|
|
|
Howard G Charing - EzineArticles.com Expert Author
Howard G Charing is a healer, a workshop facilitator, and a director of the Eagle’s Wing Centre for Contemporary Shamanism. He has co-published numerous articles about shamanism in Peru as practiced in the Andean, coastal and Amazonian regions, With Peter Cloudsley he has published a documented collection of chants and Ayahuasca Icaros on a CD "The Shamans of Peru".
He has also co-authored the book Plant Spirit Shamanism published by Destiny Books (USA). For ... [More]
[View Howard G Charing's Extended Author Bio]
[Display Categories] Sort By [Title] [Newest] [Oldest]
Howard G Charing Email Alerts
- Ancient Andean Traditions Under Threat By The UN
[News-and-Society] In March 2008, This month the UN's International Narcotics Control Board recommended a ban on coca chewing and the use of coca in mass-consumption products such as tea in Peru and Bolivia. Millions of Indians have chewed coca on a daily basis for many hundreds of years, yet never has a plant been so misrepresented and its use so controlled by prejudice and ignorance, including up to the present day.
- Moses and Ayahuasca - Plant Spirit Shamanism from the Bible
[News-and-Society:Religion] "Moses was high on drugs: Israeli researcher" The world wide media interest in Benny Shanon's paper about Moses and entheogens, is encouraging us to take a good and hard look at the roots of religions and the notion that they were based on fertility cults, and shamanic practices such as Entheogens (or hallucinogenic) plants as a source of spiritual communion with the universal consciousness, or the mind of God. John Allegro, in his book "The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross: A Study of the Nature and Origins of Christianity within the Fertility Cults ...
- Interview with Ayahuasca Mestizo Shaman Javier Arevalo in the Amazon Rainforest - Part 1
[Travel-and-Leisure] Javier was interviewed in Peru, Amazon Rainforest 2000. In this interview Javier discusses his involvement with the shamanic Plant medicines of the Amazon, and Ayahuasca in particular.
- Shamanism and Soul, Part 2
[Self-Improvement:Spirituality] Soul another name for our life force, is the power which animates our being. In our lives we can lose or become dissociated from our soul due to difficult and traumatic circumstances. The second part of this article explores the traditional practices within shamanism of restoring well-being, balance, and powerful healing. This body of practices is called Soul Retrieval.
- Shamanism and Soul - Part 1
[Self-Improvement:Spirituality] Soul another name for our life force, is the power which animates our being. In our lives we can lose or become dissociated from our soul due to difficult and traumatic circumstances. This article explores the traditional shamanic practice of restoring well-being, balance, and powerful healing. This body of practices is called Soul Retrieval.
- Ayahuasca - The Visionary and Healing Plant From the Amazon - Part 2
[Health-and-Fitness:Alternative] Part 2 of the article looks at the personal preparation and requirements for the Ayahuasca experience. In the West there are lots of stories like 'Jack and the Beanstalk' reminding us that plants have spirit power, Alice in Wonderland explored this world too. There is a large body of knowledge of power plants even if the form has been adapted to fairy tales and 'domesticated', not to under rate the richness of Grimms' tales.
- Ayahuasca - The Visionary and Healing Plant From The Amazon - Part 1
[Health-and-Fitness:Alternative] After being virtually ignored by Western civilization for centuries, there has been a huge surge of interest in Ayahuasca recently. There is a growing belief that it is a kind of 'medicine for our times', giving hope to people with 'incurable' diseases like cancer and HIV, drug addictions and inspiring answers to the big ecological problems of modern civilization.
- Ayahuasca Shamans and the Healing Plants of the Amazon Rainforest - Part 2
[Health-and-Fitness:Supplements] The second part of an interview with two Ayahuasca shamans from the Amazon, Artidoro Aro Cardenas, and Javier Arevalo to discover more about the medicinal, mythological, and healing properties of some of the plants to be found in the Amazon Rainforest. Good aguardiente is clear and pure. Adulterated, it looks cloudy and is not good for making medicine, it will upset the stomach because water and chemical alcohol - which is sold in the pharmacy for cleaning wounds and is not intended for drinking - have been mixed in to make economies.
