Michael J. Harner

author

Michael J. Harner

An anthropologist turned influential spiritual teacher, he helped bring shamanic practice to a wide modern audience through clear, practical writing. Best known for The Way of the Shaman, his work connects field research, personal experience, and a lifelong interest in healing traditions.

1 Audiobook

Mohave Pottery

Mohave Pottery

by A. L. (Alfred Louis) Kroeber, Michael J. Harner

About the author

Born in 1929 and educated as an anthropologist, he earned a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, and went on to teach at institutions including Berkeley, Columbia, Yale, and the New School for Social Research.

His best-known book, The Way of the Shaman (1980), became especially influential for readers interested in shamanism outside an academic setting. He also founded the Foundation for Shamanic Studies and is closely associated with the idea of "core shamanism," a modern framework shaped by cross-cultural study and practice.

Michael J. Harner died in 2018. His books remain notable for blending scholarship, travel, and spiritual exploration in a way that drew many general readers as well as students of religion and anthropology.