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Jaguár v těle, motýl v srdci: Příběh o zasvěcení do šamanismu každodenního života
„Šaman“ jako „prostředník mezi světem duchů a světem přírody“ je slovo, které se dnes používá na Západě hodně často. Nicméně nejde o zaměstnání a člověk se jím nemůže sám jmenovat. V domorodých společnostech se člověk šamanem většinou rodí. Ya’Acov Darling Khan je jedním z mála lidí ze Západu, kteří byli uznáni za šamana domorodými staršími a učiteli.
Po zásahu bleskem se Ya’Acov vydal na třicetiletou cestu do srdce šamanismu, aby vyléčil sám sebe a naučil se pomáhat druhým moudrostí, kterou nabyl díky svým zkušenostem. Studoval u domorodých učitelů od Arktidy přes USA po Jižní Ameriku a zúčastnil se rituálů na mnoha zvláštních místech, například ve velšských jeskyních a v hloubi amazonského pralesa. V současné době dál studuje a pravidelně cestuje do ekvádorské Amazonie, kde pracuje s Ačuáry a se Zápary.
Celá tisíciletí pomáhali šamani lidem v komunitách udržovat vnitřní rovnováhu a žít v souladu s vnějším světem a se světem duchů. Tato skvěle napsaná kniha je nejen nesmírně upřímnou, humornou a inspirativní autobiografií, ale zároveň slouží jako příručka lidem z různých kultur, kteří se chtějí navrátit ke svým prvotním kořenům a v rámci nového snu napomáhat zrození lepšího a humánnějšího života na Zemi.
Po zásahu bleskem se Ya’Acov vydal na třicetiletou cestu do srdce šamanismu, aby vyléčil sám sebe a naučil se pomáhat druhým moudrostí, kterou nabyl díky svým zkušenostem. Studoval u domorodých učitelů od Arktidy přes USA po Jižní Ameriku a zúčastnil se rituálů na mnoha zvláštních místech, například ve velšských jeskyních a v hloubi amazonského pralesa. V současné době dál studuje a pravidelně cestuje do ekvádorské Amazonie, kde pracuje s Ačuáry a se Zápary.
Celá tisíciletí pomáhali šamani lidem v komunitách udržovat vnitřní rovnováhu a žít v souladu s vnějším světem a se světem duchů. Tato skvěle napsaná kniha je nejen nesmírně upřímnou, humornou a inspirativní autobiografií, ale zároveň slouží jako příručka lidem z různých kultur, kteří se chtějí navrátit ke svým prvotním kořenům a v rámci nového snu napomáhat zrození lepšího a humánnějšího života na Zemi.
300 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2018
74 people are currently reading
301 people want to read
About the author
Ya’Acov Darling Khan
4 books7 followersHe is acknowledged as a practicing shaman by the people who work with him world-wide and by many indigenous elder shamans and communities from the Arctic to the Amazon.
Travelling the world for more than three decades to work with groups delivering Movement Medicine, Ya’Acov has spoken to audiences across the globe at some on the most pre-eminent platforms driving the transformation of world culture and sustainability (California’s Esalen organisation, The Embodiment Conference), as part of line-ups which include our most influential voices of spirituality today including Marianne Williamson and Ken Wilber. Presently, he is offering his work online through 21 Gratitudes and his one-to-one work.
Ya’Acov’s message? Contemporary embodied Shamanism, and the Inner Shaman in YOU, far from being irrelevant, fantastical and a way of avoiding reality, can provide keys to restoring and evolving our connection to ourselves, to each other and to the power and beauty of nature and solving our interpersonal and world issues in the process.
As early as age 7, Ya’Acov, the son of an entrepreneur raised near Liverpool, felt drawn to the connection with the spirit world that shamanism invites.
With age, the calling to explore this world intensified. After struggling for years to come to terms with a perception of life that only traditional Shamanism could explain, it was being struck by lightning on a golf course that proved to be the awakening which was to change the course of his life forever.
So began Ya’Acov’s three decades of study and practice with spiritual teachers and Elder Shamans from the Sami (European tradition), and Achuar and Sápara peoples of the Amazon.
