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This is a review of the book "Urban Shaman: A Handbook for Personal and
Planetary Transformation Based on the Hawaiian Way of the Adventurer" by
Serge Kahili King, Ph. D. The listing in the previously posted biblio-
graphy is:

A Bibliography of Shamanism (Part 3 of 5; items 151-225)
182. King, Serge.  Urban shaman /  New York : Simon & Schuster,
     c1990.  256 p. ; 22 cm.

Dr. King begins by stating on pp. 14-15 that like Mircea Eliade, he tends
toward a strict definition of shamanism. Not every medicine man is a shaman,
but a shaman might be a medicine man. Not every tribal priest is a shaman,
but a shaman might be a tribal priest. Not every psychic healer is a shaman,
but a shaman might be a psychic healer. Dr. King defines a shaman as a 
healer of relationships: between mind and body, between people, between
people and circumstances, between humans and Nature, and between matter and
spirit.

King approaches shamanism in this book from the perspective of the
culture of the Hawai'ian people and their world view which is expressed in
a philosophical system known as Huna, or "the knowledge". A practitioner 
who has reached a certain level of experience and mastery using this 
system of knowledge is given the title of Kahuna. The word Kahuna has 
accrued many connotations in western culture that were never intended  
by the Hawai'ian people. The word simply means "master of the knowledge".

King makes a distinction between two approaches to shamanic healing based
on the Shaman's view of non-ordinary reality. One type of shaman, which
he calls the "warrior" shaman tends to personify fear, illness, or
disharmony and to focus on the development of power, control, and combat
skills in order to deal with them. Another type of shaman, which he calls
the "adventurer" shaman, tends to depersonify these conditions (i.e. treat
them as effects, not things) and deal with them by developing skills of
love, cooperation, and harmony. King states that the Hawai'an system
of shamanism is based on the ways of the "adventurer" shaman. This is
evidenced, he says, in the spirit of Aloha for which the Hawai'ian
culture is well known.

The purpose behind "Urban Shaman" is to introduce to the reader some of
the philosophy and techniques of Huna. King believes that many of the 
techniques of Huna can be useful to people in everyday life without having
to commit themselves to years of shaman training. He stresses that the
knowledge of a few techniques do not make a person a shaman, but it 
might help them gain a new perspective on reality and might give them
new tools to deal with conflict in their lives and the world around them.

King summarizes the Huna philosophy by listing seven Hawai'ian words which
symbolize seven beliefs about reality. He states that the whole philosophy
stems from these seven beliefs:

1. "Ike" - The world is what you think it is.
      corollaries: Everything is a dream.
                   All systems are arbitrary.

2. "Kala" - There are no limits.
      corollaries: Everything is connected.
                   Anything is possible.
                   Separation is a useful illusion.

3. "Makia" - Energy flows where attention goes.
      corollaries: Attention goes where energy flows.
                   Everything is energy.

4. "Manawa" - Now is the moment of power.
      corollaries: Everything is relative.
                   Power increases with sensory attention.

5. "Aloha" - To love is to be happy with.
      corollaries: Love increases as jugement decreases.
                   Everything is alive, aware, and responsive.

6  "Mana" - All power comes from within.
      corollaries: Everthing has power.
                   Power is power "to do" something, 
                      not power "over" something.

7. "Pono" - Effectiveness is the measure of truth. 
      corollaries: There is always another way to do anything.

This book does not attempt to present shamanism in a "scholarly" light,
but seeks to make it comprehensible to almost anyone with a sincere
desire to understand more about it. The techniques presented are not
intended to create "instant" shamans but seek to involve the reader in
experiencing for himself/herself the possibility that reality can go
beyond the world of the five physical senses. 

--
Walter Parrish       parrish@epcot.spdc.ti.com

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