Michael Winkelman

This book examines shamanism from evolutionary and biological perspectives to identify the origins of shamanic healing in rituals that enhance individual and group function. * Written by an internationally recognized scholar on shamanism * Illustrates evidence of ancient shamanic practices * A bibliography provides current and historical sources on shamanism

A Biopsychosocial Paradigm of Consciousness and Healing

Shamanism

Dr Michael James Winkelman Ph D

This book examines the historical basis for the claim that Ensenada, Baja California Mexico is the "birthplace of Mexican democracy." Historical analyses demonstrate that democratic tendencies are deeply rooted in the past of Ensenada. From its inception Ensenada was distinct from the rest of Mexico, a distinctiveness born from the foreign influences that gave Ensenada its democratic tendencies. These democratic tendencies have been manifested across the history of Ensenada and provided the foundations that gave rise to a peaceful democratic revolution that began first in Ensenada, then spread to Baja California, and finally to all of Mexico, when the Partido de Accion Nacional swept the institutionalized party from power in the 2000 elections. This book examines the political changes in Ensenada across the 19th and 20th centuries leading up to these history-making events in the 1980s. This book begins with the 18th century foundations of the northern Baja California region by the missionaries and continues through the end of the 20th century when the Partido Revolucionario Institucional was removed from power by the electoral process. The analyses focus on the historical development of the economic, social and political institutions of the region and how the cultural dynamics produced by the distance from Mexico City and the proximity to the U.S. contributed to the particular character of the people from Ensenada. The introduction (Chapter 1) lays out the rational for the book and provides a context for understanding the international importance of Ensenada. This is followed by a consideration of the colonial foundations and the ranching developments and filibuster movements of the 19th century (Chapter 2); the American and British colonization of the Ensenada region (Chapter 3); the autonomous developments during the Mexican Revolution (Chapter 4); the rise of the entrepreneurial class during American Prohibition (Chapter 5); the regional developments spurred by the Great Depression and World War II (Chapter 6); the heightening of local dissatisfaction during the early statehood period for Baja California (Chapter 7); and the democratic political revolution that took place in Ensenada and Baja California during the 1980's and 1990's (Chapter 8). The history of Ensenada is characterized by a variety of forms of political resistance to the dominant political system of Mexico in exemplifying democratic forms of political participation. Ensenada enthusiastically embraced democratic processes even before they were first allowed to elect their own council in 1888. Ensenadenses resisted the prerogatives of presidentialismo, the pattern of the Mexican President appointing strangers to govern Baja California. This resistance was manifested in a democratic electoral rebellion in Ensenada in the 1980's that elected mayors from both the left, the Socialist Workers' Party (PST); and the right, the Partido de Accion Nacional (PAN) that achieved an end to the domination of the municipal government by the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI). This success in democracy with the election of Ernesto Ruffo Appel, a manager of a fish processing plant in Ensenada, as mayor of the municipality of Ensenada in 1986 was a stepping-stone to his becoming the first opposition party governor in modern Mexico with his election in 1989. As governor Ruffo Appel instituted electoral reforms that propelled national electoral reforms which are seen by some political observers as leading to the history making election of PAN party candidate Vicente Fox as president of Mexico in 2000, ending the 71-year rule of Mexico by the PRI. This dramatic change in national politics inspired some in Ensenada to claim that their town is the "birthplace of Mexican democracy," with Ruffo Apple's election propelling the radical political changes that swept through Mexican national politics in the following decade."

A Political History of Baja California

Ensenada As a Birthplace of Mexican Democracy

Jill Dubisch

Bikers converge at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Thousands flock to a Nevada desert to burn a towering effigy. And the hopeless but hopeful ill journey to Lourdes as they have for centuries. Although pilgrimage may seem an antiquated religious ritual, it remains a vibrant activity in the modern world as pilgrims combine traditional motivesÑsuch as seeking a cure for physical or spiritual problemsÑwith contemporary searches for identity or interpersonal connection. That pilgrimage continues to exercise such a strong attraction is testimony to the power it continues to hold for those who undertake these sacred journeys. This volume brings together anthropological and interdisciplinary perspectives on these persistent forms of popular religion to expand our understanding of the role of the traditional practice of pilgrimage in what many believe to be an increasingly secular world. Focusing on the healing dimensions of pilgrimage, the authors present case studies grounded in specific cultures and pilgrimage traditions to help readers understand the many therapeutic resources pilgrimage provides for people around the world. The chapters examine a variety of pilgrimage forms, both religious and non-religious, from Nepalese and Huichol shamanism pilgrimage to Catholic journeys to shrines and feast days to NevadaÕs Burning Man festival. These diverse cases suggest a range of meanings embodied in the concept of healing itself, from curing physical ailments and redefining the self to redressing social suffering and healing the wounds of the past. Collectively and individually, the chapters raise important questions about the nature of ritual in general, and healing through pilgrimage in particular, and seek to illuminate why so many participants find pilgrimage a compelling way to address the problem of suffering. They also illustrate how pilgrimage exerts its social and political influence at the personal, local, and national levels, as well as providing symbols and processes that link people across social and spiritual boundaries. By examining the persistence of pilgrimage as a significant source of personal engagement with spirituality, Pilgrimage and Healing shows that the power of pilgrimage lies in its broad transformative powers. As our world increasingly adopts a secular and atheistic perspective in many domains of experience, it reminds us that, for many, spiritual quest remains a potent force.

Pilgrimage and Healing

Etzel Cardeña

This authoritative, multidisciplinary overview of altered states of consciousness (ASC) shows how their study is necessary to gain a fundamental understanding of human culture, history, and biology.

Michael Winkelman

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