NMR ISSUE 48

Astrological Forecast 48
Be Careful What you Wish For
Cherished Secret of Success Resonance
Crone Empowered
Crystal Skull Luminaria
Daily Prayer
Doing It by the Book
Editorial 48
Esoteric Symbology of the Tarot
Frog, Cobra & Chickadee
Helping Hand or Magickal Hand
Ikhanten's Doom
Letters 48
Modern Scapegoat Rituals
North Star Road:
Other Editorial 48
Pagan Catechism
Prayer to the Goddess
Renewal Through Release
Samhain Ritual
Temple of the Goddess grounding Meditation
The Fellowship of Isis
The Kabalah in Everyday Use
The Serpent and the Radio
Timelapse
Wolf Moon
Wrath of the Gods Luminaria

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Reviews

Johnson, Kenneth's

North Star Road:

Shamanism, Witchcraft

and the Otherworld Journey

Llewellyn Publications, 1996

When I picked up Kenneth Johnson's North Star Road I immediately conjured up an image to fit the word shaman: It is night. Only distant, sparkling stars break a clear, seamless sky. Far out in a desert wasteland burns a campfire. Seated by this beacon is an elder dressed in animal skins and wearing heavy silver jewelry. This elder is beating a small painted drum and chanting rhythmically, hypnotically. That was as far as my imagination got before I reeled it in and got down to the business of reading the book. I was hoping that my preconceptions weren't going to prove a stumbling block, my image an overused stereotype. It was surprising and gratifying to learn that my envisioned elder at the campfire could indeed represent a true shaman practicing his craft, most likely from a Siberian or Native American tradition. North Star Road does provide descriptions of shamanic practices both past and present, but also expands that material to draw correlations between cultures, and to show how elements of shamanism are alive today in many major religions. Also, Johnson presents a meticulously detailed case for the existence of shamanic factors in the European folk festivals and rituals that were ruthlessly suppressed during the Burning Times.

North Star Road begins by identifying a shaman as a religious specialist whose job it is to serve their community by mediating between them and the Otherworld. This person is both a magician and a doctor, typically using their knowledge and extraordinary personal power to heal. Shamanic tendencies are usually evident early in a person's life. Indicators are being born with a caul, suffering a physical disability (especially one that makes that person's body asymmetric), and qualities that might be viewed as psychological disturbances: solitary behavior, disinterest in everyday life and activities, difficulties in communicating with others. Real shamanic power is usually not achieved, however, until a person has undergone initiation, through visionary experience, ritual, or training by elders.

Next, Kenneth Johnson defines the shaman's cosmos, their working framework, and presenting information from several varied cultures. The most common image is of the World Tree: immense, stately, with roots firmly anchored in the Underworld, topmost branches in the Upperworld, and strong trunk in the Middleworld, the interface with earth as we know it. The Tree has certain other characteristics that transcend time and culture. At its roots are the wells of memory and forgetfulness, while a magical bird lives in the tallest branches. A giant serpent, source of the Tree's power, lies coiled beneath. The shaman's inner cosmos, their very being, mirrors the World Tree, with the spinal column representing the trunk. Thus, the Otherworld is always with the shaman. Indeed, the World Tree exists within each of us, composed of the strong structure itself and the potent feminine energy that enlivens it.

After establishing the basic definitions and a world view, North Star Road goes on to explore the persona of the Old Bone Goddess with Her many aspects and roles, focusing on those of Crone and Lady of the Underworld. Inevitably the King of the Underworld and Master of the Dead, the Horned God (Who was eventually transformed into the Christian Satan), is examined in each characterization. Johnson postulates that the European fertility festivals associated with the Horned God are the basis for the infamous Witches' Sabbats recorded in transcripts of the witch trials. He also notes that by the time wholesale persecutions began, the Goddess' importance had faded into insignificance (I do not agree) and that is why the male Devil became the preeminent villain. It does seem clear that shamanic elements were noticeably present in European folklore, seasonal rituals, and everyday activities: scrying, astral travel, healing with herbs and knowledge from the Otherworld, and reliance on personal animal totems. Each of these areas is thoroughly explored in various shamanic cultures and in the Burning Times. Johnson makes a clear and logical case for shamanic practice as the cornerstone of a new sect of witches that arose in Europe around 1375, a crisis cult that developed in response to disintegrating political, physical, and spiritual conditions. I'd not heard this theory before and must admit it is a soundly researched and intriguing viewpoint.

Kenneth Johnson's North Star Road was a pleasure to read. The language is clear and simple, the progression logical and reinforced by many examples. The shamanic practices discussed are universal and Johnson backs this claim with stories and traditions from all over the world. Interspersed with the factual text are vignettes from actual records dating back to and before the Burning Times, and these help in personalizing abstract material. North Star Road's case for the presence of shamanic practices within the framework of the witch persecutions is solid. Despite these persecutions, however, the techniques have survived to the present. The last chapter of the book is devoted to a short series of journeys that are introductory tools for shamanic activities.

If I have any criticism of North Star Road it is that Johnson has underplayed the role of the Goddess in shamanic locales and practices. I believe that Her folkloric roles as healer and nurturer were much less threatening than the sometimes Dionysian celebrations in honor of the Horned God; and anything having to do with lust, wildness, and frantic ritual would be the first and most natural focus for inquisitors or even just good Christians. The Goddess was present during the Burning Times, She has never truly left us. Also, I'm not convinced of Johnson's familiarity with Goddess aspects. For example, he consistently refers to the Welsh Morrigan as a singular, though She is a Triple Goddess: Neman, patron of fairies (also mentioned as a singular), Badb, arbiter of life and death, and Macha, goddess of war. True, all three are crone aspects, but they are assuredly not the same.

North Star Road is a thought provoking examination of shamanism and its presence down the ages. I recommend it, especially for those researching the Burning Times.

Janet K. Dugan

1997, Janet K. Dugan