September/October 2002 Cosmic
The Shamanic Journey
by Jan Engels-Smith
The shamanic journey is filled with mystery, and despite its ancient
history is little understood in Western culture. The journey is fundamental
to shamanic study and healing, providing a doorway into different dimensions
and realities. The altered state of consciousness achieved in a journey
allows you to transcend the limitations of the rational world. This
tool is the passageway that has been used for centuries to obtain information
from the other realms. It allows you to connect to your power animals
and spiritual teachers and learn what needs to happen in your life to
help you maximize on happiness and wholeness.
Journeying is one of the most effective ways to access information
you can use to problem solve, get clarity about situations or just explore
the different worlds beyond. The shamanic journey is actually common
to all cultures and the nature of the journey is remarkably similar,
even in cultures widely separated by era and geography.
In the spirit world, both time and place are illusions. The lessons
from the other worlds are universally true, and draw from a collective
consciousness that is accessible to all. The spiritual realm is full
of helping spirits and divine love; you just need to know how to access
the information. Although there are other ways to gather information
from the spirits, the journey is the method I prefer and teach. My goal
is to empower others to connect with their own spirit helpers. Who knows
better than one's own spiritual teachers and one's own soul what it
needs to heal and to grow?
In learning how to journey, I realized that I had been blinded to these
other realities in the past because of the limited use of my senses.
Reality is an illusive thing. Because of our primary dependence on sight,
we have limited the use of our other senses and have diminished their
potential effectiveness. The phrase, "I’ll believe it when
I see it", expresses well the limitation we place on ourselves.
With that statement, we consciously establish a barrier to fuller development.
We, as a culture, have overdeveloped the left side of our brains at
the expense of the right side. Our schools, bureaucratic institutions,
sciences, and our very culture have emphasized analytical understanding
while minimizing the value of creativity. We have become what the spirits
fondly refer to as "lopsided." I often say to clients that
some spiritual things simply cannot be explained in words; to explain
in rational terms is to dilute the experience. Trying to explain a right-brain,
non-linear experience using left-brain, linear, analytical, sequential,
and rational terms does not work. Spirit is the world of the nonlinear;
it uses the senses of the soul, which are governed by the heart. Journeying
develops these senses of the soul while it stimulates and utilizes the
right side of the brain.
Shamanic journeying is available to anyone willing to learn. The journey
is a state of altered consciousness that is often induced by a sonic
instrument such as the drum. During the journey, you meet a spiritual
ally that is your protector and guardian. This ally is often a power
animal. These spirit helpers and power animals are magical and they
can do anything. Birds can swim under water, whales can fly, and tigers
can talk. You can ask them questions and always travel with them when
you are in non-ordinary reality. They do not lie or try to hurt you
in any way. Their intention is to help you achieve the connection to
the spiritual realm that you desire, and to be an asset to you in all
areas of your life. Each journey will be different and some will be
more powerfully realized than others. You may want to first journey
with an experienced teacher until you have mastered the journey for
yourself and how to interpret the information that is given.
There is much to learn about the spiritual realm. As with any skill,
the more you practice journeying the better you will get. New worlds
magically open up that are blindly missed by the human eye and the rational
left-brain. I am amazed at what is available to all individuals when
they let go of existing paradigms and limited perspectives.
Opening the mind and allowing Spirit to work unencumbered is what we
often call a miracle or magic. Called Eagle Vision or Soul Vision, you
can rise above the limited view of immediate circumstances to gain a
broader, more inclusive perspective. Connection is your birthright;
it does not come from someone else. Loving Spirit and desiring a relationship
with Spirit helps your connection grow and develop. Each person has
as much access to the spiritual realm as any other person. All people
are spirits in individual form, and all can connect to the spiritual
realms at whatever level they choose.
The journeys are real, although information given is usually in the
form of metaphor. There is a profound magic to them that is literally
unexplainable using traditional human thought systems and language.
The more I realize how to work with shamanic journeys and the energy
contained in them, the more powerful my healing practice becomes and
the more instantly things manifest in my own life. If you choose to
learn to journey for yourself, you will find that a working relationship
develops between you and your spirit helpers. As with any new skill,
the more you practice journeying, the better you become at it and the
stronger the connection you make.
Jan Engels-Smith is the founder of LightSong Healing Center and
the LightSong School of Shamanism. She is a Shamanic Practitioner &
Counselor, Reiki Master, Licensed Professional Counselor, Chemical Dependency
Specialist, Marriage and Family Counselor and a Hypnotherapist. Jan
authored Becoming Yourself the Journey from Head to Heart. She
can be contacted at 503-669-3013