The Shaman Path

This is part two of a two-part article on shamanism. To access part one, click here

As noted on the first part of this spiritual article, I am not representing anything here but my personal experience. I am not a recognized shaman or a teacher of traditional shamanistic journeying.

I have great respect for those who stand in the path as way-showers and teachers but the bulk of my shamanistic experiences have not come through that traditional way, nor are they the result of chemical alteration with spiritual plants although, on numerous occasions, I have connected strongly in etheric realms with those who do use those earth-based methods of journeying.

Spirit has come to me in solitude mostly, or as a baptism of experience during ceremony, and I have reached awareness of other realms and teachings through what I call direct energy transfer., or DET. A direct energy transfer occurs when knowing and awareness is energetically transferred at a cellular level, most often in contact with a Sacred Object such as a Chanupa, a ceremonial tree, or other item that has been encoded with specific vibrational frequencies.

The result of my Shamanic experiences:

I could share individual times of journeying, and have done so, but the details really don't matter so much. Whether I was having my head removed and all the skin pulled off my body or whether Eagles were coming and chewing out the flesh on my palms to open the chakras there, the result of all the different etheric journeys I've taken was the same.

These times of simultaneously being in the third dimension and in other realms had the distinct purpose of obliterating what came before and ushering in new reality. The vibrational frequencies repeatedly and ruthlessly blasted my old life apart and made it impossible for me to go back to it. Not only were mental, emotional and spiritual constructs blasted but my very cells, my dna, were consistently bombarded with new experience, teachings and accelerative infusions.

These experiences have kept me in the unknowing and fluid state of evolving, despite my own vigorous attempts to freeze the experiences into something that could be lived in permanently. I could not fix my mind on a concept before it dissolved and another, deeper level of consciousness began to emerge.

Shamanic journeying shifted my spiritual awareness in ways that can never be un-shifted and eventually led to the loss of everything I thought I held dear, and everything I thought I knew.

I can never again "not know" how much I do not know. I find it impossible to exist in reality as defined by third-dimensional law only. I cannot un-see that there is so much more available.

Physical Symptoms of Shamanic Journeying:

dizziness

nausea

disorientation

overwhelming, sudden fatique

almost unbearable body cramps

heart palpitations

intense sweating or intense cold

kundalini energy up the spine and in the root chakra area

strong pressure in the crown chakra

frightening fits of sudden coughing and phlegm in the throat

loose bowels

breathing difficulty

feelings of panic and wildness

dreams of a spiritual nature and horrible nightmares

trouble sleeping

trouble waking up

confusing flashes of different people when eyes are closed

feelings of being trapped in other dimensions and unable to return

free-falling into nothingness when eyes are closed

extreme awareness of cells and bodily functions

intense empathic connection to others

inability to separate self from others

hypersensitivity

and other symptoms I've probably forgotten by now. In other words, anything the body can experience happened to me at some time or another during periods of shamanic initiation.

If the above list of symptoms causes fear, I understand.

If I'd been handed a list before my own shamanic experiences began, I'd have freaked out big time. Luckily, I didn't know until it was too late and I was soul-deep in the experience.

I'm sure that was a perfect unfoldment, as is your finding a list of symptoms beforehand will be perfect for your journey.

I believe there is an infallible wisdom to the universe and that one will never be initiated into something their soul did not invite, regardless of how challenging it may seem to the ego self at the time. I would not actively seek out shamanism. I did not seek it out, at least not consciously but I always sought impeccability and integrity and realize now that this was a door-opener for the other experiences.

I always seemed to be just sitting there, praying or singing or sometimes just being, when the intiations came. They seemed always to catch me off guard, in the ego sense, even though I was usually in a pretty spiritual space when they happened. I guess that was necessary for me and my path.

There is a saying that a mind stretched to a new idea can never go back to it's former level of thinking. I believe a soul stretched to other realms can never quite go back to strictly third-dimensional living. I believe that, though it may often be extremely challenging to the personality self and highly uncomfortable for the body, is a good thing.

Holding the Pipe: A moment of transformative change * When the Student is Ready....

Spiritual Health Disclaimer: Shamanism is, perhaps, not well-suited to the spiritual tourist. Yet, it serves it's purpose should one seek out the shamanistic experience or teacher with ego-based motivations. The very path of the shaman is one that necessarily involves destruction of the ego-bound restrictions and limitations of form. It can be a fiery transmutation and I personally would let it find me when the time is right.