How to Be a Shaman Healer and the Journeys to Get You There

How to be a Shaman Healer and the Journeys to Get You There

How to be a Shaman Healer and the Journeys to Get You There!

Cathy Chmilnitzky

How to be a Shaman Healer and the Journeys to Get You There

ISBN: 1477572589

ISBN-13: 978-1477572580

How to be a Shaman Healer and the Journeys to Get You There

DEDICATION

I dedicate this book to all the individuals who support me with their trust and faith. Thank you for your encouragement, your uplifting words and the opportunity to continue to grow and learn from each of you. I am grateful everyday that you have touched my life.

Hugs,

Cathy

How to be a Shaman Healer and the Journeys to Get You There

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments / i
1 / What is Shamanism / 1
2 / Journeying – The Three Worlds / 4
3 / Preparing to Journey / 11
4 / A Guided Journey to Reunite with your Power Animal / 14
5 / Middle World Journey / 20
6 / Upper World Journey / 25
7 / Final Thoughts and Resources / 29

How to be a Shaman Healer and the Journeys to Get You There

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

In gratitude to the many teachers that have come into my life. For selflessly sharing their wisdom and know how in order to create a circle of ever increasing knowledge as each individual shares in turn. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

How to be a Shaman Healer and the Journeys to Get You There

What is Shamanism?

Shamanism is a traditional healing system. In this system the healing practitioner, referred to as a shaman, enters an altered state of consciousness in order to gain knowledge from the spirit world.

Evidence exists that shows that shamanism goes all the way back in history to around 45,000 years. Shamanism at its earliest form was used as a means through which offerings for successful outcomes of hunting and gathering were made, as well as in celebration of those positive outcomes.

Today we have the modern shaman whose focus is mainly on individual spiritual growth and perhaps the sharing of their knowledge with others.

This sharing would most likely be through teaching of workshops and providing healing sessions. The healing sessions would most likely be an extension of the healing services already offered by the practitioner.

Shamanic Healing Methods

In shamanic healing dis-ease within body, mind and spirit are seen as having occurred either due to power lose, soul lose or intrusions.

Power lose occurs when we have a lost power animal. Some of the symptoms of a lost power animal are chronic illness, depression and misfortune. In order to restore this power, the shaman will journey with their own power animal to search for the lost power animal for the other person or client.

Soul lose occurs through the experience of trauma and this trauma causes a part of the person’s essence to fragment off. The trauma could be mental, emotional or physical abuse, an accident or even day to day stress. The symptoms could include disassociation, chronic illness, depression, lowered immune function, post traumatic stress, addiction and feeling suicidal. The shaman will journey to find the lost soul, heal it and bring it back into the person.

Intrusions are opportunistic energies in the body that block our own healing. They create chronic fatigue, illnesses, pain, organ problems and viruses. The shaman travels into non ordinary reality and views the client’s body, searching for the intrusions. Once found they are removed on the spiritual level effectively returning them to the universe, thus allowing personal power to return and healing to take place.

In welcoming shamanism into your spiritual practice, you will find that once you’ve mastered the art of the altered state of consciousness and the ability to journey for yourself or on the behalf of others, a whole new world of self understanding and expansion of the soul will be yours.

How to be a Shaman Healer and the Journeys to Get You There

Journeying – The Three Worlds

There are three different types of journeys that you will be using. All three journeys should be seen in a positive way because as with all energy work intention is everything. After coming back from your journeys you’ll want to analyze them to gain further insights into the meaning of anything that showed up during the journey, such as animals, plants and people. There are many great resources out there that you can use to help you in your interpretation. I highly recommend Animal Speak by Ted Andrews. This book is such a great reference book that offers meaning into many common animals. Whenever an animal shows up for me in this reality or in non-ordinary reality (the journey state) I head straight to that insightful book.

1. The Lower World Journey

This is typically the first place that a person will journey to. This is the world where your power animal will be revealed to you and once you’ve been reunited with your power animal you can take all other journeys with your animal by your side, this will keep you safe and protected. As well as guide you to what you seek, be it healing or insight.

All lower world journeys begin by entering into a hole. You can use a rabbit hole, a hollow tree or any opening that will lead you down into the earth. Once you enter the hole you’ll be guided through caves or tunnels until you emerge out into the landscape of the lower world. As with all journeys your experience will be unique to you. So suspend all pre-conceived notions and expectations, just open up to the experience before you.

