I had been a student of a very wise old professor at the University of Chicago named Mircea Eliade in the 1870's, who had written the acknowledged Masterwork of Scholasatic Shamanism (called "Shamanism"). When it came time to write a thesis I used ideas from Eliade and noted Chicago Anthropologist Victor Turner's classic "The Ritual Process," which dealt extensively with tribal initiations, particularly from childhood to sdulthood.My thesis, which dealt extensively with initiatory efforts in the counter/youth culture.of that time which the author would see as incomplete initiations because a lot of it was based on non sacred use of psychedelic drugs; like in the then very popular books by Carlos Castaneda about the sorcerer Don Juan and "the Yagui way of knowledge" which were ideals that were aspired to but never really reached mainly because of the hedonism that permeated that age.The reason I mention Eliade and Turner (and my own less evolved work) is that Villodo's work is somewhat a synthesis of their work transposed into a modern message of hope in a world careening out of control. Villodo feels, like with the counter culture of the 60's and 70's, that most initiations (e, g, adulthood, marriage, parenthood,death) are shallow and incomplete.Look at a typical coming of age movie which is mostly about externals like cars, infatuation, maybe drugs,and sports. These are indicative of arrested spiritual/shamanic development. According to the author in many cases we are adult children, who are unstable and incomplete, and, at the core, very unhappy and angry.In order to reach true personal development we must go through deep personal symbolic processes. To this end, Villodo likes to refer to Carl Jung's alchemical allegory of going beyond ego consciousness to true individuation as an example of authentic, and totally complete, spiritual transformation.Villodo spends a lot of time writing about the seven deadly sin of Christianity: Pride,Greed,Envy,Lust,Sloth,Anger,Gluttony.He sees these "sins" as blocking spiritually meaningful initiations, and his background as clinical psychologist (no longerpracticing adds depth and credibility to his argument. However Shamanism, in Villodo's, view is not only for the archetypal spiritual "medicine man.," but is possible, at least in my interpretation, too anyone who fallows the initiatory spiritualpath, which is a fairly unique vision of shamanism, in particular, and spiritual traditions in particular.Villodo's recommendation is that we take bold initiatory and transformative action to fully develop, overcome the scourge of the seven deadly sins and "essentially" save the world as they save themselves. But at the same time we should be very patient in this process and let go of the fear and compulsiveness that characterizes our age and trust that development will come if we wait and patiently, and let truth, love and beauty unfold. As poet T. S. Eliot wrote in transcendent, and very spiritual masterpiece "The Four Quartets: "we must be still and still moving" to achieve spiritual rebirth in the span of one, or many, lifetimes.This is a very idealistic message, but beautifully crafted and inspirational. It may seem like a bit of a dream, but it may be a dream that needs to come true before it might be too late. And although highly critical of modernity, and post modernity, it offers a captivating, and engrossing, vision of authentic self realization.