Shaman's Drum: A Journal of Experiential Shamanism and Spiritual Healing is published by the Cross-Cultural Shamanism Network, a nonprofit educational organization. The magazine was started to encourage the study of shamanism from the practical experiential perspective of shamans and other practitioners. In the past, shamanic cultures were primarily described and defined by unsympathetic outsiders who viewed shamanic beliefs and practices as strange curiosities or superstition-based anomalies. In recent years, many Westerners have begun to study shamanism from an experiential perspective, and they are finding that it offers a remarkably effective blend of transpersonal healing therapies and ecstatic spiritual exploration that can be as vital to our survival today as it was for our ancient ancestors.

In order to expand and deepen our understanding of shamanic methodologies, Shaman's Drum regularly examines traditional forms of shamanism — ranging from Siberian ecstatic seances and Tibetan trance oracles to Amazonian ayahuasca rituals and Native American healing ceremonies. However, shamanism has never been the exclusive province of any single culture — Siberian or Native American. It is truly a universal human phenomenon, or complex of phenomena, that ultimately transcends culture or tradition. For that reason, Shaman's Drum also endeavors to explore contemporary applications and nontraditional methodologies.

I invite you to check out our timeless back issues and to subscribe to Shaman's Drum as we continue our shamanic journeys.

—Timothy White, Editor
Published by Shaman's Drum and the Cross-Cultural Shamanism Network, copyright 2005. The above content is intended for the noncommercial use of shamansdrum.org users, and it may not be reproduced or sold without the written permission of the publishers:

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