The Way Of The Shaman

One of the most exciting things we can learn in this world is that no-one is doing anything that you cannot learn to do yourself. No matter how mystical or esoteric it seems, the person in front of you has learned to do this somehow. They will have added their own flavour, their own experience and their own learning to it, but at its core, the skill, the method has been learned in some way.

The word Shaman and Shamanism has become so much more prominent in the last few years, and for many of us we associate it with strange people, dressed interestingly, dispensing medicine or encountering mystical worlds and beings.

Actually, the tool of the Shaman; dreaming, is at its base simply that: a tool, and can be learned and experienced by us all.

So what is it, how does it work, and how can I find out more?

Shamanism has many different ways of teaching and experiencing the Worlds of the Shaman, there are as many traditions and rituals as there are cultures.

The word Shaman means one who sees in the dark, or one who sees the unseen, Shamans use the rhythmic beat of the drum, intention and direction to journey through into their subconscious to access the the shamanic worlds and bring information back.

In many ways though, Shamanic Dreaming, the practice of ‘Journeying’ as a Shaman, is simply a useful tool; one that allows us to quieten the conscious mind and allow our subconscious mind to talk to us using words, pictures and feelings.

We learn to Journey as a Shaman in a shamanic circle, lead by a Shaman who understands the process and has travelled many times into the Worlds of the Shaman. While they teach you the basics, they will have knowledge and experience of the Shamanic healing processes and the service of the Shaman.

The Three Worlds

Shamans travel in three worlds, known as the Upper World, the Middle World and the Lower World.

The Upper World is a place of higher consciousness where we work with spirit guides, angelic beings and Ascended Masters, we can use it to as a place to receive guidance or healing on a particular matter, or to carry out specific work when we are more knowledgeable about the Shamanic Arts.

The Middle World is the place where we work with the elementals; the fairies, pixies, gnomes, unicorns, dragons, all the beings of folklore whom we believe in and who are part of our world, but because they are difficult to see we doubt their existence.
Middle World can be a tricky world to work in; the Elementals unlike the Higher Consciousnesses of the Upper World and Animal beings of the Lower World, are physically on Earth with us and are here to carry out their work as Love in Action. They are not particularly concerned with us Humans and how we cary out our business here within Nature, in fact they can be critical and unhappy with the way we undo a lot of their work.

The Lower World is the place of the Animal, Bird and Insect. We journey here to meet our Power animal and receive help, strength and guidance. While our Power Animal can journey anywhere with us, it is here that we tend to first meet them.

Your Power Animal

A Power Animal is a being who has agreed to work with us for our lifetime. We journey to the Lower World to meet them initially, and they can take any form of the animal, bird or insect kingdom. Our power animal is on our side, they are here to look after us, guide us, and to help us to navigate the Shamanic World safely and appropriately. “Ask your Power Animal’ is a common suggestion when doubts are raised in a Shamanic Circle!

Your Spirit Guide

Your Spirit guide is a higher consciousness being, often Angelic, who has agreed to be our guide in this life. It is not someone who has been on Earth with us as a lot of other schools of thought teach, but a being who agreed to offer guidance and support during this life before we came into physical existence. You meet your Spirit Guide in the Upper World, often calling in to simply hang out, or ask for help.

The Shamanic Circle

Every Shamanic Circle is unique and will be set up according to how the Shaman you are studying with has been guided, and will contain their own flavour and influence.

As a basic rule, the centre of the circle contains an alter which represents the four directions; North, South, East and West, and the four elements; Earth, Air, Fire and Water. Often objects representing an element will be placed in the place of a direction to create a cross; for instance, a feather for air in the direction of the North, a Crystal for earth in the direction of the East, A candle for Fire in the Direction of the South and a chalice or bowl of water in the direction of the West.

Different traditions associate the elements with different directions, you cannot get it wrong, it is simply a way of honouring the elements that create us and the directions that hold us.

Smudging

One of the ways most people recognise a shamanic circle is the practice of smudging. Smudging is a way of cleansing a space, an aura or an object. A smudging wand is made of dried herbs, most often White Sage, tied together in the cigar shape. It is lit with the candle of the altar and allowed to burn, then blown out to create smoke. We then use a smudging feather or our hands to direct the smoke where we would like it to go.

In a shamanic circle it is typical to smudge each other in turn as a way of greeting each other and making space for each person.

Calling in the Powers

Before you begin your shamanic work, your teacher will Call In The Powers. This is a ritual of inviting the Elements and the Powers of the Upper, Middle and Lower worlds into the circle, to help and guide during our journeying. The others in the circle invite them in silently, each connecting with the voice of the teacher, creating a circle of gratitude and reverence.

How You Can Learn

While there are ways to access courses and teaching online in Shamanic Dreaming, it is recommended that you attend a course in person; not because it is dangerous, but because the experience of a Shamanic Circle is quite unique, with its own rituals and patterns that simply cannot be experienced remotely. As a tool it is more effective to you and useful if you have learned alongside others and shared their journeys and experiences.

Jenny Critchlow runs Retreats, Beginner’s Shamanic, Intermediate Shamanic, Medicine Wheel and Practitioner Workshops. You can find out more here: www.jennycritchlow.com