Q&A Journeying: Beyond the Journey

Beyond the Journey -

In our ordinary reality, we affirm and invite into our path those people that are going to support us in our growth, nourish our souls, and provide loving energy.  We tend to be acutely aware of those who do not support us, nourish us, or do not provide loving energy.  This innate awareness transcends into the journey as well.  In creating sacred space to journey we are inviting with invitation only those guides and allies that support our expansion.  Just as in ordinary reality there are not all loving souls for our highest good, the same is true of the other realms.

Be sure to set your intention purposefully.

As you become more aware to the guidance and wisdom shared in journey's, you will find that the same guides and allies appear in the ordinary reality in physical forms that you can identify with.  Animal allies are most prevalent in first noticing the appearance.  Watch the symbols, the pictures, the scents, the sounds in you ordinary reality.  It may surprise you to see how the manifestation of the journey becomes part of your ordinary reality.

Watch for the manifestation of messages.

It was recommend to me that I journey once a week in order to build a consistent relationship with my guides and allies in the beginning.

After each journey, write in your journal all that you remember regardless of how insignificant it may seem.  This will help develop your understanding of the spiritual vibrational language.

Specific types of journeys

Journeying is specifically to engage and expand an innate relationship with the sacred energies of the spiritual world.  It is an experience that can heal and support our walk in ordinary reality.  Each time and type of journey will take a person deeper into the sacred union with their spiritual authentic self.

Facilitated Journeys are when someone other than yourself provides you with support and energetic assistance in a journey.  Very much akin to a guided meditation.

Personal journey's are when you are journeying on your own.  This can include music or drumming to assist you in the process.  Many times this is for wisdom or specific guidance on an issue to obtain clarity.
Sacred Vision Quest are when you spend from one to three days (or more) in a journey.  This is really a life transforming experience that has profound impacts.

Healing journey's  can be done on your own or with a facilitator who is experienced in healing during journey's.  This can include soul retrieval to healing karmic issues.

It would be near impossible in these short blogs to answer and teach all the facets of journeying, but it is hoped that this has answered some of your basic questions.

It is important to remember that taking a journey is only one aspect of seeking guidance and wisdom.  The energetic flow of the spiritual realm exists in the here and now.  Be sure to not limit yourself.

This is the final post in this series.  If you have additional questions, please feel free to email them directly to me at shamancarla@verizon.net.

Q&A Journeying: Understanding the Language

Journeying is an organic experience that is truly about connecting and developing an intimate relationship with yourself, with your guides and allies, and with the Divine Spirit.  It is within this intimate relationship that you can innately receive the guidance, the wisdom, the expanded awareness, and the filling of your inner soul with love and joy that nourishes you.

Just as in the conscious, ordinary reality that you live in, within the reality of the journey, it is vital to have support and guidance.  The guides and allies that are making themselves known to you in your journey are there specifically to assist you.  Listening is key.  Yet, it is not the listening with the physical ears.  It is listening with the bet of your heart.  Sounds strange; however, when you are complete and in balance with yourself, you can feel the vibrant vibration of your guides.  It is in this vibration that the authentic wisdom comes.

You may experience this as a soft whisper, a sense within, a fragrance, or a picture to gaze upon.  Many times I found hearing and understanding the spiritual vibration of a guide difficult with my physical ears.  It is though they were speaking a foreign language.  Until you are in tune with the vibrational frequency of your guide, allow the flow to happen in any manner that it comes.  As I stopped struggling to understand the words being spoken, the pictures began to flow.  The key is to just allow things to unfold as they happen.  Don't try to force anything.

When first beginning your journeys, spend time with the intent of learning the spiritual vibrational language.  Spend time just getting to know intimately your guides and allies.   Just as your relationship with self and others in the ordinary reality must be nurtured, so to must the relationship with your guides and allies.
The deeper the connection and the relationship that you develop with your guides and allies, the easier it will be come to "hear" their guidance and wisdom in your day to day life.  As you work closely with guides or allies in the journey world, the more often you will find them in your ordinary reality.

