General > Frauds
Raven Kaldera "Northern Tradition Shaman"
Phillip63:
I wrote to a contemporary researcher and author, Dmitry Ermakov, concerning current appropriation of the word shaman, and received this reply.
The fake 'shamans' are a big problem because not only they devalue the meaning of the word and the practice but they do inflict in some cases serious damage not only on themselves but also on the patients they supposed to 'help'. Therefore it is important to unmask such people and, when possible, block their unwholesome activities in order to protect the vulnerable people.
His web site further states
--- Quote ---Today, the word 'Shamanism' is used to denote a whole range of belief systems. For some, 'Shamanism' is defined as an ancient technique of ecstasy - i.e. all sorts of possession and mediumistic techniques; others apply it to a great variety of spiritual paths belonging to very different cultures all over the globe, including those which make little or no use of possession techniques. On top of that we now have the so-called 'New Age shamans' who believe in what they like, following a mixture of their own making with all but no idea about the choosing, obligations and work of a real shaman in the original sense of the word. Furthermore there is confusion between 'Shamanism' and 'Paganism', names which are often used interchangeably.
--- End quote ---
--- Quote ---In Siberian shamanic traditions (as in Bön and Buddhism) all techniques and teachings have their own precise source and are passed down through a line of authentic masters. Thus the principle of lineage is of great importance and has mechanisms safeguarding the purity of its transmission against external interference or corruption from within. It is precisely thanks to this principle of lineage that these traditions have come down to us today in good working order.
--- End quote ---
You can read all of his insights at http://www.boandbon.com/Siberian%20Shamanism%20and%20Bo%20Murgel.html
Forum member snorks, who posted above, appears to be a shill for Kaldera, Del Tashlin, et al.
At Del's blog, under the entry "Hearing the Gods" http://sexgodsrockstars.wordpress.com/2012/09/28/hearing-the-gods/, snorks says
--- Quote ---Virginia Carper ?
September 29, 2012 at 8:24 pm
Hello came by way of House of Vines. I was one of the posters at the fraud site – yes I am outing myself. I am the Snorks person. I walked into a trap set by someone who later I found out is in some sort of grudge match. I wanted a discussion on shamanism and what is and it isn’t. And there were concepts in RK’s books (Yes I purchased 6 of them, and slowly read each one.), that I wanted to explore further as to what was what. I had been taken in by a false shaman early on, and wanted further clarification. I did not want a discussion on that so and so eats puppies for breakfast.
Because of my traumatic brain injury, I have trying to piece my experiences with the Divine in a sane manner. For the record, I am a Roman Pagan (Religio Romana). As a recon, these experiences are outside of my experience, but I have had them. I have been exploring your site, though most postings are not my cup of tea, They do help in my understanding of messages from the Divine.
Basically in ritual, I have had the electric current from Neptune (Neptunus Pater). Not a voice saying blab, blab, blab, but more of a current. Summanus (the God of the Night Thunder) does something similar. Still puzzling out whether it is a damaged brain doing its thing or the real deal. Which is why I started to read Kaldera’s books in the first place since they do tackle the subject. I guess I am now a regular reader here too trying to fathom out UPG in a Roman context. (Which of course as the crusty Roman that I am, offends my sense of order. Sigh, I will just have to get used to it.)
--- End quote ---
I have to wonder WHY a long-term member of this Forum presents as critical on this board while darting off and ingratiating herself to the subject of the inquiry elsewhere and pretty simultaneously. This strikes me as bizarre and inappropriate. >:(
This is not a "grudge match" as snorks terms it. This is a concerted effort to expose a nest of frauds, nothing more and nothing less.
snorks:
For the record, I am not a shill for anyone. For the record, I do ask questions and try to come to an understanding of things. I am sorry that I do not have the same understanding as one of the posters. However, I will not argue the point since there is no reason to do so.
Phillip63:
I find it darkly amusing you're trying to sound gracious at this point. ::) No sense of personal responsibility at all, apparently. Wow.
For any who may be focusing on this thread and not following its evolution into a new thread (it's not all that obvious to Heathens who may be following along at home) check out: Virginia Carper aka "snorks" http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=3849.0
Not a shill, huh?
Phillip63:
I have found what SEEMS to be an ethical source of factual information, as I've mentioned above.
--- Quote ---Dmitry Ermakov works from English into his native tongue, Russian. Dmitry studied elementary English in St. Petersburg, then gained a pre-Proficiency certificate soon after he came to live in the UK. He has since published several articles in English as well as 900 pages monograph Bo and Bon, and has spent a year as Research Assistant at Oxford University, UK. He has worked for the BBC and the EU. Forthcoming publications include Bon; article in the Encyclopaedia of Buddhist Philosophy, prepared by the Institute of Philosophy, Moscow, currently being prepared for publication by Vostochnaya Literatura publishing house. (edited to delete the Cyrillic script, which kinda made the message board throw up a little).
--- End quote ---
In the introduction to his book on Bø Murgel and Tibetan Bön he talks about the issue of the New Age "shaman" http://boandbon.com/contents.html
I've combed the Internet to see if he's done anything off-color aside from authoring the one book. His biography seems to be sincere and non-profiteering in nature--he actually declined an initiation when it was offered to him.
I do have some questions about a pair of links found on his site. One is http://www.tengerism.org/ which seems OK but maybe someone will spot something off-color. One of your former members, Sarangerel Odigon, seems connected to the Tengerism site. The other is a film NOT made by him but by Anya Bernstein http://www.der.org/films/filmmakers/anya-bernstein.html
http://www.der.org/films/in-pursuit-of-siberian-shaman-preview.html described at YouTube
--- Quote ---"But who are these new shamans? Are they tricksters, magicians, businessmen, or cultural activists? This film takes a behind-the-scenes look at a Buryat shaman living on an island in the Lake Baikal as he moves between intimate shamanic rituals performed for local clientele and shows performed at various resorts for Western tourists in search of "primitive" cultures.
--- End quote ---
I intend to ask WHY he would have this link as a resource on his page, unless it is to make some kind of commentary on the precarious state of shamanism in its birthplace.
But--there you have it. Direct lineage mentoring and initiations by predecessors are key.
TheTruthBetween:
So my gender counselor recently recommended Raven Kaldera's book Hermaphrodeities to me, and I read everything in this thread here and now I'm wondering if I should read the book at all. Does anyone have any more information on him, particularly in relation to his gender work?
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