How-To – Shamanic Journeying for Spiritual Connection
- Brainz Magazine
- 6 days ago
- 9 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Ash Miner's passions for music and animals resulted in 2 bachelor's degrees and 3 master's degrees before she applied that knowledge to shamanic healing and teaching. A self-published author of the book The Answer to Everything: Earth Wisdom & Beauty, Ash hopes to one day found a healing sanctuary for people and animals who have survived trauma.
Welcome, my wonderful readers, to my fifth article, part three of my articles on this ancient spiritual practice called shamanism. If you haven’t read the first article about preparing for a soul retrieval, I would encourage you to at least do that, and preferably read from the beginning of my publishings. Each of my 11 articles for Brainz Magazine builds on each other as teaching stories. This is the old way of sharing wisdom that my helping Spirits have indicated for me to follow here. I will continue the story, then share the teachings of it afterward for clarity.
Where we left off, Raven had received the part of her that left during the trauma of her dog dying. With that soul part returned, a new power animal, Squirrel, came with it to help Raven integrate the gifts and power that were restored through the soul retrieval healing. Now we see Mel, the shamanic practitioner and healer, help Raven experience what my first teacher, Sandra Ingerman, refers to as direct revelation, through teaching Raven the ceremony of shamanic journeying. This will deepen Raven’s healing integration process significantly and set her up to have her own shamanic practice if she chooses.
Teaching stories, part 4
Raven approached Mel’s door, feeling the butterflies in her stomach from both eager anticipation and a healthy respect for the unknown of what was to come from their meeting today. Raven had been dancing, even journaling, and thoroughly enjoying her restored zest for life in its many facets and capacities. She stood on Mel’s stoop, took a deep breath, and knocked firmly on the old wooden door twice.
Mel promptly answered the door, sitting nearby after just finishing smudging herself, her tools and instruments, and her space with songs, intention, as well as the old standbys, sage and palo santo smoke, to get everything ready for Raven’s arrival. As the aromas wafted out of Mel’s door and toward Raven, Mel noticed Raven involuntarily close her eyes and blissfully inhale the sweet-smelling smoke.
“Welcome, Raven. Please, come in. I’m so glad you’re here,” Mel said warmly.
Raven walked in and sat down on a cushion on the floor before a table full of crystals, rattles, and other artifacts she wasn’t sure she could identify.
“Can I bring you a glass of water?” Mel offered as she closed the door.
“Sure, that’d be great, thanks,” Raven answered.
It was so nice to be so considerately taken care of and brought into this space. It felt healing for Raven just to be around someone who was so thoughtful and caring.
“Well, catch me up,” invited Mel excitedly. “How have things been the past few days? Are you noticing anything, or are things feeling more subtle and beneath the surface?”
“Things are feeling so much lighter overall,” began Raven, “and I want to truly thank you. I honestly didn’t think I’d notice much, if anything. Already, though, I’m feeling better. I am finding the ability to look forward to things in my day. Everything looks a bit brighter, literally, and I’m sad without being so debilitated by the grief. I can miss her without losing myself in the process,” Raven explained.
Mel sat quietly, allowing Raven to speak freely and uninterrupted. When she finished, Mel began the process of gently shifting the focus from healing the pain of the past to living well in the present, saying, “This is just so wonderful. I love how observant you’re being, honoring your inner healing process by listening with all your senses. To help that go even deeper, did you still want to learn how to journey today?”
Mel always made sure to ask permission in the moment. The power of choice cannot be overstated, and the ethical requirements for permission are absolute.
“I’m definitely looking forward to it, yes. I admit, I’m a bit apprehensive, mostly because I don’t fully understand what a shamanic journey is exactly. Is it like a meditation? Where do I journey to? What’s the destination?” Raven asked, the words tumbling out of her as the relief of the opportunity to gain more clarity washed over her.
“These are really good questions, Raven. Thank you for asking,” Mel began. “Shamanic journeying predates meditation by several thousand millennia. I like to think of meditation as a journey for our mind, and shamanic journeying as a journey for our soul. Similar, but different. One allows the mind to drive, the other focuses on letting the soul lead. The soul always knows how to get to the Spirit World. It never forgets, but the longer we are away, the farther it can seem to get there, especially in a Western society that has cut off its roots to this spirituality.
“The Spirit World is generally structured in three parts: Lower, Middle, and Upper Worlds. The Lower World is where we’ll begin your journeying practice, to meet your wonderful Squirrel power animal and ask for their help and guidance in living with this returned soul essence you now have. You will also meet the returned soul part in a sort of setup scenario. Your soul part is you. You are not separate anymore, but meeting in this way for yourself can bring much greater clarity than hearing it from someone else. Is this making sense? Do you still want to learn?”
Mel deliberately paused here. It was a lot of information all at once for Raven to digest.
“I actually feel like I understand, even though I sort of don’t. Does that even make sense?” Raven chuckled at how silly she sounded and felt a little nervous at this unfamiliar yet very secure felt understanding.
“Haha. Yes, Raven,” Mel exclaimed. “Paradox is usually how we know we’re doing it right in a shamanic practice. When two seemingly opposing things feel absolutely real and true simultaneously, it’s usually the Spirits and our soul speaking to each other. The human mind cannot possibly comprehend it all, but it can sense that the soul does. Sometimes, this has to be enough. We may not get a more complete experience than this,” Mel explained kindly and carefully.
