The Accidental Shaman: Journeys with Plant Teachers and Other Spirit Allies - Howard G. Charing 2017
Mapping The Shamanic Journey
The Shamanic Journey
The traditional shamanic map of the upper, lower, and middle worlds provides a structure that can help us understand and explore the mysteries of creation and the human consciousness. It should not be considered a literal map of “fixed” places, but rather as a guidebook for spiritual seekers. Multidimensional reality is an energetic realm, individually subjective and shaped by our cultural standpoint. In many respects, when we venture into this ancient cosmology, we move into the mysterious, magical world of metaphor rather than the systemized universe.
The Upper World
The upper world is the traditional place of gods, ancestors, and spirit teachers. It has many names: the skyworld, the overworlds, the celestial heavens, and the kingdom of heaven. To go there, we start in a place in our imagination, a place where we can go up or ascend, such as a tree or staircase. From there, we move upward, by climbing the tree, ascending a mountain, climbing a rainbow, rising on a plume of smoke, being lifted by a whirlwind, climbing a pyramid or Ziggurat, and so on. We find echoes of this in our folklore with tales such as “Jack and the Beanstalk,” in which Jack ascends a stout vine, enters an enchanted kingdom, and meets a giant; The Wizard of Oz, in which Dorothy is transported by tornado into a magical world; and Alice in Wonderland, in which Alice enters another realm through a rabbit hole, evocative of a journey to the lower world.
While the words upper and lower possess a qualitative connotation in Western culture, it’s important to point out that the upper world is not better than the lower world. In the shamanic cosmological system, they complement each other, just like the roots, the trunk, and the leaves of a tree. We can also gain an appreciation of the complementary nature of the upper and lower worlds by exploring systems of spiritual belief. Shamanism and Buddhism are complementary in some respects. Shamanism gravitates toward alignment with the natural world, or instincts, and the cultivation of personal power, or life force. In Buddhist terms, these concepts align with the lower chakras. In Buddhist practice, the emphasis is on shifting the attention to the higher chakras to develop compassion and wisdom, and to encourage the loss of self (the ego self). In Tibetan and Korean Buddhism, which were both strongly influenced by their native shamanic cultures, it is important to develop one’s center (the third chakra) and to integrate the natural, instinctive life force with the higher spiritual centers. Viewing these practices as a whole, it is clear that both polarities are necessary, and one is not more important than the other. It is about being in balance. The shamanic journey requires volition and discipline. The journey in itself is not the objective. The objective is to return to the everyday world and implement the knowledge that was gained during the journey.
In Western culture we separate our everyday life and the spiritual life. This creates a fragmented worldview, as opposed to the belief that in essence we are spiritual beings who happen to be in physical bodies who are having an experience in a physical universe. Viewed from this perspective, everything we do is spiritual. To illustrate this, back in the 1990s I had a “midlife existential crisis,” and I quit my well-paying executive job as a manager in an American computer corporation. During that period my marriage also came to an amicable end. In retrospect, I can see that it was an inevitable time of transformation due to the upheaval in my life following my elevator accident.
Once I no longer had the company Mercedes, I bought an old British sports car, a MGB Roadster. Eventually I realized that this car was really unsuitable. It was too small, terribly uncomfortable, and cold in winter. So I decided to sell the car, but no matter how hard I tried, it just wouldn’t sell.
One day, I had the bright idea to do a shamanic journey and ask a spirit teacher how I could sell the car. I journeyed to the upper world and asked the spirit teacher I met there how I could sell the car. The answer was clear and concise: “Take all of your personal possessions out of the car, and then take the car to the garage and get it repaired and working well. Then you will sell the car.” I ignored this advice because I did not want to spend money on a car that I was trying to sell. About four months later the car totally broke down—it wouldn’t go anywhere—so I reluctantly decided to get it repaired. The car was away for a week and cost a fair amount of money, yet when I got it back it drove fabulously; the engine roared, the steering was precise, it was great fun. The day after leaving the repair shop, I received a phone call. “Is your car still for sale?” The car was sold the next day, and then I realized that I had exactly, albeit unwittingly, carried out the recommendations from the spirit teacher; that is, all my stuff was out of the car, and it was working well. In fact, it was in top-notch condition, so it was gratifying that the buyer would be happy too.
