…the magician’s intelligence is not encompassed within the society; its place is at the edge of the community, mediating between the human community and the larger community of beings upon which the village depends for nourishment and sustenance.
-- David Abram (chapter 1)

Importance: The understanding of a sorcerer’s command and capability, according to Abram, lies not in his or her ability to connect with the supernatural but to work as a mediator between humans and the larger community that includes insects, animals, climate patterns like wind and rain, and landforms like forests, caves and mountains. Because of this position, a shaman cannot fully be within a human community with the same intellectual and community patterns. They are, instead, on the perimeter in order to keep the connection with the natural world.

…the source of stress lies in the relation between the human community and the natural landscape.
-- David Abram (chapter 1)

Importance: Abram notes an increase in shamanic...