Vision journeys
We go on visionary journeys with the sound of a shamanic drum . We can use both a shamanic drum or recordings available on the Internet. When it comes to the drum, it's a good idea to find a person who will drum for you. You can also drum yourself, but then it can be difficult to make a journey and at the same time fully immersing yourself in this experience. Recordings available on the web can be found under Michael Harner or Mirosław Miniszewski.
AXIS MUNDI
In many shamanic cultures, one of the most common symbols is the Axis Mundi (cosmic tree, the axis of the world). It is most often depicted with branches and roots. It contains a very simple and at the same time powerful symbolism of the tripartite division of the world. The branches of the tree symbolize the upper worlds, associated with the sky. The trunk of a tree is the middle world - our world. On the other hand, the roots correspond with the lower world - the underground. It is worth mentioning here that the afterlife, i.e. the places where the dead depart, were located differently depending on the mythology of a given culture - in the upper or lower world. These worlds, apart from the souls of the dead, are inhabited by various spirits, for exapmple animals. And so birds, like all winged animals, belong to the upper worlds. Chthonic animals, such as serpent beings, often reside in the nether worlds. Animals connecting both worlds move along the trunk. One of them is, for example, the squirrel present in the mythology of our western neighbors. Such affiliation does not mean, however, that the animal does not exist in a world other than the one assigned to it. Therefore, for example, during a journey in the lower world, we can also find birds there, as well as all other animal spirits.
The practice of traveling to other worlds is best started with the nether world. It is more similar to our reality than the upper world, so it will be easier for us to move around in it. The upper world is less "dense" and resembles rather energy fields, more etheric and more difficult to grasp. That's why I recommend traveling to the upper worlds rather advanced in practice.
PHASES OF THE JOURNEY
The journey consists of several phases:
-finding the entrance to the underground
-going through the tunnel and finding the entrance to the lower world
- journey in the lower world
-return
TRAVEL TIME
Travel time can vary here. Usually, beginners spend most of their time in the more superficial layers, while more advanced spend most of their time in the lower world. Of course, everything is a matter of practice. For an advanced person, 20 minutes is enough to make the journey. Longer journeys can be tiring and require more energy. For beginners, 20 minutes may seem too short. In this case, it can be extended, but if you feel tired, it is not worth forcing yourself. It is better to do short and frequent sessions.
STARTING POINT AND ENTRY
In the initial stage, I recommend using your imagination. We find a place that will be the beginning of our journey. It may be or may not be a place that exists physically. Different schools express different approaches to the subject here. In my opinion, it doesn't matter that much and I travel equally well in both versions, although I have my favorite. So from the starting point that we imagine, we set off in search of the first opening - the entrance that will lead us deep into the earth. It can be this cosmic tree, e.g. with a hollow, into which we jump and then go down through the roots. It can be an animal's burrow, a rock crevice, a cave, a spring, a well, as well as stairs to the basement or an elevator. The best entrance is usually the one that our imagination gives us, so if something appears spontaneously, it is best to follow this path.
It is good to imagine the entrance to the underground as accurately as possible, look at it with the inner eye and feel it with all your senses, touch it, smell it. This makes the journey much easier. On the other hand, you should not focus too much on the entrance, but simply move on efficiently. The next stage is the tunnel, which can gently descend at an angle or lead vertically downwards. We descend or fall until the second opening appears - the entrance to the lower world. There may be light in it, but not necessarily. Behind this passage, the lower world begins and the role of our imagination ends.
In the case of traveling to the upper world, we can also use a tree and get there by climbing its branches. Other ascents are: on a rope, with the smoke of a bonfire, on a rainbow, on a ray of sunshine. In journeys to the upper world, there is no opening analogous to entering the underworld. There is only one opening, which we reach after climbing and behind it is the upper world.
IMPORTANT COMPONENTS OF TRAVEL
In the next stage, the most important will be:
- focus on the sound of the drum
- letting go of expectations
-intention
-guide
REMARK
If we can focus our attention on the sound of the drum in such a way that we can hear EVERY beat of the drumstick against its skin, then this is the state of consciousness we are talking about. Monotonous drumming puts you in a trance. Brain waves begin to function in the theta rhythm (4-7 Hz). This frequency occurs when we are in the phase of relaxation, meditation or dreams. Attention focused as much as possible on the sound of the drum distracts us from the disturbing factors and at the same time makes it easier to enter a trance. The sound of the drum can be compared to a vehicle or fuel necessary for a journey. That is why shamans often refer to their drum as the horse on which they travel.