Understanding the language spoken or the spiritual vibration of guides and allies is unique to you and to your guides.  It is like learning a new language.  Allowing it to come in whatever form it arrives is the key to understanding the meaning.  The greatest tool that you can employ in learning this new language is to keep a journey journal.  

In this journal record thoughts, impressions, words, symbols, scents, or pictures (including colors) that you encounter.  Don't allow your ego to step in and judge your impressions.  Record them just as you receive them.  Watch for patterns.  Notice how you feel as your read your entries.  It is in this review process days later as you look at multiple entries that you will begin to learn the new language.  

Remember, you can always, with intent and purpose, ask your guides and allies to assist you in understanding.  They want you to have the information, the wisdom and the guidance.  They came to you to nurture your growth.  

lastly, just as you would thank a teacher, a friend, and family member after they gave you support, be sure to thank your guides and allies for all that they are doing for you.  Show them the return of love and reverence.

Q&A Journeying: A reply to a question asked

Q&A Journeying:  It's not working

I was asked, as a response to this series, what if you can't seem to get into the journey.  There are many reasons why a journey may not happen for you.  Even if you have done everything possible to prepare for it, there are reasons why it doesn't work.

The first thing to check on is your mental health.  What I mean here, are you clearing out the thoughts from the ordinary reality?  I call it popping the bubbles.  Do you have too many thoughts floating into your mind as you are trying to journey?  The mind can not be thinking about what is for dinner while you are trying to journey, nor can it be thinking about the problem while attempting to journey for the solution.

Another issue is when you try to hard.  When a person struggles and tries to force the journey to happen it causes all the relaxation you did in preparation to be transformed into stress.  Remember that you are inviting the journey into your soul thus the result is receiving.  Remember the three R's.

Make sure that you are not overtired.  It is a dynamic energy activity to journey.  You are engaging a new aspect of your energy.  You need to be rested in order to be relaxed.  Ensure that you are not hungry.  As simple as it sounds if your stomach is growling it will overshadow the stillness of the mind.

Journeying is a sacred experience.  Treat it as such and the path will become magical.

Q&A Time: Journeys - Transitioning into the Journey Experience

It is vital to understand that shamanic journey's are essentially about the connection between the one journeying and the spirit guides.  It is not about a specific transition or technique to get there.  What works for one, may not work for another in technique.  Even within the Shaman themselves, many times they will use a variety of techniques dependent upon the state of their purpose.

The vital technique that must be achieved in order to journey is the act of relaxation.  Your physical and mental beings must find a state of relaxation in order for the journey to take place.  This state of relaxation allows for your soul to rise to the center of your first attention.  In a relaxed state, you are able to let go of the ordinary life distractions and become one in energy with your soul.

To find this state of relaxation allows your soul to become calm and peaceful.  It allows for the physical body to release the tensions it holds so that all attention can be upon the soul.  The sacred manner in which you find this state of relaxation varies greatly.

The key to this state of relaxation is (as I was taught) the three R's.  Releasing, Receiving, and Reconnecting.  Begin by releasing all the distractions and the details of these distractions from your life so that body, mind and spirit can rest.  Receiving can then begin.  The receiving is where the energetic flow created during the preparation stage comes into play.  Being open and empty, you can receive the nourishment for your soul.  A focus on filling of the soul with the spiritual energy.  Filled with the pure energy, you are able then to reconnect with the spiritual energetic realm to allow for the healing, guidance, and growth to happen in your journey.

Many who are just learning shamanic journeying may find the sound of the drum beat to assist in this process as it gives the conscious mind something to focus upon while the subconscious mind relaxes.  The steady beat of the drum can provide a nurturing support to help shift your energy into the proper frequencies to interact with the spiritual realm.

I begin all journeys with the voyage to my sacred Inner Temple.  By going within I am connecting at a soul level with this core energy.  I center myself within the Sacred Cauldron which is at the center of the Inner Temple.  What is vital at this stage is to connect with your soul or your 'heart' energy.  The 'heart' is the part of the human being that most easily connects with the spiritual realm.  It is an innate ability.  It is the basis of all human emotion.  It is the foundation of physical life.  It is your core.

