Bagby Hot Springs Journey Tubs

by Michael Drake

One of my favorite sacred sites is Bagby Hot Springs located about 67 miles southeast of Portland, OR. I make periodic pilgrimages to Bagby to soak and journey in the hollowed-out cedar log bathtubs. The cedar log tubs symbolize and embody the "World Tree," which is the central axis linking the three inner planes of consciousness: the upper, middle, and lower worlds. Moreover, the thermal waters of Bagby are a link between the lower world and the middle earth plane. Like the classic Steppenwolf rock song, a shamanic journey here is nothing short of a "Magic Carpet Ride." Though I savor the divine natural sounds of Bagby, the profane human sounds can be distracting. I recommend that pilgrims bring shamanic journey music and a portable audio device with headphones to support your journey:

I like to dream yes, yes, right between my sound machine

On a cloud of sound I drift in the night

Any place it goes is right

Goes far, flies near, to the stars away from here

 

--"Magic Carpet Ride" by Steppenwolf