Am I making this up? (And other common shamanic journey mistakes)

Shamanic journeying is a practice that brings us into direct contact with spirit. It allows you to travel to different dimensions of our reality and various spiritual realms, communicate with spirit helpers who love you, and clearly access the wisdom of your own higher self.

Sounds amazing, right?

It definitely can be. But most people encounter some stumbling blocks along the way.

When you’re just getting started, you might feel a little confused…wondering if you made everything up, or did it right, or can trust what came through.

At other times you might feel really frustrated or disappointed, like nothing happened and you just can’t do it. 

This is normal. All of these experiences are normal. And none of them mean that you’re special or more of a natural, or that you're not good enough, or that you can’t do it. 

The truth is that a million things can affect our shamanic journey experiences. 

Even experienced journeyers encounter obstacles sometimes. It could be as simple as the time of day was off, or you were feeling too distracted. Or, maybe something that seems totally unrelated was getting in the way, and the next time you try it will go so much easier (or vice versa!). 

Ebbing and flowing with the intensity and clarity of your journeys is normal, especially at the beginning. 

Give yourself grace and know that spirit has your back, even if things feel challenging at times. 

Over the years, I’ve taught hundreds of students and clients how to journey successfully, and I’ve seen the same questions arise again and again. Let’s look at some of the most common obstacles that arise when you’re exploring the world of shamanic journeying.

7 mistakes people make when taking a shamanic journey

1. You think that you’re making everything up

One of the most common questions I receive around journeying is...How do I know if I’m imagining it or if it’s real?

Here’s the thing—it’s always both. Imagination is the language of spirit. So yes you’re imagining it, and yes it’s real. 

Of course, this can be hard to believe because our very creative minds imagine horrible things all the time. We have that lovely negativity bias to ensure our survival, so not everything our brain comes up with is real, clearly.

The key with your journeys is your intention and your state of consciousness. This combination—setting the intention for spiritual guidance and shifting into a calmer brainwave state that supports spiritual insight—ensures that you can trust whatever comes through. 

But this doesn’t mean that what comes through will make sense right away, which leads us to the next important point around our journeys—spirit also communicates through symbols. 

2. You take your journey too literally

One of the biggest mistakes beginning journeyers make is trying to take what happens in their journeys literally. 

For example, you might see yourself writing a book. Does this mean you’re supposed to write a book? Maybe. Or maybe it means your guides want you to look at your life story like a book, focus in on a particular chapter, or change the story you tell about your past. 

Wondering how to learn your own symbolic language? Here’s the thing—shamanism is a results-based practice. 

If you’re worried you're making things up, or you don’t know what something means yet, wait and see what happens! Do you feel better afterwards? What happens if you follow the guidance you receive? 

3. You haven’t found the best way to alter your consciousness yet 

Another common obstacle people encounter has to do with your unique style of journeying and getting into a shamanic state of consciousness. 

Maybe you listened to a drumming track, but you actually need breathwork to help shift your awareness. Maybe you laid down, but moving and dancing would work better. Some people have a much easier time staying in their bodies rather than sending their awareness out, as well, so this is another style to explore. Just keep experimenting, and eventually you will find what works for you.

4. You haven’t found the right length of time for your journeys.

Related to finding the journey style that works for you is finding the length of journey that works for you. 

Some people simply need more time to move through the arc of the journey, and they continue to go deeper and deeper. Others might find that they lose concentration if the journey goes on too long, getting their best insights right away. Again, there’s no right or wrong way here—just another element to experiment with.

5. You expect the journey to be like watching a movie

The next obstacle that might arise comes from expecting the journey to be like a movie rather than fully experiencing it through all your senses. This can take practice, as we’re all trained to passively consume information and entertainment in this way. 

But the more effort and intention you can bring to engaging all of your senses and feeling yourself experiencing vs watching the journey, the clearer and deeper your journeys will become.

6. You need to learn how to work with your unique intuitive gifts.

At this point, I think it’s really important to mention that we all have different intuitive strengths related to our senses, as well. Some people have a really hard time visualizing but can feel energy shifts in their bodies. Others see perfectly clearly but struggle to hear anything. 

All of us have some intuitive senses that are stronger than others—and all of us can strengthen every intuitive sense. 

I call these the clairs. Here’s a quick breakdown:

• Clairvoyance—seeing

• Clairaudience—hearing

• Clairsentience—feeling

• Claircognizance—knowing

• Clairolfaction—smelling and tasting

Obstacles in our journeys can arise when we expect to see things, but we’re actually much more clairsentient, or vice versa. And to be fair, it can seem a lot harder to interpret journeys that are mostly clairsentient or felt, rather than laid out in a visual and auditory story. (I have some tricks to help with this though, which I share in my intro classes!)

Look back at your own journey. Which senses felt strongest to you? If you thought that nothing happened, maybe there were actually feelings that came up for you to explore. Or maybe you had “thoughts” come out of nowhere that you assumed were distractions, but are actually your claircognizance! Give yourself time and freedom to explore here.

7. You’re taking things too seriously.

There’s one last obstacle I want to touch on, and this one is really important: Taking your journeys too seriously!

Yes, this can be serious work. But it’s also lighthearted and joyful! True shamans, and great spiritual teachers from all paths, are always laughing! 

Laughter neutralizes our perfectionist tendencies and joy elevates our spirits. Can you bring more levity to your practice? Your helping spirits are already giggling with delight waiting for you to join them. 

Resources

Which of these obstacles have you encountered in your own journeys? Know that you aren’t alone, that your experience is normal, and that you absolutely can cultivate strong, clear journey skills over time.

Want to develop your own journey practice? 

If you’re just getting started, take my intro course, The Art of the Shamanic Journey.

If you already have a journey practice and want to go deeper, you need 144 Shamanic Journey Prompts.

If you’ve met your spirit animal and want to go deeper, The Spirit Animal Workshop will help.

If you want personal support for your own shamanic practice, you might be a good fit to work with me.

A Shamanic Guide to Illness & Health

Explore the five main causes of illness from a shamanic perspective―and how to heal them.

In this free workshop, you'll discover:
​

• The 5 types of spiritual illness we all encounter
• How to know if you're experiencing spiritual illness
• The surprising ways addressing spiritual illness can impact your life
• A practice to strengthen your energy field right now

TAKE A POWERFUL STEP TOWARD THE LIFE YOU'RE HERE TO LIVE.

Enter your email to access this 65-minute workshop today!

Send me the workshop!

---

You might also like:

• An exploration of the three-world model in shamanism…is it true?

• Is shamanic journeying the same as meditation?

• 7 Reasons You Should Take a Shamanic Journey

• A Shamanic Guide to Illness: 5 Types of Imbalance

• Who is your Spirit Animal? A 4-Step Guide for Understanding Our Animal Allies

---

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How to take a shamanic journey

Did you know that I have a whole “Learn Shamanism” resource page??? It has tons of amazing free resources for you :) Check it out here<<<

What is a shamanic journey?

Shamanic journeying is a powerful practice that involves entering an altered state of consciousness to connect with spirit realms for insight, healing, and guidance. 

And, as you might suspect, shamanic journeying comes to us from shamanic traditions. When I use the term “shamanism” I’m referring to something that is a spiritual practice, a healing art form, and a way of simply being in the world. I’m not referring to any specific practices from specific cultures. 

Every culture on this earth has shamanic roots, and while the mythologies and practices of each culture might look different, all share a few things in common—including the ability to enter altered states of consciousness in order to communicate with the unseen world, forming strong relationships with spirit beings, cultivating a reciprocal relationship with our Earth, and being of service to our communities. 

As an aside, if you’re interested in diving deeper into shamanism specifically—including the right use of the term and what it really means—I go into much more detail with all of this in my intro to shamanism course. 

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 directly 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". 

There’s more to whether or not shamanic journeying is meditation, but these are the basics ;) 

Note: 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 in this article. 

The Stages of a Shamanic Journey

Though the nuances and flavors of journeying will vary culture by culture and human by human, the basic process goes through a few stages: 

First, is preparation—you want to prepare yourself and your space for the journey.

Next, you alter your consciousness and allow it to cross some sort of a threshold to intentionally enter non-ordinary reality.

Then comes the journey itself, which will always be a bit different depending on your intentions. 

And finally is the return—when you once again intentionally cross a threshold back into ordinary reality. 

After this, some additional integration of your experience could be considered the last stage. 

So let’s go through each of these stages step-by-step. 

Stage 1: Preparation

How do you prepare yourself and your space for your journey? Like most things in shamanism, there isn’t a one-size fits all answer here, but there are a few general tips I’d like to share. 

1. Create sacred space.

The first is to make your space a sacred space. By this, I don’t mean throwing out your furniture and turning your living room into a temple. Sacred space comes as a result of our intentions, efforts, and partnership with spirit. 

In my personal practice, if I’m doing a more intense ritual or larger ceremony, I will physically clean my space and myself as a first step. The physical cleaning and clearing absolutely supports the energetic cleansing of your space. 

On the other hand, If I’m simply engaging in a daily journey to connect with my spirits, I’ll skip this step (unless things just don’t feel good—always trust your intuition). 

You’ll also want to make sure that the space you choose is conducive to your practice — so choose somewhere quiet, where you won’t be disturbed, where you feel comfortable enough to really let go and safely alter your awareness.

2. Enhance your space with sacred aromatics & tend your altar.

I use fragrance to both clear the energy of my space and call in benevolent allies. 

Spiritual fragrance is a huge part of my practice and I never skip this, even for my daily journeys. Sometimes I’ll light incense or burn a smudge bundle, sometimes I’ll diffuse essential oils or use a spray, and sometimes I’ll anoint myself with sacred oils. Whatever it is, I just about always use fragrance to shift the energy of myself, my space, and my consciousness before journeying. 

At this point, if you keep an altar, it’s a good idea to tend and activate it. If you don’t work with an altar yet, no worries. This is something you can learn more about in my intro to shamanism classes. 

3. Invocation

The invocation is the official announcement of your sacred space and the calling in of your benevolent allies and guardians. 

First, I say out loud “I give thanks that this space now becomes a sacred and protected space.” 

Then I call in guardians for each direction—I most often work with archangels for protection. But of course, you can use whatever allies you personally feel connected with. Many people simply call in general guardians for each of the four directions and above and below.

From there, I like to acknowledge the many benefic spiritual beings that I work with, and I invite you to do the same. These might be loving ancestors, spirit animals, spirits of the land, and other deities you feel a connection with. 

If you don’t have allies to call in at this point—no worries at all! You’ll get to know your personal spirit team over time. The absolute best way to get started if you’re wanting to meet your spirit guides is with this spirit animal workshop.

4. Set your intentions.

Once your space is prepared, it’s time to connect with your intention for your journey—this is an absolute must. Your heartfelt intention will dictate everything that follows, even if it’s as simple as saying hello to spirit. 

While your overall intention will vary from journey to journey, there are a few pieces to be sure to include:

The first piece of your intention should be that it’s basically a “good, helpful journey”. 

I always like to begin with a general statement, spoken out loud, that my journey is helpful, that I interpret it correctly, that it unfolds in a good way, and that my practice is in service to all. 

The next part of your intention should be to cross a threshold into non-ordinary reality. 

When you’re first getting started, I highly recommend setting the intention to clarify whether you want to enter into the upper, lower, or middle world specifically.

If you’re just getting started, please start with the upper or lower worlds. These worlds are purely benevolent, and you don’t need to worry about who you might meet or what might happen there, and you can just relax and trust a bit more.

So, the two pieces of your intention to include are that the journey happens in a good way, and that you cross a threshold into a benevolent realm of non-ordinary reality.

Beyond that, your overall intentions for the journey can vary and are limitless. You can journey for guidance, healing, clarity…anything!

Stage 2: Alter Your Consciousness

Once you’ve prepared your space and set your intention, then it’s time to fully prepare yourself by entering into an altered state of consciousness. 

There are many ways to do this — from meditative techniques to breathwork to sound to psychedelics.

The rhythmic beating of a drum is one of the most common ways, as it naturally entrains your brain into a slightly altered state that allows for deeper and easier spiritual explorations. This works whether you listen to a recording, drum yourself, or are able to have someone drumming for you live. 

As for your posture during the journey, you can experiment with what works best for you. In most core shamanic classes and workshops, people tend to lay on the floor with a covering over their eyes, and this tends to work really well for most people. 

I often will sit up in a meditative posture during my journeys. Since I meditate regularly and also tend to use my arms a lot when I channel divine beings, this feels natural for me. 

Still other people like to move or dance during their journeys—or maybe dance to get into an altered state and then lay on the floor. 

Keep experimenting to see what works best for you. If you're not sure where to start, go ahead and lay on the ground with a light covering or sleep mask over your eyes.

Stage 3: The Journey Begins

Now you’re ready to enter the otherworlds.

1. Cross a threshold

You must cross a threshold to begin your journey. In core shamanism, the traditional way to enter into non-ordinary is a two-part process: 

First, you imagine yourself in a place in nature. This is often somewhere you’ve actually been before—somewhere that always had a special resonance with you or place in your heart. Or, this can be an imagined place—somewhere that has all your favorite parts of the natural world, whether a coastline, forest, high mountain top, vast desert, or country grove.

Either way, your feelings of being drawn to this place are letting you know that there is a portal to the otherworlds available to you here.

At this stage of the journey, this place represents a portal within your own consciousness. Imagining this place tells your consciousness that it’s time to travel. Once you can fully imagine yourself in this sacred place, look for something that represents an actual portal that will serve as your threshold into non-ordinary reality. 

If you intend to go to the Lower World, you’ll look for a way to go down. This often looks like climbing down the roots of a tree, entering a cave or hole in the Earth (much like Alice in Wonderland), or swimming down through a body of water. Some people even like to picture taking an elevator or set of stairs down—you can trust whatever works for you. 

To enter the upper world, you go up! This might look like climbing a tree and passing through a threshold of some sort–like a thick canopy or layer of clouds. It could be being carried by a bird, or ascending a rainbow. I’ve even had students fly up on a magic carpet! Again, anything goes here.

You enter the middle world by going out—this might look like stepping through your door or a window, or even through a mist, into the alternate dimensions we live within. 

No matter where you go, the important thing is that you cross a specific threshold that clearly marks your transition from ordinary to non-ordinary reality. 

This might not seem like a huge deal, but it's incredibly important. Shamanic journeying is a discipline. Having the discipline to cross this threshold is a key part of cultivating spiritual sovereignty and responsibility. Loose boundaries in the spirit realms have real consequences in our ordinary reality.

Common outcomes of not having a strong threshold boundary are either you don’t fully enter into non-ordinary reality, so you’re actually processing much more from your egoic consciousness than from spirit consciousness during your journey, or you don’t fully bring your awareness back from non-ordinary reality—which can lead to feelings of light-headedness, spaciness, or just feeling ungrounded.

As your spiritual practices deepen, your intuitive abilities will naturally expand, as well. Setting strong boundaries at the beginning protects you from being overwhelmed by spirits and their many messages down the road. It’s your responsibility to decide how and when the spirit world communicates with you—and crossing the threshold is the first step to showing that you are a serious student on this path. 

2. Enjoy the Journey

Once you’re in non-ordinary reality, the journey really begins. Again, every journey will be different, but there are two tips that will support you every time:

First, engage all of your senses. There’s a tendency for people to expect to watch their journeys like we watch movies—we’re kind of programmed like this from years of television. It’s important that you are in your journey and experiencing it through all your senses. Feel the air on your skin, smell the fragrances around you, open your ears and enjoy your sight. This often takes practice, but do try to keep bringing yourself into this full sensory experience of the journey. 

Second, allow space for attunements throughout the journey. An attunement is a simple ritual or ceremony that happens in the journey space that harmonizes your energy with your intentions and your journey experience. 

For example, if you find yourself arriving in a field or at a temple, ask for an attunement to that place. If you meet a new ally, ask for an attunement to that ally. 

These attunements can take many forms. If you’re being attuned to a place, you might simply sit on the ground and harmonize with that place's energy. Or, it may be more complex, with spirit beings coming to anoint you with sacred waters and sound healing. If you’re meeting an ally, you might simply gaze into each other’s eyes, or again, it might be a more complex ritual with movements and merging and dancing. Spirit is limitless and so are these attunements!

3. Return from the journey

Throughout your journey, the drum will continue to hold space and support your shamanic state of consciousness. When it’s time to return, you’ll hear what’s called a “call back” beat. 

When you hear the callback, you’ll do two things:

One, you thank any beings who have been with you during your journey. Finish whatever work is being done or conversations being had, and then say your thanks and goodbyes. 

Two, you retrace your steps exactly back the way you came. This is part of the discipline of the thresholds. Find that same opening you came through, cross back through that same threshold, touch back at your place in nature, and then use your imagination and intention to bring yourself all the way back into your body. 

Once you're back in your body, use all of your senses again in the here and now. Take deep breaths. Wiggle your fingers and toes. Look around your space. Listen for the sounds near and far. You might even find it helpful to drink a bit of water or have a small snack to really get totally embodied again. 

Finally, it’s time to officially close your journey practice. I like to speak my thanks out loud to my all the beings who supported my work and kept me safe and protected. 

Then I affirm: “I invite those beings who love and support me especially to say with me, and all those beings who were just present for this particular practice are free to go. For our work is done, our parts are done, and we may rest.”

