ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING BOOKS
A Multiple Intelligences Road To
An ELT Classroom
Price: £16.99 ISBN:1899836233 www.crownhouse.co.uk
The Power Of Metaphor
An exploration of story, metaphor and guided visualisation
for use in teaching, training and therapy.
Price: £12.99 ISBN: 1899836438 www.crownhouse.co.uk
On Business & For Pleasure
Price: £7-99 ISBN: 1846943043 www.o-books.com
On Business & For Pleasure Again
Price: £8-99 ISBN: ISBN: 1846944635 www.o-books.com
In a Faraway Land
A Resource Book for Teachers on Storytelling
Price: £14-99 ISBN: 1846943027 www.o-books.com
For an Independent Review of this book, please visit www.waynetrotman.com
English Language Teaching Matters
Michael Berman, Mojca Belak, and Wayne Rimmer
Paperback: 227 pages
Publisher: O Books (1 April 2011) ISBN-10: 1846944112
Price: £12.99 Available for pre-order from www.amazon.co.uk
This book clearly makes learning meaningful and purposeful in many ways. Moreover, it confirms once again that English language teaching does matter! (Professor Manana Rusieshvili, Doctor of Philological Sciences, Full Professor and Head of English Philology at Tbilisi State University, and President of the English Teachers Association of Georgia). I consider this work an excellent contribution to ELT and would be happy to use it with my students at the department of Cross-Cultural Communication, Yerevan State University. (Dr Alvard Jivanyan, Chair of English Philology, Yerevan State University)
BOOKS ON SHAMANISM
Journeys Outside Time
A collection of shamanic ballads and shamanic stories
Price: £6.95p or $8.95 ISBN: 978-0-9843302-7-0
The Shaman and the Storyteller
with an
Introduction by Jonathan Horwitz
from the Scandinavian Centre for Shamanic Studies
Price: £12 ISBN: 0954291379 www.amazon.co.uk
All God's Creatures
A collection of short stories, both contemporary & traditional
Price: $10.95 ISBN: 978-0-9843302-6-3
Shamanic Journeys, Shamanic Stories
Paperback: 174 pages
Publisher: O Books ISBN-10: 1846944023
Price: £10.99 Available from www.amazon.co.uk
Shaman Portal Book of the Month April 2011
Within this collection of shamanic stories there is a wealth of information on the traditional, folkloric, magic and very real culture that is Shamanism in today’s world. Over the past 20 years or slightly more there has been a distinct revival in the arts of and benefits to the modern world - both from a healthy and holist perspective as well as a focus on care of the mother earth. Berman draws our attention to this in the selected stories by using them as discussion points and debatable issues, as well as helping to illustrate that Shamanism is alive and well and is using the benefits of traditional methods of healing to all who choose to seek it out. More of a treatise than a light read Berman puts his point across in many ways and leaves one pondering on the many and varied things which make up the elements of a life journey! Taken from www.bluewolf-reviews.com
Michael Berman has captured a treasure-house of shamanic magic. The stories are discussed and illustrated to dig beneath the surface. This is a glimpse into a timeless civilization and culture. He shows a deep understanding of this magical world. It is a beautiful and wondrous book. Not light reading though. I particularly liked, The Man Who Lost His Wife. This book will make you think, grow, groan, and laugh. Anita Burns, Editor http://www.themessenger.info/content/home
Tales of Power
£10.95
Like the shaman, the storyteller is a walker between the worlds, a mediator between our known world and that of the unknown – someone who is able to commune with dragons and elves, with faeries and angels, with magical and mythical beasts, with Gods and Goddesses, heroes and demons, someone who is able to pass freely from this world into those above and those below and to help us to experience those other realms for ourselves. He or she is an intensely powerful invoker of elemental powers, of the powers of absolute transformation, who can show us how to confront our most deeply-engrained fears, or teach us how to experience ecstasy or bring us face to face with death or terror of the spirit - with the infinite and incomprehensible. He is not only the archetypal magician but also the archetypal guide. In Tales of Power, Michael Berman examines the role of the storyteller in shamanic tradition, and presents a collection of traditional stories.
