When I was a kid in my teens I had a shamanic trainer who allowed me the opportunity to learn how to do shamanic journeying. Shamanic Journeying is a method by which one “travels” to different levels of consciousness, or “worlds”, and discovers assistance and “medicines” that will help one on their earth walk this lifetime…or that will help someone else for whom you are journeying.
Now, there are a LOT of people who will say, “Oh, ya I’ve done that! The Peyote or the Ayahuasca (“Vine of Death”) was AWESOME and the journey was absolutely TRIPPY!” No. That is not what I am talking about. In fact, that is what I expected when learning about journeying. I was not sure if I should try it because I had never before done hallucinogenic drugs. But my teacher, in his infinite wisdom, told me that I, of all people, should absolutely NEVER use that sort of thing. That is a medicine that is for people who are totally blocked. It is NOT a medicine for gifted people. In fact, it apparently can really screw up people who are gifted. And even those who are not can too easily become dependent upon the medicine plant, thus forming an addiction, and then the medicine will bite them in the butt. Furthermore, the medicines of the plants are now changing upon this earth. The energies are such that much of the medicinal qualities are diminishing anyway. Be that because we as humans are toxic to the environment or because evolution simply happens anyway, they are changing. But not to worry. Ancient seeds that have been dormant for thousands upon thousands of years are apparently going to be sprouting up over the next few hundred years and will be providing the medicine that is needed for the people anyway. It is all sacred. But even sacred things must evolve and change.
So when I began my journeying training the focus was, of course, on myself…no one else. I went into my journey with the question of, “Show me what I most need to know at this time” and then my trainer began to beat the drum softly and slowly…hypnotically. Before I knew it I had gone from a sitting position to laying down on my back. From somewhere…I don’t know where….a blanket was placed over my body. As far as I knew there was just myself and my trainer in the circle, and the drum never stopped, so how that blanket got there is still a mystery to me and I am comfortable with that.
I had my journey and discovered some of my power animals, some more about my magical heritage, and was introduced to my Spirit Guides (what some would call Guardian Angels, but I am neutral about that term). They showed me some stuff that I seriously needed to work on in relation to my father and the dynamics between myself and BOTH of my parents, who had a habit of triangulating me in their disputes. And so, after twenty minutes (which felt more like 15 or so hours) I was brought out of the journey. I was freezing cold, trembling, and felt completely nauseous. When I sat up, I felt as though I was going to chuck my cookies. I quickly stood up and scrambled out of the circle to a nearby tree and proceeded to vomit my entire stomach out. My trainer walked over, looked at my vomit, and said, “There’s more” at which point I threw up more. I began to swear in general. I hate vomiting. Then he studied the vomit closely. I swore more, completely grossed out. Then he said, “Oh…you have some issues with your father” at which point I told him to F@#$^ off. He laughed and said, “Did you think that anything in the spirit realm is actually PRIVATE?” I felt weak and let myself slide down the other side of the tree to sit. He went and got me a cup of water. I sipped. Then he said that my journey was MY journey, and although it is possible for another to view it, it is never alright for another to interpret it. That is something that is sacred and mine alone.
After that, I found that I was changed. Altered. Everything around me and within me was now more “magical” and “sacred”, even though those around me were unaware. It was a difficult journey through life having that consciousness set in when the entire world seemed to not want to know or to be completely oblivious to the sacredness. But altered consciousness is evolving in our world. People are waking up. There are now becoming serious conflicts between corporations who poison our earth and those who want to protect the land and the water. You can see it all around. And the devastating results of the moronic dissonance of the corporations are huge. I sometimes wish that, as a shaman, I would be invited to do “team building” in such corporations. I would teach them how to journey, to alter their consciousness, without the use of medicines or drugs, and watch them to become more personally enlightened so that the ripple effect could take place. It is not, for me, the thought that corporations in and of themselves are evil. Well, some of them may be. But mostly they are ignorant. And when that ignorance is shown to them their responses can either be to clean up their acts or to push hard against those of us who are trying to keep this planet healthy for future generations, instead of raping the earth in the name of the almighty dollar.
I am not sure how all of this will pan out in the end. My hopes and prayers are with the Great Mother and all those who are striving to protect her. In the meantime, I simply do what I can. And I continue to journey and to travel to places where I can be of assistance.