Toward a neurophysiological foundation for altered states of consciousness

Singh's cultural evolutionary theory posits that methods of inducing shamanic altered states of consciousness differ, resulting in profoundly different cognitive states. We argue that, despite different methods of induction, altered states of consciousness share neurophysiological features and cause shared cognitive and behavioral effects. This common foundation enables further cross-cultural comparison of shamanic activities that is currently left out of Singh's theory

Exorcising the Illusion of Bon Shamans: A Critical Genealogy of Shamanism in Tibetan Religions

Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines Number 6, October 200

Koreański szamanizm – religia pojednania i współistnienia

This article is to explain the basic rules of Korean shamanism. First the religious views of Koreans are presented. The importance of harmony in the lives of Koreans is highlighted. It is stressed that the concepts of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism do not exclude one another, do not erect barriers and they promote mutual tolerance and are intertwined in Korea. Next, the role of Korean shamanism in helping common people solve their problems are discussed. Korean shamanism is one of the best examples of unorganized religions and possesses features typical of such religions. Shamanism has a well-formulated system of beliefs as well as behaviours and conduct but its practices and its canons are not well-organized. Consequently, shamanism plays a latent function in society similarly as systems of values, morals, manners and emotions. The author also describes the shamanic ritual called gut. Finally, the contemporary views on and approaches to Korean shamanism are touched upon.This article is to explain the basic rules of Korean shamanism. First the religious views of Koreans are presented. The importance of harmony in the lives of Koreans is highlighted. It is stressed that the concepts of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism do not exclude one another, do not erect barriers and they promote mutual tolerance and are intertwined in Korea. Next, the role of Korean shamanism in helping common people solve their problems are discussed. Korean shamanism is one of the best examples of unorganized religions and possesses features typical of such religions. Shamanism has a well-formulated system of beliefs as well as behaviours and conduct but its practices and its canons are not well-organized. Consequently, shamanism plays a latent function in society similarly as systems of values, morals, manners and emotions. The author also describes the shamanic ritual called gut. Finally, the contemporary views on and approaches to Korean shamanism are touched upon

Animism rather than Shamanism: new approaches to what shamans do (for other animists)

What shamans do is sometimes said to involve possession by spirits. However, shamanism has also been defined in opposition to spirit possession. This chapter proposes that approaching shamans and their activities, ideas and communities via the perspective provided by recent re-examination and re-definition of "animism" may improve and and enrich scholarly understanding and analysis of the activities and unvolvements of shamans

Charisma, Shamanism and Cults: The Construction of Evil

This is an unpublished article. The version made available in Digital Common was supplied by the author

Shin, Cin, and Jinn in far east Asian, central east Asian, and middle eastern cultures : case studies in transethnic communication by exchange of terminology for elementary spiritual concepts of ethic groups

Methodology and Objects: Methodologically, from a diachronic linguistics perspective regarding the concept of the shin, spirits in folk belief in China and neighbouring cultures, we compare texts that comprise meanings a) historically in the local language and b) compared to the meanings of equivalent terms in languages of other cultures. Comparing sources of this belief, we examine if and how the shin belief can serve as an example of communication across cultural borders including practical forms of worshipping. Argumentation: We argue that the concept of the shin is across cultural and national borders a result from folk culture transcending political or cultural borders transmitted via migration of ethnic groups. Although similar, mind concepts of different cultures and groups never melted; evidence for this independence gives the Islamic distinctive separation between shin and jinn in this area in the Chinese Quran and other spiritual Chinese writings. On the other hand, the practice of worshipping is similar. Conclusions: A spiritual concept like shin varies in practice in different areas. Central Asia as the melting pot of Chinese and Middle East culture shows the cultural practice of Shamanism with shin belief, complex mind concepts like in Daoism, and religions incorporating shin belief (Islam). Observed changes in the particular local languages show the continuity of the local set of meanings. Multilingual and multicultural areas such as Central Asia rather integrate new words to increase their thesaurus with new meanings than to change the set of previous existing meanings in the languages. Arabic as a language of conquerors in Central Asia is a typical example for such a language that serves as a tool to set up new meanings

Charisma, Shamanism and Cults: The Construction of Evil

This is an unpublished article. The version made available in Digital Common was supplied by the author

The drum in Shamanism: some reflections

Shamanism has not been restricted to northern Eurasia and the American Arctic, although it was here that it received its most remarkable forms. It is thus central to consider whether the drum is an integrative part of shamanism and should be examined against a general, and not a regional background. It is important to distinguish Arctic shamanism from other forms of shamanism. Arctic shamanism has a stronger profile than other varieties of shamanism, partly because of its intensity, accentuated to a certain extent by the harsh climate and environment, but also explained by the remarkable position of the shaman in an otherwise unstratified social structure. In the great variety of shamanic forms which exist south of the Arctic Subarctic zone, the drum, with a few exceptions, does not have such a prominent role. The position of the drum in other areas south of the Arctic obviously depends upon the position of shamanism. It is known that the drum is an ancient shamanic symbol in hunting culture, and where horticulture and agriculture supplanted old hunting cultures, shamanism gradually retreated. Priests and cult servants replaced shamans and the way for the trance was no longer necessary. In later shamanism outside the Arctic area the drum has gradually lost its significance

A review of Emma Wilby’s The Visions of Isobel Gowdie: Magic, Witchcraft and Dark Shamanism in Seventeenth-Century Scotland (Sussex University Press, 2010)

<div>This is an annotated data management plan (DMP) template for an Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) data management plan.<br></div><div><br></div><div>This document (available in .pdf and .docx formats) was created using the <a href="https://dmponline.dcc.ac.uk/">DMPonline tool</a>, which provides templates for structuring major research funders' DMPs. The document includes the guidance text provided in the tool, produced by the <a href="http://www.dcc.ac.uk/sites/default/files/documents/publications/DMP-themes.pdf">Digital Curation Centre (DCC)</a>, the <a href="https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/about/standards/researchdata/expectations/">EPSRC</a> and the <a href="https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/library/rdm/dmp">University of Sheffield Library</a>. </div><div><br></div><div>Although the EPSRC does not require that a DMP is submitted as part of a grant application, it still expects one to be in place. A DMP describes how you will collect, organise, manage, store, secure, backup, preserve, and where applicable, share your data. The EPSRC DMP template is organised into seven sections and the resulting DMP is expected to be two or three of pages of A4 in length. </div><div><br></div><div>For further guidance see the <a href="https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/about/standards/researchdata/expectations/">EPSRC expectations concerning management of research data</a> and the DCC webpages on <a href="http://www.dcc.ac.uk/resources/data-management-plans">Data management Plans</a> and <a href="http://www.dcc.ac.uk/resources/how-guides/develop-data-plan">How to Develop a Data Management and Sharing Plan</a>. </div