Tales of Power is delightful. No matter what culture, age, or education, we are all creatures who love a story. Story telling helps us grow, learn, and figure out the world. From ancient times when story-tellers would wander through the towns and villages telling stories to rapt audiences, to today's multi-plex movie theaters, we all love stories. Michael Berman has written a homage to the story tellers and has shared stories from a multitude of cultures. I hope you will be as engrossed as I was in this book. My favorite? Perhaps The Frog and the Crocodile. Anita Burns, Editor http://www.themessenger.info/content/home
ISBN: 978-1-907614-05-7
Available online from http://www.merciangathering.com/learbooks/index.htm or from www.amazon.co.uk
Guided Visualisations through the Caucasus
"In a strange region he scales steep slopes
Far from his
friends he cuts a lonely figure…
So momentous
are his travels among the mountains
To tell just a
tenth would be a tall order"
These lines from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight could also be used to describe
the way of the shaman, because he/she lives a life apart from other too, and has
difficulty in conveying in words just what it is that he/she experiences when
journeying into other realities. Perhaps this is why the accounts of such
journeys were often turned into folktales, as it was the only way to make them
both understandable and acceptable to people not familiar with the landscapes to
be found and experiences to be had in such worlds. It is the folktales/legends
from the Caucasus, and the inner journeys these can take us on, that form the
basis of this book.
ISBN: 978-0-9843302-8-7 Price: $10.95
To and From the Land of the Dead
£10.95
Different types of shamanic journeys can be undertaken–to the Lower World to make contact with Power Animals, to the Upper World to meet your Sacred Teacher, and to the Middle-world to see events that take place in this reality in their non-ordinary reality forms and to gain a greater insight into their nature. There are also journeys for the purpose of divination and journeys to carry out soul retrievals. Journeys are also undertaken to the Land of the Dead, where the shaman acts as a psychopomp–a conductor of souls. Michael Berman explores shamanic experiences and tales of the journey to and from the land of the dead.
ISBN: 978-1-907614-08-8
Available online from http://www.merciangathering.com/learbooks/index.htm or from www.amazon.co.uk
The Nature of Shamanism and the Shamanic Story
 |
Hardcover: 175 pages Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing (1 Nov 2007) |
Price: £29.99 ISBN-13: 978-1847183569 www.c-s-p.org.uk
"I enjoyed reading this book because for once this isn’t a book arguing for Shamanism ‘as the next best thing to apple pie’, but a sober look into the roots of Shamanism. The chapter Shamanism – A Religion. A Way of Life, or a Methodology? is particularly interesting. Shamanism – like Wicca –seems to have suffered something of a process of sanitization, as if, for example, using hallucinogenic drugs somehow ‘degenerated’ the whole practice. Michael continues by using a number of stories to illustrate Shamanic journeys to Lower, Middle and Upper World. One is perhaps a surprising choice – the Shamanic Story of Jonah but as Michael writes it is the universality of its appeal. He also uses stories from Georgia, Germany and Korea to illustrate how mythology, sagas and folktales can provide us with inner or Shamanic journeys. In fact he later devotes a chapter on the Parallels between the Shaman and the Storyteller. Many Pagans will recognise the importance of the oral tradition Michael is describing. And how we all need to be adept storytellers" Morgana - International Coordinator of the PFI (taken from Pagan World Summer 2009).
Stories from various cultures and periods of time can be identified which deal with a concept of soul loss that is essentially shamanic. In shamanism, soul loss is the term used to describe the way parts of the psyche become detached when we are faced with traumatic situations. In shamanic terms, these split-off parts can be found in non-ordinary reality and are only accessible to those familiar with its topography.
