Understanding the Four Elements and Directions

The cardinal directions, North, East, South, and West, represent more than just navigational tools. Each direction has a deep meaning that is tied to one of the four elements of life: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. The interplay between the elements and the cardinal directions is a concept that has fascinated humanity for centuries. Each direction is associated with an element of the natural world, and represents some part of our human nature as well. Understanding how we relate to the four elements and directions can teach us a lot about ourselves, help us to grow and can support us through life's many changes.
 

The four elements, as shown in the accompanying diagram, are charted around a cosmic compass or wheel of life. The cosmic wheel is a mandala, a symbolic blueprint or map of reality. It represents a multidimensional, interwoven web of relationships that are in constant communion with each other. The sacred wheel exists simultaneously in a horizontal and vertical axis, as well as in the unfolding continuum of time--past, present, and future. The cosmic wheel serves as a portal to consciously enter the cyclic, time-space unfolding of the universe through a practice of reverent, harmonious relationship. It is based on the belief that the universe is alive, sentient, and constantly communicating its wisdom to who ever makes an effort to listen.
 

The cosmic wheel represents the archetypal journey each of us takes in life. This journey has four stages, each associated with a cardinal direction. To move around the wheel and develop a relationship with each direction is to step onto a path of learning and fulfillment. Each direction and its associated element has qualities and attributes that help us spiral toward completion on the wheel of life. All creatures walk the circumference of the cosmic wheel, experiencing the four stages of human life: birth, youth, adulthood, and death. After completing a cycle of learning on the sacred wheel, each of us returns to the source at the center or heart of the circle.
 

Attributes of the Elements and Cardinal Directions
 

1. Air/East
 

Air is the element of the East, connected to the soul and the breath of life. Air signifies intellect, communication, and freedom. It is the element of thought, representing the mind and the power of ideas. Air's qualities include lightness, movement, and expansiveness. It is associated with clarity, insight, and the ability to connect with others through language and expression. In many traditions, Air is seen as the breath of life, essential for mental and spiritual well-being. Though the qualities attributed to each of the four cardinal directions tend to vary from culture to culture, the energy of the East is typically associated with spring, morning, birth, beginnings, illumination, knowledge, learning and intellectual curiosity. The East represents new life being brought into the world. It is the direction of the sunrise, heralding the start of a new day and the promise of opportunities. In many cultures, the East is seen as a place of renewal and vision, where one can gain insight and inspiration. It encourages openness, curiosity, and the pursuit of knowledge.
 

2. Fire/South
 

Fire is purifying, masculine yang energy associated with the South, and connected to strong will and energy. Fire represents energy, transformation, and passion. It is the element of action and drive, associated with the sun and the spark of life. Fire's qualities include warmth, intensity, and the ability to consume and regenerate. It is often seen as a catalyst for change, symbolizing both destruction and rebirth, and is connected to creativity and the willpower to achieve goals. The cardinal direction South is related to summer, midday, logic, youth, trust, and expansion. The South represents youth and adolescence--a time of growth, learning and development of the self. From the South rises the vital energy of renewal, regeneration, and growth. From the South we learn to plant seeds of good cause. We learn that our thoughts and actions create our reality. It is a place of action and movement, encouraging individuals to pursue their goals with enthusiasm and determination.
 

3. Water/West
 

Used for healing, cleansing, and purification, Water is a feminine yin energy associated with the West. Water is essential to life; it flows through all plants, people, and wildlife. Water embodies fluidity, emotions, and intuition. It is the element of change and adaptability, capable of taking various forms and influencing all it touches. Water is linked to the subconscious mind, dreams, and the ebb and flow of feelings. Its qualities include flexibility, continuity, depth, and the ability to cleanse and purify, making it a vital component of spiritual and physical renewal. The cardinal direction West is associated with fall, twilight, the moon, and the emotional self. In the West, we are drawn into the experience of our emotions. It is a direction that calls us to self-reflection and self-understanding. The West represents adulthood and meeting the fulfilment of life as we find our meaning and place. It is the direction of the setting sun, signifying the end of a cycle and the transition into reflection and rest. It is a space for understanding and integrating experiences, fostering emotional growth and wisdom.
 

4. Earth/North

Connected to the North, Earth is considered the ultimate feminine element, often associated with the Goddess. Earth is widely associated with stability, grounding, and the material world. It represents the physical aspects of existence, including the body and the tangible environment. In various traditions, Earth is considered the foundation upon which all life is built. Its qualities include form, solidity, endurance, and fertility, making it a symbol of sustenance and growth. The cardinal direction North is typically associated with winter, night, introspection, death and completion of the life cycle. This is the place of wisdom and of imparting the knowledge gained from a lifetime of living in the physical world to the younger generations. It is a time of reflection, rest and increased understanding of the aspects of the spiritual world. In the North we assimilate our life experiences before we exit the realm of physical experience and join into vast levels of experience in the spirit worlds of light, or we choose to return and walk again the sacred wheel of life.
 

The Building Blocks of Nature
 

The four elements are the building blocks of nature and interact with humans in the creative process. The elements are living energies, which change and move as we think, and then take the form of our thoughts. Thought is the tool of the mind that shapes physical reality. Every thought, idea, or image in the mind has form and substance. Everything that we perceive began with a thought, for it is the blending of thought forms with the elemental rhythms that shape physical reality. It is the consciousness of humanity that holds the present physical form of all that we perceive. It is the mind that determines the destiny of forms. We are mind. Our Earth is mind. We live in a universe of mind. From photons to galaxies, life is conscious intelligent energy that can form itself into any pattern or function.
 

The key to understanding the creative process is to realize that the universe is made of vibrational energy: that it is a single, flowing, rhythmic being. According to quantum physics, everything in the universe, from the smallest subatomic particle to the largest star, has an inherent vibrational pattern. The entire universe is created through vibration and can be influenced through vibration. T'an Ch'iao, a Taoist adept of the tenth century, expressed this potential when he wrote, "When energy moves, sound is emitted; when sound comes forth, energy vibrates. When energy vibrates, influences are activated and things change. Therefore it is possible thereby to command wind and clouds, produce frost and hail, cause phoenixes to sing, get bears to dance, make friends with spiritual luminescences."(1)
 

The compass or circular arrangement of the elements illustrates the sequence of development in the process of manifestation. Born of the silent emptiness of the center, vibration cycles around the periphery of the circle. Moving from East (Air) to South (Fire) to West (Water) to North (Earth), vibration bonds the elements, and then reverses its rotation toward emptiness to begin the cycle anew. The unmanifest essence of vibration precipitates this bonding sequence in order to manifest a desired form. The energy of vibration is alive and, because it is alive, it seeks ways in which to express or manifest itself. As Ute-Tiwa shaman Joseph Rael concludes in his book, Being and Vibration, "Apparently materialization occurs because vibration is seeking to purify the center (heart) of its newly formulated form."(2)
 

Conclusion
 

In the Native American traditions, the wheel or sacred hoop of life defines all that is the Great Mystery, the source of all creation. The Great Mystery reveals itself as the powers of the four directions and these four powers provide the organizing principle for everything that exists in the world. There are four elements, four winds, four seasons, four phases of the moon, four stages to humanity's spiritual evolution, and so on. We are here on Earth to experience and realize the mystery. The vision of that mystery is ever present within each of us. When we mindfully connect with the elements and cardinal directions, we begin to realize the sacred vision. We orient ourselves in the living web of life, yielding greater awareness and perspective. We develop a meaningful understanding of the natural world and our place within it.

