Sunday, April 7, 2024
What Shamanism Is Not
Sunday, March 10, 2024
Taking the Shamanic Journey
When we journey within, we are engaging the imaginal realm. Imagination is our portal to the spirit world. Internal imagery enables us to perceive and connect with the inner realms. If a shaman wants to retrieve information or a lost guardian spirit, "imagining what to look for" is the first step in achieving any result. According to C. Michael Smith, author of Jung and Shamanism in Dialogue, "The shaman's journey employs the imagination, and the use of myth as inner map gives the shaman a way of imagining non-ordinary reality, so that he or she may move about intentionally in it."(1) By consciously interacting with the inner imagery, the shaman is able to communicate with spirit guides and power animals.
For your first journeys, I recommend traveling to the Lower World using the technique taught by the late Michael Harner. Founder of The Foundation for Shamanic Studies, Harner was widely acknowledged as the world's foremost authority on experiential and practical shamanism. In his book, The Way of the Shaman, Harner suggests that you visualize an opening into the Earth that you remember from sometime in your life. The entrance could be an animal burrow, hollow tree stump, cave, and so on. When the journey begins, you will go down the hole and a tunnel will appear. The tunnel often appears ribbed and may bend or spiral around. This tunnel-like imagery is related to the central axis that links the three inner planes of consciousness. Enter the tunnel and you will emerge into the Lower World, the realm of power animals, spirit guides and ancestral spirits. It is an Earth-like dimension where we can connect with helping spirits. The basic steps for a journey to the Lower World are as follows:
1. C. Michael Smith, Jung and Shamanism in Dialogue (New York: Paulist Press, 1997) p 16.
Sunday, March 3, 2024
Myth as a Map for Inner Journeys
We can journey to the Upper World to acquire archetypal knowledge, to bring a vision into being, or to influence events in the material world. By interacting with the archetypes, we interact with their counterparts in the outer world. We can also go there for inspiration, insight, or to find ways to restore balance in the world. As anthropologist Felicitas Goodman points out, "One of the most pervasive traditions of shamanic cultures is the insight that there exists a patterned cosmological order, which can be disturbed by human activity."(2) When harmony between the human realm and the original intended pattern is disturbed, we can journey to the celestial realm to bring back the balance. To journey up, you can visualize a tree or ladder that you climb up, soar on the wings of an eagle, or simply lift off the ground and rise into the air. Once you get to the upper realm, the landscape is typically more ethereal, higher in frequency and scintillating in light.
The Middle World is where spirit meets matter and is related to our ego or conscious self. The Middle World can be thought of as a non-ordinary mirror of ordinary reality. It is the spirit counterpart of the material realm and the inner region most like outer reality. The middle realm is so parallel to the world in which we live that a skilled journeyer can travel across it and visit all the places, people and things they know in ordinary reality. Spirit journeys in the Middle World provide a means of travel and communication without cars, planes or cell phones. It is a means of exploring our temporal landscape to find the location of healing herbs or lost objects, or to establish communication links over great distances.
To take a Middle World journey, simply imagine yourself walking out your front door and traveling through the landscape very quickly to look for something you have lost or to reach a distant destination. However, I do not recommend journeying to the Middle World unless you have a very good reason to go there. Unlike the upper and lower realms, where everything is guided by benevolence, the middle realm does not have benevolence or ethics at its core. That does not mean that it is a bad place. Rather, it is a place that mirrors what is happening in ordinary reality--the chaos of our times. It is a place full of risks and hidden dangers, such as holes in the ground that can entrap you. Traveling in this realm can be tricky even for an experienced journeyer. Moreover, the spirits who dwell in this realm cannot provide the wisdom, healing and empowerment you find in the Upper or Lower Worlds.