Soul Loss and the Shamanic Story
|
Hardcover: 305 pages Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing (1 Feb 2008) |
Price: £39.99 ISBN-13: 978-1847184573 www.c-s-p.org.uk
Divination and the Shamanic Story
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Hardcover: 230 pages Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing (1 March 2008) |
Price: £29.99 ISBN-13: 978-1847184677 www.c-s-p.org.uk
BOOKS ON THE CAUCASUS
Georgia through its Legends, Folklore and People
Authors: Michael Berman, Ketevan Kalandadze, George Kuparadze and Manana Rusieshvili
Everything shifts in the Caucasus, blown by some of the strongest winds on earth. Even the ground moves, splintered by fault lines. In early Georgian myths, it is said that when the mountains were young, they had legs – could walk from the edges of the oceans to the deserts, flirting with the low hills, shrouding them with soft clouds of love. But what about those aspects of life which remain relatively constant – the traditional practices of the people, the practices that are reflected in their legends and their folklore? It is these constants that this book concentrates on accompanied with breathtaking images. (Imprint: Nova Press)
Binding: Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-61209-641-4
Available online from www.novapublishers.com or from www.amazon.co.uk
Shamanic Journeys through Daghestan
Paperback 196pp £14-99
ISBN: 978-1-84694-225-9
"If you have enjoyed Michael Berman's articles in AVALON, then there is a treat in store in his new book. Shamanic Journeys through Daghestan is a delightful mix of folklore, factual commentary and shamanic explanation, all of which bring to life the rich tribal communities of this land of the mountains" Kate Gooch, AVALON Spring 2010
Shamanic Journeys through the Caucasus
Paperback 240pp £14-99
ISBN: 978-1-84694-253-2
In this book Berman aims to show the reader the shamanic roots that still survive within the folk tales of this area which covers a variety of places including Armenia, Chechnya, Azerbaijan and Georgia. There is some solid research within this book’s pages and a variety of respected people are quoted, including Mircea Eliade. I was fascinated to hear that in many areas within the Caucasus the culture was oral until the early 1920s. As different areas are covered within each chapter, we are introduced to the history which includes the political issues and suppression of traditional beliefs by now established religions, such as Muslim, Orthodox Christian and Jewish. I found this information fascinating and at least one traditional folk tale of each area is retold in each chapter and it’s shamanic roots explored by the author. … I found this book enjoyable and informative. I believe that this would be an interesting and useful addition to any budding shamanic practitioner or anyone interested in world folk tales and their roots. Maria Malo, in Esoteric Source, Fall 2010.
If you are interested in ancient Shamanism, this is a must read. It is fascinating in its journey through the tales of Shamans and magic through Armenia, Chechnya, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. …This not light entertainment reading, though. Be prepared to have your brain cells tickled. Anita Burns, Editor http://www.themessenger.info/content/home
Georgia Through Its Folktales
Michael Berman & Ketevan Kalandadze
Paperback: 176pp £11-99 ISBN: 978-1-84694-279-2 www.amazon.co.uk
Midwest Book Review, Oregon, USA: "Georgia Through Its Folktales gathers a smorgasbord of classic folktales from the Republic of Georgia, many of which have never been translated into English before. A handful of black-and-white illustrations enhance this treasury of classic, fantastic stories which reveal a glimpse into the minds of the men and women who call Georgia home - such as the reworking of Genesis into a story that suggests the Georgians were last in line when God gave them land, so God gave them his garden - the small yet fertile and heavenly patch of land that is Georgia. A wondrous collection, deserving of the highest recommendation especially for library folktale shelves."
"The stories collated here are a
mix of morality tales and good old fashioned fairy tales, some of which haven't
before appeared in translation. You get a sense of the wealth of culture in
these stories of princes, hunters and animals. A very enjoyable and illuminating
read. Review by Tania Ahsan, Editor of Kindred
Spirit Magazine UK on Thu, 06 Jan 2011"
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The Shamanic Themes in
Armenian Folktales
Price: £24.99
ISBN-13:
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The Shamanic Themes in Georgian Folktales
Hardcover: 120 pages Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing (1 Nov 2008)
NEW TITLES FOR 2012
A Bridge to the Other Side is a collection of articles and traditional folk tales that deal with our feelings about and attitudes towards Death, both our own death and that of those nearest and dearest to us. The study of how ancient peoples understood and responded to death can add to our own understanding and self-development, and this is what led to the writing of this book.
Publisher: Moon Books April 2012
ISBN 978-1-78099-256-3
Safely cocooned, or so we like to kid ourselves, in our sanitised western urban environment, we tend to take the elements for granted. However, tales from a time when the Earth was new help to jolt us out of our daily lethargy, as do the stories in this collection – a number of which have never been translated from Georgian direct into English before.
Publisher: Moon Books May 2012
ISBN 978-1-78099-271-6
