Examining Barriers to Effective Practice in Core Shamanism
Elizabeth Harbridge
"Shamanism is a form of communication with natural forms of conscious energy..."
(Anonymous internet author)
The following article focuses on problematic areas for new students and for experienced practitioners alike. As a mentor for shamanism 101, I find that students are getting stuck with specific concerns.
These fall into two broad categories:
1. Problems that are of an internal, individual nature, such as, "I feel I am making this journey up", or, "I fall asleep easily and can't remember the journey".
2. Problems related to external, contextual factors such as the socio-politico-cultural milieu. This encompasses prevailing attitudes toward shamanism, and whether it is "real" or worthy of investigation, and also to the impact of colonization upon indigenous cultures and their shamanic practices. The obliteration of traditional shamanic practices has far reaching implications for core or neo-shamanism.
I have personally witnessed this impact in my home country of Australia.
Personal difficulties I have observed which impact on the success of the shamanic work fall into three main categories:
1. The feeling or belief that one is "making it all up" and the journey, merge, ritual, or even spirits themselves are not genuine.
2. Falling asleep, or having very vague experiences which lack clarity.
3. Fear or apprehension about meeting something scary on the journey.
These common concerns can stem from many sources, such as medical conditions or medications which may impact the experience, having a lack of trust in one's capabilities and processes, feeling fear or apprehension about meeting something scary on the journey, and having inadequately prepared for the journey, including the raising of energy/heat/passion which is a prerequisite for successful work.
Some of the external and contextual factors a student/practitioner may encounter include the following cultural/socio-political barriers:
Shamanism is often viewed with either indifference, suspicion or with New Age naivety.
Practitioners of core shamanism are often accused of misappropriation, fraud or of being misled by superstition and outmoded ways of thinking.
Shamanism presents a firm challenge to the current paradigms of rational thought.
To practice is to invite suspicion and mistrust as well as ridicule and indifference.
To support students and also seasoned practitioners, I have given some thought to how these barriers may be overcome, and how our practice can become more effective and of benefit to all.
Students become disheartened when they encounter barriers to their practices. By far the most common problem is the idea that one is "making it up". Students new to journeying, merging and to ritual/ceremony or Nature Work feel that their experience lacks "real" spiritual meaning and is merely the product of their imagination, or scene from a recent fantasy movie. For the fundamentally important practices in core shamanism, it is imperative that students receive guidance and support with these concerns. There seems to be very little advice or information given in most books about core shamanism. At this point it is good to go back to basics; core shamanism divides reality into two paradigms, "ordinary reality" and "non-ordinary reality", and assumes that if our journeys and practices are following the right protocols then whatever is produced must be "real" in non-ordinary reality".
If students are feeling/believing that they have made up the journey, yes it is "made up". We use our imagination to make sense of the information received during shamanic states of consciousness.
Without imagination, we would have no coherent narrative about the experience or what it meant.
One way to manage these disheartening feelings is to always return to basics and fundamentals of core shamanism, that is, to ensure that the journey entry points (e.g., lower world tunnel, upper world tree, staircase etc.) are really firmly embedded in your awareness and senses. Firmly create and establish the entry/exit points by using as many senses as possible. See, hear smell and feel the points; ensure that all entries/exits are as confidently experienced as a place well known in ordinary reality.
Always use the same places and routes. This keeps the mind focused and helps to anchor the experience into your core of being. On occasion there may be a need to change the entry points; I have noticed that this happens during major life transitions. I will explore this further in another article.
If you feel you are simply regurgitating an episode of a fantasy or historical movie, then breathe deeply, refocus your intent, and use the skill of discernment and detachment. Pull back from the journey or practice; and sit with it. Let it unfold, and if you consistently feel it is made up, then ask why the information is presented this way. There may be an important lesson here. For example; do you feel that your life is "made up" or a fantasy?
Always ensure that you make proper preparations for the work. This includes setting up sacred space, cleansing, calling the directions. Sit for a while and meditate to clear your mind of all "stuff" that may interfere with Intention.