For your first journeys, I recommend traveling to the Lower World, using the technique taught by the late Michael Harner. Founder of The Foundation for Shamanic Studies, Harner was widely acknowledged as the world's foremost authority on experiential and practical shamanism. To take a Lower World journey, Harner suggests that you visualize an opening into the earth that you remember from sometime in your life. The entrance could be an animal burrow, hollow tree stump, cave, and so on. When the journey begins, you will go down the hole and a tunnel will appear. The tunnel often appears ribbed and may bend or spiral around. This tunnel-like imagery is related to the central axis that links the three inner planes of consciousness. Enter the tunnel and you will emerge into the Lower World. The terrain that you traverse is typically very natural and very Earth-like.
1. Michael Winkelman, Shamanism: A Biopsychosocial Paradigm of Consciousness and Healing (Praeger, 2 edition 2010), p. 38.
2. Felicitas D. Goodman, Jewels on the Path: A Spirit Notebook, vol. II (Cuyamungue Institute, 1994), p. 55.
3. Kira Van Deusen, "Shamanism and Music in Tuva and Khakassia," Shaman's Drum, No. 47, Winter 1997, p. 24.
Sunday, February 25, 2024
Shamanic Cosmology: The Reality of the Soul
2. Joseph Campbell, The Flight of the Wild Gander.
Sunday, January 7, 2024
Ritual Use of the Shamanic Drum
The shamanic drum, namely the single-headed frame drum, originated in Siberia, together with shamanism itself thousands of years ago. Shamanic drumming is considered one of the oldest methods for healing and accessing inner wisdom. Practiced cross-culturally, this technique is strikingly similar the world over. Shamanic drumming uses a repetitive rhythm that begins slowly and then gradually builds in intensity to a tempo of three to seven beats per second. The ascending tempo will induce light to deep trance states. Shamans use intention and discipline to control the nature, depth and qualities of their trance experiences. They may progress through a range of ecstatic trance states until they reach the level that is necessary for healing to occur.
The act of entering an ecstatic trance state is called the soul flight or shamanic journey. During shamanic flight, the sound of the drum serves as a guidance system, indicating where the shaman is at any moment or where they might need to go. The drumbeat also serves as an anchor, or lifeline, that the shaman follows to return to his or her body and/or exit the trance state when the trance work is complete. When ready to exit the trance state, the practitioner simply slows the tempo of drumming, drawing consciousness back to normal.
The sound of the shamanic drum is very important. A shamanic ritual often begins with heating the drum head over a fire to bring it up to the desired pitch. It is the subtle variations in timbre and ever-changing overtones of the drum that allow the shaman to communicate with the spiritual realm. Part of the shaman's training involves learning to hear and interpret a larger range of frequencies than the normal person can. The shaman listens and finds the right tone, the right sound to which the spirits will respond. Through the many tones, pitches, and harmonics of the drum, the shaman communes with the subtle and normally unseen energies of the spirit world.
Tuvan shamans believe that the spirits of nature create their own sound world, and it is possible for humans to communicate with them through the sound of the drum. According to Tuvan ethnographer and former shaman Mongush Kenin-Lopsan, "We understand the spirits answers mostly from the tangible results of the communication, in terms of benefit or harm. But some people actually hear the spirits singing." Tuvan shamans use the drum to convey to the spirits of a place their greetings, any requests, and thanks. It is a spiritual practice designed to help human beings relate to all of nature. Tuva (southern Siberia) is one of the few places in the world where the shamanic heritage has remained unbroken.
Drumming opens the shaman's inner, spiritual ears and eyes and also calls the helping spirits. As Tuvan musicologist Valentina Suzukei explains, "By changing and listening to the frequencies and overtones of the drum, the shaman is able to send messages to, and receive them from, both the spirit world and the patient. For example, the shaman might use the overtones to send signals to the sky, where they provoke a voice from the cosmos; in turn, the cosmic signals are caught on the drum and reflected to the shaman through the creation of subsequent overtones."
The shamanic drum is a time-tested vehicle for healing and self-expression. A shaman may use the drum to address any number of health issues including trauma, addiction, depression, and chronic pain. Additionally, the shamanic techniques of extraction, soul retrieval, and journeying, can all be performed with the drum. According to Mariko Namba Walter and Eva Jane Neumann Fridman, authors of Shamanism: An Encyclopedia of World Beliefs, Practices, and Culture, "The drum is used in a variety of ways in shamanist rituals; it may serve as (1) a rhythm instrument, (2) a divination table, (3) a "speaker" for communicating with the spirits, (4) a spirit-catcher, (5) a spirit boat, (6) a purifying device, (7) the shaman's mount."