In the simplest of terms, begin by taking several deep breaths in through your nose and exhale out through your mouth while allowing the tip of your tongue to rest on the roof of the mouth directly behind your front teeth.  Allow yourself to focus solely on feeling your chest rise and fall with each breath.

As you continue this breathing pattern, allow the flow of energy to go down into your feet and into the Earth.  This is creating energetic roots into the Earth allowing you an anchor back into the Earth reality when you journey on your own.  It is important to be grounded before your journey while in this relaxed state.  It sets the intention that this is where you belong at this time.  This anchor provides for a second benefit.  In putting the anchor into the Earth it allows the connection between your conscious mind and your soul.  This connection will allow for a clearer remembrance of the journey itself.   Lastly, this anchor allows the soul to release any energy that still remains within while allowing the soul to receive the nourishing energy of the Earth.

It is important as you are doing this breathing pattern to keep the tip of your tongue upon the roof of your mouth as this is connecting the energetic flow within in a circuit.  As you are breathing in begin to feel the breath shift and be drawn up from the anchor in the Earth.  Once your are comfortable with this anchor, return your breathing up to your soul.  As you breathe into your soul invite your spirit guides to join you.
It is important not to try to force this connection.  Simply allow.  It may not appear as you would have assumed.  Simply continue to focus on your breathing and allow whatever your journey experience follows to happen.

Once your spirit guide makes themselves known to you, take notice of the sense you have in your soul.  Is there a fragrance in the air?  A whispering sound?  What do they look like?  Can you sense their energy being male or female?  What is it that your guide wishes for our to know in order to recognize them?  Getting to know your guide is a process of nourishing the bond between you and your guide.  It is part of the journey.
Many times at this stage of the journey, you will meet a spirit ally (animal spirit) rather than a guide.  It is easier for our physical beings to accept the visual of the animal first as many times the spirit guide is sensed or simply heard rather than seen.  For most, that is difficult for humans to accept.  Conversely, the spirit ally or animal spirit is a creature that identify quickly with.  For many the spirit ally remains with them throughout all journey's as an escort through the spiritual realms.

Whether you met a spirit guide or a spirit ally, allow them to lead the journey.  Resist the urge to direct or control your journey.  Your guides and allies will not allow harm to come to you.  They will be able to 'show' you in your journey experience the truths that you came to see.


There are times that you may shift perspective from experiencing a situation to becoming a Sacred Witness.  This means that rather than feeling yourself move down a path you watch yourself move down the path.  There may be a reason that you are shifting perspective, allow the experience to evolve organically.   Everything you are experiencing is authentic.  It is vital that you understand your guides are revealing wisdom for guidance, healing or growth.  It may be literal, metaphorical or symbolic in nature.  It is still an authentic experience.

Your spirit guides have a complete plan for your journey.  They will guide you back to the beginning.  For me they return me to my Inner Temple.  The energy surrounding me shifts and then the energy within shifts.  I become focused back upon the breathe without conscious thought.

When you realize that you have returned from a journey, take a moment to breathe deeply and recenter your energy through your anchor.  During this time be sure to offer your guides or allies your gratitude for assisting you. then return to focused breathing allowing the Earth's energy to once again release all to the Earth,  receive the nourishing energy from the Earth, and reconnect back to the Earth.  Allow your body to slowly stretch and move to fully center and balance yourself.

Before you do anything in the ordinary reality write your journey down.  Remain where you took your journey to do this.  It assist you to remain close to the anchor in the Earth.  Be gentle with yourself as your acclimate into the ordinary reality.  Don't rush it - again just allow.

If you find that you can not regain your center and balance after an extended time, splash water on your face or have some fruit to eat.  These will help you ground fully into the physical reality.

