Transcendances 9 : L'appel chamanique

I’ll admit, I was skeptical. Shamanism in audiobook form can easily veer into cliché—all wolf howls and vague talk of ‘energy.’ But *Transcendances 9* surprised me by feeling *urgent*. The multi-narrator approach is risky (some voices are softer than others, and the audio levels occasionally waver), but it pays off in spades. Hearing a 60-year-old curandero’s gravelly laugh right after a 20-something’s halting confession of spirit guides creates a jarring, electric contrast. The pacing is relentless—no time to zone out—though I wished for a few more seconds of silence between segments to digest the heavier moments (like the account of a near-death experience that’s delivered with eerie calm). The production choices are deliberate but not always flawless. The ambient sounds—cricket chirps, distant drumming—add atmosphere, but in one segment, a narrator’s mic picks up a distracting *thump* (a hand hitting a table? a foot stomp?). It’s a small flaw, but in a piece this short, every second counts. What saves it is the raw power of the stories: a French woman describing how a shamanic journey ‘unzipped’ her chest, a skeptic-turned-believer recounting the exact moment he *saw* his deceased father in a peyote trance. It’s not a how-to guide or a historical deep dive; it’s a dare. If you’re looking for soothing spiritual affirmations, look elsewhere. But if you want to feel the prickle of something ancient and unsettling in your ears? Press play." "tags": [ "shamanic testimonies audiobook