In this visionary memoir, author Michael Drake recounts his spiritual journey into shamanism. Drake's engaging narrative moves from his first ecstatic experience as a youth at a church revival to his mystical shamanic awakening, transformational pilgrimages to sacred places, working with indigenous wisdom keepers, to the experiences that prompted his writing, particularly his trance experiences "riding the drum" or Spirit Horse. Studying with Native elders and shamans, Drake discovered his shamanic gifts as a drummer, storyteller and ceremonialist. Riding Spirit Horse takes readers on a transcendent pilgrimage of the soul through birth, death, rebirth, ritual and ceremony to the frontiers of expanded consciousness.
As an author and blogger, my days are spent writing stories and blog posts. When I first entertained the idea of writing a spiritual memoir, I asked myself: "Why should I write my story? Will anyone care about it? Will anyone read it? What does it matter?" Of course, we can talk ourselves out of anything because ultimately very few of us will live extraordinary lives or have remarkable stories from the past. Nevertheless, I believe in the value of writing our stories because the life it could change may not be a reader's but our own.
Writing a memoir encourages self-reflection and self-examination, which can stir up long-buried emotions. Looking back over the arc of my life was a cathartic process that purged repressed emotions linked to events in the past. As I read through my journals, I relived past events that I had tried hard to forget. It was difficult but very therapeutic. I also rediscovered many fond forgotten memories, evoking nostalgia and a warm sense of joy. In writing my story, I feel like I have integrated all of my life experiences into the present moment. I remember who I really am and how I got here. I am truly more whole.
A journey into shamanism is a pilgrimage of the soul. My journey has taken me down many spiritual paths. As a youth growing up, I embraced the teachings of Christ; I later studied and practiced the teachings of Taoism and Buddhism, all of which have their roots in shamanic practices from the earliest tribal communities. Shared core principles and truths weave a common thread through all spiritual traditions. This golden thread runs through the lives and the teachings of all the great prophets, seers and sages in the world's history.
Ultimately, all contemplative spiritual practice leads to the evolution of conscious awareness and union with the divine in the present moment. The perennial wisdom traditions teach us that the "here and now" is eternal, unchanging and omnipresent; it should be the primary focus of our life. When we are not present in the moment, we become a victim of time. Our mind is pulled into the past or the future or both. The present moment is all we ever have. The eternal now is the fundamental ceremony of life. When we bring ourselves fully into the present moment, our life becomes a spiritual practice and an opportunity to ride in beauty on the windhorse of authentic presence! View the Book Trailer.
Introduction
Chapter 1. Chosen by the Spirits
Chapter 2. Shamanic Initiation
Chapter 3. Following the Call
Chapter 4. A Path of Authenticity
Chapter 5. A Gathering of Eagles
Chapter 6. Earth and Spirit
Chapter 7. Riding Spirit Horse
Chapter 8. Walking the Pyramids
Chapter 9. Divining the Way to Harmony
Chapter 10. Ecstatic Trance Postures
Chapter 11. The Thunder Beings
Chapter 12. Healing Story, Singing Drum
Chapter 13. The Call of the Psychopomp
Chapter 14. The Spiritual Mecca of Crestone
Afterword
Endnotes
About the Author
"Riding Spirit Horse by Michael Drake is inspiring and motivating. I found its thoughtful and personal accounts invaluable to anybody who heeds the call of spirit and wants to make our world sustainable and just for all. The author skillfully shares practical indigenous shamanic wisdom for you to understand and use easily. As many teachers say, "We are all Shamans." As we dream, vision, sing, and heal. It is engrained in our DNA for our human survival. Which is our birthright responsibility. I encourage you to treat yourself to this fascinating spirit ride that will enrich your life experience and make you whole."
--Itzhak Beery, leading shamanic teacher, healer, speaker, and author of The Gift of Shamanism, Shamanic Transformations, and Shamanic Healing.
"Michael Drake's memoir, Riding Spirit Horse, takes us on many illuminating journeys through the natural and spiritual worlds. It's a mystical travelogue, thoughtful diary, and shamanic tutorial wrapped in one book. Drake says, 'Writing our life stories is an inner pilgrimage of transformation--both cathartic and enlightening.' Reading about his fascinating life will inspire you to take your own pilgrimages, to be enlightened by places on our beautiful Mother Earth and within the spirit realms, and to see the power of a life well spent."
--Mara Bishop, MA, author of Shamanism for Every Day, Shining Bright Without Burning Out, and Inner Divinity.
"Michael shares his extraordinary life experience, taking us on a highly detailed, feet-on-the-ground experience and immersion in indigenous cultures and ceremony and on his personal insights after years of shamanic practice. People, places, and things that many of us do not get to experience in our own practices are brought to us in a way that feels like we, ourselves, have gone. But the appeal of Riding Spirit Horse may not only be to those interested in shamanism, and this surprised me! In addition to shamanic practitioners, I suspect the book would be of interest to an even wider range of readers--from those who enjoy biographies and history to those who are interested in earth-consciousness, activism, and even some physics! There is a richness to this writing, and there's something for everybody."
--Susan L George, author of The Lightning Project and founder of Earth Intern, Toms River, NJ
"Mesmerizing journey into wisdom, compassion and understanding. Michael Drake's journey transports me to each place he visited. I found myself unable to put the book down until I absolutely needed to do so. While immersing himself in many cultures and belief systems, the author paints a colorful and informative portrait of the web of life and his place within that web. He offers gifts of knowledge and wisdom to those who have the eyes to see and the ears to hear. It is clearly a spirit guided book written by a gifted and informed shamanic practitioner that I highly recommend." 5.0 out of 5 Stars.
--Christopher Hupp Amazon Reviews
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