Bear, my male ancestor, arrives with a Cheshire cat grin. My female ancestor, the grandmother woman with a turban, looks impish. The guide for this journey is a kangaroo. And as usual, the crystal formation is behind me.
Waves gently lap at the sides of the canoe, a lovely marshy pond surrounds us. The air is fragrant and sweet. Life is good. The ancestors are swaying to an unheard melody. The crystals seem to soften. And Kangaroo has a “moon face.”
The area around us is filled with radiant light beings; think ancient aliens. There is a mood where everyone is all-knowing; ourselves, others and all eternity, knowing. What familiarity and comfort. No need to explain the how or why we are doing what we’re doing. It is all in divine order.
Shiela Baker is a practicing and teaching shaman, a psychotherapist, and a PTSD specialist.
A light being comes forward, becoming golden. She conveys that we can know who we are, what we are doing and where we are going. It is merely by taking a moment to see if where we are is a place of contentment or discord. Discord indicates a desire to move. Contentment is stay. Easy peasy.
“One cannot think themself different, one must move themself differently,” she says. Kangaroo stretches now and has bat wings, takes a hop and flies away. Bear rolls around, grows a long cat-like tail and he slinks off. The turban unravels and my female ancestor has gossamer wings like a fairy. She darts around through the marsh. The crystals glisten and shimmer. Maybe I ought to check myself out?
I am not me, I am a radiant being of light! Wow! Transformed by an idea. How novel. I am told that the only thing that stops me from being radiant at all times, Bear from being cat, Grandmother from being fairy, Kangaroo from flying is a thought. Thoughts become things and we act as if things are true.
“Question” she says. “Be curious, ask yourself about what you think. Is the way you are now how you want to be? If so, continue if not, move differently. It is not difficult, that too is an idea, a thought brought into your truth. Not the truth at all. Be kind to yourself first. If you cannot share love with yourself you will share a false love with others. One built on half loves, where love is based on behavior not pure at all.”
Looking around, the marsh has become a crystalline structure with small shards breaking off and taking flight. Crystals fill the sky and marsh and are tickly up my nose. Bear sneezes, which puts everyone into a gale of laughter. “What is that?” they ask. Bear being an analytical cat now, goes into a beautiful scientific explanation.
“Oh, yes” one little one says and tries to mimic Bear. Laughter fills the air and we can actually touch the laughter. It’s soft and bumpy and big and rough. How does your laughter feel?
“We have given you many gifts” she says “and now we leave you with much love.” Bear, Grandmother, Kangaroo, myself and the crystals are back as we were before. The journey ends, I thank everyone and sit for a few moments on the edge of the water where my journeys begin.
Five archetypes offer wisdom and guidance to understanding the journey content: The first is the Visionary who sets the intention; the Enlightened Spiritual Warrior who takes action or must wait, in this instance watches as the other members of the crew change then realize that I have changed too; the Teacher listens carefully for the lesson that thinking will not get what is wanted, moving will; the Healer has the ability to answer the question, “Am I where I want to be?” by gauging contentment or discord; and the Magician has the power to shapeshift when discord is apparent.
Everyone had some physical change: bat wings, cat tails, gossamer wings, and radiance. This physical effect resonates in our cells and creates memory. We can now remember who we are, what we’re doing here and why it is important.
The gift of reading a shamanic journey is your perspective has now changed. This journey shows a way to shift reality. Contentment is optimal and discord requires movement. The size of the movement is irrelevant, you can move your body as in go for a walk or you can move your location as in get up and find a new home. Think of a wave of the hand as welcoming, that’s movement. Is there something you’d like to welcome into your life?
There is great power in intentionally using shamanic journeys to answer important questions. Spirit guides have no agenda other than the highest and best of all beings. And you always come first, your security and safety is their primary focus. Your happiness and fulfillment their charge. As a trusted companion over time their input is invaluable.
Ask big questions of your guides, they are yours and want what is best for you. Often the suggestions are strange but good advice often is. Take a risk, follow what is offered and see how it goes, don’t be crazy and start small. “Show me what I need to know about…” is my best way to ask for reassurance or be shown another option.
You can have access to places where anything is possible, then you can bring that sense back into ordinary reality and create what you wish. It takes practice, vulnerability, and open-mindedness, but it is possible. I know, because it’s been 19 years this month since I quit my day job! Aho!
