Tips for Success | Shamanic Journeys

Tips for Successful Shamanic Journeys

Preparing to Journey

Consistency in preparation and setting intentions makes great journeys. Why – because your guides, allies, and power animals will be honored by your commitment and preparation to come see them. This is sacred work. You are building

a relationship with them as you would a beloved new friend. Get to know them. You want this relationship to be long and lasting so when something serious comes up in your life you have already built trust and an alliance with your guides.

Keep these items in a secure place and ONLY available for you to use.
* Eye covering
* Stone to hold
* Dedicated cover/blanket to use ONLY for journeywork
* Drumming music – best used with earphones – 15 minutes is perfect length to build new skills. Be in a safe place
   physically to do your journeys – usually indoors – no loose kids, animals, spouses – phones off - shut door (and lock)
so no one can walk in on you and scare  you if you get into a deep state of non-ordinary reality (NOR). Also . . . it's
NEVER good to journey in your car. This can be very jarring - trust me. Because someone might walk by and innocently
   rap on the window to to see if you are OK. The same could go with journeying in a park and getting deep into NOR.
* Pen/Journal dedicated to ONLY your journeywork – to write the date, time and your journey
   intention – FOR YOUR EYES ONLY !

Intentions are Important

Intention - date - time of day

Dating the day you journey can be a great reference point for your work, personal growth and skill building. Time of day
can be important when life begins to change or people feel something different because you journeyed to affect change in yourself. Many times a person has mentioned a different feeling regarding something that was tied to journeywork. If you choose to eventually work with clients, their changes and your date and time do convince clients that this is real.

Writing intentions is a pathway to information. It’s like a diary of your internal personal work. Be specific with your
intention instead of global. You can always ask questions when you are in the journey in non-ordinary reality (NOR).

Global Example: “Show me how to feel better”

Well . . . ABOUT WHAT? Health? Relationships? Work? Money? When your journeys are specific
then your allies have a better chance of helping you at the beginning of the journey.

Better Example: “Show me what I need to know about feeling better with Mary at work
who constantly criticizes my work”

Drumming and Brain Waves

Always Journey while listening to the drumming – or some people like to listen to a rattle. The swishing sound of the rattle can act like a “white noise” which also lowers the brain waves. However, the rattle is best when done in a consistent speed and tone. The reason to listen to the drumming is to lower your brain waves into a deep theta or delta state of awareness where a part of your soul-self energy can travel outside of your body into non-ordinary reality (NOR) to gather information for various reasons. This allows you to bypass the critical-thinking conscious mind and connect with the subconscious mind.

People who simply close their eyes and grab info out of the air are NOT doing a shamanic journey. They are NOT in a deep state of relaxation or leave their body to travel into NOR. They are most likely also NOT bypassing the critical-thinking mind and NOT allowing the guides and allies to do the work. This is NOT clean and clear information coming directly from the spirit world. Are there people who CAN get info from the spirit world in ordinary reality- yes, absolutely. However, they are NOT doing a "shamanic journey."

Beta (12-30Hz): Beta brain waves are associated with normal waking consciousness and a heightened state of alertness, logic and critical reasoning. The voice of Beta is the little nagging chatterbox of your inner critic, which becomes louder and more relentless the higher you go in the range.
Alpha (7.5-12Hz): Alpha brain waves are present in deep relaxation with the eyes usually closed and while day-dreaming. The relaxed detached awareness achieved during light meditation is characteristic of Alpha and is optimal for programming your mind for success. Alpha heightens your imagination, visualization, memory, learning and concentration. It lies at the base of your conscious awareness and is the gateway to your subconscious mind. The voice of Alpha is your intuition, which becomes clearer and more profound the closer you get to 7.5Hz.
Theta (4-7.5Hz): Theta brain waves are present during deep meditation and light sleep, including the REM dream state. Theta is the realm of your subconscious mind. It is also known as the twilight state as it is normally only momentarily experienced as you drift off to sleep (from Alpha) and arise from deep sleep (from Delta). A sense of deep spiritual connection and oneness with the Universe can be experienced at Theta. Vivid visualizations, great inspiration, profound creativity, exceptional insight as well as your mind's most deep-seated programs are all at Theta. The voice of Theta is silence.
Delta (0.5-4Hz): The Delta frequency is the slowest and is present in deep, dreamless sleep and in very deep, transcendental meditation where awareness is completely detached. Delta is the realm of your unconscious mind. It is the gateway to the Universal mind and the collective unconscious whereby information received is otherwise unavailable at the conscious level. Delta is associated with deep healing and regeneration, underlining the importance of deep sleep to the healing process.