- Ayahuasca Shamans and the Healing Plants of the Amazon Rainforest - Part 1
[Health-and-Fitness:Supplements] An interview with two Ayahuasca shamans from the Amazon, Artidoro Aro Cardenas, and Javier Arevalo to discover more about the medicinal, mythological, and healing properties of some of the plants to be found in the Amazon Rainforest. We have worked with Maestro Artidoro on our previous Amazon Retreats, and again we were greatly impressed with his knowledge of medicinal and power plants, and his compassion and support for the participants.
- The Enigma of Psychic Surgery in the Philippines Part 3 - Placido Palitayan
[Reference-and-Education:Psychic] The third part of the 'bare hand' or 'psychic' surgeons of the Philippines. This has been one of the most enduring enigmas of modern times. These articles explore this practice which challenges conventional scientific and medical knowledge. Now an encounter with one of the most famous healers, Placido Palitayan.
- The Enigma of Psychic Surgery in the Philippines Part 2 - Jun Labo
[Health-and-Fitness] The second part of an article on the 'bare hand' or 'psychic' surgeons of the Philippines that have been one of the most enduring enigmas of modern times. These articles explore this practice which challenges conventional scientific and medical knowledge. This part I meet up with Jun Labo.
- The Enigma of Psychic Surgery in the Philippines Part 1
[Health-and-Fitness:Healing-Arts] The 'bare hand' or 'psychic' surgeons of the Philippines have been one of the most enduring enigmas of modern times. These articles explore this practice which challenges conventional scientific and medical knowledge.
- Ayahuasca & Plant Spirit Shamanism - Amazon Rainforest Retreat Peru
[Self-Improvement] A dedicated programme in the Amazon rainforest, which is focussed on an inner and deep self-exploration and encounter with the power of the rainforest. This is an adventure into the magical world of the rainforest, and a transformative experience of the ancient mystical rituals of the plant spirit medicines. This programme will take place in the Mishana Private Retreat Centre. We have 57 Hectares (140 acres) of land with a lodge in the Allpahuayo Mishana Nature reserve.
- Spiritual Traditions of the Andes, an Interview with Doris Rivera Lenz - Part 2
[Travel-and-Leisure] This article continues to look at the rich and powerful spiritual legacy of the Andean civilization which is only now being properly recognised after 500 years of obscurity. Are people who come to you for coca divination often unwell?
- Spiritual Traditions of the Andes, Interview with Doris Rivera Lenz - Part 1
[Travel-and-Leisure] A look at the rich and powerful spiritual legacy of the Andean civilization which is only now being properly recognised after 500 years of obscurity. Doris has lived in Cusco for many years conducting ofrendas and reading coca leaves for dozens of people every week - both local as well as from far flung places.
- Shipibo Ayahuasca Shaman, Benjamin Ochavano Interviewed in the Amazon Rainforest in Peru
[Reference-and-Education] Interview with Shipibo Ayahuasca Shaman Benjamin Ochavano in the Amazon Rainforest of Peru, who is in his mid seventies to discuss how Ayahuasca can help those Westerners who are seeking personal growth and who have embarked on the great journey of self discovery and exploration.
- Ayahuasca Shaman - Javier Arevalo Interviewed in the Amazon Rainforest Peru
[News-and-Society:Religion] Spirituality is at the centre of the Ayahuasca experience. Purification and cleansing of body, mind, and spirit in a shamanic ceremony can be the beginning of a process of profound personal and spiritual discovery. This process can continue indefinitely even if one never drinks Ayahuasca again. We believe that by seriously looking at the way Ayahuasca is used we can improve our life experience and benefit more from this medicine. This article is extracted from the original interview by Howard G Charing and Peter Cloudsley which appeared in Sacred Hoop Magazine.
- Ayahuasca, the Visionary Paintings, and Inspirational Words of Pablo Amaringo
[Self-Improvement:Inspirational] Pablo Amaringo is one of the world’s greatest visionary artists, and is renowned for his highly complex, colourful and intricate paintings of his visions from drinking the Ayahuasca brew. Pablo wrote the foreword, an inspirational and ecological message as the foreword for my book 'Plant Spirit Shamanism', published by Destiny Books (USA).