1. Thomas Cleary, Vitality, Energy, Spirit: A Taoist Sourcebook (Shambhala, 1991).
2. Joseph Rael and Mary Marlow, Being and Vibration (Tulsa: Council Oak Books, 1993), p 185.

Shamanic Extraction Healing

Shamanic extraction is a powerful healing practice rooted in ancient traditions, aimed at removing spiritual blockages or intrusions that cause illness and disharmony. This practice has been part of shamanic traditions across various cultures for thousands of years. Understanding shamanic extraction involves delving into its history, techniques, and the underlying philosophy that connects the physical, spiritual, and emotional realms.
 

The Origins of Shamanic Extraction
 

Shamanic extraction can be traced back to the earliest human societies. Shamans, as the intermediaries between the physical world and the spiritual realm, have been using this practice to heal individuals and communities. The core belief is that illness and negative emotions often result from spiritual intrusions or energies that do not belong in the body. By removing these intrusions, shamans restore balance and harmony.
 

The Role of the Shaman
 

Shamans are highly trained practitioners who undergo rigorous initiation processes, including vision quests, fasting, and learning from elder shamans. They develop the ability to enter altered states of consciousness to perceive and interact with the spiritual realm. In shamanic extraction, the shaman acts as a conduit, channeling healing energy and using their spiritual allies to identify and remove the intrusions.
 

The Process of Shamanic Extraction
 

1. Preparation and Diagnosis: The process begins with the shaman diagnosing the patient. This can involve traditional methods such as divination, consulting spiritual guides, or simply observing the patient's energy field. The shaman determines the nature and location of the intrusion.
 

2. Entering an Altered State: Shamans use various techniques to enter an altered state of consciousness. These can include drumming, chanting, dancing, or ingesting sacred plants. This state allows the shaman to perceive the spiritual world and engage with it.
 

3. Extraction of Intrusions: In this altered state, the shaman locates the spiritual intrusions within the patient's body. Using their spiritual tools and allies, the shaman extracts these intrusions. This can be a physically and emotionally intense experience for both the shaman and the patient.
 

4. Healing and Integration: After the extraction, the shaman channels healing energy into the patient to fill the void left by the removed intrusion. This step is crucial to prevent the re-entry of negative energies. The patient is then guided through a process of integration, helping them understand the experience and reinforcing the healing.
 

Techniques Used in Shamanic Extraction
 

1. Soul Retrieval: Often, shamanic extraction is combined with soul retrieval, a practice that involves reclaiming lost fragments of the patient's soul. These fragments might have been lost due to trauma or prolonged stress.
    
2. Energy Clearing: Shamans use various methods to clear stagnant or negative energy from the patient's body. This can include the use of feathers, crystals, or other sacred objects.
    
3. Rituals and Offerings: Rituals play a significant role in shamanic practices. Offerings to spiritual allies and deities are made to seek their assistance in the healing process.
 

Benefits of Shamanic Extraction
 

1. Physical Healing: By removing spiritual intrusions, shamanic extraction can lead to significant improvements in physical health. Many individuals report relief from chronic pain, fatigue, and other ailments.
 

2. Emotional and Mental Well-being: The practice helps in releasing negative emotions and thought patterns. Patients often experience a sense of liberation and emotional clarity.
 

3. Spiritual Growth: Shamanic extraction facilitates a deeper connection with the spiritual realm, promoting spiritual growth and a better understanding of one's life path.
 

4. Holistic Balance: This practice restores balance across the physical, emotional, and spiritual dimensions, leading to overall well-being.
 

Contemporary Shamanic Extraction
 

In modern times, shamanic extraction has found its place alongside conventional medicine and psychotherapy. Many practitioners integrate it into holistic healing practices, recognizing its value in treating conditions that conventional medicine may not fully address. Workshops and training programs are available for those interested in learning this ancient art, making it accessible to a broader audience.
 

Ethical Considerations
 

Practitioners of shamanic extraction must adhere to strict ethical guidelines. Consent from the patient is paramount, and the practice should always be conducted with respect, integrity, and a deep understanding of its spiritual implications. Shamans must also ensure that they are adequately trained and that their practices are in harmony with the cultural traditions they originate from.
 

Conclusion

Shamanic extraction is a profound healing practice that transcends the physical and touches the very essence of our being. Its roots in ancient traditions provide a rich tapestry of wisdom and knowledge, offering a holistic approach to healing that addresses the spiritual causes of illness. As interest in holistic and spiritual healing grows, shamanic extraction continues to be a valuable tool for those seeking deep and lasting healing. Through the dedicated work of shamans and the willingness of individuals to embrace this ancient practice, shamanic extraction remains a beacon of hope and transformation in the modern world.

"The Shamanic Drum" Audiobook Release

I am excited to announce the release of the audiobook version of my bestselling books The Shamanic Drum: A Guide to Sacred Drumming and Shamanic Drumming: Calling the Spirits. The Shamanic Drum is my definitive guide to shamanic drumming, 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, I present the first practical guide to applying this ancient healing art to our modern lives. Through a series of simple exercises and lessons, I teach the basic shamanic methods of drumming. The focus is on creating sacred space, journeying, power practice, power animals, drum circles and the therapeutic effects of drumming. There are no prerequisites to learning shamanic drumming. Whether you are an accomplished percussionist or a total beginner, this user-friendly book will help you harness the power of drumming. Listen to a sample of The Shamanic Drum.

In my book Shamanic Drumming: Calling the Spirits, I recount my journey into shamanic practice and explore what someone should do if they feel the call to become a shaman. Many people in today's world are being called by spirit to become shamans. A yearning exists deep within many of us to reconnect to the natural world. It is a call to a life lived in balance with awareness of nature, of spirit, and of self. Following up on my book, The Shamanic Drum, I provide a new series of exercises and lessons that allow for a deeper understanding and utilization of this core shamanic practice. I have written a guide to becoming a shamanic healer that encompasses the power of the drum, of community, and of the accountability inherent in authentic shamanic practice.

This empowering book is a call to build relationships with helping spirits. Spirit helpers are the caretakers in the unseen world who want to support the earth and her inhabitants at this time. They are here to teach us how to gather wisdom from the spiritual realms, the natural world, the past, the present and the future in order to give birth to new ways of being. The shamanic relationship between humans and helping spirits supports our spirit's quest for self-realization. Helping spirits, if engaged regularly and skillfully, offer flexibility, creativity and perseverance in fulfilling our own unique path. The spirits are here to assist us in doing the principal, unique thing we have come here to do in a way that benefits all living things. Listen to a sample of Shamanic Drumming.

Virtual Voice Narration

These audiobooks use Virtual Voice narration. Virtual Voice is a computer-generated speech technology designed explicitly to create Audible audiobooks. Audible is an Amazon-owned company renowned for its vast library of audiobooks. Audible's Virtual Voice is a cutting-edge technology that utilizes advanced artificial intelligence (AI) to generate lifelike voice narrations for audiobooks. Unlike traditional methods that require human narrators, Virtual Voice can create high-quality narrations using synthesized voices. This technology leverages deep learning and natural language processing (NLP) to produce voices that sound remarkably human.  

One of the significant advantages of Virtual Voice is the consistency it offers. Human narrators, while talented, can introduce variability in their performances due to factors like mood, health, or fatigue. Virtual Voice eliminates these inconsistencies, ensuring that every chapter of a book is narrated with the same level of quality and energy. I was hesitant to publish any of my books using Virtual Voice, however the quality of the narration is much better than I could have ever imagined it would be. 

