Birds of Prey, Birds of Wisdom: Relating to Non-Humans in Contemporary Western-Based Shamanism
Carolina Ivanescu, Nienke Groskamp
Religions December 14, 2022 DOI: 10.3390/rel13121214 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Netnography Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Contemporary Western self-defined shamans |
| Topics | Shamanism |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key points | Argues that while birds of prey appear frequently in contemporary shamanism, such as in Michael Harner's Core Shamanism where the 'power animal' may take the form of an eagle, the processes by which meaning and belief about these birds are lost, challenged, or reinvented remain underexplored; uses netnography to examine relationships between Western self-defined shamans and birds of prey. |
Abstract
Birds of prey appear frequently in contemporary forms of shamanism. For example, Michael Harner’s Core Shamanism references the ‘power animal,’ or the authentic self, which sometimes takes the form of a strong and benevolent eagle. However, precisely how meaning and belief concerning these birds may have been lost, challenged or (re)invented remains to be explored. In this contribution, we have used the methods and vision of netnography to explore the relationships between contemporary western-based, self-defined shamans and birds of prey: real, imagined or represented.