Stephen Harrod Buhner
The Sacred Songs of Plants, an excerpt from the author’s newly revised book Sacred Plant Medicine, explores traditional indigenous views on the role of songs in activating the healing power of plant medicines.

Carol Schaefer
Sacred Plant Teachings: The Wisdom of Four Indigenous Grandmothers, an excerpt from the new book Grandmothers Counsel the World, shares the stories of how four indigenous medicine women were called to their work as healers, and relates their timely and wise perspectives on working to heal and sustain life on this planet.

Jim Pieper
The Mayan Folk Saint Maximon/San Simon describes the ancestral roots and Catholic adaptations of some ancient shamanistic traditions preserved in the ritual worship of the popular, wish-granting Mayan folk saint known as Maximon or San Simon.

Timothy White
Recapitulating Siberian Shamanisms: A Review of Ronald Hutton's Shamans examines and critiques some of the intriguing and provocative perspectives and conclusions offered by Hutton in his academic study Shamans: Siberian Spirituality and the Western Imagination.

ON THE FRONT COVER: “Maximon,” a photograph by Jim Pieper, shows a ceremonial mask of the Mayan folk saint Maximon/San Simon, dressed in two Stetsons and colorful scarves, gifts from appreciative clients.

ON THE BACK COVER: “A Cofradia Member Stands Guard at the Altar of San Simon,” another photograph by Jim Pieper, shows a Mayan elder holding his staff of authority, in front of a community altar featuring Catholic saints near a life-size San Simon dressed in a Western hat and dark glasses.

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