“Along the way I had to carve out a sense of normality and accept my soul speaks the language of dance, ritual and prayer. Re-awakening a sense of the magnificence, potential and splendour of creation, and providing tools for being as creative as we can with our healing and the more challenging aspects of life in a body on earth in as many people as possible, is the blessing I am lucky enough to call my job.” says Ya’Acov.
His work is inspiring, contemporary and practical, and Ya’Acov’s audience includes people from all walks of life. In a time in which western society has become disconnected from ancestral and natural wisdom, much of his work is about education and removing the unhelpful mystique of the term ‘Shaman,’ meaning traditional healer.
His 34-year marriage and partnership with ‘Movement Medicine Woman’ and wife, Susannah, with whom he is Co-Director of The School of Movement medicine and Co-Author of Hay House published Movement Medicine, forms the loving foundation and union for a life dedicated to the transformation of our world.
“As a species, we are at a cross-roads. I have a strong vision for a future in which we have evolved our way of living to a more equitable, sustainable and ultimately much more fulfilling existence as part of the web of life that sustains us. Our work? To reach as many people as possible and support them to know who they really are, find their purpose and live meaningful lives.”
Travelling the world for more than three decades to work with groups delivering Movement Medicine, Ya’Acov has spoken to audiences across the globe at some on the most pre-eminent platforms driving the transformation of world culture and sustainability (California’s Esalen organisation, The Embodiment Conference), as part of line-ups which include our most influential voices of spirituality today including Marianne Williamson and Ken Wilber. Presently, he is offering his work online through 21 Gratitudes and his one-to-one work.
Ya’Acov’s message? Contemporary embodied Shamanism, and the Inner Shaman in YOU, far from being irrelevant, fantastical and a way of avoiding reality, can provide keys to restoring and evolving our connection to ourselves, to each other and to the power and beauty of nature and solving our interpersonal and world issues in the process.
As early as age 7, Ya’Acov, the son of an entrepreneur raised near Liverpool, felt drawn to the connection with the spirit world that shamanism invites.
With age, the calling to explore this world intensified. After struggling for years to come to terms with a perception of life that only traditional Shamanism could explain, it was being struck by lightning on a golf course that proved to be the awakening which was to change the course of his life forever.
So began Ya’Acov’s three decades of study and practice with spiritual teachers and Elder Shamans from the Sami (European tradition), and Achuar and Sápara peoples of the Amazon.
“Along the way I had to carve out a sense of normality and accept my soul speaks the language of dance, ritual and prayer. Re-awakening a sense of the magnificence, potential and splendour of creation, and providing tools for being as creative as we can with our healing and the more challenging aspects of life in a body on earth in as many people as possible, is the blessing I am lucky enough to call my job.” says Ya’Acov.
His work is inspiring, contemporary and practical, and Ya’Acov’s audience includes people from all walks of life. In a time in which western society has become disconnected from ancestral and natural wisdom, much of his work is about education and removing the unhelpful mystique of the term ‘Shaman,’ meaning traditional healer.
His 34-year marriage and partnership with ‘Movement Medicine Woman’ and wife, Susannah, with whom he is Co-Director of The School of Movement medicine and Co-Author of Hay House published Movement Medicine, forms the loving foundation and union for a life dedicated to the transformation of our world.
“As a species, we are at a cross-roads. I have a strong vision for a future in which we have evolved our way of living to a more equitable, sustainable and ultimately much more fulfilling existence as part of the web of life that sustains us. Our work? To reach as many people as possible and support them to know who they really are, find their purpose and live meaningful lives.”
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
September 28, 2017
Jaguar in the Body, Butterfly in the Heart is a mesmerizing memoir by Ya’Acov Darling Khan that recounts his initiation as an “Everyday Shaman.”
The title comes from how he learned to blend the raw power of the jaguar with the parts of him that were quieter and more sensitive, like a butterfly.
He learned what shamans have always known: all things are connected. A basic practice that he says everyone can follow is the simple act of noticing these connections.
Khan’s story is one in which he struggled to balance the parts of himself that wanted to fit in and be acceptable to his parents and society, while having the existential need to stay in touch with the magical world of pure spirit.