The Rise of Audiobooks 

In the fast-paced digital age, the way we consume content has significantly evolved. Audiobooks, once considered a niche market, have surged in popularity, providing a convenient and engaging way for people to enjoy literature. Audiobooks have grown exponentially over the past decade, thanks in part to the proliferation of smartphones and the increasing popularity of multitasking. People can now listen to books while commuting, exercising, or performing household chores. This convenience has turned audiobooks into a preferred medium for many readers. Audible has been at the forefront of this transformation, offering a vast selection of titles across various genres. 

For those who listen to audiobooks, the arrival of Virtual Voice will be seamless to the existing customer experience. Audible users will be able to easily discover and enjoy audiobooks featuring virtual voices, and audiobooks created with Virtual Voice will be clearly marked to avoid any confusion with traditional, human-narrated audiobooks. Customers will be able to listen to samples prior to purchase, just like with any other audiobook, and decide for themselves whether they want to give this new technology a chance. Whether you're a long-time audiobook enthusiast or a newcomer to the format, Virtual Voice promises to enhance your listening experience in ways you never imagined.

Wisdom of the Thunder Beings

The Thunder Beings are a related family of divine beings who bring about weather changes such as thunder, lightning, wind and rain. Through their power abiding in the atmosphere, they sustain the Earth and protect the people. Through lightning, they directly purify the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the earth we cultivate. They create a world-wide lightning display that produces and maintains the heartbeat frequency (Schumann resonance) of the Earth's electromagnetic grid. Their holy medicine includes creativity, fertility, protection, peace, harmony, balance, compassion, wisdom, enlightenment, death and rebirth. Through the Thunder Beings, all life has been created, is sustained and will be destroyed. They sustain balance and destroy imbalance, the cause of suffering.
 

From time immemorial, people have worshiped the Thunder Beings. They are the source of all ideological, religious and spiritual transmission. The early cultures attribute their belief systems to the teachings of rain gods and goddesses. Their myths tell of how rain deities created the world, humans and all life. They came down to Earth in the distant past and gave humanity language, law, the arts, spiritual sciences, wisdom and knowledge. The Thunder Beings were instrumental in teaching their mortal cousins how to properly honor and commune with the spirits to gain their blessings.
 

The core beliefs and principles of all spiritual cultural traditions come from the Thunder Beings. The Native American spiritual traditions originated from the rain deities known as Wakinyan, Animiki and Kachinas. The Mongolian shamanic traditions originated from the sky deity known as Tengri. The Maya shamanic traditions originated from the lightning deities known as Chaac, K'awiil and Yaluk. The Chinese Taoist traditions originated from a thunder god known as Lei Kung. The Australian Aboriginal shamanic traditions originated from the cloud and rain spirits known as Wandjina. They are the roots of all integral shamanic and wisdom traditions.  
 

Among the Yoruba people of West Africa, the orisha (god) of thunder is known as Shango. Shango is renowned for his oshe, a double-headed battle-ax, as well as the double-headed bata drum he uses to summon rain storms. The orishas are the powerful divine spirits of the Yoruba religion. They are the creator and sustainer of all things. They are the manifestations of primordial energies, both creative and destructive. They are the conduits by which life and all cultural wisdom entered the world. Like all of the Yoruba gods, Shango is both a deified historical ancestor and a divine natural spiritual force. Orishas enter the mortal world, complete epic feats, live, die and then are reincarnated into the world to complete even more amazing tasks. They are immortal energies that represent a core part of Yoruba philosophy and belief.
 

Every spring, the Lakota people gather at Black Elk Peak in the sacred Paha Sapa (Black Hills) for the "Welcome Back the Thunders" ceremony. The Lakota ceremonial season begins with the return of the Wakinyan or Thunder Beings. According to legend, the Wakinyan are huge winged beings that humans cannot see because they are shielded by thick clouds. Thunder is made by the sound of their voices, and lightning is created when they open and close their eyes. The Wakinyan created wild rice and gave the Lakota the spear, the tomahawk and pigments to make them impervious to weapons. The annual vernal equinox ceremony ends with Lakota teens carrying a sacred pipe and food offerings to the top of Black Elk Peak. As the highest point in the Paha Sapa, the Lakota consider it to be the most appropriate spot to bring prayers to Wakan Tanka (Great Mystery).
 

Among the Pueblo people of the American Southwest, the deities known as kachinas bring the rain for their three main crops: corn, beans and squash. Puebloans believe that kachinas are divine spirits present in features of the natural world such as clouds, winds, thunder and rain. They are also ancestral spirits that help connect humans with the spirit world. They come to the human realm to collect the people's prayers and take them back to the spirit realm. The kachinas dwell in sacred mountains and other holy places, but spend half of each year living near Pueblo villages. During this time, the men of kachina societies perform traditional ceremonies linked with the presence of the spirits. They wear costumes and elaborate masks and perform songs and dances associated with specific kachinas. The Puebloans say that during these rituals each dancer is transformed into the spirit being represented.
 

In the Asian traditions, the Thunder Beings are responsible for expressing the higher truth of spiritual reality, safeguarding it and disseminating it for the benefit of all beings. The essence of the Asian spiritual traditions is the direct experience of enlightenment--of perfect tranquility and unconditional bliss. This experience is fully attained through the Thunder Beings by virtue of their mystical thunder and lightning blessings. In Tantric Buddhism, their names and images are used in visualization-based meditations to awaken the mind. Through the proper use of these images and sacred sound in meditation, we can liberate our minds from suffering.
 

The Thunder Beings are invisible, yet out of compassion they reveal themselves through thunder, lightning, wind and rain. Their visible manifestation or mystical visitation is universally one of storm-display. Even though there is great destructive rage in storms, in truth this is merely a means of ushering in peace, of clearing great obstructions. Everything that the Thunder Beings do has the effect of bringing about peace and harmony.
 

Thunder Beings are perfect and beyond suffering. Nature is their manifestation; it is quite beautiful and harmonious. Where there is calamity, the cause is poor human activity, such as war, pollution and environmental devastation. There is little peace on Earth because there is little peace in our hearts. In order to establish it, we must diligently work for it through meditation and through compassionate activity. Meditation--whether it's silent or drumming up a storm--increases our wisdom and insight, our capacity to be of true help to others. Wisdom is the light of the Thunder Beings shining through our heart. It is the lightning within us striking its way out.

What Shamanism Is Not

When people ask me if I can define what shamanism is, I like to begin by defining what it isn't. Sometimes it is easier to contrast something with what it is not than to define exactly what it is. So in that vein, shamanism is not:
 

Religion. It is important to highlight that shamanism is not a religion, which involves a set of organized beliefs, practices, and systems that most often relate to the belief and worship of a controlling force, such as a personal god or another supernatural being. In an organized religion, belief systems and rituals are systematically arranged and formally established, typically by an official doctrine (or dogma), a hierarchical or bureaucratic leadership structure, and a codification of proper and improper behavior. Unlike religion, shamanism has no dogma, no religious hierarchy, and is a cross-cultural tradition characterized by direct revelation and hands on experience. Shamanism is based on the principle that innate wisdom and guidance can be accessed through the inner senses in ecstatic trance. No intermediary such as the church or priesthood is needed to access personal revelation and spiritual experience. The essence of shamanism is the experience of direct revelation from within. Shamanism is about remembering, exploring, and developing the true self. Shamanism places emphasis on the individual, of breaking free and discovering your own uniqueness in order to bring something new back to the group.
 

