The Bowl of Light: Ancestral Wisdom from a Hawaiian Shaman

An Extremely Valuable and Informative Book on Mysticism and Ancestral Wisdom

In "The Bowl of Light," author Hank Wesselman, PhD, acknowledges that his writings about Hawaiian mysticism constituted "trespassing into an area that did not exactly welcome outsiders" (page 14). The validity of Hank's perspective is borne out here on Amazon.com among the one-star reviews and many of the related comments. In contrast to those reviewers and commenters, Hale Makua, a revered Hawaiian elder, saw Hank as the 'vessel-man...one of the light carriers of aloha.' Indeed, Makua went so far as to tell Hank in front of an audience in Hawaii that 'we Hawaiians need to support you' (page 18). Acting on Makua's trust and encouragement, Hank has written "The Bowl of Light," which I find to be an extremely valuable and informative book on mysticism and ancestral wisdom.

I've been studying shamanism and going to drum circles and workshops for over ten years, since March 2001. As part of this ongoing journey, I've attended a number of Hank's workshops which feature the... read more

Are there enough grains of salt on the beach?

A beautiful, beautiful book

This is a beautiful, beautiful book. I got it, read it straight through. So filled with heart. Wesselman's writing is transparent and pure.

Wesselman introduces us to Hale Makua, a person of extraordinary wisdom. Makua conveys, through the author, a heart-broadening view of the life in all things. I found Makua's teachings clarifying in regard to the structure of the universe and where we are in our journey as humans on planet earth. The book is packed, no fluff. I think there could be three books here, and i hope there is.

August 2011: Just got done reading Bowl of Light for a second time. This is an amazing book. It can be read 3, 5 or ten times and you will learn new things each time.