From the time he was a young boy, he had visions and dreams that foretold the future. Working with numerous teachers, including Gabrielle Roth, indigenous shamans of the Amazon, as well as shamans from Mexico and the Antarctic, he and his wife created Movement Medicine, which invites us to stand up and do all that we can to bring our visions and dreams to Earth as an act of gratitude for the great mystery that gives us life.
“I have learned that we weren’t given this Earth to do with as we pleased, but we came out of it and we are part of it.”
What is a shaman? A shaman is traditionally the medicine man of a tribe, able to connect with the powers of nature and the spirit world.
What is the healing task for shamans of our time? Khan believes it is changing the debilitating mantra that is doing so much to destroy the fabric of life on Earth: “I am not enough. I don’t have enough. I need more.”
Today, the essence of Kahn’s Movement Medicine is the Long Dance ceremony, a contemporary ritual that is open to anyone, that has the power of indigenous ceremony, and raises money for amazing causes, like saving the Amazon rainforest.
Getting to where he is today, Khan went through the magical world of ritual, working with shaman teachers around the world. His story is a fascinating one that gives us an inside look into what shamanism is and isn’t. Through his journey, we learn more about the roots of shamanism.
Khan believes everyone can rise from the ashes of their suffering and create a new story… one that gives you purpose and dignity and, in this way, become an Everyday Shaman.
In this crucial time for the Earth and its inhabitants, Ya’Acov Darling Khan explains the path of the shaman. His story is a beautiful one, an empowering one, an important one.
The title comes from how he learned to blend the raw power of the jaguar with the parts of him that were quieter and more sensitive, like a butterfly.
He learned what shamans have always known: all things are connected. A basic practice that he says everyone can follow is the simple act of noticing these connections.
Khan’s story is one in which he struggled to balance the parts of himself that wanted to fit in and be acceptable to his parents and society, while having the existential need to stay in touch with the magical world of pure spirit.
From the time he was a young boy, he had visions and dreams that foretold the future. Working with numerous teachers, including Gabrielle Roth, indigenous shamans of the Amazon, as well as shamans from Mexico and the Antarctic, he and his wife created Movement Medicine, which invites us to stand up and do all that we can to bring our visions and dreams to Earth as an act of gratitude for the great mystery that gives us life.
“I have learned that we weren’t given this Earth to do with as we pleased, but we came out of it and we are part of it.”
What is a shaman? A shaman is traditionally the medicine man of a tribe, able to connect with the powers of nature and the spirit world.
What is the healing task for shamans of our time? Khan believes it is changing the debilitating mantra that is doing so much to destroy the fabric of life on Earth: “I am not enough. I don’t have enough. I need more.”
Today, the essence of Kahn’s Movement Medicine is the Long Dance ceremony, a contemporary ritual that is open to anyone, that has the power of indigenous ceremony, and raises money for amazing causes, like saving the Amazon rainforest.
Getting to where he is today, Khan went through the magical world of ritual, working with shaman teachers around the world. His story is a fascinating one that gives us an inside look into what shamanism is and isn’t. Through his journey, we learn more about the roots of shamanism.
Khan believes everyone can rise from the ashes of their suffering and create a new story… one that gives you purpose and dignity and, in this way, become an Everyday Shaman.
In this crucial time for the Earth and its inhabitants, Ya’Acov Darling Khan explains the path of the shaman. His story is a beautiful one, an empowering one, an important one.
August 29, 2017
It is rare to read a book that has so much deep wisdom & profound advice embedded in an entertaining life story with such clarity & humility. The author shares his own journey into modern & ancient shamanism in a refreshingly honest & insightful manner that highlights the many pitfalls & challenges of the spiritual journey. His commitment to continual growth, healing & learning, whilst always remaining open to questioning the truths & beliefs he found/developed on the way, has provided an inspiring road map for anyone on a spiritual or self-healing journey. We can easily fall into so many ego traps on such a journey but the author's commitment to growth with integrity makes many of those traps more visible & therefore avoidable.
More than just a self-help guide for the spiritually inclined (in whatever tradition), the book provides important insights for our species as a whole to live in a more balanced & conscious way before we cause irreversible damage to the ecosystem that we depend on for our lives.