https://www.mind-your-reality.com/brain_waves.html

Relative Truth vs Authentic Truth

There are millions of books and literature that the author wrote form their perspectives on a particular subject. Since you know how to journey . . . get it straight from source – YOUR guides, power animals or spiritual allies or teachers that know about you. They love you. They have your highest good in mind. I used to tell this analogy story in classes about authentic truth.

In a room with ten people I give each an orange. Relatively speaking all agree it is an orange. Its round. It’s orange colored and has the texture of an orange. Then I have each person peel back the outside of their orange - take a whiff and bite into their orange. Eight out of ten of those people had no adverse reaction to the orange. However, one male reacts with anger and a female reacts with nausea and tears. The authentic truth for them were triggers to a scenario in which oranges were involved. The male, as a child was awkward and gangly. He spilled his orange juice across mom’s newly washed tablecloth (for the third time) and his dad backhanded him which sent him flying off his chair to the floor. He most likely will never
like orange juice again. The female, in collage, went out drinking at a party, had vodka mixed with orange juice and later
. . . was raped. She will never like the taste of orange juice again. This is their individual authentic truth about oranges.

As you continue to build skills get your information from your guides independent of what other get from their guides. Relatively speaking you are: a human being, maybe same gender, maybe went to same schools, work in same office, maybe even be the same age. However, each individual has their own history, own challenges and experiences, own adaptation to those challenges or experiences and how their brain processes information. Be WISE and understand It is NEVER good to judge or criticize shamanic journeywork and information against another even if you are journeying to the same intention.

Lower World Journeys

Learn how to navigate the lower world first. As a beginner – you can find all the information you need in the lower world with the help of your guides, allies and power animals. Almost every journey starts in the lower world. Once you become more accomplished and advanced you can then explore the middle world and upper world. From my point of view as a long time practitioner, instructor and mentor there are specific reasons for going to the middle and upper world. Journeys will be specifically noted when not in the lower world. This site is for building skills safely, learning and fun in practicing shamanic journeywork. Practice. Practice. Practice.

Choose a place where you will meet at least one power animal or spiritual guide EVERY TIME to start the journey. Why? Because they are your guide in NOR, healer, protector, teacher and you should NEVER journey until they show up to escort/journey with you. This is the commitment you make with your guides – honoring each other.

Early in my own training in 1997 my guides did not show up for a journey. So I sat, listening to the drumming and stayed

at the entry point and WAITED. I had used the same place for months but my animal was a no-show that particular day.

Later that same day I journeyed back and started again. My power animal showed up and we sat at the entry point again while the drumming went along and I simply asked questions. What happened, why they weren’t there? This showed my guides that I was serious about this work and willing to STAY in the journey mode even though we never left the earth plane.
in non-ordinary reality (NOR). This helped me build another layer of commitment to this work and honoring my guides.

Be curious and wondering - ask questions during the journey. This is how you learn what’s possible in NOR. NEVER tell your guides or power animals WHAT TO DO. THEY DO THE WORK ! They are working on your behalf for your highest good. When asking questions use the “W” words which are opened ended and will elicit a teaching moment for you. Why. Where. Who. When. Where. What. This helps you learn to navigate non-ordinary reality and build better communication with your helping spirits.
They are there to HELP US. They love us and WANT to HELP us. So ask ! ASK . . . ASK . . . ASK . . . Be curious and wondering

Ethics

NEVER judge or criticize another person’s journey. This is their work with their spiritual guides. You can ask questions to help them go back in another journey and deepen their inquiry or explore more.

