Entering the Circle - by Olga Kharitidi (Paperback)

About the Book

This "exciting spiritual adventure" ("Publishers Weekly") reveals the experiences and discoveries of Dr. Olga Kharitidi, a young Russian psychiatrist whose life-altering journey into the mysterious realm of Siberian shamanism led to encounters with the ancient wisdom that formed the very core of the world's religions. Through her remarkable journeys, Dr. Kharitidi teaches us to tap into the limitless possibilities of the human spirit. 20 illustrations.

Book Synopsis

When the young Russian psychiatrist Olga Kharitidi set out on an impetuous journey into the snowbound Altai Mountains of Siberia, she never dreamed that her experience there would shatter and rebuild her view of reality. Among the wintry villages and pine forests of Siberia, guided by mysterious native sages, Kharitidi unearthed the wellspring of the worlds mystical traditions, discovered deep secrets of healing and magic, and encountered revolutionary teachings about the true nature of the human soul. "Entering the Circle" shares her thrilling adventure--and her stunning discoveries--with the world.

As a dedicated young psychiatrist at an austere state hospital in the former Soviet Union, Olga Kharitidi battled the difficulties of Soviet life and the constraints of medical science in her fight to save her suffering patients. Joining an ailing friend on a spur-of-the-moment trip into Siberia's Altai Mountains, Kharitidi was launched on an unexpected journey of revelation when she was taken into apprenticeship by an enigmatic native shaman. The wild adventure that followed would forever change Kharitidi's view of healing, science, consciousness--and the potential of the human soul itself.

"Entering the Circle" shares Kharitidi's remarkable true story and the revelatory teachings she received during her sojourn with mysterious sages of Siberia. Guided through bizarre, magical, and often terrifying experiences by her shaman-teacher Umai--and by a radical Soviet physicist whose studies challenged the very nature of reality--Kharitidi unlocked a storehouse of spiritual learning that had lain hidden in inaccessible Siberia for centuries.

Deep in Siberia, Kharitidis path ofknowledge led her ever closer to unlocking the secrets of Belovochi, also known as Shambala, a fabled civilization of highly evolved humans who have for eons spread their sacred knowledge through the world's great faiths, including Buddhism, Christian mysticism, Sufism, and Vedic Hinduism. She learned, through firsthand experience, that waking reality--the fabric of our daily lives--is only the near shore of our "Spirit Lake," the sea of transcendent consciousness and infinite possibility within us all. Kharitidi teaches us how to tap this hidden sea, and introduces us to the Spirit Twin dwelling in every soul, our gentle teacher and guide who can help us create our true selves, abandon outworn beliefs, and evolve into a fully awakened life beyond our wildest dreams.

Dramatic, fascinating, and eloquently told, Kharitidi's Siberian odyssey is both the riveting tale of one woman's journey and the story of the ultimate adventure awaiting us all: the discovery of the untapped wells of spiritual potential in every human soul.

Castaneda la Russea psychiatrists account of transformation through encounters with a Siberian shaman.
--Michael Harner, Ph.D., author of "The Way of the Shaman."

As with Castaneda and Redfield, Kharitidi grounds the ancient spiritual teachings of the shamanic tradition as she encountered them. Firmly set within an intriguing, factual contemporary personal narrative, "Entering the Circle" is one of the very few [such] narratives that provides true insight. It is the one account that all true spiritual seekers will want to know."
--Paula Gunn Allen, author of "The sacred Hoop" and "Grandmother's of the Light"

From the Back Cover

Olga Kharitidi's debut book is a remarkable account of her spiritual adventure in snowbound Siberia. Joining an ailing friend on a spontaneous trip to the Atai Mountains, Dr. Kharitidi is taken into apprenticeship by a native Shaman who guides her through bizarre, magical, and often terrifying experiences that open her eyes to a wellspring of deeper learning. On the road to Belovedia, a fabled civilization of highly evolved beings, she encounters revolutionary mystical teachings while discovering ancient secrets of magic and healing. At once a modern odyssey and a timeless dreamscape, Entering the Circle is an inspiring story of personal growth and an insightful work about the limitless potential of human spirit.

Review Quotes

"[This Book] may prove as revelatory to readers at the end of the millennium as anthropologist Carlos Castaneda's "The Teachings of Don Juan was to readers in the late 60s." -- "Los Angeles Times "This absorbing tale of mountain shamanism, radical physics, and practical psychotherapy offers an intriguing look at the world's religious history." -- "Utne Reader "This exciting autobiography cum spiritual adventure by a soviet psychiatrist is the first popular account of initiation into...ancient and mysterious traditions." -- "Variety "Castaneda a la Russe-a psychiatrist's account of transformation through encounters with a Siberian shaman." -- Michael Harner, Ph.D., author of "The Way of the Shaman