It is an easy book to dip into, one chapter at a time & is a delightful & inspiring read - highly recommended.
More than just a self-help guide for the spiritually inclined (in whatever tradition), the book provides important insights for our species as a whole to live in a more balanced & conscious way before we cause irreversible damage to the ecosystem that we depend on for our lives.
It is an easy book to dip into, one chapter at a time & is a delightful & inspiring read - highly recommended.
January 18, 2018
dear ya'acov.
a few days ago it was only when 'jaguar in the body, butterfly in the soul' found me. your first words of deep appreciation of the beloved people in your life, the unconditionally loving words and tone of your voice when honouring them left me with tears running down my face. tears of knowing that your work that you were about to share with me would support me. tears of deep gratitude for the experiences you were about to share with me.
i was sitting in my best friends apartment - having returned to europe from my time in southeast asia just a couple of weeks ago. feeling estranged in the city, feeling the need to be in nature. to just sit and breathe with the trees, dance with the butterflies - to simply be in harmony and in service of nature.
as you started telling your story, i knew it was that i had to go out into the nature that i could access in the city. a peaceful nature spot, that at the same time allows me to connect to the depth of the earthly womb as well as the heaven above. i found myself being led to a graveyard, listening to your words - and i couldn't stop crying. it felt like all the tears, the water in my body that wanted to be expressed were liberated. with every single of the experiences you narrate about my heart felt a little lighter, my mind more still and my body more solid & grounded.
i haven't listened to all of your words just yet, but felt like sharing with you the immense impact the first seven chapters have had on my body, heart and soul already. all of your words found their way to my conscious in perfect synchronicity. feeling that my heart is longing to be in south america (where i haven't been before) so so strongly. yet knowing that i cannot go just yet, as not it is that i need to immerse myself in fully being human - into the realms of the physical world. needing to support myself financially. in this moment of wanting to cancel the job i have committed to for the next months i received your words about the guidance of the elders, telling you of the importance of being on the earth. needing to work for what you are longing for, and needing to allow time and guidance.
literally every chapter of jaguar in the body, butterfly in the soul has made me cry. crying in gratitude. and i don't even have the appropriate words to entirely describe my experience while listening to your words just yet.
however i felt to message you and say:
thank you. thank you so much for sharing your true story. thank you for being so wonderfully humble.
i appreciate it so much.
what you and susannah are living and co-creating is a gift to the world. so thanks to the two of you :))
many blessings, love and light to you.
in deep appreciation,
annika
a few days ago it was only when 'jaguar in the body, butterfly in the soul' found me. your first words of deep appreciation of the beloved people in your life, the unconditionally loving words and tone of your voice when honouring them left me with tears running down my face. tears of knowing that your work that you were about to share with me would support me. tears of deep gratitude for the experiences you were about to share with me.
i was sitting in my best friends apartment - having returned to europe from my time in southeast asia just a couple of weeks ago. feeling estranged in the city, feeling the need to be in nature. to just sit and breathe with the trees, dance with the butterflies - to simply be in harmony and in service of nature.
as you started telling your story, i knew it was that i had to go out into the nature that i could access in the city. a peaceful nature spot, that at the same time allows me to connect to the depth of the earthly womb as well as the heaven above. i found myself being led to a graveyard, listening to your words - and i couldn't stop crying. it felt like all the tears, the water in my body that wanted to be expressed were liberated. with every single of the experiences you narrate about my heart felt a little lighter, my mind more still and my body more solid & grounded.
i haven't listened to all of your words just yet, but felt like sharing with you the immense impact the first seven chapters have had on my body, heart and soul already. all of your words found their way to my conscious in perfect synchronicity. feeling that my heart is longing to be in south america (where i haven't been before) so so strongly. yet knowing that i cannot go just yet, as not it is that i need to immerse myself in fully being human - into the realms of the physical world. needing to support myself financially. in this moment of wanting to cancel the job i have committed to for the next months i received your words about the guidance of the elders, telling you of the importance of being on the earth. needing to work for what you are longing for, and needing to allow time and guidance.
