Since I actually used the phrase ‘Way of the Guttershaman’ last time, I should say a bit more about what that entails. The Way of the Guttershaman cannot be taught. But it can be learned. God, that’s really fucking pretentious, isn’t it? What I mean is, the Guttershaman approach is just that – an approach, [...]
“I know what it’s like to feel unequal to the task required of you… to feel incapable. I’ll never be the man I was, but I’ve come to embrace those parts of my mind that are… peculiar and broken. I understand now that’s what makes my mind special. I wish you could see yourself [...]
“…stories dramatize ideas and truths that we all intuitively recognize. Although these stories are not exactly ‘true’, they nonetheless offer a kind of Truth that is more compelling than hard facts.” Rabbi Cary Friedman, ‘Wisdom from the Batcave‘ “Believe nothing, No matter where you read it, Or who has said it, Not even if I [...]
“Where there is money, you have cheats. The two go together.” Eric Cantona “Send lawyers, guns and money – the shit has hit the fan.“ Warren Zevon Previously on Guttershaman… I was looking at how modern Western ‘Shamanism’ is a mix of ideas borrowed from various native traditions (often without either respect or understanding). I also [...]
From this piece on the popular funny book character as shamanic figure: Myths, rituals and religion bind us together and can be seen metaphorically as the bones of our society. Our personal belief and value system can be seen as our soul’s set of bones. As we grow up we take on the beliefs and [...]
‘Of course the Chinese mix everything up – look at what they have to work with! Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoist alchemy and sorcery. We take what we want and leave the rest, just like your salad bar.’ Egg Shen in John Carpenter’s Big Trouble In Little China (Disclaimer: I am, to quote Jim Jarmush’s great [...]