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Basically, shamanic journeying is a way of communicating with your inner or spirit self and
retrieving information. Your inner self is in constant communication with all aspects of your
environment, seen and unseen. You need only journey within to find answers to your questions.
You should have a question or objective in mind from the start. Shamanic journeying may be
undertaken for purposes of divination, for personal healing, to meet one's power animal or spirit
guide, or for any number of other reasons. After the journey, you must then interpret the meaning
of your trance experience.
The drum, sometimes called the shamans horse, provides a simple and effective way to induce
ecstatic trance states. When a drum is played at an even tempo of three to four beats per second
for at least fifteen minutes, most novices report that they can journey successfully even on their
first attempt. Transported by the driving beat of the drum; the shamanic traveler journeys to the
inner planes of consciousness.
The three realms are linked together by a vertical axis that is commonly referred to as the "World
Tree." The roots of the World Tree touch the Lower World. Its trunk is the Middle World and its
branches hold up the Upper World. This central axis exists within each of us. Through the sound of
the drum, which is invariably made of wood from the World Tree, the shaman is transported to the
axis within and conveyed from plane to plane. As Tuvan musicologist Valentina Suzukei explains,
"There is a bridge on these sound waves so you can go from one world to another. In the sound
world, a tunnel opens through which we can pass-or the shaman's spirits come to us. When you
stop playing the drum, the bridge disappears."1
Journey Technique
To enter a trance state and support your journey, you will need a drum or a shamanic drumming
recording. Shamanic drumming is drumming for the purpose of shamanic journeying. A good
shamanic drumming recording should be pulsed at around three to four beats per second. You
may also rattle, chant, or sing to induce trance. There is no right or wrong way to journey. Be
innovative and try different ways of journeying. Many people need to move, dance, or sing their
journeys. My first journeys were supported by listening to a shamanic drumming recording, but now
I have stronger journeys when I drum for myself.
For your first journeys, I recommend traveling to the Lower World using the technique taught by
Michael Harner. Founder of The Foundation for Shamanic Studies, Harner is widely acknowledged
as the world's foremost authority on experiential and practical shamanism. In his book, The Way of
the Shaman, Harner suggests that you visualize an opening into the earth that you remember from
sometime in your life. The entrance could be an animal burrow, hollow tree stump, cave and so on.
When the journey begins, you'll go down the hole and a tunnel will appear. The tunnel often
appears ribbed and may bend or spiral around. This tunnel-like imagery is related to the central
axis that links the three inner planes of consciousness. Enter the tunnel and you will emerge into
the Lower World -- the realm of power animals, spirit guides and ancestral spirits. It is a beautiful,
Earth-like dimension, where we can find lost power, retrieve lost souls and connect with animal and
plant spirits. Step-by-step instructions for making shamanic journeys are explained in my book The
Shamanic Drum.
References
1. Kira Van Deusen, "Shamanism and Music in Tuva and Khakassia," Shaman's Drum, No. 47, Winter 1997, p. 24.
2. C. Michael Smith, Jung and Shamanism in Dialogue (New York: Paulist Press, 1997) p 16.
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