literally every chapter of jaguar in the body, butterfly in the soul has made me cry. crying in gratitude. and i don't even have the appropriate words to entirely describe my experience while listening to your words just yet.
however i felt to message you and say:
thank you. thank you so much for sharing your true story. thank you for being so wonderfully humble.
i appreciate it so much.
what you and susannah are living and co-creating is a gift to the world. so thanks to the two of you :))
many blessings, love and light to you.
in deep appreciation,
annika
April 14, 2022
There are bits of wisdom in this book, but overall, it did not impress. Instead of showing a real spiritual journey, it is a list of rituals the author attended from all traditions and cultures - talking to crystal skulls, being buried alive, fighting evil spirits in the Amasonian woods, seeing flashbacks of Auschwitz in a "dark mirror", dancing in a cave with Kabbalist body paint etc. First, I struggled to decide what to believe and what not, second, I felt that the author fails to tell how all those experiences translate into practical meaning.
Funnily enough, while we learn about these wild rituals, there are very simply things we did not get out of this book, like understanding who the author is, how he started becoming attracted to spirituality, time and space (when and where did those things happen?) and what he actually does as a shaman (when he "heals", for example). I checked out his website, and I was not either impressed. I guess he is not my spiritual leader. :) But it was nevertheless an interesting read.
Funnily enough, while we learn about these wild rituals, there are very simply things we did not get out of this book, like understanding who the author is, how he started becoming attracted to spirituality, time and space (when and where did those things happen?) and what he actually does as a shaman (when he "heals", for example). I checked out his website, and I was not either impressed. I guess he is not my spiritual leader. :) But it was nevertheless an interesting read.
June 23, 2017
It's garbage. If he is a vegan but kills a deer to make a drum and talks about the garbage of sacrifice, he is an asshole. Period
December 7, 2023
Moving and Powerful
Down to earth practicality integrated with spirit leading and expansion…. Someone having truly done their own work is very inspiring.
Down to earth practicality integrated with spirit leading and expansion…. Someone having truly done their own work is very inspiring.
January 10, 2023
This book has no real substance.
It is unusual for me to find a book on shamanism disappointing. There is no gripping story line, no developments, nothing I found thought provoking, this is a book about a man and yet none of my questions about this man were answered. On completing this book I am left wondering about the authors true intentions which I will discuss below.
The book is a list of rituals attended and names of people he met. There is a significant number of contradictions, for example... towards the end Yacov says he never considered anyone would ever attack him during dreaming or another spiritual journey, he never considered the dark side of magic, as such he had never taken measures to protect himself or his space, clearly Yacov has forgotten what he wrote in an earlier chapter, during which he talks about being on someone's land and placing protection mirrors around the boundary to reflect any bad intention or evil back to the offended.
Yacov says his calling as a Shaman is to help protect the land being destroyed by humans, the rainforest in particular, his ties to modern civilisation can help do that, or at least this is what was presented to the shamans of the rainforest, together as Shamans, of the rainforest and modern world....
has he done anything to help like he said he would? Does a percentage of the profits from this book go towards helping? What about the movement medicine business that he definitely did not steal from another shaman, those profits?
Where is the information telling the readers how they can help... after all isn't that the reason Yacov is a Shaman, a list of things the readers could do? Charities? Education tools to raise awareness? Without these things Yacov is just capitalising on the destruction of the planet.
There is an interesting amd harrowing thread in this book about a little boy being gased in Auschwitz, it is suggested that this little boy is connected genetically to Yacov, Yacov mentions that he is aware of genetic memory, it is a big part of the book and Yacov takes a pledge to go to Aushwitz to retrieve the boys soul, whist he is there he sets free the souls of many children BUT my interest soon died as no questions on this matter were addressed, did the author investigate his family connection to the little boy who died in Auschwitz? Did he ask his family about it? Did he look at records? Did he do a dream reentry to get the boys name?
Without these points being discussed I have to wonder if the author capitalised on a monstrous piece of history to try and create something of substance in an otherwise boring book?
It is unusual for me to find a book on shamanism disappointing. There is no gripping story line, no developments, nothing I found thought provoking, this is a book about a man and yet none of my questions about this man were answered. On completing this book I am left wondering about the authors true intentions which I will discuss below.
