Seeing in the Dark

 

Seeing in the Dark, Part 2

My last article prompted a request for clarification from a couple of readers, so here it is. Shamanism is as old as humanity, and from the beginning, shamans have used both psychedelic stimulants, such as herbs and mushrooms, and sound as tools for spiritual journeys. What is a recent development is that Colorado now recognizes psychedelic assisted therapy as a legal business, and by all accounts this is a method that is helpful to many people for healing. I mentioned that for only one simple reason. Since that is a new development, it is getting a lot of attention to the subject of shamanic journeying and healing. That prompted me to think of a healng practice that I had not done for a while, shamanic journeying. Both methods are shamanic methods, just different. Shamanic journeying helps many people find peace, healing and guidance from spirit that are not psychedelic assisted. The method I use, which is shamanic journeys driven by drum beats or shaking rattles are simple, repetitious beats, the rhythm itself propelling the journey. The beats are not songs or attempts to make music in the ordinary sense. The beats form steps, like staircases, which the listener can follow into different dimensions to meet spirit guides, ancestors, past lives, animal totems and get information and healing messages through these visions encountered on the journey. The drumming or rattling themselves are done without any other type of musical accompaniment or spoken words. That sonic pathway is short and intense in duration, lasting from 15- 30 minutes. Immediately following the sound participants return to present consciousness to discuss what they experienced and we help them get clear meanings and messages from these experiences. So let us say that a group wants to get together and experience this type of shamanic journey. By the time we do one round with the drum and one round with the rattle, with discussions in between, that would comprise about a 3 hour session. Perhaps 4 hours if the group is larger, just to give you an idea of a time frame. During the session, only the leader is doing the drumming or rattling while all the journeyers are reclining. When the sound stops, the leader then facilitates the discussions among all the journeyers to derive the most value from their experience. The leader can help identify additional meanings and messages from the journeys through the recognition of symbols and guidance from spirit. At the present time, my home office is not adequate to host such group activities, so it will be necessary to do them in the homes of the host journeyers. The photo above shows the tools I use to conduct the shamanic journeys; smudge, fan, drum and rattle. I always love hearing from you, so if you feel like sending me a note, calling or coming to see me, please do! If any of you has any idea you would like me to include in my newsletters, I will consider all suggestions. Have a wonderful day!