A Mythic Map of the Territory
Shamanic societies, past and present, not only recognize spiritual initiation as a community event, they also have a map of this mysterious territory conveyed to them through their traditions of story, dance, song, healing, and art. Tribal initiates have elders, teachers, medicine people, and a community in which to contain, affirm, and ground their spiritual experiences. Contemporary western women who are called to spiritual initiation have had no lineage of feminine spiritu