The book is a list of rituals attended and names of people he met. There is a significant number of contradictions, for example... towards the end Yacov says he never considered anyone would ever attack him during dreaming or another spiritual journey, he never considered the dark side of magic, as such he had never taken measures to protect himself or his space, clearly Yacov has forgotten what he wrote in an earlier chapter, during which he talks about being on someone's land and placing protection mirrors around the boundary to reflect any bad intention or evil back to the offended.
Yacov says his calling as a Shaman is to help protect the land being destroyed by humans, the rainforest in particular, his ties to modern civilisation can help do that, or at least this is what was presented to the shamans of the rainforest, together as Shamans, of the rainforest and modern world....
has he done anything to help like he said he would? Does a percentage of the profits from this book go towards helping? What about the movement medicine business that he definitely did not steal from another shaman, those profits?
Where is the information telling the readers how they can help... after all isn't that the reason Yacov is a Shaman, a list of things the readers could do? Charities? Education tools to raise awareness? Without these things Yacov is just capitalising on the destruction of the planet.
There is an interesting amd harrowing thread in this book about a little boy being gased in Auschwitz, it is suggested that this little boy is connected genetically to Yacov, Yacov mentions that he is aware of genetic memory, it is a big part of the book and Yacov takes a pledge to go to Aushwitz to retrieve the boys soul, whist he is there he sets free the souls of many children BUT my interest soon died as no questions on this matter were addressed, did the author investigate his family connection to the little boy who died in Auschwitz? Did he ask his family about it? Did he look at records? Did he do a dream reentry to get the boys name?
Without these points being discussed I have to wonder if the author capitalised on a monstrous piece of history to try and create something of substance in an otherwise boring book?
October 17, 2017
When I heard Ya'Acov play his Shamanic drum, I knew that I got to read his book. As Ya'Acov vulnerably and courageously shared his initiation journey to everyday Shaman, it was like he would have been holding a mirror for me so I could take a look of my own blind spots, shadows, fears and doubts through his shared experiences and wisdom... This book truly captured me and it was insightful and healing reading experience that included moments of tears as well as laughter. I highly recommend this book!
March 19, 2018
The author shares his journey over a span of 30 years or so into Shamanism. At times I wanted to whack him in the head over his short-comings along the way that seem obvious to the reader, but were all part of the author's journey that he had to learn in his own time.
These themes deal with masc/fem energy, blind faith in alleged gurus, and money mismanagement.
However, the author redeems himself throughout the book, and it was through his journey/struggle that he gained profound insights of which he remarkably shares in this book.
These themes deal with masc/fem energy, blind faith in alleged gurus, and money mismanagement.
However, the author redeems himself throughout the book, and it was through his journey/struggle that he gained profound insights of which he remarkably shares in this book.
August 16, 2018
This was a very interesting, timely book. I thoroughly enjoyed his insights into his life as he trained to be a Shaman. His adventures and life stories are incredible and his writing allows his readers to share the fear, mystery and awe of his learning. I highly recommend it to everyone who is seeking knowledge of life beyond the norm.
November 17, 2017
poorly written. flat, boring. cliche. main character obviously lacking in real life experiences/hardship. much better fiction in the teen section of your local library. do not waste your time reading this. Loved the cover though.
November 17, 2017
I Was Teenage Shaman.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 27, 2018
Amazing!
January 30, 2019
One of the most simply and honestly written books. If shamanism is calling you then this piece of work will resonate with you in many ways. If not then this might be a window to a new world. Enjoy!
January 6, 2021
Absolutely enjoyable. Memories of how a man recognize and accept his own path as a healer.
February 1, 2021
An amazing book documenting the journey of life by a shaman.
June 9, 2022
Fascinating and insightful, read Castenada in my teens
December 31, 2025
An insightful autobiography of this respective shamanic practitioner’s journey. Highly recommended.
November 16, 2020
An introduction into the life of a Western shaman who tells his story in a beautiful and also humourous way. It has awakened my interest in movement/dance as medicine. Thank you for your nice words about the importance of preserving our planet and humanity in need of healing themselves.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews