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Title
Author
Type-Length
Genre, Keywords
& Market Focus |
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SHAMANS OF SAN DAMIANO
Book - 96,656 Words
Fiction / Non-Fiction;
Historical, Multicultural and Spiritual; Spirituality, Southwest
Native-American History, Humanities, Sociology
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Synopsis
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The varied social, political, cultural,
spiritual and most certainly the personal elements of this
compelling story could have only been appropriately narrated by
one whose own life experiences so closely paralleled these too
often contrasting spiritual constituents of human circumstance. There is
no substitute for fully understanding our neighbors’ uniquely
and exceptional life's condition except our willingness to actually standing in their
sandals; for many of us, that’s simply a virtual impossibility.
Buddha’s reflective instructions to the
judge was most simply and yet profoundly stated as, “do
not pass judgment until you have stood in the defendant’s
sandals.” Is this not of the very same essential quintessence
contained in one of Jesus’ more divine pronouncements on the
Mount, “JUDGE NOT, that ye be not judged. For with what
judgment ye judge, …” We will and should all ultimately reap
what we too willingly sow in this often meager and struggling
life of ours, and the only assurance of any real joy comes
solely from our exerted ability to knowingly cast aside our
learned and often unjustified prejudices, and in their place,
establish an attitude towards our self and others that is based
solely on love.
Come walk with me in my own sandals, visualizing and
experiencing this southwest Land of Enchantment through my eyes,
and even more importantly, walk with me in the buckskin
moccasins of these initiated Shamans as they innocently and
sometimes tragically discover the spiritual mysteries of the
human spirit. This story could have only taken place in this
marvelous land of human and spiritual enchantment and in that
unusual period of Southwestern history where two totally diverse
cultures collided head-on and still miraculously managed to
ultimately converge through the shared experiences of two
Nineteenth Century Shamans and an exceptionally loving Jesuit
priest for the singular and compassionate purpose of uncovering
and preserving the Truth; the only ultimate and legitimate
source for our spiritual and personal salvation. Those
boisterous and often righteous claims of religious salvation
that are even partially devoid of any demonstration of
unconditional love, are simply the harsh evidence of a creed
that is totally unworthy of any human and/or serious
consideration.
The better part of this story takes place at a time in the
history of this southwest territory when English wasn’t the
prevailing language. In fact, most of the story is centered on
that specific period of history that is referred to as the
Mexican Period following Mexico’s independence from Spain,
and at the time when that infamous Santa Fe Trail was first
established as a “trade route” for the purpose of commerce with
a foreign country, Mexico. Were I to have written this story in
the Zuni language, not that these noble people ever had a
written form, and the European Spanish of that period, none of
us would aptly understand the spirit of what was taking place at
any given point. Please bear with me in that I have of
necessity imposed my own vocabulary and sometimes that of my
computer’s thesaurus to best relate the intimate feelings and
the essence of what these unusually passionate and intelligent
characters so freely shared with one another.
And lastly, is this a true story? You
bet your life it is!
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Author Bio |
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J. Lamah Walker, a graduate of the
University of Miami (B.A. in Psychology & Religion) and Georgia
State University (B.A. in Sociology/Criminology), received his
M.Ed. from West Texas State in Community Counseling and his
Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma in the Administration of
Higher Education. While at the University of Oklahoma, he was
the recipient of The Robert E. Ohm Dissertation Assistance
Memorial Award for outstanding scholarship as an advanced
graduate student in the field of higher education and general
administration. He last served as a clinical psychotherapist at
the Student Health Center at the University of New Mexico.
Outside those protective confines of that academic ivory tower,
Lamah has been a general contractor and real estate broker in
New Mexico for some thirty years and was ordained as a minister
of the Gospel at the age of nineteen in his parents’
interdenominational Christian church, New Age Church of
Truth.
This dynamic and resourceful Renaissance
man, more than anything else, dramatically represents the old
Stoic aphorism that: "Life makes philosophers of us all."
Besides all the other accomplishments of this unusual man, he is
also a storyteller with this one very inspiring tale to
share that is only enhanced by his having been duly initiated as
a Medicine Man at the direction of a Native American member of
the Bear Clan.
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Praise/Reviews |
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Lynn Andrews, author of the best seller,
The Medicine Woman, “I was up all night reading your book” And
when I had apologized for the first three chapters being
essentially autobiographical, she enthusiastically responded,
“Oh no hon’, that was the interesting part.”
In Nancy Stohlman’s own words,
“Walker’s narrative voice is a rhythmic blend of intelligence
and wry humor; he is a true modern day storyteller.” In a
critique to J. Lamah, “Your questions (and answers) to
the problems of religion, freedom, truth and love are not only
poignant but thoroughly understood—I believe that any reader
will be able to eventually grasp what you are saying, which is
great!”
Retrieving a copy of the manuscript from
one of the clerks at our local hardware store, “That was so
fascinating, especially how the story ties the past to the
present. It would make a truly great movie.”
A Baptist minister, “I was in tears when I finished the book. I
am going to so miss the three characters and wish that you would
write a sequel. IT WAS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THEOLOGY I HAVE EVER
READ!”
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Editing Information |
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I was very fortunate to have connected
with such a professional editor, Nancy Stohlman (http://www.stohlman.org).
Nancy not only appears competent as a literary editor, but has
demonstrated an attitude about the overall nature of my work
that causes me to feel quite comfortable with her professional
approach. She has managed to suggest needed editing without
violating the integrity of my work; a delicate undertaking for
any good editor. Nancy commented that I had demonstrated such a
strong and commanding voice in the Shamans of San Damiano, which
sounded so authoritative, that any reader must believe this
story to be entirely true.
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Other
Information |
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Dr. Walker has the distinction of being
the first academic to identify mankind’s coming of age in terms
of his spiritual maturity as the “Age of Reality.” Dr. Walker
has already completed four of six proposed treatises dealing
with this provocative subject matter and has maintained a
stimulating web site, http://TheAgeofReality.net. It is on this
web site that one can experience this exciting journey with J.
Lamah as it unfolds with the completion of this timely and
monumental work. Dr. Walker is an accomplished keynote speaker
and psychotherapist and is available for both public appearances
and private consultation.
Dr. Walker, having completed four of his treatises including
Shamans of San Damiano, and looks forward to their
forthcoming publication as he has already embarked on the fifth,
Phoenix Rising from the Ashes of God, and is equally
anxious to finish with the final installment, The Age of
Reality: A Manual for Living in an Age of Love.
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