You can find your own language for this, but officially closing the container is good spiritual hygiene, and something to make a habit. 

The Complete Arc of the Shamanic Journey

Okay, that’s it! That’s the whole arc of the journey from beginning to end. This might sound like a lot to remember at first, but I promise, it becomes second nature. In short:

1. Prepare for your journey by setting your space and your intentions

2. Put on a drumming track, or play a drum yourself

3. Imagine yourself in a place in nature

4. Find a portal to enter and cross a threshold

5. Engage your senses as you enter non-ordinary reality

6. Receive attunements to the location your arrive and any helping spirits present

7. Pursue your intentions and enjoy the journey

8. When you hear the return beet, say your thanks and goodbyes and retrace your steps exactly

9. Come back into your body

10. Officially close the journey practice

If you’d like support with your own journey practice, I have limited openings for one-on-one support. Learn more.

Shamanic Resources

• Learn more about the how to take a shamanic journey mini class.

• Find resources for your practice.

• Discover your power animal.

• Get on the wait list for live workshops.

• Take a free workshop.

• Find shamanic healing sessions.

---

You might also like:

• An exploration of the three-world model in shamanism…is it true?

• Is shamanic journeying the same as meditation?

• 7 Reasons You Should Take a Shamanic Journey

• A Shamanic Guide to Illness: 5 Types of Imbalance

• Who is your Spirit Animal? A 4-Step Guide for Understanding Our Animal Allies

---

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ASTROLOGY | RECIPES | REWILDING | SACRED AROMATICS | SHAMANISM | SPIRITUALITY | WELLNESS

FREE 45-page ebook! Click image to get yours :)

Juniper Stokes is a certified coach, mythoanimist guide, alchemist & artist.

Is shamanic journeying the same as meditation?

Is shamanic journeying the same as meditation?

This is a question that comes up a lot. And the answer depends on how you define meditation.

Questions around what counts as meditation at all can be pretty big points of contention amongst seekers…

Is jogging a type of meditation? Painting? Getting into a flow state? 

Or is meditation only done in silence? Or by chanting mantras?

Are guided meditations somehow less meditationy than more “serious” meditation? 

Where do moving meditations fit into all this?

I’m not going to answer any of those questions. Because honestly, I’m not that interested.

I think it’s a lot more interesting to assess a spiritual practice by the results it produces. 

Are you becoming a more loving, fulfilled, and happy person? Are you kinder, less self-centered, and more present for your life? Do you feel more in your wellness from your practices?

Rather than trying to define exactly what is or isn’t meditation, let’s look at the differences and effects of our potentially meditative practices…then you’ll know where you want to place shamanic journeying.

Does your meditation quiet your mind or Activate it?

Setting aside the idea that flow states are a type of meditation for now…we’re left with two loosely distinguishable schools of meditation: the let’s quiet the mind camp and the let’s visualize camp. 

The let’s quiet the mind meditation styles might include things like breathwork, mindfulness, focus or concentration practices, mantras and chanting, Zen practices, the golden flower, Vipassana, and transcendental meditation.

The let’s visualize meditation styles will include mostly guided meditations in a variety of styles—picturing healing light, imagining yourself in a relaxing garden, focusing on what you wish to manifest, meeting with a goddess for insight and guidance, or doing a chakra clearing, for example.

Note: Though I use the term “visualize” here, this includes all types of intentional perception. Some people simply aren’t visual and experience guided meditations in different ways. That still counts!

(Are you now thinking, but what about somatic meditation? In my experience, some somatic meditations can have the result of quieting the mind—pranayama and certain body scans for example. While others utilize your visioning powers—chakra scans, yoga nidra to extent, and certain healing techniques.)

If you want to maintain sovereignty over your own mind in this day and age, some sort of “quiet the mind” meditation is essential. 

You must cultivate the ability to quiet your mind, focus your attention, and expand your awareness in order to create space for spiritual insight and connection with your authentic self to arise.

If you go from reading articles and emails online, to scrolling through a few social media sites, to listening to a podcast, to watching a random tv show…to listening to a guided meditation…then your mind never has a chance to rest.

This onslaught of words is like a drug for our consciousness. It’s a good way to keep numbing out to the spiritual wisdom that wants to come through. 

And it means that when you do try to actively listen to your intuition, you’re more likely to get distracted or confused by what is a thought and what is guidance.

