The Book of Ceremony: Shamanic Wisdom for Invoking the Sacred in Everyday Life

In this confident, personal book, shamanic teacher Ingerman (Speaking with Nature) explains plainly how to perform ceremonies to access spirits beyond the tangible world. Through ceremony, Ingerman writes, one can transform negative energies—such as shame, despair, and resentment—by partnering one’s own divine energy with the power of the spirits. In a compassionate and assertive tone, Ingerman provides in-depth guidelines on how these ceremonies work and how to prepare one’s own ceremony: eliminate mind chatter, choose an appropriate location, gather tools and natural elements, design an altar, clear sacred space, greet the four cardinal directions, interpret signs from the spirits, and ground the ceremony when completed. Then she addresses how to use practical ceremonies to bring positive energy to life transitions such as adolescence, marriage, and the birth of a child. Some ceremonies are also designed for influencing a specific outcome when confronting a co-worker, buying a new home, or trying to heal a community after trauma. One poignant example is creating a “prayer tree” by tying ribbons and fabric onto branches so the prayers can be answered by spirits in the wind. Ingerman’s comforting ceremonies will provide interested, believing readers with practices for times of strife, stress, and uncertainty.[em] (Oct.) [/em]