About two years ago I decided to set aside twenty minutes a day to sit and meditate. I made this commitment simply on the basis of articles I had read that indicated a regular meditation practice is good for health and creativity. I had never taken any formal training but I had heard that one method was to just follow your breath and gently bring your attention back to your breath as your mind wandered. Read more »
In July of 2001 I traveled to Pakistan to visit a small group of animists called the Kalash. I was told that the most powerful of the three remaining Kalash Dehars (Shaman) was at a mountain camp where he spends the summer herding his goats. Read more »
In November of ’99 I made a trip to the headwaters of the Amazon in Ecuador’s Northern Oriente as part of my series on indigenous people and their spiritual mediators—the people we in the west refer to as Shamans. Read more »
Next my exploration of shamanism and culture brought me to the small village of Daerga, on the Amu River of Siberia. My guide, Nadia, explained to me that all of the shaman in this area are older women, one of which is 87 yr. old Lindsa. Read more »
Another profound experience I had with Shaman happened in Northern Kenya while I was photographing the Samburu tribe. While I was there my guide let me know that many of the villagers mentioned that their “predictor” Read more »
My first experience with an altered state of consciousness as a cultural ritual will forever be etched in my mind. In 1994 I traveled to Dharamsala, India to photograph for my book Tibetan Portrait. While there I met Mick Brown a journalist for the Daily Telegraph in London who had an appointment to interview the State Oracle of Tibet, the Nechung Oracle, Read more »
I have recently started revisiting and exploring Shamanism, a topic I previously documented with Spirit of Place. I was asked how my interest in shamanism began. Although I am not sure which events were the most influential, several episodes come to mind. Read more »
A guest post from photographer, Michele Zousmer. Michele attended our 2012 Social Documentary Workshop in San Diego and shares her recent experience teaching storytelling to young women in Rwanda. Read more »
By Photographer Michael Costa
Everything in life comes full circle and that is how I describe the magnificent Viet Nam adventure that I recently participated in. Some would call it work that I have been doing this 15 day workshop Read more »
By Photographer Michael Costa
Staring out of a car window as we drive to the east coast village of Hoang Hoa, a district located about 21 kilometers outside Thanh Hoa, one could feel like a tourist, looking out a window with eyes glazed over as scenes of Read more »