EXERCISE
Journey to the Upper World to Meet a Teacher
You will need either a shamanic journey drumming track or a friend with a drum. Read the exercise instructions carefully before starting the journey. The suggested length for an initial journey is twenty minutes. Later, after you’re comfortable with journeying, extend the length to thirty or forty minutes.
To begin, find a place where you feel comfortable and will not be disturbed for about an hour. When you are ready, either lie down or sit in a comfortable chair and darken the room, or at least cover your eyes. (It is easier to carry out this type of visionary work in subdued light.) Remove or release any tight or restrictive clothing, and shift your breathing to a gentle rhythm. As you breathe, allow yourself to become rooted by feeling a magnetic pull into the ground.
Now is the time to focus on the first key of transformation, intention. In your mind, focus on your intention; contemplate the purpose of the journey and what you want to achieve. Through this process, you align your energy with your thoughts and the hoped-for outcome. For the purposes of this journey, the intention is to journey to the upper world to meet a spirit teacher. Additionally (or on a subsequent journey), you may want to ask a question. If this is the case, I advise that you make it an important question, maybe one of the most important questions in your life. It doesn’t have to be a “spiritual” question; remember, your whole life is a spiritual experience.
When you are ready, in your imagination allow yourself to be in a place you know that reminds you of Earth. When I say a place you know, I mean a place that you have visited or have seen in a film or photograph. In any case, make it a real place. This place also needs something that allows you to go up, such as a tree, a hill, or a pyramid. Take the time you need to allow your attention to inhabit this place. Have a sense of being there: feel your feet on the ground; sense the earth pushing up against your soles and between your toes; feel the wind around you, perhaps blowing through the trees or carrying the scent of wildflowers. Just relax into the feeling of being present there.
Now, look at the location where you intend to go up and start making your ascent. During this ascent be aware of passing through a “layer” of some sort. This layer could be experienced as something ephemeral, such as clouds or even tissue paper. Some people sense it kinesthetically. You could also feel like you are moving through a membrane. This is the separator between the realms. Once you have moved through this layer, you will be in the upper world.
People experience the appearance of the upper world in various ways. Our psyche interprets the intangible attributes of nonordinary reality in a manner that we can understand. It is a subjective, not a generic, interpretation, although cultural background extends a major influence. Nevertheless, in general people describe the upper world as having an ethereal quality, illuminated with soft colors.
Now it is time to explore. Go ahead and walk around, remembering your intention. Perceive this place using every sensory system that you possess. During this journey you may come across beings in human form. When you meet one of these beings, ask him or her, “Are you my spirit teacher?” You may get one of the following three responses.
Yes. If the response is yes, then relax and engage with this experience. How are you feeling? How does he or she appear to you? Don’t be shy; greet the spirit teacher, feel free to speak, and ask a question if you have one. If you don’t have a specific question, ask the spirit teacher how he or she will be helping and guiding you. Ask about any influences the teacher could bring into your life.
No. If the response is no, then continue to explore until the above occurs.
No, and the spirit points in a particular direction. If this takes place, then go in the indicated direction. If the being points upward, that’s okay. Just go and find a place in the upper world where you can again make an ascent. There are many levels in the upper world, and as you ascend be aware of the separators between these levels. At the next level again explore until you meet your spirit teacher.
Coming Back
Coming back is all important, and it needs to be integrated into your intention, either spoken or unspoken. This work has no point unless you come back into the physical world to build your bridge between the manifest and the unmanifest realities.
Returning can take place either at a prearranged time with your drumming friend or when you hear the call-back drumming rhythm on your shamanic journeying track. Coming back requires volition and discipline, particularly because sometimes you might be journeying in a place from which you do not want to return. When you hear the call-back signal, stop what you are doing, say your farewells, turn around, and return the same way that you came. Make your descent, and when you have arrived in the place that you started from, the place in your imagination that reminded you of Earth, become aware of that place, feel your feet on the ground and the grass or soil pushing up against the soles of your feet. Be back in the physical world.
Then either relate your journey to your companion or make a note in your journal. This is a helpful practice because sometimes when you write or tell of your experience, seemingly unrelated events during the journey click into place.
One of the things I enjoy most during workshops is when participants tell me that “nothing” happened on their journey. I then ask them to tell me precisely what “nothing” took place. Time after time I have been amazed when some of the most wonderful, poetic, and powerful experiences are expressed. Remember, the rational mind is not an ally in this work. Don’t judge or evaluate the experience; often the circumstances of the journey, the landscape, and the environment have much to say. Be neutral and just say or write what happened; the personal revelation may happen a little later. Things may take time to percolate.
Sometimes during early journeys, a moment before the call back sounds, the spirit teacher may start to tell the person something really important, maybe of seemingly “cosmic” significance. Even though the spirit is about to reveal the secrets of the universe, it is time to come back! It is the spirit teacher’s way of telling you to come back again, in a similar fashion to a television cliff-hanger. The spirits also have a sense of humor. Remember your intention, and engage your volition and discipline to return.
The Lower World
The lower world is often experienced as a place of nurturing and sustenance. There is also a link between the lower world and the physical world.
People often experience a feeling of union with Earth in their journeys, but some may experience discomfort and turbulence in the lower world, which may be a reflection of their inner landscape. Some also experience fear of the “descent,” or of going down, a fear I believe to be substantially induced by the cultural demonization of the lower world.
In the lower world you can meet spirit guides and allies, widely known as power animals, or spirit animals. For me, journeying to the lower world has been a challenging, emotionally moving, and ultimately rewarding experience. It has provided me with an important link lacking in my life, a connection with animals. On one journey, I asked a spirit animal the difference between humans and animals. The reply was, “Animals do not judge themselves!”
Power vs. Personal Power
The word power is often associated with this kind of work. We use terms such as power animal and gaining personal power. But what are we talking about? What is the meaning of power? Words can be loaded with emotional meaning, and no matter how careful we are in the words we choose, they are still understood subjectively by the individual and influenced by social circumstances, life experience, early upbringing, and culture.
The word power in the West has perhaps an unfavorable interpretation. People often associate power with “power over something or someone else.” The whole arena of “power relationships,” in which we find an imbalance of power among the people involved, is undergoing a significant level of public debate in the West. This debate focuses quite rightly on the undesirable aspects, the “abuse of power”—in the community, the workplace, religious institutions, schools, police forces, and the government.
In shamanism power means only one thing, and this is power over yourself. This is personal power, which allows you to live a life of freedom, to respond rather than react, and to be centered in yourself, not blown off course by the trials and tribulations of human life. Much of the teachings of indigenous peoples converge on this principle, the gathering or stalking of power. Basically, the more power (or energy) you have, the more you can do.
The English language is lacking vocabulary and concepts in this area; we miss the subtlety of nuance. In shamanism, power corresponds with energy, or life force. This pathway also provides the opportunity to align with and draw in the universal field of energy.
Power Animals
There are a couple of ways to view the notion of power animals. They can be seen as incorporeal allies whose role is to inform, to protect, and to bring a specific quality into alignment with ourselves. This is often a quality that we need rather than one that we desire. When exploring the invisible realms, it really helps to have a guide in the same way that if you were to take an exploration trip to another country, it would make an enormous difference if you were accompanied by a guide who knew the lay of the land and could speak the local language.
With this in mind, I encourage you to build a relationship with your animal spirit guide, a relationship that could really help to open a loving doorway of understanding and appreciation of the natural world around you, as well as help to develop and grow your own qualities.
Honor your power animal by keeping pictures around your house that remind you of it and by donating money to charities that support your particular animal or that protect endangered species. Act now to protect the animals! Don’t think that one individual cannot make a difference. Human history, for better or worse, teaches us otherwise.
The other perspective is to regard power animals as a manifestation of your psyche’s interpretation of the infinite multidimensional field of universal consciousness. In this case your psyche has interpreted an aspect of the universal mind as a powerful symbol that embodies the qualities relevant and meaningful to you.
