Good morning everyone.
I have a short video to share with you and then I'd like to take you on a guided shamanic journey.
But first just a bit of background.
The word shaman comes from the Tungusic speaking people of Siberia and northern China.
The name in part refers to a person who can shift and elevate their consciousness at will to connect with the non-ordinary realms and divine energies to receive healing and guidance.
The realms of the shamanic cosmology have similarities to the imaginal and higher consciousness realms known well by the mystical traditions.
You might find some similarities between shamanic journeying and Carl Jung's active imagination practice because both require a conscious intention to engage the unconscious and let the resulting scenario come to life on its own.
Shamanism is a practice not a religion.
Shamanic practitioners use ancient cross-cultural tools for accessing our highest consciousness to attain healing and guidance called sonic drivers.
Sonic drivers like gongs,
Click sticks,
Jaw harps,
Didgeridoos,
Singing bowls,
Rattles and my favorite drumming help one move into a natural state of higher consciousness where we can better perceive the other realms.
Achieving a shamanic state of consciousness using a sonic driver can take a bit of practice.
So today I will be drumming with a low backbeat while using my other favorite theta driver audio binaural beats.
The binaural beats help us to more easily transition into a meditative higher state of consciousness.
The shamanic journey is sometimes called a soul journey because our soul is moving outside of normal time and space and we are able to maintain a level of conscious awareness of this movement while at the same time we are able to engage with the subtle realms.
I practice an eclectic form of what is called core shamanism combined with my Celtic ancestral heritage and Buddhist and Christian practices.
Today I'd like to take you on a core shamanic journey to what we call the upper world.
Shamanic journeys are more meaningful when we hold a strong intention to have a question answered,
Receive information important at this time in our lives,
Or experience a healing.
As we prepare,
Hold your intention in your mind and heart.
Shamanic journeys are personal because we perceive through the lens of our own symbols and metaphorical meaning.
Just like dreams,
We need to interpret their value in our lives based on our individual spiritual language.
Move with the flow of the journey,
Even if it does not make sense yet.
Allow the journey to unfold and be what it needs to be.
To begin our journey,
I'm gifting each of you a brown leather backpack to hold in your mind's eye.
Next,
I invite you to choose two of the items on your screen that speak to you and mentally place them inside your backpack for this journey.
Once you have chosen two items,
I invite you to make yourself comfortable.
You might want to lie down,
Darken the room,
Turn down the light from your computer screen,
Or cover your eyes with a cloth.
Dimmer light helps with perception in the shamanic journey state.
I encourage you to use headphones,
But if you do not have them,
Ensure your speaker is turned up loud enough to hear the background music as it will help you move into a Theta state.
I'm going to give you a minute to prepare while a light drumbeat plays in the background.
When you hear the singing bowl chime,
The guided journey will begin.
Now that you're comfortable,
Let's take a journey seeking healing,
Or an answer,
Or a solution to a difficulty you're facing.
Hold your intention strong in your heart and mind.
Visualize yourself on the shore of a small,
Shallow lagoon.
Feel the pressure on your shoulders from your backpack and the two items it contains.
Take one step into the water and look down.
The water is perfectly clear with a soft pebble bottom,
Warm and inviting.
On the other side of this small lagoon is a tall waterfall.
Go ahead and take a few steps closer to the waterfall.
As you move closer,
You can see ancient stone steps leading out of the water and up behind the waterfall.
How curious!
Wade over to the steps,
Feeling the warm,
Clear water splashing around your legs as you walk.
There are five steps out of the lagoon,
And a turn in the stairs leading behind the waterfall.
Walk these steps as I count with you.
1,
2,
3,
4,
5.
As you look up,
You can see another 10 steps and what appears to be a gray,
Foggy mist.
Go ahead and climb these steps right up to the point where the mist is sitting above your head.
Look up and see the small,
Dazzling bursts of rainbow colors created by the mist of the waterfall intertwined with the fog.