Psychology. Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behavior.  Psychologists endeavor to understand the motivations and intentions inherent within a person's mental and emotional behaviors. It does so by uncovering the hidden agendas and issues at play in a persons actions and choices. Shamanism acknowledges the value of the psychological perspective, however, it does not seek to understand a person's underlying issues and intentions. That is best left to trained psychologists. Indeed, from the shamanic perspective--which is to say a soul-centered perspective, rather than a mental perspective--it is understood that the inner state of the soul is expressed as thoughts, feelings and emotions in the outer, physical realm. The mental and emotional conditions are but the symptoms or manifestation of the inner state of the soul. Shamanism is a paradigm of self-empowerment, which enables people to engage the soul in ways that foster its growth and evolution.
 

Metaphysics. Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy concerned with the fundamental nature of reality and being. The perspective of metaphysics is that everything has a function or purpose and its essential nature is to grow and achieve its purpose. It explores abstract concepts such as cause and effect (karma), the nature of time, the existence of God, the meaning of life, the relationship between mind and body, and the existence of free will. Unlike metaphysics, shamanism is based in personal accountability without the imposition of an all-powerful God or theoretical universal laws that dictate the circumstances of our lives. Shamanism is premised on spiritual sovereignty free of karmic reward and punishment. When presented with a situation, shamanism never endeavors to find what the lesson is, understand its purpose, or comprehend the meaning. Instead, practitioners seek to apply their knowledge and skills to resolve the situation. Practitioners employ time-tested methods for altering consciousness to find clarity and solve problems.
 

What Shamanism Is
 

Shamanism is a cross-cultural, spiritual path practiced in every continent of the world. It is the most ancient and most enduring spiritual tradition known to humanity. It predates and constitutes the foundation of all known religions, psychologies and philosophies. It originated among nomadic hunting and gathering societies. These ancient shamanic ways have withstood the tests of time, varying little from culture to culture. Over thousands of years of trial and error, primal peoples the world over developed the same basic principles and techniques of shamanic power and healing.
 

Shamanism represents a universal conceptual framework found among Indigenous tribal humans. It includes the belief that the natural world has two aspects: ordinary everyday awareness, formed by our habitual behaviors, patterns of belief, social norms, and cultural conditioning, and a second non-ordinary awareness accessed through altered states, or ecstatic trance, induced by shamanic practices such as repetitive drumming. The act of entering an ecstatic trance state is called the soul flight or shamanic journey, and it allows the journeyer to view life and life's problems from a detached, spiritual perspective, not easily achieved in a state of ordinary consciousness.
 

The shamanic practitioner traverses the inner realms 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 practitioner interacts with the inner spirit world, thereby influencing the outer material world. From a shamanic perspective, all human experience is self-generated. Experience is shaped from within since the inner world is a microcosm of the outer world. Each human being is a hologram of the universe. Essentially, we are the universe experiencing itself in human form.

Changing the World

Whether you realize it or not, you are creating your reality all the time. Your reality is the perfect, exact mirror of your thoughts and what you consistently focus upon. Every thought, idea, or image in the mind has form and substance. Everything that we perceive began with a thought. The structure of our universe is thought, mind and consciousness. Consciousness determines the form of our experience. Consciousness is the "theater of perceptual awareness." It is the collective consciousness of humanity that shapes physical reality. We are the universe made conscious to experience itself. We are mind. We live in a universe of mind. From photons to galaxies, life is conscious intelligent energy that can form itself into any pattern or function.
 

Metaphysically, the ultimate nature of existence is that there is but one consciousness which presides over a singular, yet multidimensional, field of energy that it can form into any patterns it desires by the exercise of its thoughts and intentions. And these patterns encompass everything seen and unseen. This consciousness has been referred to as source consciousness, universal consciousness, or cosmic consciousness. Moreover, cosmic consciousness not only creates patterns of energy, it can also perceive and experience them.
 

There is only consciousness, information and the perception of information, and this facilitates the creation and experience of multiple realities. The world that you believe exists outside of you is basically an illusion--it is a purely perceptual experience. Your experiences are real, but the outer world is imaginary. Your reality is only information that was imagined into existence and is essentially just imagery that your consciousness perceives. Perception is an illusory product of consciousness. The world around you is nothing more than a very convincing perceptual illusion.
 

If consciousness creates reality, then change starts within. It starts with the way you observe the outer world from your inner world. You can change the outer world by changing your inner world. The world is your stage. The stage that collective reality plays out on is just there to create a context within which to play out the story of your personal reality. You can create anything you want in life, and it is not limited to what already exists in the collective reality, but it does provide a host of options to select into your life. However, they are all optional--they cannot enter into your experience unless you invite them in with your thoughts. In fact, the collective reality can be a distraction that lures you into focusing on "what is" instead of "what can be."
 

Quantum physics points out that this is a participatory universe in which the power to change reality is literally in our hands at every moment. Modern physics is describing what indigenous shamans have long known. Shamans know that the creative matrix of the universe exists within human consciousness, enabling humans to participate in creation itself. For the shaman, changing reality is not just an ability, but also a duty one must perform so that future generations will inherit a world where they can live in peace, harmony and abundance.
 

Shamans access the creative matrix through techniques of ecstasy such as drumming. Rhythmic drumming is a simple and effective way to induce an ecstatic trance state. Shamanic drumming transports you to the creative matrix within. It is an inward spiritual journey of ecstasy in which you interact with the inner world, thereby influencing the outer world. Ecstatic trance enables you to participate directly in the work of encountering and transforming your inner structure, which mirrors your reality. Structure determines how energy will flow, where it will be directed, and what new forms and structures will be created. Through the transformation of your inner landscapes, you transform the external landscapes. You create new forms, new structures that are not based on hierarchy, estrangement and exploitation. You renew the Sacred Hoop of life on Earth.

Taking the Shamanic Journey

An excerpt from my book, Shamanic Journeys: An Anthology

 

Shamanism is based on the principle that the spiritual world may be contacted through the inner senses in ecstatic trance. Basically, shamanic journeying is a way of communicating with your inner or spirit self and retrieving information. Your inner self is in constant communication with all aspects of your environment, seen and unseen. You need only journey within to find answers to your questions. You should have a question or objective in mind from the start. Shamanic journeying may be undertaken for purposes of divination, for personal healing, to meet one's power animal or spirit guide, or for any number of other reasons. After the journey, you must then interpret the meaning of your trance experience.
 
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.
 

Communication in non-ordinary reality is characteristically archetypal, nonverbal and nonlinear in nature. The images we see during a shamanic journey have a universal, archetypical quality. Imagery from these experiences is a combination of our imagination and information conveyed to us by the spirits. Our imagination gives the journey a "container," which helps us to understand the messages we receive. It provides us with a way to understand and articulate the experience for ourselves and to others.
 

The Journey Process
 

To enter a trance state and support your journey, you will need a drum or a shamanic drumming recording. Shamanic drumming is drumming for the purpose of shamanic journeying. A good shamanic drumming recording should be pulsed at around three to four beats per second. There should be a call back signal near the end of the track, followed by a short period of drumming to assist you in refocusing your awareness back to your physical body. You may also rattle, chant or sing to induce trance. There is no right or wrong way to journey. Be innovative and try different ways of journeying. Many people need to move, dance or sing their journeys. My first journeys were supported by listening to a shamanic drumming recording, but now I have much stronger journeys when I drum for myself.
 

