About the Book and Author

Now Featured in the Patheos Book Club
A Spirit-Walker's Guide to Shamanic Tools
How to Make and Use Drums, Masks, Rattles, and Other Sacred Implements
By Evelyn C. Rysdyk

About the Book

Build Your Own Shamanic Toolkit!

In this beautifully illustrated guide, artist and shamanic teacher Evelyn C. Rysdyk shows you how to create, decorate, consecrate, and use various sacred tools in ritual and healing.

Navajo traditional healers bring rattles, corn pollen, eagle feathers, and sage smoke together with songs and dances to affect healing. Ulchi shamans use drums, rattles, and larch tree wands called gimsacha to work healing magic. Manchu shamans will perfume the air with incense and tie on a heavy bustle of iron jingles as part of their ceremonial costume. Modern shamanic practitioners likewise use sacred tools to facilitate our connection to helper spirits in the Upper, Middle, and Lower Worlds, as well as the spirits of nature. While you can purchase many of these tools, there’s nothing quite as powerful as making your own. You’ll find instructions for making rattles, drums, masks, mirrors, spirit figures, fans, bells, pouches, wands, prayer bundles, flutes, whistles, and more. Plus suggestions for responsible ways to obtain the materials you’ll need.

Author Profile

Originally trained as a visual artist and illustrator, no one is more surprised than Evelyn C. Rysdyk and she has achieved some success for her writing! Her books and numerous articles focus on shamanism, living in harmony with the Earth and how ancient healing methods support individuals to feel more whole, confident, connected and empowered. She has become an internationally recognized shamanic author, teacher/healer, speaker yet the drawings she created to illustrate her books, A Spirit Walker’s Guide to Shamanic Tools and Spirit Walking, A Course in Shamanic Power demonstrate that she remains devoted to her artistic life, as well.

It was her artistic interest in shamanic masks and ritual objects that eventually lead her to give journeying a try in the early 1980s when she got Michael Harner's book. However, Evelyn didn't seriously turn to journeying until her early 30s when she was searching for ways to pull herself out of a crushing depression. Expanding awareness into the journey state allowed her to develop deep relationships with her helping spirits and nature. These powerful connections assisted her to completely resolve her illness in a matter of months. It is Evelyn’s belief that being in Reverent Participatory Relationship with our fellow travelers on Mother Earth is a profound way to generate balance, harmony, health and wholeness both in and around us.

After recognizing the power of shamanic spirituality and shamanic methods in her own life, Evelyn trained with Michael Harner, Ph.D. and Sandra Ingerman, LMFT, LPCC and is a graduate of the Foundation for Shamanic Studies Second East Coast Three-Year Program (1992-1995) as well as Sandra’s first ever Medicine for the Earth Teacher Training. Over the years, Evelyn has deepened her shamanic roots by doing extensive personal journeywork and ritual. In addition, she sought out exceptional tribal shamans with whom she could study. She has been working with 27^th generation Nepalese jhankri, Bhola nath Banstola, since 2007. She has also studied with AiChurek from Tuva, Fredy "Puma" Quispe Singona of Peru and the renowned Ulchi shaman, Grandfather Mikhail “Misha” Duvan, to name just a few.

Evelyn delights in supporting people to remember their sacred place in All That Is.  Whether through face-to-face contact with individual patients, workshop groups and conference participants, or through the printed word, Evelyn uses her loving humor and passion to open people's hearts and inspire them to live more joyful, fulfilling and purposeful lives. 

She lives with her wife and her very vocal cat on the coast of Maine.

Additional works

Modern Shamanic Living (Weiser Books, 1999)

Spirit Walking (Weiser Books, 2013)

Upcoming Seminars and Events

For a full list, please visit http://www.spiritpassages.com/calendar.html