Review: 'Singing to the Plants' by Stephan V. Beyer

Originally published in 2009 'Singing to the Plants -- A Guide to Mestizo Shamanism in the Upper Amazon' by Stephan V. Beyer is an exemplary, scholarly work on the topic. Beyer has doctorates in religion and psychology, has previously published works on Buddhism, the Tibetan language and religion, and has studied sacred plant medicine in both North America and the Upper Amazon. The richness of his background really comes to the fore in this insightful and comprehensive text.

The scholarly technique of Singing to the Plants functions on several layers. Firstly, the personal level, from Beyer’s own experiences being trained by two mestizo healers, or to the Western mind, shamans; don Roberto Acho Jurama and dona Maria Luisa Tuesta Flores. The effect of this intimate research is two-fold, not only does it mean he brings first-hand understanding to his cartography but he does so from inside the processes he describes, rather than being purely observational. Does this bias his opinion? Perhaps, but it feels more that it gives the author an authority in his voice, and in the quoted voices of his teachers, ultimately lending an authenticity to the text.