Another way to train yourself to focus and concentrate is to narrate your journey as you are experiencing it. To set this up, you need headphones to listen to the drumming recording and a recorder of some kind. The simultaneous narration and recording technique can be distracting at first, but it is a good way to make sure you are getting all the information your helping spirits are giving you.
 
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. Smudge to create a purified space, and then open sacred space by calling in the benevolent powers of the seven directions: East, South, West, North, Up, Down and Within. Dim the lights and sit erect in a chair or on the floor. Close your eyes and ground yourself with some mindful breathing until you are calm and relaxed.
 

2. Having established sacred space, it is important to form your intention or objective for the journey. It is best to have only one inquiry or question per journey. It is important to focus on the issue that you want to know more about. Focusing on an issue develops a receptive state of mind and helps you clarify what it is you are truly seeking.
 

3. After clarifying the intended objective, begin playing a repetitive rhythm that begins slowly, and then gradually builds in intensity to a steady tempo of three to four beats per second (or listen to your shamanic drumming recording). As the drumming begins, close your eyes and focus a moment on the inquiry free of any distractions, emotions or attachments that could distort the response.
 

4. Next, you should clear your mind of everything. Focused intent, to be effective, should be followed by complete surrender and detachment. Focus your attention on the sound of the drum, thereby stilling the mind. Allow the drum to empty you. Become one with the drum.
 

5. At this point, you may find it helpful to imagine with all your senses the entrance to a cave, an opening in the Earth, or a hollow tree trunk that you have seen or visited. Use an image that you are comfortable with and one that you can clearly visualize. Clear your mind of everything but this image.
 

6. Approach the entrance or opening and enter it. You may have to pass through some swirling energy, water or fog in order to enter the portal. Typically, you will meet an entity here that will act as your spirit guide. It may appear to you as an animal, a person, a light, a voice, or have no discernible form at all. If you are uncomfortable or put off by whatever appears, ask it to take another form. It is important that you see, feel, hear, or in some way sense the presence of an ally that you trust and feel at ease with before proceeding with your first journey. If you do not, then return through the entrance and journey another time.
 

7. Pose your query to the guide. Your spirit guide may simply answer your question, but most likely will lead you on a journey. Your guide may become your mount for the journey. Follow your guide's instructions implicitly. If asked to leave, do so at once. Typically, you will proceed down a tunnel at a rapid pace. If you encounter an obstacle, just go over or around it, or look for an opening through it.
 

8. When you emerge from the passage, you will find yourself in the Lower World. You may be led to a helping spirit that can answer your question. You may go through different landscapes and experience different situations. The possibilities are endless. Just go with the flow and observe whatever happens without trying to analyze anything.
 

9. When it feels appropriate, gradually slow the tempo of your drumming and retrace your steps back. To achieve this, simply do your journey in reverse. There is no need to rush, and it is not critical that you retrace your route precisely. The reason for retracing your steps is to help you remember the route so that in subsequent journeys you will be able to travel to and from the Lower World with greater ease and efficiency. Upon your return to the entrance, thank your guide, emerge from the opening and return to your body.
 

10. Once you have returned to ordinary reality, end your drum journey with four strong beats to signal that the sacred time of focus is ended. If you are listening to a shamanic drumming recording, most recordings have a similar call back signal near the end of the track to indicate that you should return to ordinary reality. If for any reason you want to come back before the call back, just retrace your steps back. Sit quietly for a few moments, and then open your eyes.
 

It would be advisable to record your journey in a journal as soon as you have returned to ordinary reality. Journeys, like dreams, tend to fade quickly from conscious awareness. Very little may happen on your first journeys. You may only experience darkness. When this happens, simply try again at a different time. Shamanic journey work is a learned skill that improves with practice. The key is to practice and to establish a long-term relationship with your spirit guides.

1. C. Michael Smith, Jung and Shamanism in Dialogue (New York: Paulist Press, 1997) p 16.

Myth as a Map for Inner Journeys

Shamanism is based on the principle that innate wisdom and guidance can be accessed through the inner senses in ecstatic trance. Ecstatic trance is an academic term referring to those inwardly focused experiences of cosmic oneness, that mystical connection to a living, intelligent Universe that exists within each of us. Practitioners enter altered states of consciousness in order to perceive and interact with the inner world of the self. The act of entering an ecstatic trance state is called the soul flight or shamanic journey. 

 

The capacity to enter a range of trance states is a natural manifestation of human consciousness. A landmark study by Michael Winkelman, one of the foremost scholars on shamanism today, reveals that the cross-cultural manifestations of basic experiences related to shamanism (e.g., soul flight, death-and-rebirth, animal identities) are rooted in innate functions of the brain, mind and consciousness.(1) The inherent ability to enter trance states makes us human, not shamans. What makes shamans unique is their mastery over an otherwise normal human trait. It requires a great deal of training, practice and devotion to master any expressive art. Shamans master the art of ecstasy to see the true nature of the Universe.
 

Rhythmic drumming is a simple and effective way to induce ecstatic trance states. When a drum is played at an even tempo of three to four beats per second for at least 15 minutes, most people can journey successfully even on their first attempt. Transported by the driving beat of the drum, the journeyer travels to the inner planes of consciousness, using myth as an inner map to guide their journey. Myth is the reality of the soul, just as history is the reality of the temporal world.
 

The Shaman's Mythic Cosmos
 

According to shamanic cosmology, there are three inner planes of consciousness: the Upper, Middle and Lower Worlds. There are numerous levels in both the Lower and Upper Worlds and they exist outside of time. The upper or celestial realm is the home of the Star Nations and Thunder Beings--a related family of divine beings who bring about weather changes and sustain life on Earth. This shamanic realm relates to our higher self or superconsciousness. It is the domain of divine archetypes such as angels, deities and evolved teachers. They may include great spiritual teachers such as Jesus, Buddha, Lao-Tzu, and so on. In this realm are the archetypal patterns or original energetic blueprints of everything that has or will ever exist. The celestial realm forms the matrix of possibilities that correspond to the world we experience through our mind and senses. All situations, conditions and states of being are a manifestation of a world of archetypes--as above, so below. Every event in the visible world is the effect of a "seed" image or pattern in the unseen world.

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.
 

The Lower World relates to our unconscious mind. It is the realm of animal spirits, spirit guides and the ancestors, the place to which human spirits travel upon physical death. This inner plane is the domain of power animals, also known as guardian spirits, spirit allies, totem animals and tutelary animals. A power animal is the primeval oversoul that represents the entire species of that animal. A spirit journey to the Lower World is generally undertaken to seek the help and guidance of one's power animal, to connect with benevolent ancestors, to recover lost power, or to find and return a sick person's wandering spirit. Moreover, just to clear up any misconceptions, the shamanic underworld is not associated with anything dark, sinister or evil. That concept belongs to a completely different, often monotheistic religious belief system and cosmology.

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.