- The Ayahuasca Visions of Pablo Amaringo - the Great Visionary Artist Interviewed
[Self-Improvement:Inspirational] Pablo Amaringo is one of the world’s greatest visionary artists, and is renowned for his highly complex, colourful and intricate paintings of his visions from drinking the Ayahuasca brew. Pablo is interviewed at his gallery in Pucallpa, Peru, by Howard G Charing and Peter Cloudsley.
- Icaros, the Magical Chants of the Ayahuasca Shamans
[Arts-and-Entertainment:Music] The Shamans of the Amazon, exhibit a close union with the Natural World. This powerful emotional and spiritual bond, enables them to commune with the powers of the Rainforest. Singing the chants or Icaros, is a way that this bond is expressed, and the Rainforest responds.
- The Sacred Attributes of Plants, the Spirit of Life - a Shaman's Perspective
[Self-Improvement] The shamans work with the power of the plants in many ways, the colours of the flowers, the perfume, their shape, form, and associations. This although does not play a role in modern medicine, this understanding has a long history in the human relationship and dependence on plants.
- The Power of Attraction Secrets from the Amazon - The Pusanga
[Self-Improvement] The Western rational mind can only struggle, to take as an example the famed 'love potion' of the Amazon known as the Pusanga. In rational terms it makes no sense whatsoever, how can a concoction of leaves, roots, and seeds attract a lover, or good luck to you?
- The Shaman's Path - the Adventure of Self Discovery
[Reference-and-Education] There is considerable discussion and opinion on what a shaman is. The word itself is rooted in the word šaman from the Tungus people in central Asia. Definitions vary greatly in modern society.
- Coca and the Sacred Plants of the Incas - The Timeless World of the Andes
[News-and-Society:Environmental] The Incas regarded coca as 'the divine plant' mainly because of its property of imparting endurance, nevertheless its use was entwined with every aspect of life - the art, mythology, culture and economy of the Inca Empire.
- Natural Plant Medicines and the Shamans of the Amazon Rainforest Part 2
[Health-and-Fitness:Medicine] The Amazon Rainforest is home to many thousands of plant species, and has the richest bio-diversity on the planet. Plants and herbs used for medicinal purposes flourish there. The traditional healers and shamans of the Amazon have been working with these remarkable plants for thousands of years. We explore in this article these ancient traditions and knowledge of the plant shamans by the author of Plant Spirit Shamanism (published by Destiny Books USA).
- Natural Plant Medicines and the Shamans of the Amazon Rainforest Part 1
[Health-and-Fitness:Alternative] The Amazon Rainforest is home to many thousands of plant species, and has the richest bio-diversity on the planet. Plants and herbs used for medicinal purposes flourish there. The traditional healers and shamans of the Amazon have been working with these remarkable plants for thousands of years. We explore in this article these ancient traditions and knowledge of the plant shamans by the author of Plant Spirit Shamanism (published by Destiny Books USA).
- Ayahuasca and the Plant Spirit Shamans of the Amazon Rainforest Part 2
[News-and-Society:Environmental] The Plant Shamans of the Amazon are aware of a hidden universe. Their communion with the plant consciousness reveals a universe in which the separation between the physical and the unseen universe is an illusion. This article continues the exploration of the magical world of the Shamans of the Amazon Rainforest, masters of plant spirit medicine.
- Ayahuasca and the Plant Spirit Shamans of the Amazon Rainforest Part 1
[News-and-Society:Environmental] The Plant Shamans of the Amazon are aware of a hidden universe. Their communion with the plant consciousness reveals a universe in which the separation between the physical and the unseen universe is an illusion. This article explores the magical world of the Shamans of the Amazon Rainforest, masters of plant spirit medicine, by the author of Plant Spirit Shamanism published by Destiny Books (USA).
- Shipibo Ayahuasca Shaman Leoncio Garcia Interviewed
[Arts-and-Entertainment:Humanities] The Shipibo are one of the largest ethnic groups in the Peruvian Amazon. These ethnic groups each have their own languages, traditions and culture. The Shipibo which currently number about 20,000 are spread out in communities through the Pucallpa / Ucayali river region. They are highly regarded in the Amazon as being masters of Ayahuasca, and many aspiring shamans and Ayahuasqueros from the region study with the Shipibo to learn their language, chants, and plant medicine knowledge. In this article we interview the Shipibo maestro Leoncio Garcia.
