Virginia,
With Michael Harner’s writings about shamanism he has taken the name used within a small band of Siberian peoples and utilized it to refer to practices he felt were commonly used worldwide. He also organized those practices and began to teach them. As his students decided to get into the “business??? of shamanism they wished to differentiate themselves from each other and add an air of the exotic to enhance their self-importance. Many, and one of the reasons for this organization’s existence if I understand it correctly, is some of these people claimed Native heritage that does not exist, claimed Native teachings that never happened, and in some cases either inappropriately adopted Native ceremonies or manufactured ceremonies with Native elements. Although I disagree with the generalist attacks this organization makes on “New Age??? by lumping too much together, I do agree that it is likely that these “specialized??? shamanic practices are money mills and little else.
