“This book, if you let it, will take you on a journey… you will experience first-hand the healing power of shamanism, and your eyes will be opened to a world of mystery and potential that has been there all along. You do not need any special talents or powers, just an open mind. And you will trust this new way of being, because you will personally experience it. To say that this will change your life for the better is a remarkable understatement.” – from The Shamanic Journey

There appears to be an increasing disenchantment with how we experience our lives: something fundamental is missing. We have a longing for a deeper connection, a greater purpose and an enlightened approach to living, and yet we are unsure of what we can actually do to feel better and more alive; to get ‘home’.

If you are ready, the practice of shamanism holds the answers. As the oldest healing tradition known to humankind, it can help us to retrieve that which feels lost. In shamanism, we find a journey that can lead us to true fulfilment and purpose.

In The Shamanic Journey, shamanic practitioner, teacher and psychotherapist, Paul Francis, offers an apprenticeship for our times. By building upon the work of Michael Harner, author of 1980’s classic ‘The Way of the Shaman’, Francis has created a practical, ethical and experiential guide. It includes: a clear description about what shamanism is; a full introduction to the shamanic lower, middle and upper worlds; an easy-to-follow, step-by-step guide to your first shamanic journey; guidance on how to connect and nurture a life-long relationship with your Power Animal; instruction on how to do a basic shamanic healing on other people; practical know-how for interpreting the meaning and symbolism contained within shamanic journeys. Moreover, it teaches at a fundamental level the ways in which we can place the ancient art of shamanism at the centre of our modern lives, to experience that longed-for connection with our true selves, others and the universe.

The Shamanic Journey: a practical guide to therapeutic shamanism is the first in a series of 30 books I plan to write to address these issues; it is also the foundation upon which the other books will build upon. In it, I hope to offer both a practical, ethical and experiential guide as to what modern, therapeutic shamanism is, right through to giving a shamanic healing to another person. It includes a full introduction to the lower, middle and upper shamanic realms, an easy-to-follow, step-by-step guide to doing your first journey, how to connect and nurture a life-long relationship with your Power Animal, as well as practical know-how for interpreting the meaning and symbolism contained within your journeys.

The next two books in the series will be Volume 2 ‘Rewilding Your Soul: exploring the shamanic lower-world’, and Volume 3 ‘Beyond the Self: exploring the shamanic upper-world’. The remaining books – also practical guides – will cover other topics I teach on my workshops including things like: Soul Retrieval, Plant-Spirit Shamanism, The Medicine Wheel, Healing Ancestral and Family Wounds, The Totem Pole, Sea Shamanism, Bird Medicine, and many more.”