OBSERVER
Letting go of expectations and the attitude of an observer is another important issue. Try not to grab every thing that comes up and not to follow it by force. Let's just observe our body and the screen of the mind. The visions will be like clouds that come and go. You can't stop them. The less tension, the more slack, the better. If nothing appears, you should also not look for visions by force, or invent anything. An empty mind and a relaxed body are enough, because if something is going to arise, it will arise. Sometimes nothing comes up and it also happens to advanced travelers. Sometimes instead of visions we need rest and this is also good. Instead of traveling, we can do mindfulness meditation, observe ourselves. The sound of the drum, just for listening and without traveling, clears the mind and greatly supports entering the state of emptiness. In addition, it fills you with energy. Such a session has a regenerating and charging effect.
INITIAL STATE
It is also important what we come with. When we start the journey rested, after the initial meditation and work with the body to release tension, we will enter a trance much faster and easier. Fatigue, too many thoughts, tension in the body and low energy levels are not conducive to travel. Just like overeating. A body focused on digestion is not interested in traveling, because it has more important things to do. So before starting the journey, it is worth paying attention to what we come with.
INTENTION AND GUIDE
Another important issue is INTENTION. Spirits don't like to be bothered senselessly. Therefore, whenever you go to other worlds, think about what your goal is in doing so? The goal is also important from the perspective of the later interpretation of experienced visions - you know what to relate them to. During the first sessions, it is good to travel with the intention of finding a guide.
The guide is an animal of power that guides us through the worlds we visit. It is analogous when we go to an unknown place on our globe, to a foreign country, etc. If we do not know the inhabitants, their speech, customs and rules in a given area, we can easily get lost or expose ourselves by making gaffes and mistakes. It is safer with a guide, because he knows this world very well. Therefore, it is a being that cares about our safety and leads us on the shortest way to the goal. In case of trouble, he can help us and can communicate with the inhabitants of other worlds. At the beginning, when we do not yet know what and how, we can learn a lot thanks to such guidance. Once we find the guide and get to know him enough, after a few sessions we can start traveling with any intention.
I recommend intentions that are urgent and timely for us. It is worth focusing on the most important issues at a given moment. Sometimes it happens that we travel with some intention, but the trip goes in a completely different direction than we planned - if this happens, it means that there is something that is very urgent and requires attention from us in the first place. Intentions can be related to a question, a problem to be solved, a task to be worked out, or healing. Whatever we come up with, it is worth making sure that the intention is formulated in a clear and transparent way, so that our guide understands what we mean. The type of world we go to for an answer often depends on intentions.
WORLDS
The upper worlds are a place where we can look at a given case from a bird's eye view, they give us a broader perspective and see things holistically, globally. The lower worlds are more conducive to cleansing, digging through the problem, breaking it down into prime factors and looking at it through the perspective of a magnifying glass. If we don't know what kind of world we should choose, I recommend calling a guide at the starting point and he will lead us in the right direction. Sometimes it happens that the chosen direction is not the right one and the energy pulls us in the opposite direction than we have chosen. Then you should trust and follow the current that takes you where you need to go.
END OF THE JOURNEY
Every journey ends someday. Usually with the cessation of drumming. If you are accompanied by a live drum, it is worth setting the signal to return before your journey. If you use a recording, it is worth checking what signal it is before the trip. It is best to follow your own footsteps, to the entrance opening. Still in the lower (or upper) world, say goodbye to your guide and return to the starting point through the tunnel and the first opening (or openings). There we can dissolve the vision and open our eyes. After the journey, it is worth taking care of good grounding. Contact with the physical world will be highly recommended at this stage. You can then eat something, move around, do some physical activity, take a shower, etc.
OBSTACLES
Factors that may interfere with our travels:
-external factors
-uncomfortable position
-pain in the body
-mind
PREPARING THE VENUE
Before starting the journey, you should take care of good conditions so that nothing distracts us. So we choose a secluded place where no one will disturb us. You can establish a ban on entering the room in which you will travel, lock it, or choose a time when you are simply alone. I recommend turning off the phone completely and not leaving it on mute, because the vibration will also disturb us. The noise of the street often disqualifies a place for travel. If you live on a busy street, tram or train line, this will not be the right place to travel. I recommend cutting off light stimuli, i.e. covering the windows as much as possible and putting on a blindfold. Evening travel time works well, but not too late.
