Ecstatic Body Postures: An Alternate Reality Workbook (Original) — Folk Magic

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Ecstatic Body Postures: An Alternate Reality Workbook (Original)

Name: Ecstatic Body Postures: An Alternate Reality Workbook (Original)
Price: 28.00 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9781879181229

✍️ Gore, Belinda

Reader Score

4.6

(1 review)

$28.00

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📚 WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT

Delve into the profound discovery that specific, universally recurring body postures serve as direct conduits to altered states of awareness. Author Belinda Gore expertly guides readers through these ancient, shamanic positions, illuminating how they can unlock experiences remarkably similar to those reported across diverse cultures and eras. Based on pioneering anthropological research, this book provides clear, illustrated instructions, empowering you to explore higher consciousness and forgotten wisdom through your own embodied practice.

Gore, Belinda

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Folk Magic

Praise for this book

“. . . this book summarizes the results of hundreds of workshops and introduces the reader to the rich resources of information found in the alternative reality. . . . I highly recommend this book to all who want to explore their inner reality.”

— Ruth-Inge Heinze, author of Shamans of the 20th Century

🏛 Bear & Company 📅 1995 📖 304 pages 📔 Paperback ISBN: 9781879181229

Fun Fact

Gore's *Ecstatic Body Postures* excels as a highly practical, accessible guide to a fascinating, often overlooked aspect of spiritual practice. It brilliantly distills complex anthropological research into actionable steps, offering a direct path to experiencing altered states. While not a deep academic treatise on shamanism, it’s invaluable for anyone seeking experiential engagement with ancient wisdom. Those looking for dense historical theory might be disappointed, but hands-on explorers will find a potent tool for personal transformation.

📝 Description: Ecstatic Body Postures: An Alternate Reality Workbook (Original)

Specific body postures reappear in the art and artifacts of world cultures, even those widely separated by time and distance. What are these images of unusual postures telling us? Medicine people, shamans, priests, and priestesses of indigenous cultures have passed on this sacred body of knowledge for thousands of years. Anthropologist Felicita Goodman discovered that people who assume these postures report strikingly similar meditative experiences. The results from this research are inspiring, proving that certain body gestures and movements allow us to access higher states of consciousness. With clear instructions and illustrations, Belinda Gore demonstrates these shamanic postures and how to work with them. Ecstatic Body Postures is a "must read" for anyone interested in meditation, shamanic practice, yoga, or body work.

📑 What's inside

FOREWORD PREFACE CHAPTER ONE: The Discovery CHAPTER TWO: The Practice of Ecstatic Trance
CHAPTER THREE: Healing
The Bear Spirit Posture
The Carchi Woman Posture
The Chiltan Spirits Posture
The Couple from Cernavoda Posture
The Empowerment Posture
The Tlazolteotl Posture
CHAPTER FOUR: Divination
The Adena Pipe Posture
The Hunter Diviner Posture
The Lady of Cholula Posture
The Nupe Mallam Posture
The Olmec Diviner Posture
The Tennessee Diviner Posture
CHAPTER FIVE: Metamorphosis
The Bahia Posture
The Chalchihuitlique Posture
The Corn Goddess Posture
The Jama-Coaque Posture
The La Tolita Posture
The Machalilla Posture
The Olmec Prince Posture
The Tattooed Jaguar Posture
CHAPTER SIX: Spirit Journeys The Albatross Posture
The Lascaux Cave Posture
The Long Man of Wilmington Posture
The Priestess of Malta Posture
The Sami Lower World Posture
The South American Lower World Posture
The Realm of the Dead Posture
The Venus of Galgenberg Posture
CHAPTER SEVEN: Initiation: Death and Rebirth
The Birthing Posture
The Feathered Serpent Posture
The Greek Youth and Maiden Posture
The Lady of Thessaly Posture
The Psychopomp Posture
The Venus of Laussel Posture
CHAPTER EIGHT: Living Myths
The Emergence Posture
The Man of Cuautla Posture
The Mayan Whistle Posture
CHAPTER NINE: Celebration
The Calling the Spirits Posture
The Singing Shaman Posture
APPENDIX ENDNOTES ABOUT THE AUTHOR

💎 Expert review

“

💎

Esoterica Books editorial team

Occult literature desk

Gore’s workbook is a unique artifact in occult literature, prioritizing somatic experience over dogmatic belief. While its anthropological foundation lends credibility to the practice of using body postures for consciousness expansion, readers expecting rigorous academic analysis or complex theological theory may find it lacking. It is not suited for those who prefer intellectual abstraction over physical embodiment or who view spiritual experiences solely through traditional religious lenses. However, for open-minded seekers willing to follow illustrated instructions literally, it provides a reliable, grounded method for accessing shamanic states without requiring prior esoteric training.

✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

📖 Why choose it

📖

Why this book is worth reading

Readers seeking a tangible, physical entry point into metaphysical exploration will find immense value here. Belinda Gore offers a practical roadmap for those who may struggle with purely mental meditation techniques, providing clear, illustrated instructions to access higher consciousness through specific ancestral postures. This workbook is ideal for practitioners of folk magic, shamanic journeyers, and curious skeptics alike who wish to unlock forgotten wisdom by reactivating universal bodily patterns. It empowers you to become the vessel for ancient experiences, making the abstract concept of altered awareness accessible, repeatable, and deeply personal through direct physical engagement rather than theoretical study alone.

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Esoterica Books —

⭐ Esoterica editorial review Editorial rating 4.6/5

★★★★★

If you're drawn to meditation, shamanic wisdom, yoga, or bodywork, and seek tangible methods for accessing deeper states of consciousness, this workbook is for you. Prepare to embark on an experiential journey where your body becomes the gateway to expanded reality.

Reader rating

4.6

Based on 1 reviews

Esoterica Books editorial team

Gore’s workbook is a unique artifact in occult literature, prioritizing somatic experience over dogmatic belief. While its anthropological foundation lends credibility to the practice of using body postures for consciousness expansion, readers expecting rigorous academic analysis or complex theological theory may find it lacking. It is not suited for those who prefer intellectual abstraction over physical embodiment or who view spiritual experiences solely through traditional religious lenses. However, for open-minded seekers willing to follow illustrated instructions literally, it provides a reliable, grounded method for accessing shamanic states without requiring prior esoteric training.

❓ Frequently asked questions

These postures are specifically designed to induce non-ordinary states of consciousness, often characterized by feelings of rapture, expanded awareness, or spiritual insight, rather than merely physical relaxation or stretching.

While rooted in extensive anthropological research, this volume functions primarily as a practical workbook, providing clear, step-by-step instructions and illustrations for personal experimentation with these transformative body positions. It's very hands-on.

📖 Who should read this

🎯 Key themes and symbolism

Ancient Embodied Wisdom

Explores how certain body positions, found in artifacts globally, represent a shared, timeless human understanding of consciousness. It reveals how these postures were not random but deliberate keys to profound inner experiences, passed down through generations by spiritual practitioners and medicine people.

Physiological Pathways to Altered States

Details how specific physical alignments and movements directly influence neurological and psychological states. The book demonstrates that by consciously adopting these ancient forms, practitioners can reliably induce non-ordinary states of consciousness, bridging the physical and the spiritual through direct bodily experience.

Practical Shamanic Exploration

Offers a hands-on methodology for engaging with shamanic principles without extensive prior training. It transforms academic research into an accessible workbook, allowing individuals to personally experiment with and validate the power of these postures for their own spiritual and meditative journeys, fostering direct experience.

📜 Historical context

This work builds upon the groundbreaking anthropological research of Dr. Felicitas Goodman, who observed the consistent, profound experiences reported by individuals assuming specific ancient postures. Gore's book translates these academic findings into a practical guide, situating the practice of ecstatic body postures firmly within a lineage of indigenous spiritual technologies and cross-cultural shamanic traditions.

📚 Glossary

Ecstatic Postures
Shamanic Practice
Alternate Reality

📔 Questions to reflect on

After practicing a posture, describe the sensations, thoughts, and emotions that arose. Were there any unexpected insights or visions during your experience?
Reflect on how adopting a specific physical form might influence your internal state. What connection do you observe between body and consciousness in your own practice?
Consider how integrating these ecstatic postures could enhance your existing spiritual or meditative practices. What new avenues of exploration do they open for you?