View this lower world journey as an opportunity to gain power, nurturing, insights and support for your everyday life.

My first journey was a wonderful experience, so vivid, alive, and full of textures and colours, unfolding like a delicate bloom to reveal its fragrant gifts to me. I began my journey to find my power animal down a hollow at the base of a large ancient tree, travelling headlong through a skin cooling tunnel, flying, until emerging out into the tranquil setting of the lower world. This for me, for this particular journey, was a clearing in the bush by the side of a gently flowing stream. I could hear the rushing of water as the sun lit down upon me, several different animals appeared to me but I didn’t feel a bond, a deeper connection with them. I also kept asking “Are you my power animal?” and received the answer that they were not. As I looked around a tall cliff with a water fall was before me, revealing the rushing sound that I had heard earlier. As my eyes drank in the magnificence of this place, I finally caught a glimpse of a large cat. Blinking, I looked again and there he was sitting even closer to me on a rock. I wasn’t fearful at all and I asked for confirmation that he was my power animal. This powerful cougar was in fact my very own animal guide and is with me to this day. We’ve journeyed together many times since that first journey and I am so grateful for his loving, protective presence and guiding insights.

2. The Middle World Journey

The middle world journey is a journey on the earth plane. It can be used to reveal answers to questions pertaining to your life, to connect with nature and animals or to work with the elements.

A popular destination in the middle world journey is to a sacred place. Sacred places can be found around the world and are places believed to hold a special energy or spirits that can be tapped into to provide assistance to the journeyers. Keep in mind that you can journey anywhere on the earth to contact the spirits of place. For instance, my friend was having issues with her house. Specifically her pipes were leaking and she also had a lot of moisture problems. I journeyed to her property on a middle world journey to speak with the spirits of place, to gain a clearer understanding of why these things were happening.

What the spirits revealed was a deep sadness. From the beginning of the house’s creation it was not appreciated, in fact it was created with carelessness and detachment. The home held the energy of being devalued and unworthy, which created a deep sadness. With this insight

my friend was able to create a positive shift in the energy of her home and put an end to the physical problems.

As you can see from this example, the realm of possibilities is wide open for you to take a middle world journey, to shed light on whatever issues you or people you care about are going through.

3. The Upper World Journey

The upper world journey is connected to the higher spirits; the ones we turn to for divine guidance, like spiritual teachers, ascended masters and guardian angels.

For the upper world journey you go up into the air, through the clouds and up to the higher realms. You may get there in a few different ways; you can start on a mountain or tree, you can have a helper such as a bird or

butterfly come to carry you upward. Again your journey will be unique to you, just be open to whatever scene unfolds before you in your journey.

My first upper world journey was to find a teacher, an enlightening experience. I found myself in a wheat field wondering how to lift up to the higher world. I was told to be a kite. I took a run and was lifted into the wind and then flew up and up. I arrived to the higher realm and announced that I was there for my teacher, my voice echoed into the misty light.

I then found myself sitting in an apple tree and a monkey jumped down and sat beside me. I laughed, saying “You know that I love monkeys.” The image shifted into a young Indian warrior who said “I know.” I told him that I was there for a deep healing, which he also knew.

I then found myself in a tepee lying down covered in animal skins and over by the fire was a Shaman. The Shaman was mixing a concoction of herbs for me to drink. It was dark green in colour and bits of sticks and berries were visible, I could even smell the earthy scent that it held. I was instructed to drink it by my teacher and I did. It was bitter “Drink, drink!” he said and I chocked it back. The Shaman then came to me and placed feathers across

my body. Next, starting at my feet, he picked up the feathers and began beating on me like a drum. The feathers then fanned out and he scooped and swayed; the feathers removing energy debris, dark and heavy.

Next I was escorted to the sweat lodge. As I sat in the heat of the sweat lodge, the air so thick it was difficult to breathe, and my sweat poured out of me in the colour of the herbal brew that I had finished earlier. I felt light headed, almost faint as dark shadows danced on the walls; dark energies. I got the sense that these dark energies had moved out of me and now would be transmuted in the heat of the sweat lodge into something positive. My teacher then guided me out of the sweat lodge and instructed me to plunge naked into the crystal clear lake that stretched before me. I emerged feeling renewed and refreshed; grateful for such a powerful deep healing.

