Michael J. Harner, Michael Harner

Michael James Harner (1929–2018) was an American anthropologist and educator best known for developing and promoting "core shamanism." His 1980 book, "The Way of the Shaman," became a foundational text for this New Age approach to personal development. Harner's work drew from his extensive fieldwork, particularly with the Jívaro (Shuar) people of the Ecuadorian Amazon, and his experiences with Amazonian plant medicines like ayahuasca. He also cited influences from various global shamanic traditions and European occultism.

Harner founded the Foundation for Shamanic Studies in 1983 to disseminate his teachings. He left academia in 1987 to focus full-time on the Foundation, which offered courses and workshops based on core shamanism. While widely influential, particularly in the neoshamanic movement, Harner's concept of core shamanism faced criticism for abstracting shamanic practices from their original cultural contexts. He is recognized by some as a leading authority who brought shamanism to Western awareness.

Born in 1929, Michael Harner initially pursued archaeology before shifting his focus to ethnology as a graduate student. His significant fieldwork in the 1950s and 1960s involved studying the Jívaro (Shuar) people in the Ecuadorian Amazon. This research, examining the societal impact of technological change, formed the basis of his book, "The Jívaro: People of the Sacred Waterfalls." During his time in the Amazon, Harner also reported experiences with the plant medicine ayahuasca among the Conibo people of Peru and later with the entheogen maikua among the Jívaro. These experiences, documented in his writings, contributed to his later theoretical framework.

Following his Amazonian research and experiments with hallucinogens, Harner began developing his system of "core shamanism" in the early 1970s. He presented this as an acultural approach, stripping down shamanic practices stripped of specific cultural details to make them accessible to contemporary Westerners. He claimed to identify common elements across diverse indigenous traditions, including those from Siberia and Australia, as well as European occultism. Harner began offering workshops and published "The Way of the Shaman" in 1980, which presented his synthesized system. This work became a cornerstone of the neoshamanic movement, though it also drew criticism for its decontextualization of indigenous practices.

In 1983, Harner established the Center for Shamanic Studies, later renamed the Foundation for Shamanic Studies. This organization became the primary vehicle for teaching and promoting core shamanism globally. In 1987, he transitioned from his academic career at institutions like Yale and Columbia to dedicate himself fully to the Foundation's work. The Foundation generated significant support through its extensive course offerings. Harner's influence extended beyond academia, with some acknowledging him as a preeminent authority who significantly raised Western awareness of shamanism.