Now lift your hands up over your head and partially through the gray fog.
Feel the texture and pressure change on your hands.
Now step bravely up a few more steps until your whole body has moved through the fog.
As you come through the fog,
You'll see 10 more steps.
At the top of these steps is another layer,
But this time it's white and bright.
Go ahead and bring yourself right up to the place where the white fog just about touches the top of your head.
Notice that this layer sparkles gold and silver.
Reach your hands above your head and through the fog and again perceive any change you might feel.
Focus on the intention you're holding one more time and step up through the white fog until your body is fully above the fog layer.
As you come out of the fog,
You'll find yourself in a landscape.
Birds singing,
Flowers surround you,
The sun is warm on your face,
The air smells fresh and holds a hint of the scent from sun-kissed flowers.
You can hear the bees buzzing as they move from flower to flower.
In the background,
Chimes tinkle gently in the breeze.
In front of you is a cobblestone path leading to an earthen home built into the side of a gently rolling hill.
Its roof is covered in grass and the window and door frames are outlined in split logs.
Walk closer and notice that the door is ajar.
On the doorknob is a tiny sign that reads,
Welcome,
I've been expecting you,
Please come in.
You hear a voice humming from inside the home and slowly push the door open to see a woman with a head full of long gray braids tending the fire.
She turns,
Smiles warmly at you and there's a feeling of recognition you have that sparks deep from your soul.
Allow yourself to perceive this for a moment.
The Divine shows itself in many loving forms and today you can feel the Divine's presence in this woman.
She is an elder and there is no doubt her eyes have seen many things and she holds the wisdom of your ancestors.
As you look around the room,
Notice the many shelves of books,
Bottles,
Dried herbs,
And other items found in nature.
Relics you know are ancient and hold significant importance.
Perhaps in this journey you may learn what one or more of these items are used for.
The woman sits on the worn rug in front of the fireplace and beckons you to sit across from her.
She asks to see what is in your backpack with a little knowing sparkle in her eye.
You sit down,
Unzip the pack,
And lay your two items on the floor between you both and look into her wise face.
She closes her eyes and touches each item.
She asks why you have come to see her.
Now is your chance to engage with her wisdom.
Let me share a few helpful hints.
Hear,
Know,
Feel,
Smell,
Touch,
Use all of your senses to perceive and pay close attention to everything this elder wise woman tells and shows you.
Did you come for healing?
Do you have a question?
Tell her your intention slowly and confidently.
Then sit in stillness and notice what she does with the items,
How she answers your questions,
Any healing practice she offers or performs,
And most importantly,
Know that many times our shamanic teachers and ancestors will speak to us in metaphor.
These metaphors can be similar to our dream language and are open to interpretation.
I'm going to leave you to be with her now.
I'll return in about 10 minutes to bring you back home.
It's getting late and time to return back home.
Finish up your time with the elder and thank her for whatever it is she brought you today.
She hands you back your items and you place them in your backpack and sling the pack over your shoulders.
She walks you to the door and as she opens the door,
You take one last look over your shoulder and around the room.
She is smiling at you,
That knowing smile of the wise.
With a little more speed in your stride,
You return down the cobble path to the steps leading into the white fog layer.
Step through this layer and down the first 10 steps.
Note any body changes or perceptions as you do this.
When you reach the gray fog,
Go ahead and step through.
Take the steps down until you can see the final five steps that lead you back to the shallow lagoon.
Now take those five last steps.
Step into the water,
Wade back to the shore and when you've reached the shore,
Turn to face the waterfall and say out loud the first word that you feel in your heart.
Welcome back,
Consciousness travelers.
Take a moment to stretch your body and sip a bit of water to ground yourself.
I'll be giving you a link to this journey so you can return to this place anytime you need healing or guidance.
Choose different items for your backpack and know that each visit to this place will bring a different experience.
I invite you to journal everything you perceived.
Pay attention to your dreams the next few nights for further insight and guidance into today's journey.
Namaste.