This was an amazing journey for me because I not only met a wonderful teacher, the Shaman, but I received a much needed healing too. I have called on this special teacher often for guidance and insights along my path.

Preparing for the journey

Before taking your first journey it’s important to bring yourself into a positive energy state through a form of cleansing, be it physical or visual.

To physically clear yourself take a bath in Epsom salts. The salts will draw out the heavy dense energies, leaving you feeling much lighter and clearer.

You can also visualize white light washing over your body and dissolving the dark areas in your energy field and in your body. To be guided through this exercise you can go to

The process of cleansing will create a lightness in your being that will assist you in your openness to receive information and what it truly does is provide you with a clear vessel with which to travel unencumbered by ego and life’s issues.

Next set your intention for your journey. Intention is so important because we create with our thoughts and they will determine the outcome of your journey. You must be willing to let go and hold a belief and trust in this work. Be open and ready to receive the insights or connections that you seek. There is a Native saying “Be the hollow bone” What this means is freeing up space within you where there are no judgments or preconceived notions held. Empty yourself of your ‘stuff’ the day to day mental thoughts, emotions and situations, in this way you will be a clear channel for the information that you seek.

Set the Stage

You want to set a tranquil atmosphere for your journey. In order to do that choose a space that feels comfortable to you, turn off all interruptions, such as cell phones and home phones. You may wish to put on some music, if you have a drumming cd or native inspired cd that would be wonderful to take you on your journey. You may wish to clear your space through smudging by burning some

white sage or incense. Perhaps simply lighting a candle will help you to set the stage. You can stretch out on a blanket on the floor, this is how I was taught to journey, but you can lay down anywhere or sit up in a chair if that is more comfortable. If your space is bright you may wish to use an eye mask, this really helps to provide a dark screen for your journey to play out on. Remember this is your journey and these are simply guidelines for you, follow your intuition and do what feels comfortable and trust that it is perfect for you and your experience.

Make sure to have a journal and pen beside you because once you return from your journey you will want to record your experience in all its wonderful detail, while it is still fresh in your memory.

A guided journey to reunite with your power animal

Guided Journey for Your Power Animal

Your first journey will be to find your power animal. This is typically the first journey because it’s important to have your power animal with you on all subsequent journeys. Your power animal will be your protector, sage and guide. It will also bring to you the power qualities that they possess.

A guided journey will lead you through your first journey leaving no questions as to whether or not you are journeying correctly. It’s a great idea to record this guided journey script so that you can simply play it back. You could also have someone read it to you or read it over yourself and with the journey script in mind begin your journey.

Journey to Re-unite with your Power Animal

Note the …….indicates a pause

Take a deep breath in and on the exhale allow your eyes to gently close, if you haven’t closed them already. Take in another deep breath and when you exhale allow your entire body to relax. With each breath from here on in, allow yourself to become even more relaxed…….more and more relaxed. Feel this relaxation spreading down from the crown of your head and as the relaxation spreads….. releasing tension…… you become the hollow bone…….totally open and ready to receive……...and now spreading down across your forehead…. relax………your eye muscles relax…….the muscles around your mouth, chin and jaw……relax…….your neck relaxes…….your shoulders, release and relax……..this relaxation flowing down into your arms……all the way to your fingers……..relax…….relax……now your chest relaxes…….your upper back….relax……..relax……flowing down into your abdomen……release and relax….letting all tension go……relax……and your lower back relaxes……spreading down into your hips….relax…..more and more relaxed…..at ease……hollow bone.…your knees

relax……your shins and calves……relax…….relax…..and finally your ankles, feet and toes…….your whole body has become completely relaxed and ready for the journey ahead…..

You are now standing outside under the warm sun and the sky is a crystal clear blue. You feel protected and excited about the journey before you. You hear the birds singing songs of encouragement and in your mind you hold the intention of your journey- to find your power animal and re-unite.

You see before you an opening into the earth and you move toward it………you are quickly and gently drawn down into the opening……..finding yourself floating down into the earth in a long tunnel. You can feel the cool air on your skin and you see in the distance a small pinpoint of light………you move closer and closer to the light and as you do the light becomes bigger and bigger………..bigger and bigger……..until finally you find yourself at the end of the tunnel……..no longer floating, your feet are firmly on the ground and you see before you the landscape of the lower world. Take it all in……..the textures…….the sounds…….the sights……how you feel………..connect fully