Sunday, November 5, 2023
The Shamanic Horse
1. Kira Van Deusen, "Shamanism and Music in Tuva and Khakassia," Shaman's Drum, No. 47, Winter 1997, p. 24.
2. Kira Van Deusen, Singing Story, Healing Drum: Shamans and Storytellers of Turkic Siberia (McGill-Queen's Press, 2005), p. 124.
3. Van Deusen, Singing Story, Healing Drum, p. 122.
Sunday, October 29, 2023
Honoring the Ancestors on Samhain
Sunday, August 20, 2023
Meet Modern Shaman Sabrina Villard
Friday, July 28, 2023
"A Journey Into Shamanism" Book Sale
Ultimately, all contemplative spiritual practice leads to the evolution of conscious awareness and union with the divine in the present moment. The perennial wisdom traditions teach us that the "here and now" is eternal, unchanging and omnipresent; it should be the primary focus of our life. When we are not present in the moment, we become a victim of time. Our mind is pulled into the past or the future or both. The present moment is all we ever have. The eternal now is the fundamental ceremony of life. When we bring ourselves fully into the present moment, our life becomes a spiritual practice and an opportunity to ride in beauty on the windhorse of authentic presence! I invite you to read Riding Spirit Horse: A Journey into Shamanism.
Sunday, July 9, 2023
The Power and Symbolism of the Double-Headed Drum
Sunday, May 7, 2023
Love, Nature, Magic: Shamanic Journeys into the Heart of My Garden
In her new book Love, Nature, Magic: Shamanic Journeys into the Heart of My Garden, Maria Rodale takes the reader on an unusual autobiographical journey through her life. Rodale combines her love of nature and gardening with her experience in shamanic journeying, embarking on an epic adventure to learn from plants, animals and insects--including some of the most misunderstood beings in nature. Maria asks them their purpose and listens as they show and declare what they want us humans to know. From Thistles to Snakes, Poison Ivy to Mosquitoes, these nature beings convey messages that are relevant to every human, showing us how to live in balance and harmony on this Earth.
Sunday, February 12, 2023
Your Guide to Shamanic Drumming
In this four-part audio course, best-selling author Michael Drake teaches about the power of shamanic drumming to improve well-being, promote spiritual growth and deepen our understanding of the inner self. Shamanic drumming is a form of repetitive rhythmic drumming. Its purpose is to induce ecstatic trance states in order to access innate wisdom and guidance. The essence of shamanism is the experience of direct revelation from within. Shamanism is about remembering, exploring and developing the true self. Shamanic practice heightens the ability of perception and enables you to see into the deeper realms of the self. Once connected with your inner self, you can find help, healing and a continual source of guidance. To practice shamanism is to reconnect with your deepest core values and your highest vision of who you are and why you are here.
Drawing from 30 years of shamanic practice and teaching, Michael presents the first practical guide to applying this ancient healing art to our modern lives. Through a series of simple lessons and exercises, he teaches the basic shamanic methods of drumming, journeying, power practice and healing the earth. You will learn how to alter your state of consciousness to access higher wisdom, renewed power and untapped insight. There are no prerequisites to learning shamanic drumming. Whether you are an accomplished percussionist or a total beginner, this course will help you harness the power of drumming.
Sunday, February 5, 2023
Meeting My Shamanic Teacher
Sunday, January 15, 2023
What Happens During a Shamanic Journey?