It doesn’t matter which view you hold. The only thing that matters is whether it works. I personally feel comfortable with the ambiguity of holding both perspectives.
EXERCISE
Journey to the Lower World to Meet a Power Animal
You will need either a shamanic journey drumming track or a friend with a drum. Read the exercise instructions carefully before starting the journey. The suggested length for an initial journey is twenty minutes. Later, after you’re comfortable with journeying, extend the length to thirty or forty minutes.
To begin, find a place that you feel comfortable and will not be disturbed for about an hour. When you are ready, either lie down or sit in a comfort-able chair and darken the room, or at least cover your eyes. (It is easier to carry out this type of visionary work in subdued light.) Remove or release any tight or restrictive clothing, and allow your breathing to move to a gentle rhythm. As you breathe allow yourself to feel rooted or imagine a magnetic pull into the ground.
Focus on the first key of transformation, intention. Contemplate the purpose of the journey and what you want to achieve. This process allows you to align your energy with your thoughts and hoped-for outcome. For the purposes of this journey, the intention is to journey to the lower world to meet a power animal. Additionally (or for a subsequent journey), you may want to ask a question. If this is the case, I advise that you make it an important question, maybe one of the most important questions in your life.
When you are ready, in your imagination allow yourself to be in a place you know that reminds you of Earth. It could be a place you have visited or have seen in a film or photograph. In any event, make it a real place. It requires an entry point that allows you to go down. Well-trod examples of this are a cave entrance, a hole in the ground, an animal burrow, a body of water, a well shaft, and as a modern urban example, a subway entrance.
Take the time you need to allow your attention to be in this place. Have a sense of being there: feel your feet on the ground; sense the earth pushing up against your soles and between your toes; feel the wind around you, perhaps blowing through the trees. Just relax into the feeling of being there.
Before you move into the entrance to the lower world, focus on your intention, in this case to journey to the lower world to meet a spirit guide in animal form. Repeat the intention; it even helps to speak this intention out loud. When you are ready, move into the entrance, which typically will lead into a tunnel that can be in either earth or water. This tunnel may be experienced as a spiral, straight and smooth, or straight with a ribbed motif. Some people walk down the tunnel, some run, some free fall, some slide down. There is no right way or wrong way to go down; just continue to descend until you arrive at your destination.
The lower world may appear in one of two ways. You may arrive in an area that resembles the landscape of this world, such as by a river, a sea, mountains, forests, or meadows, or you may arrive in what I call the “bus stop,” or terminus. This is often experienced as a cave or a cavernlike place. If you come into this place, that is okay; you will find it very easy to find an exit into the landscape of the lower world. There will be an opening of some sort: a door, a window, or just an open space. Make your way through this opening and into the open landscape.
Use all your sensory systems to take stock of your surroundings, and remember that your power animal will be attempting to attract your attention. Make a note of where you are, and keep track of your movements in the lower world. You may be aware of the presence of animals. Does one stand out in some way? If so, move toward the animal if it hasn’t yet moved toward you. How do you feel about the animal? Do not be concerned if it has a ferocious manner. That is fine.
Examine your feelings about the animal you encounter. If you are not sure or are feeling circumspect about it, start to move away. If it is your power animal, it will make an effort to reveal itself to you, and it may show itself on multiple occasions in various guises. After it shows itself to you three or four times, simply ask, “Are you my power animal?” Pay attention to the response. The animal may visibly demonstrate to you in “mime” style that the answer is either yes or no. Another way of receiving an answer is through telepathy, or hearing the answer as spoken words in your head. If the animal turns around and moves away, don’t see this as a nonaffirmative response. It may want you to follow in order to show you something or to take you to a specific place.
If the answer is no, then continue your search until you encounter another animal, and repeat the procedure. If the response is yes, then spend some time with the power animal. Ask it about the qualities it brings for you. Again, pay great attention to what happens next. If you do not understand the answer, ask again or request that the animal show you in a different way.
