Shaman's Drum Journal

Shaman's Drum was a periodical devoted to experiential shamanism that was published from 1985 until 2010. It was originally edited by Timothy White and issued by the Cross-Cultural Shamanism Network, a nonprofit educational organization. The publication presented itself as a forum for examining shamanic practice through the perspectives of practitioners, researchers, and other participants rather than treating shamanism solely as an abstract academic subject. The journal's editorial mission was to encourage and support the practice of shamanism while bringing together material from historical, traditional, non-traditional, and contemporary settings. Its coverage reflected a broad comparative view of shamanic experience. Topics and traditions discussed in the publication included Siberian ecstatic séances, Tibetan trance oracles, Amazonian ayahuasca rituals, and Native American healing ceremonies. By placing these subjects within a single periodical, Shaman's Drum sought to identify connections among diverse ritual systems and to explore methods associated with altered states, healing, initiation, ceremony, and spiritual mediation. A central idea associated with the journal was that shamanism could be understood as a universal human phenomenon, or as a related group of phenomena that ultimately crossed the boundaries of individual cultures and traditions. This perspective shaped the publication's emphasis on comparison and direct experience. It also distinguished the journal from publications limited to one religious tradition, geographic region, or strictly historical interpretation. Shaman's Drum ceased regular publication in 2010. In 2011, an announcement on its website indicated plans to continue aspects of the project through the Shaman's Drum Foundation, including an online publication and electronic archives. Later information stated that some back issues could still be ordered and that there were plans to preserve educational and historical material related to shamanism. The available record therefore presents the brand as a discontinued print periodical with an intended archival and digital afterlife rather than as an active conventional magazine.

Shaman's Drum emerged in 1985 as a periodical associated with the Cross-Cultural Shamanism Network, a nonprofit educational organization. Timothy White was its original editor. From the beginning, the publication focused on experiential shamanism: the study and practice of shamanic traditions as encountered by practitioners and participants, rather than only as subjects of detached theoretical analysis. The journal's editorial scope was deliberately broad. It examined traditional, non-traditional, and contemporary approaches to shamanic practice and compared material from different cultural contexts. Its subject matter included Siberian ecstatic séances, Tibetan trance oracles, Amazonian ayahuasca rituals, Native American healing ceremonies, and other forms of ritual, healing, altered-state, and spiritual practice. The publication treated these subjects as part of a wider cross-cultural inquiry into the methods and meanings of shamanism. Its underlying perspective was that shamanism represented a universal human phenomenon, or a complex of related phenomena, that was not confined to a single cultural lineage. This gave the journal a comparative and synthetic character. Rather than presenting one standardized system, it brought together accounts and interpretations from multiple traditions and explored possible continuities among them. The emphasis on experience and practice also positioned the periodical between a specialist journal, an educational publication, and a community resource for people interested in contemporary shamanic work. Shaman's Drum continued publication for approximately twenty-five years and ceased publication in 2010. In 2011, its website reported plans to continue the project through the Shaman's Drum Foundation. The proposed continuation involved an online publication and electronic archives, suggesting a transition from a primarily print-based periodical toward digital preservation and distribution. Later website information indicated that selected back issues remained available for order and described future plans to maintain an archive of educational and historical shamanic material. The brand is therefore best understood as a defunct periodical whose legacy was intended to continue through archival resources and online activity.

• 2011

  Digital continuation proposed

  [1]Shaman's Drumen.wikipedia.org

  The publication website announces plans involving the Shaman's Drum Foundation, an online publication, and electronic archives.

• 2010

  Regular publication ends

  [1]Shaman's Drumen.wikipedia.org

  The periodical ceases publication after operating for roughly twenty-five years.

• 1985

  Publication begins

  [1]Shaman's Drumen.wikipedia.org

  Shaman's Drum begins publication as a periodical devoted to experiential and cross-cultural approaches to shamanism.

A practitioner-oriented and comparative periodical presenting shamanism as an experiential and cross-cultural field of practice.

• Special-interest periodical · 1985

  Shaman's Drum journal issues

  The core offering was a periodical addressing shamanism from an experiential and comparative perspective. Issues examined practices and methods associated with a wide range of traditions, including Siberian, Tibetan, Amazonian, and Native American contexts, alongside non-traditional and contemporary forms of practice.

• Archival publication · 2011

  Back issues and electronic archives

  After regular publication ended, the project retained an archival role. Some back issues were available for order, while proposed electronic archives were intended to preserve educational and historical material relating to shamanic traditions and practice.

• 2010

  Transition away from regular print publicationStrategy

  Background

  After publishing from 1985 to 2010, the journal faced the end of its regular periodical run.

  Action taken

  Publication ceased, with subsequent plans directed toward a foundation-supported online presence and electronic archival material.

  Aftermath

  The project continued in an intended preservation and digital-resource capacity, while some back issues remained available.

  Source

1. 1Shaman's Drumen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Shaman's Drum Journalshamansdrum.org