices |
| Topics | Shamanism |
| Key points | Argues that neo-shamanic divination rituals offer enchanted repertoires that help highly educated Dutch women cope with decision-making and existential insecurities, providing new religious expressions within a secularized society. |
Abstract
Despite the fact that the Netherlands is one of the most secularized countries of Western Europe, different forms of religiosity have emerged, such as charismatic movements and alternative spirituality. Some people are seeking to find security and religious fulfilment in the complicated context of modern Dutch society through unusual, irrational and creative new spiritual practices. Neo-shaman divination rituals offer enchanted repertoires to cope with decision-making and problems of the soul. This paper explores the ways in which especially highly educated women engage in creative trance journeys to meet neo-shamanic guides. The neo-shamanic worldview and symbolic healing practices offer them new religious expressions to get a grip on the existential insecurities of an unsure future.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on shamanism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ayahuasca Shamanism in the Amazon and Beyond | 2014 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Shamanism as the Original Neurotheology | 2004 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Cognitive Neuroscience, Shamanism and the Rock Art of Native California | 1998 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| From Culture to Experience: Shamanism in the Pages of the Soviet Anti-Religious Press | 2020 | Historical analysis | |
| Anthropology, Shamanism, and Alternate Ways of Knowing–Being in the World: One Anthropologist's Journey of Discovery and Transformation | 2010 | Reflective essay or personal narrative |