7 Reasons You Should Take a Shamanic Journey
This article is excerpted from my mini workshop how to take a shamanic journey. If you want to dive into the full course, be sure to click here to learn more :)
Shamanic journeying is a practice that involves entering an altered state of consciousness to connect with spiritual realms for guidance and healing.
In many ways, we can think of shamanic journeying as a type of meditation — but there are some aspects that set it apart…
First is the intention — you’ll generally enter into a shamanic journey with the purpose of transcending ordinary reality and communicating with the spirit world.
And second is the idea that your consciousness is actually traveling through alternate realms. We generally refer to these realms as “non-ordinary reality”, and our regular, daily lives as “ordinary reality".
While some shamanic journeys are embodied, where you do stay in your body and meet with spirits or receive healing in the here and now, the ability to send your awareness into different dimensions and realms of the spirit world is an essential part of this practice — and this is exactly what you’ll be learning how to do in this course.
Seven Benefits of Learning How to Take a Shamanic Journey
So, now that you understand what shamanic journeying is, let’s talk about some of its benefits — in other words, why is this such an important practice?
1. Shamanic journeying allows direct communication with the spirit world and your spiritual guides.
This is called “direct revelation”, which means that you don’t need an intermediary such as a guru or priest to connect you with spirit. You get to meet with spirit directly and form your own personal relationship with spirituality.
Shamanic journeying also provides a direct line of communication with your spiritual guides, which might include power animals, ancestors, angels, and other benevolent beings. These guides can offer guidance, wisdom, and insights that can help us navigate life's challenges, make important decisions, and gain a broader perspective on our purpose and life journey.
And, one of the biggest benefits of being able to communicate directly with your spirit guides is that you realize you aren’t alone. You are loved and supported in every moment, and anytime you begin to forget how divinely important you really are, a journey can help reconnect you with this truth.
In this way, shamanic journeying is an invaluable step towards claiming your full spiritual sovereignty!
2. Shamanic journeying helps us work with all levels of reality.
Shamanism is rooted in the understanding that there are more dimensions to reality than just our physical one. We also exist in spiritual, energetic, mental, and emotional dimensions — and all of these dimensions influence and impact each other.
This is especially helpful for healing: Addressing issues at the spiritual and energetic levels often unlocks the healing energy we need to see physical improvements in our lives.
But this goes beyond physical healing to impact your life as a whole. For example, you could perform a ceremony in a journey for blessings and protection on an upcoming trip in this reality. Or you could receive a healing around ending a relationship in your journey, and find that you feel lighter and can more easily move on in your daily life.
Remember, whatever happens in non-ordinary reality will impact what happens in ordinary reality (and vice versa!).
3. Shamanic journeying allows us to bypass our conscious filters to explore our subconscious realms and inner selves.
This might help you uncover hidden aspects of your personality; gain a deeper understanding of your thoughts, feelings, and motivations; explore the archetypal energies at play in your life; and find greater healing and liberation through shadow work.
This type of journeying can also help us identify and rewire patterns that no longer support us and move through challenging emotions, such as shame or deep grief. But it’s not all shadows in your psyche — your hidden treasures are waiting to be uncovered, too.
Shamanic journeying is wonderful for helping us see ourselves and our gifts with fresh eyes, which can empower us to make better decisions and embody our true worth.
4. Shamanic journeying gives you an extra layer of protection.
We can influence the world around us, and the world can influence us.
Sensitive souls are often susceptible to all sorts of foreign energy that doesn’t support our highest good — such as other people’s negative emotions or thought forms, curses and energetic cords, inherited patterns, and beings who are not benevolent.
Shamanic journeying helps us see what’s been hidden, so we can identify either where we might be leaking energy and giving away our power, or where outside influences might be affecting us in ways that aren’t helpful.
If you want to learn more about this, I have a free class on this topic which you can check out here.
5. A strong journey practice will open and expand your intuition.
Even though shamanic journeying helped me realize how naturally intuitive I already was, it also helped me access even stronger intuitive abilities.
Part of the beauty of journeying is that the more you do it, the more you will see results in your ordinary life — and this helps build confidence. Plus, you can actually receive personal guidance and healings to strengthen your intuition.
This might include lifestyle changes, supportive tools, or energetic healings — the important thing is that they will be beneficial for you. For example, some people receive clearer guidance if they cut out something like chocolate or caffeine, and others find it makes no difference at all! (Why deprive yourself if you don’t have to?)
In my own journeys, I’ve been given plant allies to work with that have helped open my third eye. I’ve received etheric acupuncture to allow my psychic abilities to grow stronger. And I’ve been assigned rituals to release fear around embracing my intuitive gifts. Spirit is endlessly creative!
6. Having a strong foundational practice in shamanic journeying is essential if you want to go on to more advanced shamanic practices.
This might include things like soul retrieval, extraction or removing foreign energy, curse unraveling, and psychopomp. These practices are powerful — and they are so important to learn if you’re drawn to healing others, your community, and our earth.
But in order to do them safely and effectively, you must have strong relationships with your spirit guides and clear intuition that you know you can trust. Journeying is the foundation of preparing yourself for this deeper work.
7. Our Earth needs your gifts now.
We are clearly at a transformative time in history. Things are changing rapidly, and many people feel insecure about their future personally, our future as a collective, and the future of our planet.
Yet here you are. Alive and embodied. At this time. For a reason.
Shamanic journeying allows you to more deeply connect with the spirits of the Earth, so that you can partner with them to co-create a more magnificent future.
It brings you in touch more deeply and clearly with your own true nature, so that you can access and share your unique gifts, which are so needed at this time.
And it lets you know that you aren't alone in your efforts. You will encounter countless spiritual allies who are working right alongside us to bring more beauty and love into the physical realms.
As you deepen your own shamanic journey practice, you will continue to receive healing, insights, and guidance that help you navigate the often challenging times we live in so that you can fully express your medicine in the world.
This path is one of joy, and I hope that you'll continue to join me upon it.
Share this article on your favorite platform!