All entries
2,158 entries so far, best known first. 3,227 more are on the list to be written. Narrow by region, kind, purpose, practitioner, belief world, occasion or how alive it is.
RegionSouth AsiaSoutheast AsiaEast AsiaCentral Asia and the CaucasusMiddle EastNorth AfricaSub-Saharan AfricaEuropeNorth AmericaLatin America and the CaribbeanOceania
PurposeProtectionHealingSeeing and foretellingLuck and prosperityLove and attractionCursing and harmCleansing and purificationSpeaking with spirits and the deadChange and initiationBinding and oathsPower and authorityWonder and entertainment
WhoShamansFolk healersPriests and ritual specialistsWitches, sorcerers and cunning folkDiviners and readersMediums and the possessedCeremonial magicians and alchemistsHouseholds and ordinary peopleStage magiciansScholars and sceptics
BeliefHindu and TantricBuddhistJainMuslim and SufiJewishChristianSikhZoroastrianShinto and TaoistIndigenous and shamanicAfrican and Afro-diasporicPagan and NeopaganEsoteric and occultFolk and village customSecular and stageOther traditions
馃嚠馃嚦 India and 1 moreAghori啶呧啷嬥ぐ
An ascetic monastic order of Shaivite sadhus known for antinomian rituals in cremation groundsTradition 路 Healing 路 Change and initiation Living
馃嚠馃嚦 IndiaCh枚d嘟傕絽嘟监綉
A Tibetan Buddhist ritual that uses fear and self-offering to sever attachment to the selfTradition 路 Cursing and harm 路 Change and initiation Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United StatesGhost DanceNanissaanah
A circular movement seeking spiritual renewal and reunion with ancestorsRite 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Change and initiation Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 5 moreNeoshamanism
A modern spiritual movement adapting shamanic techniques for Western seekers outside their traditional cultures.Tradition 路 Healing 路 Change and initiation Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United StatesFeri Tradition
An American ecstatic witchcraft tradition founded on the West Coast in the mid-twentieth century.Tradition 路 Power and authority 路 Change and initiation Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 5 moreNeoshamanism
A modern spiritual practice adapting shamanic techniques for Western seekersTradition 路 Healing 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚡馃嚨 JapanChinkon kishin閹瓊甯扮
A Japanese spiritual practice combining soul calming with spirit possessionRite 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Healing Living
馃嚥馃嚱 MexicoVelada
A Mazatec healing ceremony using sacred plants to commune with the divineRite 路 Healing 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚠馃嚦 India and 3 moreAstral projection
An intentional out-of-body experience where consciousness travels through the astral planeTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Change and initiation Living
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Astral projection: Hereward Carrington, Sylvan Muldoon., Public domain, source
- Chinkon kishin: Tomokiyo Yoshisane (鍙嬫竻姝撶湡), also known as Tomokiyo Ky奴go (鍙嬫竻涔濆惥), Public domain, source
- Neoshamanism: Carptrash, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Aghori: Retratistadelsur, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Ch枚d: Christopher J. Fynn, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Ghost Dance: Unknown author, Public domain, source