“I’m a bit worried I’ll just make it all up in my head and not really go on the journey,” Raven admitted. “So I wonder if this is how I can tell? If it’s something I feel to be true that I didn’t invent, yeah? Like making up a story versus living it? Is that how you can journey without just imagining something?” Raven asked, clearly concerned and seeking a greater depth of understanding before attempting to journey for the first time.
“Absolutely, Raven,” Mel nodded in approval. “Journeys are the soul’s adventures, often with events, synchronicities, magic, and miracles we can’t possibly imagine or explain. This is the difference between daydreaming or creating a fictitious story and going on a shamanic journey. There will be things you couldn’t know, you couldn’t imagine, because you are connected to the greater web of all creation, with powers far beyond your individual ones. How does that sound? Does it resonate as true for you?”
Mel wanted to check in with Raven here before beginning the lesson.
“Yes, actually, I think I do get it,” Raven answered, a proud grin arising on her face. She was losing the butterflies in her stomach in favor of the warmth of excitement now.
“Great, then let’s begin,” Mel offered.
And so Mel guided Raven to the Spirit World, down into the Lower World, where Squirrel sat waiting to meet Raven face to face, so to speak. Mel drummed gently as she spoke. The drumming was to hold the journey, the monotonous beating helping to shift their minds from beta waves, awake, to theta waves, creative and restful.
Raven got to interact with Squirrel in her own time, and then Squirrel introduced her to the returned soul part. With Mel’s prompt to ask, “How can we live well together?” Raven and her soul part discussed some changes Raven needed to make. To journal about the beauty she noticed on her walks every day, to make time to dance to help her wake up in the morning, and so much more that brought Raven’s soul joy and Raven's enthusiasm for her life again.
Then Mel began the callback, the change in drumbeat to signal the end of the journey. Time to say goodbye to Squirrel, offer thanks, and come back from the Spirit World to their bodies in Life.
Once back, Raven asked Mel, “I feel a little nauseous. Does that mean something is wrong?”
“No, no,” Mel reassured Raven. “That is power that needs grounding, so you can be back all the way. Here, drink some water, then come outside with me and sit with a tree for a while. Ask the Tree how to root this work into your life.”
“Ask the Tree? What?” Raven looked at Mel incredulously. It sounded absolutely crazy to ask a Tree what to do. Do Trees talk to Mel? Does that make Mel crazy, too? Raven wondered silently in her mind, though her quizzical facial expressions betrayed her doubtfulness.
“You’ll see,” said Mel with a wry, knowing smile. “You can write down any notes for what you want to remember afterward.”
And out they went to the forest behind Mel’s house for grounding. Raven wondered if she’d remember everything that happened in her first journey. She hoped so. She wanted to tell Mel everything.
Story teachings in shamanic journeying
Notice the effort and preparation Mel puts into the work with Raven in this session. There is no healing going on per se, but the work is held with the same quality regardless. Notice the emphasis on felt understanding rather than knowing, on gaining clarity by understanding full clarity isn’t possible, and the emphasis again on permission and readiness. The power of choice is huge in healing work. I give all my clients as many opportunities to say both “yes” and “no” in our work together as I possibly can. Consent is everything. Without it, the door to healing does not open.
While I feel it is unethical to give a full understanding of how to journey in an article setting, anyone interested is welcome to register for my Roots of a Shamanic Practice courses, offered several times a year in person and online. However, I do provide the general framework:
Smudge and clear your space and yourself.
Have a guide, whether that be a teacher or a clear intention, such as “How can we live well together?” Crafting an intention for shamanic work is a massive undertaking to master, possibly a lifelong exploration. However, general good questions typically begin with:
a. How can I
b. What do I
c. Show me
d. Teach me
e. Help me to
f. What is my first step in
g. What is my next step in
Choose a position that will allow you to relax and receive the journey without falling asleep. My preference, as happened here, is to sit up. However, many prefer to lie down. Shamans of old would act out, dance, sing, and chant their journeys.
Drum with a monotonous drumbeat until the journey is complete, then call all of yourself back. Retracing your steps and coming back fully is important, or things may feel a bit funny upon your arrival home in Life until you do. For beginners, I highly recommend using a 15 to 30-minute drumming track. Personally, nowadays, I like to drum for myself until the journey is complete, then call myself back, but that took a few years to get the hang of and was not possible when I first started my practice.
Allow all your senses to listen. Many people don’t see their journeys, but instead hear or simply know what happened. Others are gifted with a combination of senses, but it’s most important to know that all are valid, none are better than another, and it’s ideal to simply enjoy whichever comes naturally to you.
Optional: narrate your journey to a recording device that will not interrupt your journey, such as a phone on airplane mode or a separate recorder.
Write down your journey in full. I have a special formula I learned from my teachers in Sweden that I encourage all of my students to use to delve into the deeper teachings of journeys, which are often like dreams and highly metaphoric.
We’ll see how that all works in the next article. Stay tuned.
Read more from Ash Miner
Ash Miner, MS, MM, Shamanic Practitioner & Teacher
Ash Miner's personal journey of healing PTSD led her to shamanism. Despite being a total skeptic, she knew in 1 session this was her path, and had been since she was a very little girl. Ash has spent years studying extensively, completing US training by Sandra Ingerman, as well as with Jonathan Horwitz and Zara Waldebäck in Sweden. She has found her true calling in teaching and offering shamanic healing to human beings, animals, and the Earth. Her extensive background in music education and performance, as well as animal behavior, provides a scientific framework for her soul work. She specializes in healing song and healing story. Her mission is to demystify shamanism to make it an approachable healing modality for all of humanity.
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