The best and most effective way to start
journeying is to download a
journey track WITH call back (an arrhythmic set of
beats at the end) to let you know it is time to come
back to 'consensus reality'. Shamanic journeying
is NOT about getting 'out of your head' and should be
approached respectfully and SOBER please. I
strongly recommend having a relatively empty stomach (at
least a couple of hours away from food) and at least 12
hours away from alcohol and more from any other
recreational drug (including marijuana regardless of how
spiritual that blend might be!).
Find a space where you are
physically comfortable and there is little in the
way of distractions. Sitting in a comfortable
chair is my personal preference but many prefer to
journey lying on their back. Wear a
comfortable blindfold to eliminate visual input (and
ear muffs if you live in a particularly 'industrial
environment'. The aim is to have as few
distractions as possible.
Intent is the key to shamanic
journeying. Intent without demand. I am
talking to the novice journeyer here so will explain
the process in some detail. To approach a
journey with a demand, trying to force a direction
in a journey is an exercise in futility which rarely
(never) yields a valuable result. A good
intent is described in each of the journeys on the
following pages.
The first journey is in the middle
world, our world. The intent is to simply see
what is around you, learning to see and notice what
is around you.
The second journey is to the lower
world to seek your first animal guide or power
animal. An attitude of calm acceptance and
invitation is required, remaining open to your guide
presenting to you. Often the animal may not be
the one you might expect. There is no macho,
no ego to your animals. In shamanic terms, a
jaguar is just as good and worthy as a rabbit or a
bird. Each spirit has their own strengths and
skills, and many of their species have been on the
planet a lot longer than humans, so they are
probably worth listening to!
The third journey is to the upper
world to seek your first spirit guide. This
journey is accompanied by your animal guide.
They will help you to discern the intent of the
presenting spirit. These guides are not
necessarily 'holy', 'pious' or particularly
spiritual. They are normally well defined
individualistic entities who require discussion and
discernment. Going it alone makes discernment
far harder,.. use your animal guide to assist you -
and repeatedly go to the lower world until you have
one who agrees to help you find a true guide in the
upper world before venturing into that realm.
Last in the list are a few
'ceremonies', none particularly sacred but all
powerful and effective in their own rights,
especially when combined with a clearly resolved
intent to make them so.
Shamanic work is not an exercise in
reciting spiritual sounding words with a constipated
look on one's face. There is only one person's
opinion who you should ever be worrying about - see
the mirror for that identity. Many false and
plastic ceremonies I have been witness to involve so
much showmanship and egotism, there is little chance
of anything useful coming out of them except in
spite of those plastic practitioners.
I apologise if this sounds overly
short and to the point; I find frank statement
avoids confusion. Plastic practitioners tend
to confound, speak in semi-broken English and vague
terms to make themselves sound more worthy or
spiritual. They are worried about making
continually larger and more dramatic gestures,
statement and proclamations - all of which mean very
little at best.
To recite a question posed in a song
a few years ago, "What if God was one of us?, just a
stranger on a bus.."; not looking like a huge and
beatific being of tremendous power but maybe a
smaller and frail old man. Would you feel a
little disappointed that he is less than we
imagined? Remember that He is still God and
what you are seeing is your own perception!
Let this last discussion guide you
away from expectations. Be open and accepting
of what you see, allowing your own discernment guide
you. Bon Voyage on your journeys!
