Singing the Soul Back Home: Shamanism in Daily Life

by Caitlín Matthews

Book Overview

Offering advice on the application of simple shamanic principles to daily life, this book sets out to show how they can be learned by anyone, regardless of creed or religion. It describes how, through... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1852306165
• ISBN13: 9781852306168
• Release Date: January 1995
• Publisher: Element Books
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.2" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Flawless and Insightful

For those who yearn to learn how the soul was perceived by our far ancestors, and how traditional healers approach it, this book is for you! The author provides simple, accessible explanations of complex and sensitive material without "dumbing it down", and manages to evoke the world of the ancestors in the process. This is not a complete course in soul retrieval (some things do require face-to-face training!), but it does provide a real basis for beginning this work that will take you far if pursued diligently and regularly. In intelligent, authentic, effective and wise book for the serious traditional healer and spiritual practitioner.

Walking Between the Worlds

There are many books out there nowadays about the concept and practice of what we call "shamanism" and how to integrate into it our daily lives. Sometimes it can be difficult trying to figure out who's real and and who's not in the world of shamanic practice. Author Caitlin Matthews is indeed the real thing and "Singing the Soul Back Home" is one marvelous book. Written for laypersons in the field of shamanism, this beautifully designed book aims to help the reader become a "walker between the worlds" in a very genuine, substantive way. The many exercises in the book help the reader in understanding what shamanism is (and what it is not), what making a shamanic journey encompasses, and what to expect when journeying to the traditional three worlds (under, middle, upper) of core shamanism. Although Matthews specializes in Celtic shamanism, this book touches on the very basic shamanic wisdom that is shared culturally all over the world. I had to put this book down many times during reading, just to pause and reflect on the very deep concepts it was introducing. I took my time reading this book and tried to absorb every idea that the author presented. Even now, having long finished reading it, I still find myself coming back again and again to this book to re-read and re-absorb the wondrous truths it shares with the reader. This book truly is a gem. I encourage anyone with an interest in spiritual matters and how we can "walk between the worlds" in our own lives to pick up this book, along with "Psychic Shield," also by Caitlin Matthews. For me personally, these two books are the most valuable books in my whole personal library. They will stay with me for a long, long time -- and that is the best criterion I know for judging a book about shamanism and matters of the Spirit.

Written very well.

This is not a book to be read overnight. I have been drumming for 3 years, and found very valuable NEW information in this book. In fact, I am still working through the exercises. The author obviously is experienced and knows her stuff!

A Practical Reanimation of Animistic Practice

Singing The Soul Back Home is a refreshing and approachable introduction to shamanism for people who have not encountered the practices and cosmologies of 'walking between the worlds.' What is perfected in this work from cover to cover is the blend of personal account (Caitlin's own childhood), with a thorough yet heartful introduction to shamanic cosmology. Fleshed out with plenty of practices and "permissions" for people to approach a revisioning of how they perceive the world around them, Singing the Soul Back Home does exactly what its title suggests. It deserves to sit alongside other works in shamanism, such as Harner's The Way of the Shaman and Tom Cowan's Shamanism As A Spiritual Practice for Daily Life.

An excellent primer on Shamanism

I really enjoyed this book. I also recommend it to my Shamanic Healing students. Though the Matthews' have a background in Celtic Shamanism, practitioners of all paths will find this book useful. This book covers all the important aspects of Shamanism from spirit helpers to soul retreival and divination. I highly recommend it!