Shaman

Shamanism has existed since the dawn of human consciousness; in fact, some authorities believe that the ritual invocation of animal spirits may have been a legacy of Homo neanderthalensis. At the center of this ancient tradition stood the shaman-part priest, part magician, part savant-whose ability to traverse unseen realms often meant the difference between a hunt's success and its failure, between life and death. Susan Seddon Boulet took a strong personal interest in shamanism and global religions, studying with noted cultural anthropologist Angeles Arrien. Boulet's finely detailed portraits within portraits, merging human and animal forms, evoke the multidimensional world of the shaman. This calendar's 12 paintings are accompanied by excerpts from Indigenous peoples' songs, prayers, chants, and narratives.