 

The three cosmic realms are linked together by a vertical axis that is commonly referred to as the World Tree or axis mundi. The roots of the cosmic World Tree touch the Lower World. Its trunk is the Middle World, and its branches hold up the Upper World. This central axis (spinal column) exists within each of us. Through the sound of the drum, which is invariably made of wood from the World Tree, the shaman is transported to the cosmic axis within and conveyed from plane to plane. As Tuvan Siberian ethnomusicologist 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."(3)

 

The Inner Journey

 

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 essence of shamanism is the experience of direct revelation from within. Shamanism is about remembering, exploring and developing the true self. Shamanism places emphasis on the individual, of breaking free and discovering one's own uniqueness in order to bring something new back to the community. 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.

 

We can engage the blueprint of our soul path through the vehicle of journeying. Shamanic journeying is a time-tested medium for individual self-realization. We can journey within to access wisdom and energies that can help awaken our soul calling and restore us to wholeness. It heightens our sense of mission and purpose, empowering our personal evolution. I invite you to try a shamanic journey.

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.

Shamanic Cosmology: The Reality of the Soul

Myth is the reality of the soul, just as history is the reality of the temporal world. Humans have always looked beyond the factual world of ordinary reality for something solid on which to ground their lives. The models of the mystery of life have always been based on the wisdom of inner vision. "Mythological cosmologies do not correspond to the world of gross facts, but are functions of dreams and visions," writes the late Joseph Campbell, one of the great mythologists of the twentieth century.(1) Dreams and visions have always been, and will always be, the creative forces that shape cosmology, which embodies a culture's basic ideas, truths and understanding about the nature of the universe. A culture's mythical cosmology gives physical shape to its mystical ideas in the form of stories and rituals. It is an inherent product of the psyche, a symbolic language of metaphysics recognized by shamans and seers.
 

Mythological cosmology is evocative rather than referential. It is not science or history, but rather symbolism that serves as a catalyst of spiritual well-being. In shamanic cultures, mythic cosmology serves a dual function. It not only engages the individual both emotionally and intellectually in the local tribe, but also serves as a means of disengaging from this local system in order to experience the "Great Mystery." It disengages the individual from the integrating component of ordinary thinking consciousness and invokes the mysteries of the imagination and intuition. The emphasis is on the individual, of breaking free and discovering one's own uniqueness in order to bring something new back to the group.
 

Shamanic practitioners utilize trance-inducing rhythmic drumming as a means of journeying into the mythic realms of the soul. Transported by the driving beat of the drum, the journeyer travels to the inner planes of consciousness, using myth as an inner map to guide their journey. There is a bridge on the sound waves of the drum that convey you from one world to another. In the sound world, a tunnel opens through which you can pass. When you stop playing the drum, the bridge disappears.
 

Cosmologically, the drum depicts a microcosm of the universe, as well as the vehicle of travel. Carried away on the sound of the drum, the shaman's spirit is said to ride on the animal whose hide is stretched over the drum frame. The frame of the shaman's drum is invariably round, symbolizing the circle of life. In the shaman's world, all aspects of life, energy, and the cosmos spiral in circles. The plants, the animals, the minerals, and the elemental forces of nature all exist within the circle. All creatures walk the circumference of the wheel of life, experiencing birth, life, and death. After completing a cycle of learning on the sacred wheel, each one returns to the source, the Great Mystery at the center of the circle.
 

Transformations of Myth through Time
 

The cosmology of the drum, as well as that of shamanism itself, represents the worldview of animistic Paleolithic hunting societies. The archetypal symbolism developed from a reciprocal relationship that existed between animals hunted and the tribal cultures dependent for sustenance on their offering themselves. The totemic animals or animal archetypes are themselves great teachers as well as man's co-descendants from the mythical paradise. The totemic animals gave to humans the rites to be performed whenever game animals were slain so that their spirits would return to the source for rebirth. The hunt itself was a rite of sacrifice. When the rites were properly performed and recognition thus given to the order of nature, then harmony with nature was maintained and a food supply assured.
 

The structures of shamanic cultures are circular. Like the hoop of the drum, the circle represents the wheel of life. All are equal in the circle; no one is above or below. In a circle, each person's face can be seen; each person's voice can be heard and valued.
 

Agriculture transformed the structures and cosmologies of shamanic cultures. Nomadic, subsistence hunting societies were assimilated into food growing communities structured on hierarchy. The Neolithic order of agricultural societies imposed a rigid social system on Paleolithic peoples used to the freedom and rites of the hunt. The plant displaced the animal as the model of the mysteries of life. Complex ceremonials and rituals based on the cycle of death and rebirth in the plant kingdom rigidly interlocked all individuals into the endless formal procedure. Shamans, with their individualistic style of spiritual experience, were viewed as a threat to the dogma of the ecclesiastical hierarchies. Shamanism was discredited as heresy and replaced by a socially anointed priesthood.
 

The paramount function of mythic cosmology in agricultural societies has always been that of suppressing individualism. Generally, this has been achieved by imposing dogmatic archetypes of behavior, symbols, and belief systems on people. Individual expression, interests, or modes of experience contrary to the social mandala are discouraged. The cultural imprinting of hierarchical, agriculturally based societies leaves the individual outside the realm of personal spiritual experience. Any sense of the Great Mystery is beyond the individual's grasp.
 

Today the mythologies of hierarchy and the priesthood are dissolving. Individuals are searching for new ways to relate to nature and spirituality. Joseph Campbell wrote, "What is required of us all, spiritually as well as corporeally, is much more the fearless self-sufficiency of our shamanistic inheritance rather than the timorous piety of the priest-guided Neolithic."(2)
 

Shamanic cosmology is one of disengagement from the rigid patterns that suppress the manifestations of individualism. Through the beat of the drum, a sense of the original source is evoked, along with the forces of the universe, which have been suppressed in the subliminal abyss of the unconscious for six thousand years. The drum, as a microcosm, becomes a tool for effecting changes in the macrocosm. It enables us to participate directly in the work of encountering and transforming our inner structure, which mirrors our culture. Structure determines how energy will flow, where it will be directed, and what new forms and structures will be created. Through the transformation of our inner landscapes, we transform the external landscapes. We create new forms, new structures that are not based on hierarchy, estrangement, and exploitation. We renew the sacred hoop of harmony and balance. This is the work of the shaman--of myth making.

1. Joseph Campbell, The Flight of the Wild Gander (South Bend: Regnery/Gateway, Inc., 1979).
2. Joseph Campbell, The Flight of the Wild Gander.

Honoring the Spirits of the Home

Shamanism is a way of perceiving the nature of the universe in a way that incorporates the normally invisible world where the spirits of all material things dwell. Shamans have different terms and phrases for the unseen world, but most of them clearly imply that it is the realm where the spirits of the land, animals, ancestors, and other spiritual entities dwell. Spirit encompasses all the immaterial forms of life energy that surround us. We are woven together into a net of life energies that are all around us. These energies can appear to us in different forms, such as spirits of the land or spirits of the home. Spirits of the home are the spirits that inhabit our place of refuge: where we live, where we work and where we play. These kinds of spirits share our homes with us and help us in our times of need.
 

Honoring the spirits that share our homes is important for our well-being. House spirits in many ways are the heart of the house itself and can affect the home's atmosphere as well as influencing the occupant’s moods and physical health. All homes have spirits, and in many cases there are layers of spirits. Spirits of the home are the echoes of people, of events, of ideas which have become imprinted upon a location, for better or for worse. House spirits may manifest as vague feelings or impressions associated with an area, but more often they appear with a clear physical form. Spirits of the home may be the manifestation of a home's spirit or they may be a spirit that is strongly tied to a home, but either way they have the ability to influence a person or family's luck, health, and mood. Most homes will have several different spirits associated with them, usually at least one with the home itself and in homes with an attached yard possibly more.
 

