         |
|
||
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Questions About Shamanic Journeys
|
Frequently Asked Questions Below you will find answers to:  Shamanic Journey Questions
If you have a question not answered in the Soul Healing website, please submit it to info@soulrestore.com. If suitable, we'll post the answer to the site. 
Q. What is a shamanic journey? A. It is a kind of active meditation in which you get into a relaxed state and imagine travelling to non-ordinary reality or the spirit world. You ask questions for guidance of your personal spirit helpers who appear to be animals or people. Journeying is not an out-of-body experience; you can be aware of ordinary reality surroundings. Everyone's experience is unique and personally meaningful to them. The key to doing a shamanic journey is to have a question or an intent that is important to you. For more information, see shamanic practice--shamanic journey. Q. What is non-ordinary reality like? A. Non-ordinary reality can look and feel like ordinary reality, or it can seem extraordinary e.g., crystal cities, giant geometric shapes. There are no boundaries of time and space in non-ordinary reality so you could swim like a fish to the bottom of the ocean, fly around the world in a few minutes, visit the spirits of people not physically present, or visit past and future times. Also, cause and effect work differently in non-ordinary reality. So you could fall from a great height and land easily on your feet. Or you could be torn apart by your power animal spirit helper and then put back together again and feel even better than before. Non-ordinary reality experiences usually feel like ordinary reality ones. They feel real. I have had a client experience running around a track for 20 minutes in non-ordinary reality. She was physically exhausted in ordinary reality afterwards! For more information, see shamanic practice. Q. I find it difficult to visualize. Would I be able to do shamanic journeys? A. Probably. Most descriptions of shamanic journeys are written as if the experience is a visual one. For many people, though, it is not visual at all, or what they see is hazy and indistinct. Each person seems to have their own shamanic sense. This can be hearing, in which you hear words and sounds; kinesthetic in which you have physical sensations or may feel yourself becoming different animals; or telepathically knowing what is happening or being communicated in your journey. Your shamanic strong sense may be different than your ordinary reality strong sense. The main task for a journeyer is to stay focused and flow with their own way of experiencing the journey. If not a visual experience for you, you may need to be resourceful in using your other senses, e.g., if you can't see your power animal, you can ask it if you can touch it all over to discover what it is, or ask it to make a sound. For more information, see shamanic practice. Q. I find it difficult to meditate. Will I be able to journey? A. Shamanic journeying may be the spiritual practice for you! Because you need to be so active in your imagination--to focus on your intention, ask questions, interact with characters--it is often very suited to people who have challenges sitting still and clearing their minds. Q. What is a power animal? A. Power animals are the characters who are generally our "tour guides" in non-ordinary reality. In shamanic cultures it is believed that we all have power animal(s) who act as our guardian spirit(s). Our power animal(s) represents our strengths, our qualities of character, our power. We may have more than one power animal, and they may change over time as our lives change and call us to have different kinds of strengths. Knowing what these animals are helps us connect with our own strengths, and infuses us with personal power. This enables us to create the lives we want. Q. What is a spirit guide? A. All of us have spirit guides or teachers, who appear to be people in non-ordinary reality. They can be archetypal figures (e.g., certain gods or goddesses, Grandfather Sun), or historical figures (e.g., Jesus), people of any culture of any time period, even people we may know or have known. Many have experienced their spirit guides as the unseen voice or presence that has warned them or comforted them at critical times in their lives. Spirit guides or teachers are wise advisors from whom we can seek guidance. We can also ask our spirit teachers to help us with ordinary reality challenges (e.g., improving my relationship with so-and-so, opening my new business). If it is in the greater good, we often find miraculous support in meeting our intended goals. Our spirit helpers can give us advice, but are not there to make our decisions for us. We have free will and are intended to use it, co-creating our own and the collective experience with their spiritual assistance. Q. Are shamanic journeys the same as dreams? A. Not really, although they are similar. It seems that some of our dreams can be shamanic, in that we meet with spirit helpers and receive guidance. And lucid dreams, in which we are conscious enough to interact and control what happens in our dreams, can be very much like shamanic journeys. The experiences we have in shamanic journeys are often like those of dreams, where things are represented in symbolic ways, or in pantomimes, that we may need to interpret. Shamanic journeys differ from most dreams in that you have a question you want to ask, or an intention for the journey. You also are conscious and can interact with the characters in your journey. You are co-creating the experience, so if you don't like where you are, or what's going on, you can ask for it to change. Q. How can I learn to shamanic journey? A. The best way to learn to shamanic journey is with an experienced teacher. Although you can learn it alone through reading and practicing, most people find this difficult. Also there are precautions and helpful measures that are best learned with someone with experience. For opportunities to learn shamanic journeying see events. Q. How often do you need to do shamanic journeys? A. As often as you like. Shamanism is an individual practice and you should do what suits you best. Some people like to set aside a certain time every week to journey. I prefer to wait until I have a question or intent that is important to me. This means that at times I don't journey for myself for a month, and at other intense times I journey three times a day. Even if you only journey once in your lifetime that could be enough for you. Q. Why are drums used for journeying? A. Because drumming helps to put you in the shamanic state of consciousness--a relaxed, dreamy state in which you are most receptive to non-ordinary reality. Quick, steady percussive sound from a drum, objects clicking together, or a rattle will change your brain waves to this receptive state within 7 minutes. People have also used free-form dance or other music, such as that made by the didgeridoo, chanting voices, or tibetan bowls to accompany their shamanic practice. Having some kind of sound also cuts out other distracting noise and helps you focus on the journey. You can journey without any sound too; it just takes more concentration. Q. I don't have a drum or rattle. How can I journey? A. You can use a drum cd. My drum cd is available for purchase on this site. Many self-help bookstores have tapes you can use as well. You could also make your own inexpensive rattle by putting rice in a photo film container, or lentils or popcorn in a pill bottle. |
||||||||||||||||||
Calgary Alberta Canada crediting Laureen Rama as the author. |
|||||||||||||||||||
