Jaguar In The Body, Butterfly In The Heart
Ya’Acov and his wife Susannah are known to many through their body of work, The School of Movement Medicine and their initial work with 5Rhythms founder Gabrielle Roth. In this book Ya’Acov charts his own journey with Gabrielle and many other shamans and medicine people of the world including Sami Shaman Bikko Mahte who had being appearing in his dreams for many years before he even knew he was real! A bolt of lightning that literally struck Ya’Acov as a young man sent him on a lifelong quest as a seeker and this account of his life shows what’s possible when we actively engage in the inwards journey with a heartfelt enthusiasm and a desire to change oneself at a deep level.
I especially enjoyed where he recounts some of his experiences with the Achuar people of the Amazon rainforest and his work with plant medicine Shamans Don Alberto and Hamilton Souther; which struck a chord as they were similar to some of my own recent experiences in the Amazon and give an insight into the true nature of shamanism and plant medicine in South America. Both encouraging for the inner strength required and at the same time acting as much needed cautionary note, his energetic tussles with the Brujo sorcerers of that region give a realistic account of life in the rainforest. The path of the true shaman is not really one that any sane person would embark on unless they had a strong and heartfelt desire to heal both themselves and people in general. Ya’Acov has that desire in bucket loads and that way of being comes across strongly in his book.
At a time when many people are calling themselves shamans and medicine carriers this book is a timely re-minder that the deep inner work is really a lifetime’s work that never stops; in the author’s case 30 years and counting. It is this longevity and application to the inner work that gives his life story credibility and can act as a guide to the next generation of medicine workers and healers that are starting to emerge.
An important addition to the growing body of work for the ‘re-mergence’ of shamanism in the west.
Book Details: Jaguar In The Body, Butterfly In The Heart. Ya’Acov Darling Khan. Hay House UK (6 Jun. 2017). ISBN-13: 978-1781808221.
Review Details: Jaguar In The Body, Butterfly In The Heart was reviewed by Davyd Farrell, Co-Founder Plant Consciousness / The Shamanic Lands / WisdomHub.tv and this review was published in Issue 35 of Indie Shaman magazine.
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