Jaguar in the Body, Butterfly in the Heart The Real-life Initiation of an Everyday Shaman

‘Shaman’, meaning ‘intermediary between spirit and the natural world’, has become a much overused word in the West. It’s not a job title one can give oneself, and in indigenous societies, a shaman is usually born to this role. Ya’Acov Darling Khan is one of the few westerners who have been acknowledged as shamans by indigenous elders or teachers.

After being hit by lightning, Ya’Acov took a 30-year journey into the heart of shamanism to seek his own healing, and to learn how he could serve others with the wisdom he acquired through his experiences. He has studied with indigenous teachers from the Arctic Circle to the USA and South America, and has taken part in ceremonies in such diverse locations as Welsh caves to the depths of the Amazon rainforest. Nowadays, Ya’Acov continues to study and regularly journeys to the Ecuadorean Amazon to work alongside the Achuar and Sápara people.

For thousands of years, shamans helped the people in their communities remain in balance with themselves, each other, the natural world and the spirit world. This beautifully written book is not only a powerfully honest, humorous and inspiring memoir, but a guidebook for those from many cultures and walks of life wishing to return to their indigenous roots, and be part of midwifing a more benign human presence here on Earth as part of a new dream.

Ya’Acov Darling Khan is a modern-day shaman, who has studied and practiced with many gifted teachers around the world. He has studied with healers and shamans from the Amazon to the Arctic Circle, including an 18-year apprenticeship with Gabrielle Roth. He has been recognized as a practicing shaman (i.e. traditional healer) by Elder Shamans from the Sami (European tradition), and Achuar and Sápara peoples of the Amazon. He is the Co-Founder of Movement Medicine and the Co-Director of the School of Movement Medicine. www.schoolofmovementmedicine.com