When you have understood and are satisfied with the answer or as soon as it is time to return (this can be determined either by setting a prearranged time with your drumming friend or by using the call-back rhythm on your shamanic journeying track), say your farewells and retrace your path to your entry point into the lower world. Once you are there, move into the entrance and begin your ascent. You will find it very easy to return. You may experience a wind or a sense of pressure forcing you upward until you return to the place where you started from, the place that reminded you of Earth, the place that you know.
Then either relate your journey to your companion or make a note in your journal. This is a helpful practice because sometimes when you write or tell of your experience, seemingly unrelated events and details click into place.
It is worth noting that various books and publications supply lists of animals and the qualities inherent in each species. However, to develop a close relationship with the power animal, you must get to know it personally. While the traits of the species might come into play, there will often be very specific qualities about your individual power animal that are linked especially to you. You may find that the spirit animal knows you well, including your personal history, your strengths, and your weaknesses. Remember, these may well be qualities you need rather than qualities you want, and in that you have to be brutally honest with yourself.
Suggestions for Further Journeys
Once you have met and engaged with your power animal, on subsequent journeys you can ask questions or ask for insights into your life. I would suggest that you avoid questions that begin with the phrase “should I?” If you are candid you likely know the answer to that; it’s just that for whatever reason you are reluctant to accept it. Also, the way in which a question is posed often influences the answer. For example, “Should I live in Manchester?” would elicit different answers than “What would be the benefits if I were to live in Manchester?” with the latter perhaps being more comprehensive and useful.
The Middle World
The middle world refers to the physical world we inhabit, an unseen, nonordinary reality version of the physical world. It is considered a place where illnesses and diseases first manifest, like an energetic intrusion moving into the physical body. The spirits of deceased people also inhabit the middle world. They may be unaware that they are dead or have too much of an attachment to the physical plane. This is an important area that I’ll be covering later in further detail.
The middle world is the energetic realm directly influenced by human beings, and entering this dimension can present challenges. Just consider our history of violence, destruction, atrocities, and warfare. The places where these events occurred can continue to hold a detrimental vibrational field for many years. This was clearly demonstrated to me a few years prior to my accident when I visited the Dachau Nazi concentration camp. As soon as I got out of my vehicle just outside the camp gates, my knees turned to jelly, my legs gave way, and I fell down onto the ground. Later, while walking through the camp buildings and into the gas chamber, I again collapsed, pushed to the floor by the weight of an oppression and terror so heavy it was indescribable. I had to crawl on my hands and knees to escape. I didn’t understand what was happening at the time, but now I certainly would not enter into such a situation without serious preparation and a focused awareness.
Some years ago I was asked to help people who lived in a house in the country where all sorts of unpleasant incidents were happening. This was a small community house, and they were experiencing constant nightmares, feeling uncomfortable, being argumentative whenever they were in the house together, and even at times feeling suicidal. As I arrived at the house, I felt a sense of foreboding and heightened fear. I took a walk around the residential grounds with an increasing state of attention. A few hundred yards from the house, these feelings intensified, and in my mind’s eye I could see people being pursued and killed by medieval soldiers. I felt the terror and anguish of these people as I watched this appalling slaughter. My attention was drawn to a narrow gully where bodies were being dumped. I observed streams of blood flowing down this gully, and I followed the gully downhill. It led directly to the back door of the house (which was on level ground). This is where the flow of blood accumulated, linking the house to the location of this massacre.
I met with the community members and after deliberation we carried out a memorial ceremony at the massacre site on behalf of the people who had been slain. We placed gifts in the gully where the bodies had been dumped, dedicating these to the spirits of the place. We all experienced a feeling of relief and peace after this. I advised them to dig up the gully adjacent to the house, replace the soil, and “sweeten” the ground by planting an herb garden. I later heard from them that the nightmares had ceased, the feelings of fear had lifted, and the atmosphere had considerably improved.