Honoring the spirits of a home is much easier than most people realize. It requires being open and aware of their presence without judgment or expectation. Know that the spirits are there and acknowledge their presence. Be respectful of them in word and action. Here are some good ways to honor the spirits of your home:
 

Cleanse Your Home
 

Honoring the spirits of your home begins with cleansing your abode. Your house holds the energies of all your emotional ups and downs. It collects the energies of all of your houseguests, domestic disputes, family emergencies, holidays, and so on. Picking up negative energy that is not ours can make us less balanced and can cause blockages to the natural flow of energy in our body. We may feel tired, unbalanced, anxious, depressed or even sick. The most important thing you can do is to smudge yourself and your home each day. Smudging is a method of using smoke from burning herbs to dispel negative energy. Sage, cedar and sweetgrass are traditionally used for smudging. To smudge, light the dried herbs in a fire-resistant receptacle, and then blow out the flames. Then use a feather or your hands to fan the smoke around your body and home. I recommend cracking a window or door for ventilation and for releasing unwanted energies.
 

Bless Your Home
 

Blessing a home, similar to cleansing one, is merely working to keep certain energies flowing within the house. We perform blessings on our homes to attract harmony, happiness, and prosperity to our dwelling and that can be done as often as we feel the need to. Many shamanic practitioners recommend the use of holy or consecrated water for blessing a home. The practice of charging water with intention, words, and sound is widely practiced in indigenous cultures throughout the world. In fact, people have believed in our ability to influence water since the days of antiquity. The Christian tradition is the obvious example, with the ongoing performing of rituals that turn regular water into holy water. Essentially, holy water is water with salt added during a rite of blessing. Learn how to make your own consecrated water, and use it for cleansing, protection and blessing. Pour some holy water into a spray bottle. To bless and protect your home, spray holy water around the perimeter of your dwelling and yard. You can also incorporate an incantation or spoken prayer into your blessing. This can be as simple as saying, "I bless this home with happiness. I bless this home with love. I bless this home with prosperity…"
 

Make Offerings to the Spirits
 

Offerings are a beautiful way to acknowledge and honor your household spirits. Giving and receiving are an essential part of any relationship. Anything can be used as an offering, but food is common in many cultures across the world. A simple way to incorporate food as an offering is to simply leave a portion of your meal for the spirits near the hearth or on an altar. An altar is any structure upon which we place offerings and sacred objects that have spiritual or cosmological significance. It represents the center and axis of your sacred space. A simple altar can be created with a cloth, a candle and other symbols that mean something to you. Offerings can be made weekly, monthly or annually and might include fresh flowers, herbs, incense, fruits, milk, or wine. The offerings serve as an acknowledgement and sign of gratitude for the spirits presence and beneficial activity.
 

Listen to the Spirits
 

Developing a relationship with your house and its spirit is very important for your home is your sanctuary; it keeps you safe and warm and protected from the elements. Let your home speak to you. As shamanic practitioners, we are often able to hear things that others cannot. And we know that it is not uncommon for spirits to speak up when they want something specific. Our houses can be the same way. Take some time to sit quietly in your house and listen to it. Be open to communication and let it tell you what color walls it was happiest with, what kind of music it prefers, or what holiday traditions it was fondest of; and let these messages guide your offerings.

 

As with any relationship it takes time and effort to build a connection with your house spirit, but it is worthwhile. Most home spirits are more open to human connection than the spirits of the land. Keep in mind that spirits choose to come into relationship with the person seeking. You can seek a connection, but the spirits must choose. Respect and connection to spirits is what makes for an authentic relationship, which is what the shamanic practitioner yearns for in a society that has severed itself from nature and spirit. Humans have lost touch with the spirit world and the wisdom of inner knowing. The spirits, however, have not forgotten us. They are calling us to a path of environmental sanity, to rejoining the miraculous cycle of nature.

Initiation into Shamanism

Shamanic initiation is a rite of passage, connecting the apprentice shaman intimately to Spirit. It is probably the most powerful and least understood of all forms of spiritual awakening. It is not achieved by having mastered a body of knowledge or having completed some long-term training program. Though it may be set in motion by an apprentice's human teachers as part of an ordered training process, authentic initiation can only be conveyed by the spirits themselves. Ultimately, shamanic initiation takes place between the initiate and the spirit world. It is the spirits who choose and make the shaman.
 

The most frequent and most genuine manner of shamanic initiation is that of crisis, often involving psychological and physical suffering. The encounter with illness, suffering, and death not only opens the world of the spirits to the shaman, it also provides an experiential ground for the healing work that the shaman will later be doing. Election can also occur through heredity, signs at birth, a proclivity or gift that is recognized in childhood, through a realization arising in the course of a ceremonial event, or in the experience of a vision quest.
 

Shamanic initiation is typically the final step in becoming a shamanic healer, a process that is facilitated by the aspirant's shamanic teachers as part of a training regimen. However, initiation may also be spontaneous, set in motion by Spirit's intervention into the initiate's life. To be initiated by a helping spirit forever transforms your life. For the uninitiated, this can be problematic to say the least. They may have no clear idea of what is happening to them, and may find themselves overwhelmed by fear of their nonordinary experience. 

The Dismemberment Journey

Initiation into shamanhood often involves the visionary experience of symbolic dismemberment--the experience of being taken apart, devoured, or torn to pieces. In a classic dismemberment journey, the apprentice witnesses their own body being torn apart and perhaps completely destroyed. The apprentice dies a symbolic death and is then restored and brought back to life, whole and empowered. At its deepest level, the dismemberment experience dismantles our old identity. It is a powerful death-and-rebirth process. The experience of being stripped layer by layer, down to bare bones forces us to examine the bare essence of what we truly are.
 

Anthropologist Felicitas Goodman, the modern discoverer of Ecstatic Body Postures, notes that Siberian shamans considered dismemberment to be an essential phase of initiation for healers. Goodman researched and explored ritual body postures as a means to achieve a bodily induced trance experience and discovered that this archetype appears to be universal. In her trance work with Westerners, those who experienced spontaneous dismemberment visions were invariably destined to become various kinds of healers.
 

Completing this restorative rite is precisely the task of the shaman. As Joan Halifax explains in her book Shamanic Voices, "The shaman is a healed healer who has retrieved the broken pieces of his or her body and psyche and, through a personal rite of transformation, has integrated many planes of life experience: the body and the spirit, the ordinary and nonordinary, the individual and the community, nature and supernature, the mythic and the historical, the past, the present and the future." The cure for dismemberment is remembering who we actually are. As Halifax puts it, "To bring back to an original state that which was in primordial times whole and is now broken and dismembered is not only an act of unification, but also a divine remembrance of a time when a complete reality existed."(1)
 

Shamanic initiation functions as a transformer--it causes a radical change in the initiate forever. An initiation marks a transition into a new way of being in the world. It informs us about the mystery of life and death. According to noted shamanic teacher and author Sandra Ingerman, "Initiation is the death, dismembering, and dissolving of old forms, structures, and ways of life. And I have come to understand that true initiation is allowing Spirit to sing into creation the new forms and new creations. Allowing Spirit to sing formlessness into form creates a new evolution of consciousness."(2)
 

Shamanic initiation is complicated, profound and nothing short of life-altering--in the best possible way. While it may not be easy, it will improve your life for the better with patience, trial and error, and the passage of time. If you find yourself in one, all you can do is trust the process, hang on tight, and get ready for a newly awakened life.
 