Ecstatic trance is not always what many people anticipate it to be, and sometimes there may be doubt that anything at all takes place. There are, however, some key indicators that confirm a transcendent state of consciousness. Once you enter a trance state, the rhythm or sound of the drum tends to change. The drumbeat may appear to speed up or slow down, while the sound may grow louder, softer or disappear. You may experience a change in body temperature, feel energy flowing through your body, or find yourself twitching, swaying or rocking. It is not uncommon to hear sounds or voices. You may even smell specific aromas. You may see colorful patterns, symbolic images or dreamlike visions. Some people may find that they have a highly developed inner vision, while others may rely more on an inner voice of insight, or an inner feeling of certainty. Be prepared to experience ecstatic trance with any of your senses.
Sunday, December 25, 2022
Santa the Flying Shaman
John Rush, Ph.D., author of Mushrooms in Christian Art and professor of anthropology at Sierra College in Rocklin, CA., suggests, "Santa is a modern counterpart of a shaman, who consumed mind-altering plants and fungi to commune with the spirit world." He believes the Santa myth was born because local shamans in the Siberian and Arctic regions would visit locals on the winter solstice, an astronomical phenomenon strongly related to modern-day Christmas, with gifts of dried hallucinogenic mushrooms.
Sunday, October 9, 2022
The Pyramid of the Magician
Sunday, October 2, 2022
The Drum and the World Tree
Shamans believe that this cosmic axis and the Cosmos it unites exist within human consciousness. According to shamanic cosmology, there are three inner planes of consciousness: the Upper, Middle, and Lower Worlds. The roots of the World Tree touch the Lower World. Its trunk is the Middle World and its branches hold up the Upper World. Humans did not invent these inner realms; they discovered them. Far from being a human contrivance, these archetypal worlds are inherent in the collective unconscious, the common psychological inheritance of humanity. They are woven into the matrix of the psyche, for we are a fractal of creation. They are a part of our psyche, a part of us whether we choose to become aware of it or not.
Through the sound of the drum, which is invariably made of wood from the World Tree, the shaman is transported to the axis within and conveyed from plane to plane. As Tuvan musicologist Valentina Suzukei explains: "There is a bridge on these sound waves so you can go from one world to another. In the sound world, a tunnel opens through which we can pass, or the shaman's spirits come to us. When you stop playing the drum, the bridge disappears."
The inner axis passes through an opening or hole through which the shaman traverses the inner planes in order to mediate between the needs of the spirit world and those of the material world. It is an inward spiritual journey of rapture in which the shaman interacts with the inner spirit world, thereby influencing the outer material world. In the shaman's world, all human experience is self-generated. Experience is shaped from within since the three realms or resonant fields that define our experience of reality exist within each of us.
The cosmology of the drum
In the shaman's world, the drum is a most sacred instrument. The double-headed drum is believed to embody the sacred forces of the Cosmos through its sounds, structural features, contents, and connection to shamanic trance. The various parts of the drum also symbolize the structures of the world. Cosmologically, the drum depicts a microcosm of the Universe with its three zones -- the Upper, Middle and Lower Worlds. The two drumheads symbolize the Upper and Lower Worlds.
The rim of the drum symbolizes the Middle World and is connected to the World Tree through the wood of the frame and its association through all trees back to the First Tree. Like the World Tree, which links the earth and sky, the rim links the two sides of the drum -- the yin and the yang. A double-headed drum unites the sacred feminine and masculine aspects of the Universe within itself. It restores the balance of these polar, yet co-creative elements.
The two drumheads also symbolize the two states of existence -- unmanifest and manifest. When a double-headed drum is vibrated, it produces dissimilar sounds which are fused together by resonance to create one sound. The drumbeat is the tuner sound, the sound that fuses the unmanifest and manifest aspects of vibration into one resonance. The sound thus produced symbolizes Nada, the cosmic sound of AUM, which can be heard during deep meditation.
From a shamanic perspective, caretaking the drum and playing it properly during ritual fulfills the destiny of the human spirit -- to sustain the order of existence. In the rapture of ritual drumming, the shaman brings the World Tree into existence, opening a path of communication with the world above and the world below. Materialized in the drum, the trunk of the tree goes through the Middle World; its roots plunge to the nadir in the Lower World, and its branches soar to the zenith in the highest layer of the Upper World. The drum becomes the axis mundi or central axis through which the shaman maintains the world's equilibrium.