Synopses & Reviews
The inspiring story of one man's exploration of indigenous healing in a culture fighting to preserve its spiritual health. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andbull; A firsthand account of a little-known healing tradition. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andbull; A dramatic story of self-transformation by a well-respected Harvard-educated anthropologist. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;In the late 1970s Richard Katz, a clinical psychologist trained in anthropology, spent two years living in a remote island community in Fiji, hoping to record the practices of its healers. At the foundation of their healing, he discovered, was the concept of the straight path, a journey through life whose truth is revealed only to the extent that it is searched for with honesty and faith. It is a way of healing that in its very essence is a way of living, a path that emphasizes the spiritual dimensions of health and the relevance of these to the community. But while interviewing healers at work, Katz was drawn into an increasingly suspenseful drama. Unexplained deaths, rumors and suspicions, and the intrusion of a zealous evangelist rocked the village and soon revealed to the author the dangerous alternative to the straight path: the misuse of power that some call witchcraft.andnbsp; andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;The Straight Path of the Spiritandlt;/Iandgt; is an engrossing story of indigenous healers and a dramatic account of cultures in collision. Through the story of his own self-transformation, Katz reveals not only those aspects of life essential for the Fijians as they struggle to hold onto their identity, but also what is of importance to all of us who seek to retain our humanity.
Review
andquot;His presentation is in the academic style of the psychologist and anthroplogist that he is, yet he makes the book readable and engaging.andquot;
Review
This is no New-Age vapor, but a sensitive, penetrating insight into a deeply mysterious aspect of humanity that has no parallel in Western culture. Katz was blessed by the Fijians, and imparts his blessing to us."
Review
"His presentation is in the academic style of the psychologist and anthroplogist that he is, yet he makes the book readable and engaging."
Synopsis
The Straight Pathis an engrossing story of indigenous healers and a dramatic account of cultures in collision. Through the story of his own self-transformation, Katz reveals not only those aspects of life essential for the Fijians as they struggle to hold onto their identity, but also what is of importance to all of us who seek to retain our humanity.
Synopsis
The inspiring story of one man's exploration of indigenous healing in a culture fighting to preserve its spiritual health.
• A firsthand account of a little-known healing tradition.
• A dramatic story of self-transformation by a well-respected Harvard-educated anthropologist.
In the late 1970s Richard Katz, a clinical psychologist trained in anthropology, spent two years living in a remote island community in Fiji, hoping to record the practices of its healers. At the foundation of their healing, he discovered, was the concept of the straight path, a journey through life whose truth is revealed only to the extent that it is searched for with honesty and faith. It is a way of healing that in its very essence is a way of living, a path that emphasizes the spiritual dimensions of health and the relevance of these to the community. But while interviewing healers at work, Katz was drawn into an increasingly suspenseful drama. Unexplained deaths, rumors and suspicions, and the intrusion of a zealous evangelist rocked the village and soon revealed to the author the dangerous alternative to the straight path: the misuse of power that some call witchcraft.
The Straight Path of the Spirit is an engrossing story of indigenous healers and a dramatic account of cultures in collision. Through the story of his own self-transformation, Katz reveals not only those aspects of life essential for the Fijians as they struggle to hold onto their identity, but also what is of importance to all of us who seek to retain our humanity.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 382-397) and index.
About the Author
Richard Katz, Ph.D., has worked with traditional healing systems throughout the world. After teaching at Harvard for nearly twenty years, Katz is now a professor at the Saskatchewan Indian Federated College in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. He is the coauthor of andlt;Iandgt;Healing Makes Our Hearts Happyandlt;/Iandgt; and the author of andlt;Iandgt;Boiling Energyandlt;/Iandgt;.
Table of Contents
andlt;Bandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Acknowledgments andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Coming In: Exchange and Responsibility andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Part One: Healing in Fijian Culture andlt;/Bandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;1.andlt;/Bandgt; Vanua: The Land, the People, the Culture andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;2. andlt;/Bandgt;Ceremonies and the Work of Healing andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Part Two: The Story andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;3.andlt;/Bandgt; Healing in the City andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;4.andlt;/Bandgt; Conversations with Ratu Noa andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;5.andlt;/Bandgt; First visit to Tovu andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;6.andlt;/Bandgt; Conversations with Ratu Noa andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;7.andlt;/Bandgt; Moving to the Village andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;8. andlt;/Bandgt;Tevita's Healing Work andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;9.andlt;/Bandgt; Converstaions with Ratu Noa andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;10.andlt;/Bandgt; A Death andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;11.andlt;/Bandgt; A Second Death andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;12.andlt;/Bandgt; "Lots of Dreams, Lots of Problems" andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;13.andlt;/Bandgt; Conversations with Ratu Noa andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;14.andlt;/Bandgt; Monday Night Healing andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;15.andlt;/Bandgt; Telephone to the Vu andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;16. andlt;/Bandgt;Conversations with Ratu Noa andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;17.andlt;/Bandgt; A Third Death andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;18.andlt;/Bandgt; The Dance of the Moon andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;19.andlt;/Bandgt; "Everything Is Hard to Explain andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;20. andlt;/Bandgt;Conversations with Ratu Noa andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;21.andlt;/Bandgt; Reverend Jemesa Comes to Tovu andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;22.andlt;/Bandgt; The Weight of Suspicion andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;23.andlt;/Bandgt; "There Is Sickness in the Land" andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;24. andlt;/Bandgt;Joeli's Sickness andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;25.andlt;/Bandgt; Conversations with Ratu Noa andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;26.andlt;/Bandgt; Ratu Noa's Message to Tevita andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;27.andlt;/Bandgt; Tevita Is No Longer Retired andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;28.andlt;/Bandgt; Conversations with Ratu Noa andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;30.andlt;/Bandgt; Return to Fuji andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;Part Three: The Straight Path andlt;/Bandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;31.andlt;/Bandgt; A Way of Living andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;32.andlt;/Bandgt; A Transformational Approach to Healing, Development, and Social Change andlt;BRandgt;Going Out: Responsibility and Exchange andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;Appendix A: Respect and Vulnerability in Research andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Appendix B: Research Structure andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Names That Make the Story andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Glossary andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Bibliography andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Indexandlt;/Bandgt;