Be Your Own Shaman: Heal Yourself and Others With 21st-Century Energy Medicine [Hardcover]

Be Your Own Shaman

I read this book cover to cover very quickly. This was a one-of-a-kind journey into the esoteric realm of healing and shamanism.

The author, Deborah King, encourages the reader to explore his or her own inner world as part of the path to being a healer. I found Deborah's questions and areas of exploration to be thorough and thought provoking. I found myself exploring areas of my own life that I had not gone into in a while. Although I believe that I've done a lot of self-exploration, I found that there is plenty more room to grow in this area. This book took me on a deep exploration of the self with plenty of tips and tools for what to do with that information once I uncovered it. They seem easy to use with the possibility of providing powerful results.

I recommend this book to anyone that is interested in the healing of the self as well as to those seeking to heal others.

Thank you to Hay House Publishing for sending me this book at no charge, so that I could explore and begin to understand the gifts that I already have but had not yet fully discovered within myself.

I was curious about this book because a friend mentioned someone who had taken and was teaching the 21st Century Energy Medicine technique. If you have never heard of energy healing techniques this book may serve as a basic introduction, but beyond that there is little to be gained. If you want an introductory book on energy work, you might want to take a look at Energy Medicine: Balancing Your Body's Energies for Optimal Health, Joy, andVitalityUpdated and Expanded. I found Ms. King's book disappointing Deborah King doesn't offer any details of her Template of Perfection technique. There are quite a few different healing techniques discussed in a simplistic way. This can be a blessing if you are just looking for a little tidbits or tastes of a variety of techniques and want to try simple uncomplicated exercises and techniques, but be aware this book appears to be an appetizer for readers to take King's workshops and seminars. The book, which is around 170 pages, is mostly Deborah King's story of childhood abuse and her path to and in healing with some exercises and information interwoven within. From a look at her website it appears her courses can be taken online so it makes me wonder about the quality of her "initiations" and how effective they are since the initiations are supposed to be consciousness expanding. And ultimately how effective her certified healers/teachers are.

The inner flap reads "you will learn both Eastern and Western concepts and techniques--from the earliest recorded healing practices some 5,000 years ago, to King's own powerful cutting-edge approach." What this means is King borrowed from everyone. And if there was something cutting edge about King's technique she fails to show this. In one of King's YouTube videos she states she believes her technique named the template of perfection is a "rediscovered" ancient technique and she knew it was going to be more powerful than Reiki. It raises a flag in me when someone makes this kind of claim as she offers nothing to support it. If King's technique is more powerful than Reiki why wouldn't she let her technique speak for itself and explain to demo it? And if it's a rediscovered ancient technique in what way is it cutting-edge? In fact all the techniques in her book are ancient or existing techniques and combined techniques. For example, in a forgiveness exercise she names Hawaiian ho pi'no pi'no she uses the Microcosmic Orbit which if I remember correctly is Chinese. All the various techniques she mentions in the book, color healing, toning (sound healing), recapitulation, the chakras, etc. are nothing new. It makes me suspect King's template of perfection is probably also a combination of or similar to existing techniques.

Referring to her template of perfection on YouTube video King says our life experiences can take us farther and farther away from the template of perfection we had when we came into the world. The farther we are from our template of perfection the more issues we have and when we get far enough out we can develop illness. By re-impressing the template of perfection we can return to our original perfected state and heal. In the book King doesn't go into any details such as what exactly one does to determine the template of perfection for each individual or how it is re-impressed as, of course, this is learned in her classes. It also means her technique can't be properly evaluated from the book.

Readers should be aware that King takes the position the healer is there to bring about a cure. King discuses healing versus cure. One school of thought is that healers are not there to impose their personal will on the healing since they don't know what the highest good is for that person. The healer is not there to play God and the client may or may not receive a cure as part of the healing. Another thought is the healer is there to affect a cure as in the faith healing of Kathryn Kuhlman. King takes the view the responsibility for a cure is on the healer and states, "Invariably, in the world of healing there are many individuals who are not physically cured even though they might be emotionally and spiritually healed, and I am constantly humbled by these failures. Fortunately, thanks to those who have successfully walked across the coals ahead of me...I'm reminded that miraculous healings are indeed possible. This brings me back again and again to focus on my responsibility to forge a stronger and more reliable connection with Divine power." I am not sure why King assumes that it's an either or proposition. Every healer brings healing in his or her own way and should choose the path that speaks to his or her spirit.

King doesn't state what level of initiation/conscious expansion she is at on the scale partially provided in the book (for the upper initiation levels you have to go to her website where I am sure the courses will be advertised). Some think that a guru or yogi who has not achieved the full permanent awakening of Kundalini is unlikely to bring any shaktipat (initiation of kundalini awakening) he or she may pass to an initiate to permanent awakening. I have to wonder if King's level of consciousness is sufficient to take her students permanently to the highest level of consciousness she dangles in front of them.

May 2012: Value for the reader.
In light of the posts, I lowered the rating on this book to 1 star and readers may see why by reading the posts if it interests them. I have nothing against earning a living, but as the daughter of an accountant I like to see people get value for their money and this book didn't do that for me. I'm not a paid reviewer, I do not receive free promotional items, I don't teach any method of healing nor am I a card carrying member of any healiing modality. I do energy work for free at local hospitals and at a local hospice. My interest is totally as someone who has an interest in energy work.

Amazon limits me to 10 links in a review so I have to limit the links I can add. I'm not saying these are perfect materials on healing, but here are some of the things I have read so far that I felt I got something out of. Hands of Light: A Guide to Healing Through the Human Energy Field, You Hands Can Heal You: Pranic Healing Energy Remedies to Boost Vitality and Speed Recovery from Common Health Problems, Hands-on Healing: A Practical Guide to Channeling Your Healing Energies (Russian Research Center Studies), Your Hands Can Heal: Learn to Channel Healing Energy, The Way of the Shaman (basic book about shamanism, some discussion about shamanic methods of healing), Quantum-Touch: The Power to Heal (Third Edition), The Joy of Reflexology: Healing Techniques for the Hands and Feet to Reduce Stress and Reclaim Life (for hands and feet only), The Spiritual Dimension of Therapeutic Touch (not an instructional book about healing per se, but discusses healing with a mind more toward the spiritual aspects by the founders of Therapeutic Touch, Kunz & Kreiger). A book on Reiki is a bit harder to recommend as Reiki attunes practioners to Reiki symbols. If you want general info Reiki for Dummies will suffice for general info. There are books/materials/free YouTube videos showing how to do self attunements if readers want to go that route. Steve Murray's books/DVDs appear to be fairly popular for that purpose, Reiki The Ultimate Guide Learn Sacred Symbols & Attunements plus Reiki Secrets You Should Know.

Be Your Own Shaman is a great read and is a journey into yourself! Normally I catch myself reading a book to be whisked away to another world, but in this book ... you get whisked into that other world by taking a shamanic healing journey through your inner self! This is the one to buy if you are looking for a concise guidebook that will give you the information to step out of the ordinary and into the extraordinary. My personal favorite part of the book was the chapter on expanding your consciousness but don't want to say too much and give away all of the good stuff. Great book!

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