Chosen by the Spirits

Sarangerel was trained in the Mongolian and Buryat shamanic traditions by native teachers who are now free to practice again following the collapse of the Soviet Union. She was the foreign outreach representative of the Golomt Center for Shamanist Studies and the Mongolian Shamans' Association.

SHAMANISM / MONGOLIA The shaman's purpose is to heal and restore balance to his or her community by developing a working relationship with the spirit world. Mongolian shamanic tradition maintains that all true shamans are called by the spirits--but those who are not from shamanic cultures may have difficulty recognizing the call or nurturing the essential shamanic relationship with their helper spirits. Buryat shamaness Sarangerel has written Chosen by the Spirits as a guide for both the beginning shaman and the advanced practitioner. Although raised in the United States, she was drawn to the shamanic tradition, and in 1991 returned to her ancestral homeland in the Tunken region of southern Siberia to study with traditional Buryat shamans. Her first book, Riding Windhorses, provided an introduction to the shamanic world of Siberia. Chosen by the Spirits delves more deeply into the personal relationship between the shamanic student and his or her "spirit family." Sarangerel recounts her own journey into shamanic practice and provides the serious student with practical advice and hands-on techniques for recognizing and acknowledging a shamanic calling, welcoming and embodying the spirits, journeying to the spirit world, and healing both people and places. SARANGEREL was trained in the Mongolian and Buryat shamanic traditions by native teachers who are now free to practice again following the collapse of the Soviet Union. She was the foreign outreach representative of the Golomt Center for Shamanist Studies and the Mongolian Shamans' Association.

Acknowledgments Preface Introduction: A Few Words about the Buryat Mongols 1. So You Want to Become a Shaman? 2. Contacting Your Shamanic Spirits 3. Bringing the Spirits into One's Being 4. Returning to the Center 5. The Shamanic Journey 6. Working with the Spirits 7. Healing and Psychopomp Work 8. Healing of the Earth, Blessing, and Protection 9. Shamanic Tools and Magic Appendix 1: Setting Up a Ritual Space Appendix 2: The Origins of the Mongolian Shamanic Tradition and the Shamanic Pantheon Appendix 3: The Nine Degrees of Buryat Shamanic Initiation Appendix 4: Prayer to Abai Geser Bogdo Khan Glossary and List of Magical Phrases Notes Bibliography Index