Since the collapse of the socialist system in the past 30 years, Mongolia has transitioned from an atheist state to one where multiple religions – such as Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam – coexist freely, with no restrictions on freedom of belief. This transformationhas also spurred the revival of shamanism, the indigenous religion of the Mongols. Despite its tragic history, Mongolian...
The article explores the concept of “shared subjectivity” in the shamanic practices of the Quechua people in the central Andes of Peru. It reveals the interconnection between humans and non-humans in Quechua shamanic practices, where various ritual objects (stones, coca leaves, guinea pigs, and eggs) play active roles in rituals and in the process of synergistic becoming and building...
This article examines the diverse forms of shamanic death rituals observed in Korea from a historical perspective. Korean shamanism, or musok, is a highly dynamic form of faith centred on the figure of the shaman, associated rituals, and a worldview that has been passed down orally among shamans from generation to generation. It is important to note, however, that this worldview, and therefore...
Certain forms of shamanism existed in many communities worldwide, including some of the indigenous cultures and tribes of North America, from the Arctic to the Gulf of Mexico and the desert areas of the Southwest, California, and northern Mexico. At least several American Indian and Inuit societies are known to have practised shamanism in bothpre-Columbian and other historical periods (even...
In this article, I start from the premise that the understanding of punishment is determined by the overall system of thinking, by the cosmology that underpins a given social order. In analysing the understanding of punishment in shamanism, I use a broad definition encompassing not only punishment inflicted by human individuals and communities, but also punishment by non-human entities such as...
This study investigates the impact of shamanic practices, specifically Ayahuasca consumption and sound healing combined with guided meditation, on creativity. Using a mixed-methods approach, we examined changes in creativity, openness to new experiences, executive functions, and divergent thinking among 47 participants. Results indicate that meditation and sound healing positively influence...
Music is deeply rooted in the human experience as well as a fundamental part of psychedelic-assisted therapies (PAT) and entheogenic ceremonies. Although a large body of research exists highlighting the importance of music from rehabilitative, psychological, neurobiological, anthropological, religious, and sociological contexts, there is limited scientific literature regarding the specific...
This text reviews some of Jean Langdon’s most important classical and contemporary writings about shamanism, highlighting her key contributions to the area, as well as her relevance to the anthropology of health and Indigenous health policies. The paper also reflects on Langdon’s influence in the discussions surrounding gender and female agency in ethnographies of lowland South America. Jean...
Abstract Ayahuasca is a psychedelic beverage from the Amazon rainforest, used in spiritual and religious settings for medical purposes. Since the 1990s onwards, several religious and neo‐shamanic groups have been using it in Uruguay within the psychospiritual networks. Some participants go to rituals of ayahuasca looking for therapeutic alternatives to certain ailments, such as substance use...
Abstract New Shamanism provides healing with the help of spirits that function as authorities and shape our understanding of human existence in the natural world. “Possession” with its idea of total external control proves particularly fascinating for those socialized in secular societies. Rituals give these states a spatial and temporal framework, and their treatment of mental disorders has...