- Death as an Ally - How Shamans Perceive Death
[Self-Improvement:Spirituality] In our society and culture, death is something dark, mysterious, and fearful. Ancient cultures did not regard death as an enemy, but dared to make it an ally. It is ultimately about daring to live fearlessly from the centre of one's truth, to challenge and defeat the tendency to inertia, fear of life and premature old age. To quote one of the great teachers, the Peruvian shaman Don Eduardo Calderon: 'a shaman is someone who is already dead and thus has no fear of death or life'. Sometimes a life threatening crisis is what calls a person to the way of the shaman.
- Preparation for the Ayahuasca Experience
[Reference-and-Education] There has been a huge surge of interest in Ayahuasca recently. There is a growing belief that it is a kind of 'medicine for our times,' giving hope to people with 'incurable' diseases like cancer and HIV, drug addictions and inspiring answers to the big ecological problems of modern civilization.
- Shamanic Healing and Soul Retrieval - Two Year Practitioner Training
[Health-and-Fitness:Alternative] Eagle's Wing initiated the Practitioner training course in 1994 and since then many participants have successfully been working with these Shamanic healing methods in their healing practice.
This is an advanced Practitioner training Programme. This training course would benefit holistic practitioners who wish to develop and expand their work to include classic shamanic healing practices. It is also suitable for those who have a desire to work as a shamanic practitioner to help others.
- Shamans of Peru, Sacred Chants, Icaros, and Music
[Arts-and-Entertainment:Music] The haunting, plaintive music of Peruvian shamans was recorded by the Eagle's Wing Centre for Contemporary Shamanism at ceremonies in the Peruvian Andes and the Amazon rainforest.
Although the chants and icaros have an organic relationship to the medicine plants and shamanic journeying of each particular ritual, and are primarily intended as devotional music for inner-journeying. It is equally possible to listen to the hypnotically beautiful sounds in their own right and simply enjoy them for their otherworldly loveliness.
- Drumming for the Shamanic Journey
[Arts-and-Entertainment:Music] The Shamanic Journey is a technique which facilitates a visionary experience into expanded awareness. This activates our imagination and creativity, and allows us to bypass linear, familiar and rational thinking. In this state of expanded awareness we can find new insights, perspectives, and ways to resolve problems.
Drumming for the Shamanic Journey, with Leo Rutherford & Howard G. Charing
It is a CD specifically made for this. It comprises; two 20 min solo and 40 min double drumming.
- Ayahuasca & Visionary Plants - Companions to the Soul
[Self-Improvement:Spirituality] The visionary plants and ancient traditions of the plant shamans reveal a hidden universe, in which the separation between the physical and the unseen universe is an illusion caused by our limited sensory perception. The body and soul permeates and infuses each other. The plant teachers show us a path to an expanded consciousness and communion with our sacred source, our soul companion.
- Ayahuasca - Sacred Medicine for the Soul PART 2
[Self-Improvement:Spirituality] The biggest challenge for a Westerner undertaking this communion with the plants is to accept that there is another order of non-material reality that a person can experience through his entrance into plant consciousness, and to do this requires a significant leap of the imagination. We are all born into the social paradigm that surrounds us, with all its beliefs, myths, and institutions that support its view of the world, and it is not within our world-view to accept the immaterial.
- Ayahuasca - Sacred Medicine for the Soul PART 1
[Self-Improvement:Spirituality] The biggest challenge for a Westerner undertaking this communion with the plants is to accept that there is another order of non-material reality that a person can experience through his entrance into plant consciousness, and to do this requires a significant leap of the imagination. We are all born into the social paradigm that surrounds us, with all its beliefs, myths, and institutions that support its view of the world, and it is not within our world-view to accept the immaterial.
- Plant Spirit Shamanism, Folk Medicine, and Homeopathy
[Self-Improvement:Spirituality] The 'doctrine of signatures' is at the heart of homeopathy, folk medicine, and plant shamanism. The doctrine was revealed by the great alchemist and physician Paracelus who lived in the 16th Century. The underlying principle was that the healing properties of the plant are not only in the outer 'physical' form, but also in their inner or spiritual nature. The Doctrine of Signatures holds that this inner nature can be revealed by its outer physical form or signatures
- The Worlds Of the Shaman - An Exploration Of Reality
[Self-Improvement:Spirituality] "Reality is an Illusion, albeit a persistent one." Albert Einstein. Shamans for many thousands of years have pointing in the same direction as Quantum Physics. There is a greater reality outside our limited perception. This article explores the worlds of the shaman.
