In Cave and Cosmos: Shamanic Encounters with Another Reality , Michael Harner bridges the gap between ancient wisdom and modern inquiry. He explores the "Upper World"—a realm of benevolent, compassionate spirits—through the accounts of Westerners using traditional drumming techniques to enter altered states of consciousness.
Here is a short piece reflecting the essence of Harner’s work: The Ascent from the Hollow Bone Cave and Cosmos: Shamanic Encounters with Anoth...
To the shaman, the universe is not a silent void but a layered architecture of vibration. We begin in the "Cave"—the darkness of the physical self and the Lower World—where we shed the ego to become a "hollow bone," a vessel for the spirits to flow through. In Cave and Cosmos: Shamanic Encounters with Another