Feeling Good

Let your mind start a journey thru a strange new world. Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before. Let your soul take you where you long to be…Close your eyes let your spirit start to soar, and you’ll live as you’ve never lived before.  –Erich Fromm

As the Core Shamanism class I recently took continued to unfold, the time finally came to take our first Shamanic Journey.  This journey was to be to the Underworld which is accessed via a hole in the earth such as a natural spring, a sinkhole, or a hole created by a burrowing animal, just to mention a few possibilities.  Using the “mind’s eye,” the Underworld is accessed by entering the desired hole and journeying down through the earth.  As I stated in a previous post, the Underworld cannot be equated to the concept of Hell as their respective purposes are not in alignment.

As with our other class activities, our journey was aided by the quick but constant drumming performed by a helper, in this case our instructor, who changes the rhythm pattern at the appropriate time to call us back.  Once we chose our starting place, which was a hole we have seen in person at some point, we were ready to begin.

I chose a natural spring that I once saw in the mountains of northern Alabama just a short distance from the Tennessee border.  A hole in the earth about two feet in diameter, it brought forth some of the best tasting water I’ve ever had.  Flowing effortlessly up and out toward the stream further down the mountain, the life sustaining liquid followed its own path, with no concern for trivial matters,  as if to provide a perfect example of how I should live my life.

So, lying on the floor with our eyes covered, the drumming began.   In my mind’s eye I saw the spring and when the moment felt right, I dove in.  Almost immediately, I came out of yet another spring in the mountains but this was obviously not the same place I started.  It was a similar spring but these were different mountains! As I surveyed the area around the spring, I couldn’t help but notice what appeared to be a stone channel what was diverting the water off the mountain in a deliberate direction.  I decided to follow the channel to see where it might lead.  As I followed the water along, the channel became a Roman style aqueduct several stories tall in certain places.  I could see both the top and sides almost simultaneously and was impressed with the amount of water I could see moving along the top.  I followed the water’s flow from the mountain for a time when suddenly I found myself flying above a set of railroad tracks.

The tracks were also in the mountains and I enjoyed the way it felt to fly following the twists and turns along the path.   The gravel that comprised the top layer of the track bed was milky white next to the tops of the evergreens I could see flanking the path.  I flew for several minutes taking in the scenery as I went.  As I began to take notice of the trees, I came upon a tree that dwarfed the others.  It, like the others, was an evergreen.

The sight of this huge tree caused me to pause for a moment and notice that the Sun was setting.  From my current vantage point, I could see across the tops of the smaller trees and view the reds, oranges and yellows behind the giant evergreen.  It was beautiful.  I stayed to enjoy the scene but before too long the tree and the brilliant colors behind it morphed into a fire.  The fire popped and cracked as if trying desperately to tell me something.

It was nighttime now and the fire was particularly engrossing.  As I studied it, I became aware of the fact that I was not the only presence enjoying this beacon in the night.  Although I could not see anything at this point other than the fire, I began to hear voices and sense movements encircling my immediate area.  The voices were unfamiliar and the comments indistinguishable.  Beyond that, I knew nothing of what this meant other than my very distinct impression that the fire was ceremonial in purpose.  It was at this point the series of scenes I had been witness to thus far made the most drastic change.  Instead of a fire in the night, I now saw a male face.

I can’t say exactly what this man looked like for I could only see him from just below his eyes to the top of his forehead.  It was as if he were very close to me looking at me through an opening of some sort.  The area surrounding his face on the top and sides was pure bright white.   He looked at me as if studying me or trying to see “into” me.  Neither of us said anything.  We were just looking at each other when I heard the drum beat change signaling me it was time to return.  As I started back, I felt compelled to be thankful.  As such, while making my way back the way I came, I paused only long enough to offer my thanks at the point of each scene I had been shown.

While this was my first Shamanic Journey, I know that it’s only the beginning of many more journeys yet to come.

Be sure to stay tuned for the next installment in this series where I’ll discuss how went in search of our Power Animal and sought advice on behalf of a partner in the class!

The Choral Dance represents the organized excitement reflex of a community. The oldest form of the Choral Dance is the circle. Even the chimpanzees dance in a circle and people of every continent still do it.  –Curt Sachs, World History of the Dance

In the continuing story of the Core Shamanism class that I took, the next item on the agenda was an animal dance.

The idea here was to allow the spirit of an animal to express itself through our bodies via a circular “dance”.  We were encouraged to follow the desires of the animal.  Dance if they wanted to dance, fly if they wanted to fly.  With our eyes open only enough so as not to bump into a wall or one another, we proceeded to walk a circular path around our instructor who was providing the every steady beat of the drum.

With a clear and open mind, I walked. 

Before too long, I couldn’t help but notice a rather strange sensation in my arms.  They literally felt as though they were getting longer!  I didn’t know what to make of this at first so I just kept walking.  Very soon I noticed that I was no longer walking completely upright and that my gait was much less deliberate – more like a shuffle.  I was beginning to think that I was perhaps being visited by the spirit of a primate when my thoughts were confirmed by a growing preoccupation with my nose!

All doubts were removed when a strong sense of playfulness came over me in a flash.  My chimp wanted nothing more than to play and have loads of fun doing it!  As we continued the circle, he couldn’t resist, on a couple of occasions, the desire to walk in the opposite direction of the others just to be playful.  He darted about savoring every moment!

As the dance was nearing its end, I could feel that my chimp was getting a bit tired and may need to find a place to lounge for a bit but he made to the end of the dance with me.  After we took a moment to make some notes we reflected on and shared our experiences.  I told the group of my long arms, sideways walk, and itchy nose.  And it was at this point our instructor asked me a very pointed question.

“What can you take from this experience to apply to your life?”

For me the answer was quite obvious.  The chimp’s playfulness was outside of my often overly serious nature.  I could take this chimp’s example and get over my serious self! 

I could, and will, lighten up and have some fun!  I could, and will, enjoy life and everything it has to offer!