Follow the same patterns when you journey. The brain loves patterns and repetition. I begin session with an "ordinary reality" cleansing; that is, tidying up, preparing the physical space, making it conducive to shamanic work.
Then cleanse energetically using sage or your preferred method, offer prayers of gratitude, and set a firm intent for your journey. Call in the directions. Deal with distractions or uncertainties by going back to the last anchor point.
Much of the same advice and suggestions can apply to the second most common problem I have seen encountered; that of falling asleep or otherwise drifting off and not remembering journeys or merges.
If you are prone to falling asleep, trying sitting or standing to journey, or if laying down raise one arm in the air and if it falls, you will wake up. Having followed this advice myself, I have concluded that even this can be inadequate at times, and I need more help to stay awake!
An effective method I've found is to speak while journeying; that is, to narrate the journey. This helps focus and concentration and can help with recall of the journey. You can have somebody present to take notes as well. This can be very effective to prevent sleepiness from clouding the journey.
Sometimes one is too tired or preoccupied to do shamanic work effectively. Falling asleep frequently can be a sign of that. Most often this is a problem of lack of fiery intent, a quality which must be cultivated; the fire, passion and heart-felt need to do shamanic work can be lacking at certain times of the year, or during life transitions. I would suggest doing a journey to a helper spirit to find out how to deal with this situation, as it is a very individual thing. I have found that during times when physical or mental un-wellness is creating problems for journeying, it is helpful to do more outdoor work with the spirits of nature. For example, connecting to trees and plants, the elements, and "sitting out": spending time with just what is there. A walk with intent to receive information from Nature, or to give back to nature is ideal. An offering to and quiet conversation with a tree or rock can be just as useful as journeying.
Are spirits real? This question is "the elephant in the room" and one of the most challenging for mentors/teachers to respond to. Some practitioners fully accept the reality of spirits, just as some consider spirits to be aspects of self, or spiritual aspects of certain brain functions, such as the activity of certain neuro-transmitters. Michael Harner is considered by many to be the father of core shamanism and states unflinchingly in Cave and Cosmos that spirits are real.
Whatever one's beliefs about the nature of spirits, there is no doubt about the existence of conscious energies other than ourselves with who we can communicate, to gain knowledge, power and healing.
I have encountered questions about prescription medication. Some students have asked if journeying is impacted by use of prescription medication. The most immediate answer to that is yes, most definitely by medications such as sedating types of analgesics, and antihistamines. Cleary these will make you fall asleep! However having said that, I would never say that people taking prescription medications shouldn't journey. Again it is a very individual matter and one should ask for help from a spirit helper about this. Generally it is not a contraindication.
Fear of meeting or experiencing something scary is also a barrier to successful shamanic work.
Once again adherence to protocols can sort out any problem. Spirit helpers can present us with challenges to see if we are committed enough or brave enough to take on their teaching or healing.
Often what we experience on the journey is a reflection of a deeply held belief or fear which needs to see the light of day and be brought forward for examination. Sometimes we are "initiated" during a journey, or meet "guardians of the threshold"; a potential ally who tests one's resolve and one's commitment to the path of healing. Firmly held religious beliefs or New Age "light and love" beliefs, where every spiritual encounter must be full of only pleasant and comfortable experiences, can give rise to anxieties about meeting fierce looking allies or spirit helpers.
Overcoming lack of confidence and self-trust is a hurdle for some of us. Early conditioning plays a big role here; fears that the lower world is the same as "Hell", fear that anything below the earth's surface is evil or ungodly.
Some of the biggest hurdles come from the socio-political-cultural context of our practices. Much is written about the "burning times" during the witch-hunts in Europe, and of the oppression of traditional native shamans the world over.
As a "shamanologist"(a term used by Harner) and mentor/teacher, I find that this problem is particularly burdensome in Australia and possibly other countries in the southern hemisphere where European colonization has been oppressive.
