Shamanism

It is not difficult to write you a 300 word comment on this course.

First, what I liked - Bishop Pat's attempt to be fair and unbiased in 
reporting of all this information. I particularly liked the documentation 
and footnoting that accompanies each week's offering. It not only gives 
credibility to the lessons, it allows me to do further reading on various 
specifics of the topic.

Week 20's essay was one of my favorites. I appreciate the integration of
the shamanic and the psychosocial, and the information about the various 
psychological studies on shamanic states. Calling attention to multicultural 
behavioral, expectational and consciousness comparisons was well done in 
this lesson as well. I have been presented  the question of whether what 
shamans do is actual, or psychological, particularly in the realm of soul 
retrieval and other "difficult to explain" practices. Bishop Pat puts
this into proper perspective in lesson 20. This is relevant on many levels and 
from many viewpoints, as is well explained in lesson 20. Placing shamanic 
work in proper cultural and community context is essential, as is 
acknowledging that shamanic work empowers the individual client, in the 
framework of community support. Bishop Pat's treatment of ethical 
considerations is excellent as well. It is my experience and opinion that 
shamanic ethics, integrity and confidentiality are no less essential than 
those of any medical or psychological practitioner.

It is particularly valuable to me to read about shamanic practices and 
customs in the various cultures worldwide. I believe that the course has 
done a good job of addressing that.  I liked the treatment of the shamanic 
cultures in Central Asia and Eastern Europe, as this is the hub and early 
diffusion of the ancient human shamanic diaspora. I would have appreciated 
more discussion of African shamanic customs. The taste of the !Kung customs 
was delicious, left me wanting more. I would have liked to see more and 
in-depth treatment of other traditions including the Amerindian, Australian, 
Maori and the variety of Asian cultures. The quick glimpse into Taiwanese 
shamanism was tantalizing.

What I did not like about the course was the amount of errata in the texts. 
I have served as an editor in the past, and so I may notice them more than 
other readers might. Some of this may be due to the process of transferring 
the text from print to electronic media, or merely to flying fingers on the 
keyboard.

I would have liked to see the text in a more conventional format, as well.  
Utilizing the entire page for text, rather than a long slender column would 
have been easier to read for me, and would present better continuity.

All in all, this is a valuable course, which manages to present, in only 20 
lessons, an overview of many aspects including more depth in some which are 
of particular interest to me.

Caroline "Kitty" Laib-Norris

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