Shamanic Journey To Meet A Power Animal

This is a guided Shamanic Journey designed to bring you to your Lower World and introduce you to one of your Power Animals. We all have many Power Animals available to us and different ones will work with us at different times depending on what type of support we need.

This guided journey is good for all experience levels.

Transcript

Today,

We will be embarking on a shamanic journey.

Before all shamanic journey work,

I recommend that you take a moment to open the sacred space through ritual.

You may choose to light a candle or turn on a small lamp,

But it is important that you formally open the space with such a ritual and then blow out the candle or turn off the lamp once you are done,

Signaling a closing of the sacred space.

This sends a clear message and sets a clear boundary that the container is closed and will not remain open for the rest of the day.

You may also want to formally set an intention and take a few extra minutes to make sure the energy feels settled before proceeding.

During these exercises,

Please use the breathing technique that works best for you.

I prefer to breathe deep and slow breaths,

Much like what you would take during meditation.

If you are having trouble seeing or deeply experiencing this guided meditation,

You may be at the stage in your healing journey where you need the assistance of a facilitator or shaman in real time to help you get where you need to go.

Today,

I'm going to lead you to a place where you can meet the power animal that's ready to come forward and work with you.

We will do a guided shamanic journey to the lower world where I will give you some prompts and then I will be silent and let you be there.

You may or may not be moving at the same pace that I am,

But do your best to let things unfold as they wish.

If you are unable to conjure a clear picture of the prompts I am providing,

I'll invite you to feel or intuitively sense what is occurring.

Remember that each person's mind's eye or imagination can develop at different rates,

And I encourage you to be patient with the process.

We will begin by taking some time to settle into your space a little more deeply.

I want to provide your body with an opportunity to acclimate to these moments of stillness as we begin to cross the threshold to the other side.

I invite you to take a few deep breaths,

Allowing the air to pool as low in your belly as you can imagine.

Take some time to notice the expansion and contraction in your diaphragm and how the breath feels in your body.

We'll take a moment to observe the sensation of the air moving from your nostrils down into your chest and your lower abdomen.

Maybe noticing the temperature of the air,

The way that it feels as it enters and exits your body.

You can use this time to adjust any part of your body that needs to further release tension it is holding.

Or if you notice that any part of your neck or head need additional support,

Reach for another pillow now.

We will begin this journey by imagining yourself in the middle of a field.

It is a beautiful clearing on a lovely spring day.

The ground is covered in grass and you can see the sun shining just on the other side of the trees.

As the trees sway in the breeze,

The sun peeks through the branches,

Offering you that twinkle of afternoon sunlight.

The air is warm and the slight breeze in the air causes a flutter in the leaves of the trees.

It is a beautiful and perfect spring afternoon.

You notice a sense of peace in your body and deep relaxation as you observe this space before you.

As you continue to look around,

You can see that this meadow is lined with trees.

The trees lead to a dense forest not too far from where you're standing now.

As you scan the edge of the forest,

You notice a trail or a clearing between two trees.

Make your way to that trail and prepare to enter the forest on the well-worn path in front of you.

As you embark on your journey through the woods,

Take a moment to look down at your feet.

Observe one foot coming down in front of the other as you carry yourself forward on this path.

As you continue to walk along the trail,

Take note of the consistency of the ground beneath you.

Is it soft or firm,

Wet or dry?

Is it covered in dirt or something else entirely?

Continue to navigate your way down this path,

Going deeper and deeper into the forest.

Take a moment to look around as well,

To look at the type of trees that surround you,

To observe the quality of the light or the moisture in the air.

Is there anything in this forest that is out of place or out of the ordinary?

Is it a place that you know well or a place that you've never been?

Continue to look around,

Glancing down at your feet every once and again,

Observing them carrying you forward further down the path.

As you look up ahead,

You can see that off to your left-hand side,

There is a cluster of trees that look different than the rest.

The first tree that you come upon is much larger than the other trees in the forest.

And as you circle around to the back of it,

You can see that there is a large door-sized cutout in the trunk of this tree.

And as you look through that doorway,

You can see the top of a spiral staircase.

This staircase is dimly lit and it descends deep into the trunk of the tree.

We'll take a moment to take one last breath before we make the choice to descend the staircase.

When you're ready,

You'll put one foot forward and begin to make your way down the staircase.

I invite you to take these steps slowly and deliberately,

Observing each foot as it comes down in front of the other.

As you take each step,

Notice the consistency of the stairs beneath your feet.

Are these made of dirt as well or stone or wood?

How do they feel beneath your feet?

If you are barefoot,

What is the temperature?

As you continue to make your way down the staircase,

You may reach out a hand to touch the wall,

To feel that sensation under your fingertips,

To brace you during your descent.

And continue to take each step deliberately and slowly as you continue to descend further and further down the staircase.

Up ahead,

You notice the consistency of the light is different than where you are now.

There is a glow as if another doorway is coming.

As you take your final few steps,

You do see that there is a cutout or another doorway leading to an entirely different place.

As you exit the stairway,

You make your way into a different landscape.

This is the landscape of your lower world.

Take a moment to look around and take in your surroundings,

Observing what is directly in front of you as well as what's off in the distance.

Is it bright?

Is it dark?

How is the weather?

We'll just take a moment to notice before we proceed.

Now make your way to the center of a clearing in front or near you.

You may sit on the ground if you'd like or remain standing.

Perhaps there is a bench for you here.

Now in this place,

We will call on your power animal to present itself.

If more than one animal appears,

Determine which one you are needing to meet and work with today,

Assuring the others that you will return to work with them as well.

If no one shows up,

Sit quietly in this space and work on getting more comfortable in your lower world.

At this time,

You may ask the power animal the following questions.

What is your medicine that you will be sharing with me?

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

How will you support or assist me on my healing path?

Now I will pause so you may engage in further conversation or observation.

At this moment,

I will ask you to begin wrapping up your conversation and prepare to leave this encounter.

I will also invite you to ask your animal if there's anything further that you need to know.

Ask them if there's anything that you can do for them as well or a way that they want to be honored in your everyday life.

Make your way back to the tree trunk to the staircase that brought you to this place and begin to ascend when you're ready.

You'll take each step consciously and intentionally.

As you make your way up the trunk of the tree to return to the forest where we began.

As you reach the top of the staircase,

You may step out back on the path in the woods and make your way back to the meadow.

Once again,

Taking a moment to look down at your feet and watching them carry you forward.

Taking time to look around at the forest that surrounds you and seeing if anything has changed.

Continue to allow yourself to be carried by your feet until you are ready to emerge at the meadow.

Stepping out once again into the warm spring afternoon,

I invite you to take a moment to sit in gratitude for this experience,

Knowing that you may return to this place as often as you like.

When you're ready to return fully,

You may want to journal about the animal that you made contact with today.

You may journal on questions like,

Who are you?

What will we do together?

Why have you come to me?

Or how can I embody you on a daily basis?

How can I embody your medicine?

You may also take this one step further and search for an object in your home that closely resembles this power animal.

You may sit with this object while you're journaling or place it on your altar,

Signaling an intention to call in its energy into your life and work with any homework that it has given you.

Thank you for embarking on this journey with me today,

And I look forward to seeing you next time.