Deborah Bryon describes her experiences through the first four years of lessons and initiations she received from Inca shamans in Peru. The central teachings the shamans now wish to pass on to Western culture include the interconnectedness of all creatures (ordinary and spiritual) and our connection with Pachamama (Mother Earth).
The book contains Dr. Bryon's personal journey. Her struggles to live in both the ordinary reality of a day job and the non-ordinary reality of a quest for shamanic understanding are described with clarity, insight, and appropriate amounts of self-deprecating humor. Along with her story, she analyzes her quest in the context of Jungian theory and, at the same time, explains how her journey includes aspects beyond the usual boundaries of Jungian thought.