- Soul Loss - How Shamanic Healing Can Restore Our Life Force
[Health-and-Fitness:Alternative] In the shamanic worldview, power and maintaining health go hand in hand, if the body is power-full, there is no room for illness or disease.
The soul can be seen as the essence or vital nature of a person, and soul loss is when we lose a part of this vital nature. This article explores how by 'holding' on to other people's energy can lead to loss of our own.
- Communion With The Infinite - The Visual Music of the Shipibo Tribe of the Amazon
[Arts-and-Entertainment:Philosophy] The Shipibo people of the Upper Amazon in Peru, have a unique and complex form of visionary art. Underlying the intricate geometric patterns of great complexity displayed in the art of the Shipibo people is a concept of an all pervading magical reality which can challenge the Western linguistic heritage and rational mind.
- The Visionary World Of Ayahuasca - Plant Spirit Shamanism In The Amazon
[Self-Improvement:Spirituality] This article explores the visionary and spiritual realms of the Amazonian brew Ayahuasca. This extraordinary world to which we are transported by plants is not accessible through the verbal rational mind but through dream language or an expansion of the imagination. Thus dreams & our imaginative powers act like doorways during a plant diet and connect us with the plant spirit.
- Shamanic Trance Postures - A Visionary Path To Esctastic Experience
[Self-Improvement:Spirituality] This article explores the ancient teachings, how discrete bodily postures can generate deep, spiritual, divinatory, and healing experience. This body of knowledge was re-discovered in the 1970's by Felicitas Goodman.
- Plant Spirit Shamanism - The Medicinal Plants of the Amazon Rainforest
[Self-Improvement:Spirituality] The traditional shamans and healers of the Amazon Rainforest have been working with some of the most remarkable plants which have both powerful medicinal and psycho-spiritual properties for many thousands of years. This article explores these ancient traditional ways of the plant shamans by the author of Plant Spirit Shamanism (published by Destiny Books USA)
- An encounter With an Extraordinary Healer From The Philippines
[Self-Improvement:Spirituality] This article documents the work of one of the famous psychic surgeons of the Philippines. These remarkable healers carry out operations with their bare hands. The author holds special tours to meet and work with the healers of the Philippines.
- Plant Spirit Shamanism - Developing Your Relationship With The Plant Spirits
[Self-Improvement:Spirituality] This article explores the deep spiritual connection that we have with plants, and illustrates ways to develop this relationship.
- Ayahuasca Retreats In The Amazon Rainforest - An Encounter With An Amazonian Shaman
[Self-Improvement:Spirituality] After being virtually ignored by Western civilization for centuries, there has been a huge surge of interest in Ayahuasca recently. There is a growing belief that it is a kind of ‘medicine for our times’, giving hope to people with ‘incurable’ diseases like cancer and HIV, drug addictions and inspiring answers to the big ecological problems of modern civilization.
- The Cactus Of Vision - San Pedro And The Shamanic Tradition
[Self-Improvement:Spirituality] Shamans from different cultures and traditions have been using psychoactive plants since the dawn of human emergence. These plants have been used traditionally for guidance, divination, healing, maintaining a balance with the spirit or consciousness of the living world.
- Shamanic Divination - An Exploration Of Traditional Divination Practices
[Health-and-Fitness:Meditation] This article explores the traditional practices of divination. Divination is not fortune telling, but a way to obtain a deeper understanding of the circumstances affecting a situation or individual.
- Soul Retrieval - A Traditional Healing Practice
[Self-Improvement:Spirituality] This article takes a good look at Soul Retrieval, an ancient body of practices which can restore well being and healing transformation. The ancient practices known as 'the recapitulation of life force' is the body of work, which restores or recapitulates lost life force. Soul Retrieval is one of the most well-known and effective practices to this end.
- Medicine for the Soul - Plant Spirit Shamanism of the Amazonian Rainforest
[Self-Improvement:Spirituality] An exploration of the sacred plant medicine practices of the Amazonian shamans. This article takes a good look at these traditions, with field interviews of some of the leading shamans of the region.
|
|
|