I will describe the reasons I see for this. Australia is a country unlike any other; the plants, animals, first people and even the weather bear no resemblance to anything that Europeans had ever encountered. Their fear of this huge and dry country is the basis of many oppressive practices. The European sentiments and need for green and fresh country gardens, the need for four distinct seasons, and the contempt for first peoples led to a massive attack on the natural environment and every living thing in it.
Contemporary practitioners of shamanism have to forge their way, with little guidance. Native people have been annihilated in some areas. The remaining Native people are secretive and mistrusting of white Australians, with good reason. Eurocentric practices, such as calling the four directions with south being the warm, sunny, creative, active principle, does not fit. Most parts of Australia have six seasons, and there is not much joy having a traditional British Christmas dinner in the summer, or a winter solstice celebration in mid-June when it is still relatively warm and balmy. But these are minor problems and can be overcome; what is more difficult is really listening to the land and really knowing it. Many Native animals and plants are on the verge of extinction, or are extinct, and sacred sites of the First People are either completely vanished, or their purpose unknown even by them.
To further complicate things, the landscape and weather varies remarkably across the continent from tropical rainforest to extensive deserts, to fertile temperate rainforest, and to alpine scenery as well as scenery that bears more resemblance to the moon or mars than earth. Generalizing about this country is impossible, and this should apply to shamanism everywhere; generalizing is not useful.
Wherever you are, you must be in touch with the spirits of the land, and listen, really listen to them.
One must see with the "strong eye" (an Aboriginal term for shamanic vision) and see the spiritual landscape. Honor the spirit of place, acknowledging the beings that live within the landscape.
Shamanism is a path of direct revelation, so no one size fits all as it does in organized religions.
So the student needs to rely on their own discoveries much of the time; by following the protocols and ethical practice to arrive safely at an understanding of their own Shamanism.
Many students worry about misappropriation of Native traditions. Core shamanism belongs to us all, because it is inherent to our nature, and part of our common humanity. We all have traditional native ancestors somewhere in our heritage; we were all originally from a "tribe" of indigenous people somewhere on earth. Those of us who are very distant from these roots need to remember them and research our ancestry, and remember that we walk on the" bones of our ancestors". Thus we are all entitled to use shamanic healing.
Shamanism does represent a huge challenge to the reductionist way of thinking, and to the health services that require and insist on "evidence based" methods. This is most apparent in the behavioural sciences of psychotherapy and counselling, where evidence based practice is promoted as best, and everything else is "mumbo jumbo" and not "scientific".
A paradigm that relies on "animal spirit helpers" is viewed with suspicion; and indeed, shamans were believed to be psychotic(or at best, frauds) by the early researchers and anthropologists who studied them. The student in a remote area, without the company of like-minded souls, can become very disheartened.
To summarize, there are many hurdles to successful shamanic practice, and many ways of getting lost, which is why we need a map of non-ordinary reality and an adherence to the principles of core shamanism. After that, we need to trust ourselves, and our mentors/ teachers, whether they are in ordinary or non-ordinary reality. As well, we have to practice discernment and ask for wisdom, build firm foundations and maintain firm boundaries, and above all, cultivate passion and ethical intent.
We need to believe that all hurdles to journeying, merging or working with the spirits of nature can be overcome, and wisdom, self-awareness and well-being can be achieved.
To go back to the opening quote, "shamanism is a form of communication with natural forms of conscious energy" for the purpose of healing, harmony and well-being of all beings. Natural forms of concise energy exist in ordinary and non-ordinary reality. We place our trust in the compassionate energies which reside in the lower and upper worlds because our ancestors did this, and thrived (prior to the rise of agriculture, and the destructive powers that arose alongside agriculture.) Our ancestors appear to have known remarkable things, which we would consider magical or impossible today.
We can reclaim this "power" by reviving the practice of shamanism and respecting the old ways of being and knowing. This is not to romanticize the lives of the pre agrarian people; rather it is to respect these ancestors and their ways of living, which served them well for thousands of years. Now we are in a position to combine the best of the old and the modern.
