The Call of the Psychopomp

Many people in today's world are being called by spirit to become psychopomps. The psychopomp is a guide who leads the soul on its journey to the afterlife. The term derives from the Greek word psuchopompos, literally meaning the "guide of souls." The psychopomp is a universal, cross-cultural archetype. In Jungian psychology, the psychopomp is a mediator between the conscious and unconscious. It is symbolically personified in dreams as a wise man or woman, or often as an animal guide. Stories of psychopomps are widespread throughout the myths, legends, and religious texts of cultures around the world. Psychopomps have been associated at different times and in different cultures with angels, horses, whip-poor-wills, ravens, dogs, crows, and owls. In many cultures, the shaman also fulfills the role of the psychopomp. Their role is not to judge the deceased, but simply to provide safe passage.

Unfortunately, many of the psychopomp myths and rituals that once helped prepare people for this final rite of passage have become lost or forgotten. When people are unprepared to face death, they often need additional assistance. Souls that die in a state of fear or confusion may also need assistance crossing over. Other souls are held back by grieving relatives who cannot let them go. If not channeled properly, grief is useless to the dead and dangerous to the living. For example, in funeral rites among the Dagara people of West Africa, drumming and singing are used to open the mourners to grief. Grief is then channeled in such a way that it will convey the newly deceased soul to the afterlife. Without the help of the drummers, musicians, and singers, the powerful emotional energy cannot be unleashed.

There are many techniques and ways to perform psychopomp work. I work primarily with the drum and the power of a clear intention to help earthbound souls move beyond their worldly attachments and progress towards the Light. When you play a drum, the sound can be heard by the spirits throughout all realms of the spirit world. The sound waves create a bridge between the physical and spiritual planes. In the sound world, a tunnel opens through which souls can pass, or our helping spirits come to us. When you stop playing the drum, the bridge disappears. 

The drum also serves as a concentration device for stilling the mind and focusing our attention. Shamans have understood for centuries that sustained focused attention on a specific intention, while in a state of inner silence, channels our creative energy into manifesting the physical equivalent of the focus. It is consciousness that creates the material universe, not the other way around. The creative power of our intent is limited only by what we believe is possible. 

I begin by creating a purified sacred space where well-being and health can flourish. I visualize a beacon of luminous white light emanating from the center of my sacred space and out into the net of light around our planet. I then call in the spiritual energies of the seven directions--East, South, West, North, Above, Below, and Within. I also call upon the Archangel Michael, the spirit horses of the four directions, and all of my helping spirits. Next I state my intention to help earthbound souls cross over into the afterlife. I then begin drumming a steady, metronome-like rhythm pulsed at around three to four beats per second. As I drum, I silently recite my intention like a mantra. The key is to focus your energy to that point on the drumhead's surface that you are striking, not beyond it. Transfer your energy and intention into the drum, stroking it firmly, yet gently, until it sings and hums. With practice, you learn just how much energy to send out to achieve a desired result and how much to retain so that you don't tire. When you have finished your psychopomp work, sacred space must be closed. To learn more, look inside my book Shamanic Drumming.

We are currently in a time of great transition where a growing number of people are being called to fulfill the sacred role of the psychopomp. Some choose to offer their assistance in conjunction with their function as a hospice worker, or as a midwife to the dying. Others, like me, prefer to focus more on helping those who may be trapped in the spirit realms. If you are being called to become a psychopomp, then look inside the book Delayed Departure: A Beginner's Guide to Soul Rescue by author and regression therapist Ann Merivale. This book contains valuable information for anyone interested in embarking on the important work of soul rescue, with illustrations taken from the author's own practice.