Namasteman

The Shamanic Journey

(Canyon Ranch Connection Yoga Article) by Glenn Weyant

A deeper state of being, an altered consciousness, a new tool for facilitating personal growth and understanding – that’s what a Shamanic Journey offers you.

Shamanic Journeying, a traditional metaphysical technique, is experienced all over the world by practitioners interested in gaining insight and intuition that can create healing through a higher state of consciousness, awareness and understanding. The Shamanic Journey allows access to spiritual guidance for answers and information that can assist in healing an individual, family, community and the Earth.

“People choose to experience a Shamanic Journey for many reasons,” says Canyon Ranch Spiritual Guide Mark Naseck, who offers the service to guests in Tucson. “Some have had an experience that has taken them to a place where they have not been before. Others seek a sense of deeper spirituality.

“It is hard to describe the effect of taking a Shamanic Journey. Often in this state people will see images that appear in their psyche. Some may meet an animal totem or have a vision. Others are simply filled with a feeling of knowing. The closest thing I could compare it to is lucid dreaming,” Naseck says.

Shamanism is a practice that goes back roughly 40,000 years. At the core of Shamanism is the journey into non-ordinary reality or a parallel universe. The Shaman goes into an altered state of consciousness, into unseen worlds, to access spiritual energy.

While taking a Shamanic Journey is highly personal for each traveler, the method of achieving that state of being is relatively the same. The journey will often alter a person’s state of consciousness through music and guided imagery. While in this altered state, people can access the spiritual realms and meet with animal totems and their higher selves.

The basic elements of a Shamanic Journey are:

The Right Place: Each journey begins with a comforting environment, allowing the traveler to lie down fully clothed, in a comfortable position with cushions to support the legs and a soft eye covering. Music, such as ritual drumming, is then played to help facilitate relaxation, deep meditation and an altered state of consciousness. Correct Breathing: Key to beginning a Shamanic Journey is learning to breath deeply and regularly. Useful Imagery: As the journey begins the Spiritual Guide will talk the traveler deeper into relaxation, suggesting imagery that will help bring on a deep sense of meditation and altered consciousness. Desire: A desire to open, trust and experience something “outside the box.”