There is NEVER failure in journeys – it’s all about learning what's possible for your highest and greatest good.

NEVER journey for another UNLESS you have their verbal permission for that particular journey and intention. Getting permission once does not give you carte blanche to go view them or work on them without them knowing. This is considered spiritual “voyeurism” and unethical. It’s like being a peeping Tom in the real world. None of us want that.

Shamanism is a powerful tool and doing work on another’s behalf without their knowledge is like have a doctor show up at your home and do something to. We all have friends that like to give advice and seem to know what’s best for us – from their point of view. And from experience we know they are most often wrong. Which is one of the reasons why we don’t take their advice. Be wise

in your journeys.

Always travel into non-ordinary reality (NOR) with a spiritual guide, ally or power animal - that you KNOW and TRUST. If another animal or new guide shows up to go with you - automatically DEFAULT to your primary power animals/guides. Ask your already established power animal/guides you have been working with WHO this new guide is, WHY they are here and if they are SAFE !

Keep asking until you get an answer before journeying. If YOUR guides say they are NOT SAFE . . . let the "new guide" know they are NOT WELCOME to be around you and if need be have your primary guide take them somewhere else so they can NEVER BOTHER YOU AGAIN. If this keeps happening - journey with your guides to find out what's attracting these wanna-a-be's to you.

Power Animals

The person with the most power animals or guides does NOT WIN any spiritual shamanic prize !

Each power animal (or ally/guide) has its strengths of skills and abilities to help you in the spirit world and in ordinary reality. If they cannot help you for whatever reason . . . THEY will “hire” another animal (or guide) they know and trust to do work on your behalf for that particular journey. This does not necessarily mean they are your new power animal (or guide). Ask your primary power animal about this.

It’s always a best practice to get to know each power animal (or guide) on their own and have them teach you about their skills sets for communication, divination, healing and protection. Have them show you in the past when they helped you use their skills before you may have known they were in your life in non-ordinary reality. Build rapport, respect and great communication skills with each your spiritual allies. Ask at the beginning of your journey which power animal, guide or animals wants to help you in this particular journey.

Learn How to Receive in your Journeys

Are you available and open to new information from your guides and allies in the spirit world? Great place to start asking questions from your allies POINT OF VIEW (POV). I teach new student to use imagery at the beginning of each journey to set aside their expectations and ego before they journey. This allows for greater interactions with your guides.

Here is how to do that.

Sit quietly by yourself – uninterrupted and close your eyes.
Feel your body fully supported and then release any discomfort - you can do this by taking in a deep breath and blowing out the discomfort
Set your intention to “set aside your ego and expectations” (do this each and every time you journey)
Imagine a container with a lid by your side. This container can be made of anything – it must have a lid to safely hold your ego and expectations until after your journey is completed. Please do not go on to next part until you have a container next to you in your visualization. These two items are energetic in nature. If we were to open your body like a surgeon to find your ego and expectations we would not. However, they are much like anger and fear energy – you can feel it; but with your ordinary eyes you cannot see it.
Allow your imagination to give your ego “a color” – one solid color – see how much your ego takes up space in your body.
Using your intention and your breath – gather up all of the "colored ego" and transfer to the container by blowing it into the container. You may need to blow numerous times until you can no longer see any of the "color of ego" left inside your body.
Next color your "expectations" in your body. Once you see where expectations reside in your body – give your expectations a different solid color. Gather it up in your visualization and blow it into your container. Once the expectations coloring is all gone close the container and keep it safe while you are journeying.
Finally take a peek at your heart and see if it is open to receiving. (Almost every student has visualized a door, window or some type of entryway on the front of their heart.) Look to see if it is open – even a crack to receive new information during your journey. If it’s not open – simply know that we all have experienced troubleshooting how to help ourselves. What needs to happen to open the entryway into your heart? You may need to prop it open during your journey if you are used to not being open to new things.

Once these three things are done you can start your journey. FYI: I had a journey group that met for 10 years once a month. The participants admitted they still move their ego and expectations into their container and opened their heart before they journeyed.