U.D.S. notes on shamanic trance method.

The shamanic journey uses monotonous vocals, drumming and other percussive rhythms, and drones to the get mind into trance while simultaneously shaking or dancing to keep the body in high arousal . With body in high arousal while the mind drifts into deep theta and even delta rhythms, a totally different type of trance is achieved than that of meditation, or the hypnotic trance, or the light relaxation accompanying guided imagery exercises. Its more like dancing past the point where one is breaking a sweat and on into a state of pleasant exhaustion and then laying down and dissociation occurring.

A prerequisite to journeying is that one becomes more and more present as attention penetrates through the whole body heart and mind. Guided imagery and visualizations uses relaxation techniques and you slowly let go following someones instructions. Journeying is completely freeform and without (much) guidance, visualization and guided imagery provide step by step instructions. Shamanic journeying engages a sense of actually travelling somewhere. Guided imagery involves imagining going places. Shamanic journeys do not rely on a guide they are self empowered.

Shamanic journeys involve real spirits, which although they are aspects of self , when seen through a jungian lens , their independent reality and otherness is realer than real in the more powerful experiences.

Before I am worthy, or even really able to do any practices, invoking the presence of my presence into the present is what to focus on. Awakening medicine is neutral. Impartial attention on sensation is where it always starts.

Attention penetrates, shows me the tension spots in high contrast, I scan and relax what can be relaxed, not directing, letting attention penetrate. With a real release of mechanically held tension there is often a physical shift or sound and images and memory or feelings flood the inner world. Can I let it go and bring attention back onto sensation? Where as thought and emotions can be all over the map and go into complete fantasy, placing attention on sensations is the only way to get into the body and awaken it to work as a transformational apparatus on the essential self. (A condition that is also conducive to performing higher dimensional work such as journeying .)

Sensations only occur in the present moment. Inviting attention lovingly onto sensations and opening to all sensations as one, with soft eyes using unfocused vision that takes in the whole visual field as one, listen to all sounds inner , close and distant, sense your body inside and out , sense of space around you and taste and smell engage.

Eventually after much subtle settling and relaxing, attention penetrates and if you can relax and not get carried away on “daydreams” the body becomes more awake, a sweet taste fills the mouth, awareness of breathing respiring and heart is beating, blood is pulsing, the mind and eye and heart is listening with impartial attention on all sensations, listening seeing tasting smelling hearing all.

The mind is quiet, engaged in the now, the plug is pulled on the chatter, it can fall into silence, the mind engages in wordless knowing sensations more and more directly, finally the heart opens, any emotions proceeding through the heart centrum become apparent, and the heart becomes another organ of perception.

Then certain I's get out of the way and in this space within, only presence itself knows when it is present, it is the source of our attention. Only after waking the human biological machine and personality falls away and stays passive to the process of becoming present as an essential being aka eternal shamanic voyager, and perceiving directly from an awakened state, does all the drumming and rattling and singing and dancing, calling in spirit and shaking with one's power animal, merging, into the body, embodying, getting in the human vehicle , the morphological and topological shapeshifts are a bit weird as one dissociates and merges and becomes the power animal spirit companion and her moving and sounding through one. Personally, it always leaves me shaking with ecstatic bliss and warm or hot temperatures.

Communing with sky world beings and teachers is also powerful, one is struck by the intensity of the qualities, like majesty. Just being in the presence of majesty changes one, lofty spiritual mentations, divine ones, real knowing, clarity, concentration and contemplation, becomes fully possible and not a fantasy in the upper worlds.

On our ordinary human level,visiting the non-ordinary middle world with the help of your spirit friend is better than owning a jet. Riding on my drum with my spirits I can go anywhere almost instantly. The spirits live inside of me , I summon them forth like calling softly to a lover it feels so good when they respond , I cry with joy, I shake with joy, I breathe with joy, I shake, I drum, I dance, I sing, somtimes its intense and fierce , some times beautiful and dear. I have come to believe that without my spirit helpers I would not fully process the visionary experiences and it would be health negative. I am blessed with being ecstatic often and as difficult as that makes living in shared ordinary reality, I get to be in love with and married to an animal spirit she is in me and I love her. This is so valuable to me that I think it is worth it ...

If you are not trained yet in this most human of skills. Consider that there are all the teachings and resources for you to do an indepth diy training at the Society for Shamanic Practice. When you buy a year long membership you get access to the materials, I may be mistaken but I believe that the price is below 30 dollars for an basic membership. Go to the site and check out the member benefits.

If you are a shamanic practitioner there are additional opportunities for you there.