Preparing for Your First Shamanic Journey
Smudge Yourself and the Space where you will be Journeying
Set the Intention for your Journey
Make an Offering:
Burn sage, sweetgrass, or something similar
Give an offering of Cornmeal or Tobacco
Light a Candle
Clear Your Mind, Play Your Drum, Sing Your Power Song
Invoke of the 4 Directions, State Your Intent, Say Your Prayer
Starting Your Journey
Pick your Starting Point:
Choose a place in Nature
Choose a place which you have physically visited in Ordinary Reality
Choose a place that invites a downward feeling and will serve as an opening to the Lower World such as a cave, spring, lake, hollow of a tree, etc.
You will leave from the same point each time you journey to the Lower World When Journeying to the Upper World you will pick a different starting place)
When the Drumming Starts:
Lie down in a comfortable place where you will not be disturbed
Cover your eyes with an eye pillow
Use your intent to move with your Spirit Mind to your starting point
Start your descent to the lower world by looking for a tunnel or tube going down from your starting point
If the paths split, always take the path down (do not take it going back up as that could bring you back to the middle world)
Continue to the end of the tunnel and exit outdoors
Once you exit the tunnel, ask if you are in the Lower World
If you receive a “yes” then proceed with the intention of your journey
If you receive a “no”; ask to be taken or guided to the Lower World and continue until you receive affirmation that you are in the Lower World
Meet Your Power Animal
Follow the instructions above to being your Journey
The intent of your first journey is to meet your Power Animal in the Lower World
Journey down through the tunnel
Once out of the tunnel ask “am I in the lower world?”
Once you know affirmatively that you are in the lower world, call out to your power animal & ask it to meet you
When you see something, ask “are you my power animal?”
If the answer is no, ask whoever you encounter to take or direct you to your power animal.
Repeat the process until you meet your power animal and it acknowledges positively that it is your power animal
Once you have met your power animal, ask for a healing
important: If you get interrupted and cannot continue your journey make sure to call yourself back fully and ground into ordinary physical reality before doing the next thing.
Complimentary Shamanic Journey Video
Learn How to Journey to the Drum
Meet Your Power Animal + receive self-healing
Do Not Seek Power, Seek Right Alignment
Power will result naturally when we achieve greater alignment with the world spirit nature and our environment
Returning from a Journey
Always Return Fully to Ordinary Reality when you are complete with your work in Non Ordinary Reality
You will hear the call back signal on the drum; at this time, finish up what you are doing and begin your return to your physical body
You return by reversing the path that you traveled; recollecting the events of your journey along the way
Do Not Collect Souvenirs
If you were given anything in your journey to non-ordinary reality, ask your power animal “is it right relationship for me to bring this back with me?”
Only bring it with you if you get a clear yes
Once back in the middle world at your starting point, return to your body here and now and ground back into your body
Record your experiences by writing them in a journal reserved exclusively for your shamanic journey work
Write down your exact experiences, not your interpretations of those experiences
If you have an interpretation or question about what you experienced; mark that clearly as your own interpretation/question and journey again to answer your question and/or determine if your interpretation is correct
“Seeing is a Bodily Knowledge.
The Predominance of the Visual Sense in Us Influences this Bodily Knowledge
and Makes It Seem to Be Eye-Related”
Helpful Tips
The more you focus on your intent; the easier the journey
If you lose focus, get lost or confused during your journey simply go back to the last place you were in the journey which you remember clearly and restate your intent
Remember, there are many ways of receiving information in both journeywork and ordinary reality: sight, sound, knowing, etc.
Some people are more visual than others; it does not mean that their information is necessarily more accurate or that they are more skilled at journeywork