Remember, that this is simply one technique in journeying from a general perspective.   If you are interested in my meditative journey into the Inner Temple see the past blog entitled the same.

Tomorrow, I will share specific ways to work with your Spirit guides and allies and how to deepen your relationship with them.

Q&A Journeying: Preparing Yourself for a Shamanic Journey

Having clarified your intention for the purpose of the journey, the next step is to look at where you are going to journey.  A moment to talk about energy.  Everything is energy.  Our thoughts and our feelings, if you are journeying from your own home, it is vital to ensure that the energy from your ordinary life is cleared.  You do not want to have leftover's from the emotional conversation the night before, or the stress from a long day at work to interfere with the energetics of your purpose.

In cleansing the area you are preparing your space as a sacred area.  This is a warm invitation to the spiritual realm that you are welcoming their assistance.  It can be cleansed with sage or candles.  Use whatever process is comfortable and familiar to you.  You can also bring in any type of symbolic relics that helps focus your attention into a spiritual realm.  I personally like to use flowers to decorate around a small bowl where I have a fire burning while journeying.  If you choose to use candles or fire, be sure that it is in a safe container.
Now that your space is prepared, it is time to focus on your own personal energy.  This is done by making a sacred connection.  There are a variety of ways to shift your personal energy from prayer, drumming, singing or chanting.

Once you are feeling balanced and cleared, you will want to invite your Spirit guides to assist you.  Most traditions will do this through a ceremony or ritual which varies dependant upon the intent of the journey and the guides that are being asked to assist.  Other traditions will simply use the beat of the drum in certain rhythmic patterns to call out to the spiritual realm.

It seems complicated and a long process in simply preparing your space, preparing yourself, and inviting in the spirits; but the preparation is vital.  It sets the tone of your journey and removes the ego self from the journey.
There are a few housekeeping items that I did  not mention such as turning off electronics including phones, telephones, and stereos.  Gift yourself this time.

Tomorrow I will look at the transition from the preparing stage into the journey itself.

Q&A Time: Can you Explain Journeying ?

Q & A Time.  We are taking a break from talking about energy to answer some email questions.  A number of recent emails have had similar base line questions.  Can I give some insights on Shamanic Journeying.

Question:

 " .... can you explain journeying?...."

Answer:

Great question and one that I have gotten a number of emails about.  Let me start by saying that what I share is my perspective of journey's.  Each individual tradition will do journey's in their own unique methodology.  The purpose, however, is the same with every Shaman I have ever worked with or shared with.

A Shamanic journey is a way to engage with the spiritual realm that can provide for personal healing, guidance, insight, and empowerment of the person journeying.  The journey can provide for a connection with guides or helpers in this sacred experience.  It is a sacred experience, thus it really is vital that your intentions and motives are clear before you attempt.

So before we go on, let's look closely at the reasons that one would wish to go on a shamanic journey and clarify them.

1.  Make a connection with the purpose of guidance.  In the course of a shamanic journey you have the ability to connect with your guide or with a Spirit.  You can ask them for specific guidance or simply for assistance to walk in a balanced and harmonic way.  With the intention of journeying being for guidance, you can receive clear and sometimes profound direction.

Remember, journeying is not done for the sole purpose of doing it.  If you are doing it simply to be able to say you have done it, your ego of self importance will muddle any guidance that your receive.  It is not used lightly, nor as an excuse to escape the ordinary reality of your day to day life.

2.  To heal the trauma's and wounds of your life's experience.  There are a variety of ways that healing is done during a journey.  At the core, it is really being shown the truth from a sacred witness perspective in order to see what really needs to be healed.  Many times our own ability to see the true nature of the cause is hidden from our conscious mind.  A guide during a journey can share specific medicine with you in order to heal the wounds.  This type of journey is highly personal and will shift in its nature each time it is undertaken.

3.  A journey to grow in an expanded way with the spirit guides.  Many times one will feel called to journey in order to delve deeper into the relationship with a personal guide or perhaps an animal guide that has been revealed.  There are times that a journey of this type can truly nurture the soul and allow it to continue on its bonding with the life experience's of the Earth as well as the spiritual realm.

