Where the Spirits Ride the Wind: Trance Journeys and Other Ecstatic Experiences

I can't say this book was very exciting, but it certainly was thought provoking. Here's why: Anthropologists now say humans like us have been around for more than 100,000 years (probably much longer). But human history only goes back 5000 years or so. In those 5000 years we've gone from mud huts to intercontinental jet travel. What were our early ancestors doing for those other 95,000 (or more) years? Just sitting around in caves, looking into the campfire? For 95,000 years? And if they did have a culture, where are the artifacts? This book may hint at the answer. On the walls of Egyptian tombs there are representations of men floating in the air at about a 50 degree angle--with erect penises. Similiar drawings (thousands of years older) are found in caves throughout Europe and southern Africa. This seems to have been a widespread "art style" that lasted thousands of years. The author tells of combining some of these postures with rhythmic sounds: chants, drum beats, and rattles. It seems as though different body postures determine what sort of "trip" one experiences upon entering an altered state of consciousness. Is it possible that shamans, witch doctors, and medicine men were on to something? Maybe the reason that no sophisticated artificts from early peoples are to be found is that those early people took a different path than us. A path not towards technology, but one that lead to the developement of altered states of consciousness. Could it be that those cave drawings and the author's reconstructions are all that remain of an sophisticated prehistoric science?

I was perplexed at the "Publishers Weekly" review of thisbook, citing that "all of the descriptions sound the same".Whoever wrote that must not have clearly read the book.The experiences people have differ greatly with the TYPE ofposture, and this is clearly explained in this book, as wellas in a book by Belinda Gore ("Ecstatic Body Postures: An Alternate Reality Workbook). I have personally attended aseminar of this work, and continue to practice it, withothers, and our experiences are not the "same". They are amazing, rich, deep, and healing - and different for different people.This particular book is a wonderful story of how anthropologistFelicitas Goodman was led to even formulate her thesis in thefirst place- by great trial and error, working with hundredsof people all around the world - a work which has continuedfor over twenty years. She describes in detail the experiencesof many people as they "journey" by assuming the postures, toa specific drumming or rattling beat. She shares how the Cuyamungue Institute was founded over 25 years ago - a combination of practical hard work and magical, inspirationalexperiences. She shares how, over time, certain postures revealedthemselves as "fitting" into various catagories- such as healing,divining, metamorphosis, lower world journey, and so on. In addition to being a wonderful insight into shamanic types ofendeavor, this is a story of the life of a dedicated scholar, led by many insights and observations, to develop a body of workwhich is a scientific research work in progress, as well as being a possible link to the ancient roots of humanity. I recommend it to anyone interested in spirituality, the psyche, somatics, healing, and shamanism.

I found this book to be one of the most helpful works to the study of shamanic realizations. Ms. Goodman has opened up our minds to astounding possibilities.