A SHAMANIC JOURNEY
Shamanic journeying is a type of meditation that is done to the rhythm of steady drumming and/or rattles played with a steady beat. Listening to drumming at a pace of 106–240 beats per minute will help to put your brain into the theta state necessary in order to enter a light trance.
Some people will start their journeys by doing an ecstatic dance, or they’ll drum and sing. Others prefer to start with a more passive approach, like doing a meditation in which they set an intention for their journey. If you have a drummer who can drum live for you, that’s great. But it is fine to listen to a recorded drumbeat too.
Journeying is a process that requires leaving your rational thoughts behind and employing your imagination without judgment. It also requires turning over your limiting beliefs so you may then be inspired by the spirit world, allowing the journey to unfold and bring the intelligence of nature to you. From this state of being you can connect energetically with the spirit world and be receptive to spirit communication. Some shamans would rely greatly on the messages from the mother crystal and twice a year would walk to mountains where crystals were and ask for guidance on what was to be done. In the shamans world there was no “googling”, the mother held the answers and was the data base of their world. Most shamans keep their crystals under a dark cloth. They were careful to insure that they were cleaned and cleared as crystals can amplify illnesses.
Before you begin, it can be helpful to lay on the ground (floor) or assume another comfortable, supported position ensuring relaxation. It is helpful to wear a blindfold or bandana. Shutting out the light can help to put you in a different energetic state. You can also go out into nature, away from the distractions of civilization. Modern electronic devices can mask the geomagnetic force inherent to nature. In nature, it may be possible to start to shift effortlessly and sense the spirit beings that are around you before taking any other action. Being in a place that is different from your ordinary reality can help you to slip into non-ordinary reality and enable you to encounter many different beings and realities. The purpose of finding an appropriate place of departure for your journey, and for assuming a relaxed position and putting on a blindfold, is to ensure that you are transitioning from an ordinary to a non-ordinary realm. Much can be revealed after you begin to map and navigate the mystical realms.
To begin your journey, set an intention to go to the Lower World. If you know your power animal, call in your power animal to guide you on your journey. If not, find your power animal first (go here for instructions on how) and then you can begin journeying. You can enter the Lower World by first finding an entrance to it in the natural world. Begin your drumming. Go to the entrance to the Lower World using your imagination. The place could be the root (or a hole) in a tree or bush, a cave, a lake, an ocean, a well, or any portal that you feel a connection to. Use your intuition to discern the entrance that is easiest and most appropriate for you. Energetically, send yourself through the entrance with the intention to journey to the Mother Crystal
Arriving in the Lower World, you should allow your spirit animal to find the place of the Mother Crystal. Remember that everyone has a unique experience. When you feel that you have arrived at the place of the crystal mother, you will ask her what needs to be accomplished for cleaning and clearing your crystal. You can then ask her what the crystal should be programmed for.
On my first journey to the Mother Crystal I went to her with three crystals and she told me that my first crystal should be programmed for surrender and the second crystal was to be programmed for clearing my cat of negative energies. The third, or largest crystal was to be placed in the middle of my home and would deflect negative energies. On another occasion the Mother Crystal told me where to buy a crystal and that I was to program it for compassion and told to go to the town square where I was living at the time and bury it under the root of a tree.
At the end of your journey with the Mother Crystal you will go back exactly the same way that you came. With intention you will arrive back in ordinary reality with the information that you requested. Before you open your eyes, wiggle your toes and fingers, and anchor yourself back in your body. Take your time to gradually make the transition without shocking your nervous system. A few deep breaths would be appropriate. Take a moment to appreciate yourself for being proactive in connecting with spiritual guidance. When you’re ready open your eyes.
Many people question if—when they are journeying to another reality—if they are “making it up” or “just imagining everything.” Because they are entering unfamiliar territory and are not accustomed to being in other realities they question their experiences during the journey to find the Mother Crystal. Remember that there is nothing enlightened about doubting the existence of the spirit world, so cast aside any insecurities you may have about the process and give yourself permission to be liberated from your fears and persevere in discovery. Trust the process and accept things that come up for you without judging.
A journey is a very personal and sacred dance with spirit; know that all that you find on this journey was intended to inspire you. Practice trusting your visions and encounters with power animals. Some people look for messages but what they find is that the spirit world is more attuned to thoughts and visions. Others struggle with journeying because they can only believe in what they can touch, feel, smell, and experience. For them, it is as if the spirit world does not exist. This type of materialist view of the world can keep you detached from the expanded possibilities of the transcendent world.
After your journey, you will begin your relationship with your crystals. See them as a cosmic transformer that can take the power of the universe and bring it to you in a form that is ideally suited for your human body and for all those you work with.