I need to emphasize that the middle world is not a bad place; it expresses the dichotomy present in the physical world—the good, the bad, and the in between, gray areas. Many parts of the world have been loved, cherished, and blessed by people for generations. I was reminded of this when I was considering buying my house in London; the rear garden was bordered by an old Victorian cemetery. I thought that cemeteries are “spooky” places, so I decided to go in there and walk around. As I entered the grounds and moved into an expanded state of attention, I became aware of the force of the many beautiful old chestnut and oak trees, and I realized that the place had experienced a great deal of love and beauty in the good thoughts and sincere prayers that people had made for their deceased loved ones. The place resonated with beauty. That experience was an outstanding teaching for me and certainly cleared my preconceptions about cemeteries.
Additional middle world activities include the CIA remote viewing program during the Cold War and the equivalent KGB psychic warfare division. These agencies utilized intricate and detailed procedures and, of course, the objective was to carry out espionage and disrupt the opposing side. The millions of dollars and rubles invested in these programs illustrate the importance and value of this work to these governmental agencies, which very much regarded themselves as operating in the real world.
I personally tend to be circumspect about middle world journeys, precisely for the reason that I have outlined, which is that there is a lot of unpleasant energetic debris out there that we humans have created. I suggest as a precaution that you undertake middle world journeys only when you have developed some experience or established a relationship with your spirit teachers and power animals, as they will offer you guidance.
Now we come to the question of intention. What is your intention in the middle world? I suggest that if you are searching for guidance, advice, and teaching, then go to either the upper world or the lower world. However, if you are looking for the whereabouts of an object that you have lost or want to find out where someone is, then a middle world journey could be appropriate. Another reason to journey in the middle world is to assist deceased human beings in making their transition to the places people go when they die, rather than lingering in a state of confusion or even unaware that they have passed away. This work, although distressing at times, is powerful and beautiful. Those who engage in it are known by the Greek term psychopomp, meaning “conductor of souls.” This body of work is covered in a later chapter.
EXERCISE
Exploration Journey to the Middle World
For this exercise I propose two simple explorations. The first journey is to a familiar place that has pleasant memories and connotations for you. The second is to a place you haven’t physically been to yet but would like to visit. For the latter you will need an image from a photograph or a film. Follow the same procedure for both journeys with the exception of a modified intention.
You will need either a shamanic journey drumming track or a friend with a drum. Read the exercise instructions carefully before starting the journey. The suggested length for an initial journey is ten minutes. Later, after you are comfortable with journeying, extend the length to twenty or thirty minutes.
To begin, find a place where you feel comfortable and will not be disturbed for about an hour. When you are ready, either lie down or sit in a comfortable chair and darken the room, or at least cover your eyes. (It is easier to carry out this type of visionary work in subdued light.) Remove or release any tight or restrictive clothing, and allow your breathing to move to a gentle rhythm. As you breathe allow yourself to feel rooted or perhaps feel a kind of magnetic pull to the ground. Now is the time to focus on the first key of transformation, intention.
Contemplate the purpose of the journey and what you want to achieve. This process allows you to align your energy with your thoughts and hoped-for outcome. For the purposes of this journey, the intention is to journey to the middle world to visit and explore a place that you know. For the second journey, the intention is to journey to the location that you have decided to visit and explore the area.
When you are ready, in your imagination allow yourself to travel to a place that you know. Relax and take the time that you need to allow your attention to inhabit this place. Have a sense of being there: feel your feet on the ground; sense the earth pushing up against the soles of your feet; feel the wind around you; listen to the breeze blowing through the trees.
When you have a sense of your surroundings, walk around and extend your perceptions. Feel the ground underneath your feet. Is it soft, spongy, or firm? Sense the air and wind around you. What does it feel like to breathe in this place? Can you hear anything? Listen carefully. Can you smell any-thing, such as grass or flowers? What scents or odors are carried with the breeze? Use every sensory system in this exploration. Does the place appear different; are the colors the same; are trees around? If so, greet the trees. Does anything happen? Do you perceive a response? Spend time in this place until the call-back drumming sounds.
Then either relate your journey to your companion or make a note in your journal. This is a helpful practice because sometimes when you write or tell of your experience, seemingly unrelated events during the journey click into place.
Your consciousness and imaginative abilities hold great power; exercise them as often as you can. Painting, craftwork, reading, making music—any creative endeavor will expand your abilities, which you can harness to empower your life through the practices above.