Global Dismemberment
 

There is so much more to discover and explore about shamanic initiations and the deep spiritual knowledge held in Indigenous cultures. Now that the present world-age during which all human civilization developed is ending, it might be time to pay more attention to the experience of those whose world has already ended: Indigenous peoples. Depending on how you count them, there may be up to three hundred million Indigenous people still on the planet. Most are survivors of colonialism. The genocide of the Indigenous peoples was the beginning of the modern world for Europeans, but the former remain as veritable end of the world experts. Models for restoring our relationship with the earth exist in the cultures of Indigenous peoples, whose values and skills have enabled them to survive centuries of invasion and exploitation.
 

From an Indigenous perspective, the global climate and ecological crisis represents a mass shamanic dismemberment--the experience of being taken apart, devoured, or torn to pieces on a global scale, allowing for a shift of awareness and transformation of collective consciousness. The acceleration of planetary crises can either provoke a planetary awakening and a shift into a regenerative planetary culture based on shamanic wisdom and sustainable principles, or a destruction of human civilization in its current form, and perhaps extinction for our species. We are all responsible, for better or worse.

 

As the global upheaval intensifies, our interest in shamanism represents an attempt to retrieve and include a part of our inner and outer lives that technology and civilization has consistently denied, suppressed, or destroyed since the advent of agriculture. The cultural imprinting of hierarchical, agriculturally based societies leaves the individual outside the realm of personal spiritual experience. Any sense of the Great Mystery is beyond the individual's grasp. In the contemporary world, where our rites of passage for young men mean going to war, in a world where social turmoil and environmental disaster induce fear, anxiety and despair, the way of the shaman, the one who is a master of the initiatic crisis, might well be of great value for all of us.

 

1. Joan Halifax, Shamanic Voices: A Survey of Visionary Narratives (Penguin, 1991), pp. 18-22.
2. Sandra Ingerman. "Messages from Sandra Ingerman." Transmutation News (Mar. 2011): <https://www.sandraingerman.com/transmutation-news/english/english-2011/page/2/>.

The Many Lives of Mongolian Shamanism

The following is excerpted from Sky Shamans of Mongolia: Meetings with Remarkable Healers by Kevin Turner.
 

For thousands of years, Mongolia has been a nexus of Eurasian shamanisms that competed, mixed, and meshed across our planet's largest continent. Shamanism appears to have emerged with the very dawn of human consciousness, but archeologists can probably speak with confidence about only the past 30,000 to 70,000 years.
 

Archeological discoveries in Eurasia alone indicate that the practice of shamanism reaches back at least to 35,000 BCE, easily making shamanism the oldest spiritual practice known to mankind. Modern religious faiths such as Buddhism and Christianity are toddlers in comparison, and psychology is a mere newborn.
 

The word shaman originated from the Tungusic tribal language groups (from areas to the north and east of Mongolia), which are related to Mongolic languages. These are both part of the broader Altaic language group, which includes Turkic, Manchurian, and scores of other Inner Asian and Siberian languages, and may include Korean and Japanese at the easternmost reach. The modern term "shaman" has now been adopted by many as a catch-all word to describe those who by spiritual means seek direct access to information and healing power not ordinarily available.
 

The nomadic northern Siberian shamanic traditions tend to retain the highly individualistic aspects of shamanism; by contrast, a most interesting facet of Mongolian and Inner Asian shamanism is the amalgamation of the shamans' direct experiences of other realities with a religious belief system known as Tengerism (Heaven or Sky God-ism). Tengerism originated in Sumeria, one of humanity's earliest civilizations, and probably derived from the early experiences of the shamans, prophets, and mystics of pre-Mesopotamian eras.
 

The modern Mongolian term Tenger (or Tengri), meaning both "sky realms" and "sky spirits," almost certainly derives from the Sumerian word Dingir, also meaning both "sky realm(s)" and "deity(-ies)." The concept of divinity in Sumerian was closely associated with the heavens, evident from the shared cuneiform sign for both heaven and sky, and from the fact that its earliest form is a star shape. The name of every deity in Sumerian is prefixed by a star symbol. 

 

Mircea Eliade proposed that Tengrism may be the closest thing we have found to a reconstructed proto-Indo-European religion. It is also evident that Tengrism's three-layered worldview is nearly identical to the tripartite world found in many kinds of shamanism, as well as the Vedic triloka ("three realms") world structure.
 

In Mongolian, one who travels the realms of the Tengers is called a Tengeri--"sky-dweller; sky-walker." I like to think that Luke Skywalker, the young warrior-shaman Jedi knight of the fictional Star Wars films, may have inherited his name from this tradition. Interestingly, the BBC reports that in censuses taken in 2001 regarding spiritual beliefs, hundreds of thousands of people selected "Jediism" as their faith of choice--such is the power of shamanism even in our modern myths and legends.
 

The earliest authenticated records of Mongolian shamanism go back to the beginnings of the Hunnu Dynasty, 209-93 CE (also known as the Xiongnu in Chinese records). Mongolian legend tells us that, during this time, a nine-year-old Hunnu boy united with a she-wolf, engendering the modern-day Mongolian people. The headdress of a shaman (circa 300–100 BCE) was found in one of the graves of Noin-Ula (Mongolian: Noyon uulyn bulsh) in northern Mongolia, and is strikingly similar to the Mongol Darkhad headdress of today. The fabric's colors, weaving methods, and embroidery are also similar to those found in fabric produced by Scythians in the Greek colonies on the Black Sea coast, leading scholars to draw links between these ancient cultures. (Scythian tribal areas were just west of Mongolian territories.)
 

According to historian and researcher Otgony Purev, shamans played an important role in diplomatic efforts and treaties with neighboring nations. The Hunnu emperors even constructed permanent shamanic shrines, and encouraged individual shamans to synthesize their diverse practices into a national religion. "Shamanist religion" then became part of the organizational basis of governmental and military activity.
 

Shamanism became the main source of education and ideology for the earliest pre-Mongol states. This continued for nearly 400 years, and ties to education remain influential in the Mongolian shamanic revival even today. With the disintegration of the Hunnu Dynasty, institutionalized shamanism returned to its more natural, individualistic and autonomous forms across a series of disparate Inner Asian kingdoms that spanned a millennium.

"A Journey Into Shamanism" Book Sale

I am now offering a 50% discount on my ebook Riding Spirit Horse: A Journey Into Shamanism. The ebook sale price is $2.99. Offer good through July 31st, 2023. In this spiritual memoir, I recount my journey into shamanic practice. The narrative of my story moves from my first ecstatic experience as a youth at a church revival to my mystical shamanic awakening in the wilderness, transformational pilgrimages to sacred places, working with indigenous wisdom keepers, to the experiences that prompted my writing, particularly my trance experiences "riding the drum" or Spirit Horse. Studying with Native elders and shamans, I discovered my shamanic gifts as a drummer, storyteller and ceremonialist.
 

A journey into shamanism is a pilgrimage of the soul. My journey has taken me down many spiritual paths. As a youth growing up, I embraced the teachings of Christ; I later studied and practiced the teachings of Taoism and Buddhism, all of which have their roots in shamanic practices from the earliest tribal communities. Shared core principles and truths weave a common thread through all spiritual traditions. This golden thread runs through the lives and the teachings of all the great prophets, seers and sages in the world's history.
 
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.