Shamanic journeying is a profound tool used by Shamans for clarity, perspective, insight, healing, meeting and developing relationships with guides, balance, resolution, and nurturing of the soul.

Tomorrow, I will discuss more deeply how to prepare for your first journey.

Love is All

This song is by an incredible woman by the name of Pam Gerrand. (www.pamgerrand.com)

Her voice is angelic, her love spans the cosmos, and her friendship is by far the greatest blessing anyone could be gifted.

Opposites: Finding Stability From Fluid Flow

 Recently I have been engaged in a group of women discussing the Tao (at least that is one of our topics).  It got me to thinking about how this game called life is really a play on opposites.  To go in one direction very often we must go in the exact opposite direction.  Sounds confusing, but think about it for a moment.  In order to fall asleep, we must be awake – opposite.  In order to heal our physical body, we must have disease – opposite.  In order to no sorrow, we must know joy – opposite. 

Painting by 

Joselyn Holcombe

Stability in life comes not from stillness; but the opposite of being fluid, of being in the flow of life or energy.  We can become sacred witness of this fluid movement in meditation.  We can see the expansion and contraction of life through journeys.  We can see the tension of our bodies and the complete relaxation in breathing.  We can see the awareness of the inner world or our subconscious and the opposite awareness of the outer world in perception. 

In between each of these opposites resides a continuum.  The continuum is where inhaling and exhaling exists in this world.  It is between the poles of expiration and inspiration.  The poles of birth and death.  The poles of night and day.  When the continuum is given enough space to fully experience the inhalation and the exhalation, it is then that we experience the fluidness of life.

Although many times opposites seem to be conflicting with one another, perhaps even contradictory, the reality is that opposites are actually complementary.   Opposites attract to one another in a natural dance and flow, just as the opposites of yin and yang.  In order to be full, one must first be empty to receive the flow.  Inner balance and stability is responsiveness to life, the ability to not resist the constant swinging of duality.  It is an integration of polarities into unity of oneness.  The opposite cannot exist without its opposite.   If we get stuck somewhere between the opposites, we struggle and become stagnant in life.

As a mother it is easiest for me to understand this concept of stability within the opposites as I foster and nurture my children by holding them closely in a protective manner; yet, I let go completely that their strength and individuality will be their own. 

To go with what is a seemingly contradiction of life is to participate consciously in life.  

I Implore You To Take A Moment

I have been blessed on my journey in this life time to be a sacred witness to many experiences. I have been humbled to watch the birth of a young woman has she had a child, I have been blessed to officiate sacred wedding unions, I have been there when a human soul takes their last breath, and I have been blessed to be there to help a family as they celebrate a life as they say their final good byes.

As you read this, I am standing in a field where stones abruptly stand erect for as far as the eyes can see. There is a breeze that ruffles the leaves that have fallen in the fields. Then, there is a family struck with grief at the loss of a loved one. The sound of a single bugle echoes against the stones as a soldier plays taps. An honor guard steps forward in precision to remove the flag and fold it in a ceremony that touches the soul of every person in attendance. The sound of shots in the background as a final salute is made shakes you to the core.

As I was working on the sermon last evening, it struck like an arrow in my soul, that as I stand their before the family by responsibility was not only to share comfort, compassion, and love of the Divine. My responsibility was to share on behalf of every American the gratitude for the service their loved one performed for our country. It became crystal clear that I was not only to share gratitude for the one who gave the ultimate sacrifice, but to share the one hope that every mother, every father, every spouse, and every child has. A peaceful resolution to all conflicts.

There is not a more humbling time to be a sacred witness then that which happens at a military funeral.

So as we bow our heads in a moment of silence to celebrate a life and say farewell, I implore you to join us. It matters not what spiritual path you walk, what country you are from, or whether you agree with the politics of your home land, join us in a moment of silence for a peaceful resolution to all conflicts in all countries upon our Earth.

Thank you.