Decoding the Gurus cover image

Interview with Manvir Singh on Gurus & Shamans

Decoding the Gurus

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Charismatic and Textual Authority in Shamanism

In Mantale, if you want to become a cicada, you have to get your eyes magically treated. You also need a teacher who teaches you the songs they teach you the herbal knowledge. So in an interesting way, when a shaman is drawing on a doctrinal religion for authority, they're again doing both. They can recite prayers that are believed to be richly potent. And so you can draw upon the idea that you have a connection to the Christian God in some way. Yeah.

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