The Shaman's Book of Extraordinary Practices

Book excerpt: Building on his decades-long training in and teaching of shamanism and other spiritual traditions, José Luis Stevens, PhD, offers fifty-eight simple but extraordinarily effective rituals and practices that can bring about profound spiritual growth. The Shaman's Book of Extraordinary Practices is a rare treasure chest of transformative meditations and exercises. A Shaman's Toolkit for Spiritual Transformation "What if," asks José Luis Stevens, "I told you that profound transformation doesn't require years of intense spiritual practice? That positive change can happen through simple, daily rituals?" The Shaman's Book of Extraordinary Practices offers a toolkit of simple, time-tested practices to do just that. In this new book, author José Luis Stevens offers a toolkit of fifty-eight simple, daily practices for profound spiritual transformation. Contrary to popular belief, you don't need intense meditation retreats or to leave behind your home, job, and relationships in order to seek. You can awaken right now, today, in whatever circumstances already surround you. For convenience, the author has organized the practices into six loose categories, though he emphasizes that one needn't do the practices in any specific order: Preparatory--Establish a foundation of essential basic skills Energetic--Unblock and redirect stuck energy Relational--Deepen your relationship with others, nature, and yourself Physical--Use your body as a portal to the divine Creative--Harness the power of the imagination for spiritual growth Perceptual--See and perceive things in fresh new ways For decades, Stevens has practiced and taught shamanism and other spiritual traditions. Over the years, the author has tested these practices and refined them. In The Shaman's Book of Extraordinary Practices, Stevens has collected dozens of the most powerful of these transformative rituals and presents them in a way that is accessible to both new and experienced spiritual seekers alike.