This weekend, I’m in a workshop all the way down in Santa Barbara on Shamanic Training in Creativity. I wanted to brush up on using shamanic journeying to access my own artistic creativity, and also see how equipped I am to help others find solutions and get empowered using the journey process.
In case you are wondering, scholars and scientists are thinking the paintings in the caves of Lascaux in France were done by shamans to record what they saw in their visions.
Today, we did seven journeys! It was great to reconnect with the body of knowledge associated with Michael Harner’s teaching and observe how others practice their journeying. Steve Martin showed up in one of my first journeys to advise me on creativity. His secret: naivete.
The 6th journey was conducted on behalf of another. I was paired up with someone I don’t know, and who was very quiet in her introductions. Very little about her was revealed. Her question, on which I was to journey to help find answers, was how to take better care of her aging body.
In the journey, I saw her dancing with me at first, but then running away. I encouraged her to come back and we walked, but she was hunched over and I could tell she was hurting. We kept going and came to a place where I suddenly saw her doing tai-chi. We are supposed to ask for answers from helpers, so I asked for a helper come in and validate what I was seeing. We were only a couple of minutes into the 15 minute exercise.
Next I saw a beautiful king salmon swim in and just brush up against her. I waited for more fish – but none appeared. After the fish came in, her posture was stronger and I could feel she had a strong and vibrant core. The journey time ended and we came back to share.
I told her of my observations, and she proceeded to tell me she regularly has practiced chi dong but gave it up because she has been having some health issues. She said she gave up eating salmon about four months ago, right around the time when her other body aches worsened. She also said she loves to dance but can’t do that because of the pains.
What I saw – a spiritual and physical practice, coupled with fish and/or fish oil – coincided EXACTLY with this person’s experience. How could I know?
That is the power of shamanic journeying. We can’t “think” our way through to solutions. All the information is available to us, if we can still ourselves and rely on Core Shamanic practices.
Are you interested in what she saw for me? Also amazing.
My question was how to find a way to approach people to do journeys for them without it being “weird.” Should I use the term “shamanic” or would people be put off by that?
My partner saw a moose on a hill with people coming to me to hear about shamanism and have me work with them on answers to their questions.
Moose symbolizes the expression of joy when something has been accomplishment, not in a ‘show-off look at me I want recognition‘ kind of way, but in a true sense of sharing that springs from knowing how infectious joy is. Moose is also a symbol of being headstrong, longevity, wisdom, confidence, self-esteem, primal feminine energy and steadfastness.
People with this power animal are born with their inner eyes open already, they see things with extraordinary clarity – psychic awakenings in later life are rare for the moment moose people are born this is their awakening. They do have some of their most testing lessons in their childhood, but their fearlessness and mettle together with their direct connection to universal knowledge gives them the necessary aid needed to strengthen their self-esteem and find their place in the world.
She saw me needing to go through a door and being very resistant. The moose told her to make sure I didn’t wait to long to get myself through the door or I would be sorry.
So there you go – I need to embrace doing this. People will want it. I shouldn’t wait too long.
Brilliant! Great day. I got a lot of info about the form this work will take too. I’m ready for more tomorrow!