POSITION
You should take a comfortable position in which you will feel comfortable throughout the journey. The most common position is the lying position. However, it should be a position in which we will not fall asleep. There are people who travel seated. Shamans are said to like to travel lying on their stomachs. However, for many people it will certainly be a very uncomfortable position. Comfort in this case is a very important issue, because changing position during the journey can completely knock you out of the trance. After settling down for the trip, I recommend looking through your entire body with your inner eye and checking if there is any tension in it. If so, you should relax these areas one by one until you achieve complete relaxation.
MIND
Preparing your mind is equally important. It is worth doing a meditation session to calm the mind immediately before the trip. Entering other worlds with an empty mind will make the journey much easier and more valuable. During my classes, I noticed that the mind is a major factor in traveling, especially for beginners. It can happen at the very beginning of the practice that a lot of content is thrown out in the mind. It is a kind of garbage can of the mind and can contain anything, from detached pieces of everyday life to images seen, for example, on the Internet. Therefore, I suggest beginners not to take them too hastily for visions. Usually, after a few sessions, this content cleans itself and a stage of clarity occurs. Only then can we start talking about visions. Even for advanced people, the mind can be very disturbing. It can appear during travel as a voice that talks in your head and, for example, comments on visions. He can suggest various thoughts that distract attention from the journey, attach labels to visions, etc. The range of his serves is really wide. An effective antidote to this is to ignore it and focus as much as possible on the sound of the drum. If we don't pay our attention to the mind, it will eventually shut down on its own. However, you have to be vigilant all the time, because the mind never sleeps and waits until we lose mindfulness and focus. That's when he attacks.
VISION
How to distinguish vision from mental creations?
True vision does not come from the mind, but from the spirit. The mind is not able to change it. The true vision does not disappear, and if we take our eyes off it for a moment and then turn our eyes back to it, it should remain there all the time. Another characteristic feature of the vision is surprise. Often we are simply surprised by something that we could not invent, that did not occur to us before. Initially, the visions may be faint and appear as individual images emerging from the darkness. They can be shapeless and difficult to grasp. As the practice progresses, they should become more and more coherent and concrete, to finally create a full reality - a landscape and a world of visions.
SENSES
We experience visions through our senses. The most popular is eyesight. This is our condition, because we usually use it the most. That is why visions most often appear as images. However, it is important to realize that they can also appear as sounds, music, singing - in the ear canal. The third of the more popular channels is touch and body sensations. The others, smell and taste, are very rare. When traveling, it is worth paying attention to all the sensations that appear in our perception.
LANDSCAPE AND CREATURES
The vision landscape is very important and should be taken into account when interpreting. Just like the creatures found there. Not all of them are friendly, but even those that are hostile can be important and should not be underestimated. Sometimes it is difficult to assess whether a given creature should be avoided or interacted with to transform into something positive. It varies, so it is worth reminding ourselves here about the role of a guide who will know what to do, even if we do not know it.
POLICY
The principles of the other world are best taught by practice under the guidance of a guide. Therefore, I will not elaborate on them in detail here. From the basic important rules, however, I would like to mention a few here. First of all, we don't take anything from other worlds when we come to the surface. If we need something in the material world, it will materialize and it will come to us in due course. Secondly, we do not consume or drink anything during the trip unless it is given to us and our pet gives us a signal that it should be taken. Third, it's better not to interrupt your journey and not distract yourself from something you don't like and don't accept. If we decide to travel, let's be ready to accept everything that happens. There are places and situations that need to be avoided, or you can go back and end your journey - and you should play it that way. Fourth, you should return completely, devoting as much time as you need to return.
We go out to the starting point, which we then dissolve.
PRACTICE
These are the most important principles that are good to know and assimilate before starting practice. Do not be discouraged in the event of an unsuccessful first trip or the first few trips. Sometimes it happens that visions start to appear only after a few attempts. It is then worth considering the reason for this fact by analyzing, for example, this text. Then it is good to change a factor or several, experiment with different times of the day, places, positions or recordings, for example. It is worth increasing or decreasing the frequency of travel. You can also take a longer break and come back to them after some time. First of all, don't approach it as a failure, but more as a challenge. It is also worth bearing in mind the motto: "practice makes perfect".
Shamania
March 2015