Once the foundational ability to create space in your awareness has been cultivated, guided meditations, visualizations, and yes, shamanic journeys, become more impactful.

These more active types of meditations are usually done with the intention of receiving healing or guidance.

And let me be clear—visualizations aren’t simple fantasies in your head. When you enter into a meditative state and intentionally engage with visualization practices, you are affecting reality at foundational energetic and spiritual levels.

Guided meditations and visualization are profound practices for engaging with the spirit world.

Which is what we do through a shamanic journey.

Which is why the shamanic journey is, in many ways, a type of mediation.

So what makes a shamanic journey different from other kinds of guided meditation?

I love all kinds of visualizations—but there are a few things that, all together, set a shamanic journey apart.

1. An altered state of consciousness.

Any good meditation session should alter your consciousness, so this alone isn’t the full definition of a shamanic journey—but it is a key component. For shamanic journeying specifically, the theta state is what we hope to access.

Most people think of either using the beat of a drum or some sort of psychedelic to get into this brain state, and both can be great. But in reality, any practice that effectively alters your consciousness can be used for shamanic journeying—breathwork, yoga nidra, or even simple concentration practice once you’re skilled enough can all work beautifully.

2. You journey.

It’s in the name ;) The idea with shamanic journeying is that you actually go somewhere. In core shamanism, this is called “non-ordinary reality”. In Celtic traditions, it’s known as the otherworld. Quantum perspectives might call this visiting other dimensions of reality. 

Whatever you call it…you aren’t staying in the here and now. Your consciousness is crossing a threshold into other realms where you have access to both spiritual worlds and more dimensions of existence.

For what it’s worth, there are two ways you can cross this threshold. You can send your awareness out and travel, or you can bring the threshold into your physical body and “travel” right where you are.

3. You communicate with spiritual beings, energies, and entities that are not the same as you.

And I would call your higher self a spiritual being… 

But I would not classify your parts or your own subconscious as spiritual beings.

This is important for distinguishing shamanic journeying from other forms of intentional and active meditations…at least I think it is.

I might change my mind on this one—let me know what you think!

My general sense is that using shamanic techniques to enter altered states and explore your own subconscious realms is very effective and helpful. But is it journeying? I’m really not sure. It seems more like intentional meditation than otherworld exploration to me.

Also, I totally get that we’re all really one divine blob…and we’ve incarnated into separate bodies and a little acknowledgement of this level of separation is worth dealing with from our human perspectives.

Anyway, the jury might be out on this one, but this is the direction I’m leaning in. What are your thoughts?

A Shamanic Guide to Illness & Health

Explore the five main causes of illness from a shamanic perspective―and how to heal them.

In this free workshop, you'll discover:
​

• The 5 types of spiritual illness we all encounter
• How to know if you're experiencing spiritual illness
• The surprising ways addressing spiritual illness can impact your life
• A practice to strengthen your energy field right now

TAKE A POWERFUL STEP TOWARD THE LIFE YOU'RE HERE TO LIVE.

Enter your email to access this 65-minute workshop today!

Send me the workshop!

Want to learn how to journey and explore even more nuances of this powerful practice? The Art of the Shamanic Journey is a seven-day audio course delivered via private podcast, so you can listen anywhere at any time :) 

This course is totally FREE for my paid Substack subscribers. And you can check out the first lesson without a subscription (seriously, you don’t even need to put in an email!) right here. 

If you already know how to journey, then you know that the questions you ask make all the difference.

My new book, 144 Shamanic Journey Prompts, will help you explore the otherworlds and so much more. Get it here.

Shamanic Resources

• Learn more about the how to take a shamanic journey mini class.

• Find resources for your practice.

• Discover your power animal.

• Get on the wait list for live workshops.

• Take a free workshop.

• Find shamanic healing sessions.

---

You might also like:

• Who Are the Ancestors? (Discover the three types of ancestral spirits that influence you)

• On angels, psychic saviors, fallen gurus, and sovereignty (And the magic of being human)

• 7 Signs You're a Modern-Day Mystic

• Coregulating with the Natural World

• A Shamanic Guide to Illness: 5 Types of Imbalance

• Who is your Spirit Animal? A 4-Step Guide for Understanding Our Animal Allies

---

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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.

Shamanic Resources

• Learn more about the how to take a shamanic journey mini class here.

• Find resources for your practice here.

• Discover your power animal here.

• Get on the wait list for live workshops here.

• Take a free workshop here.

• Find shamanic healing sessions here.

You might also like:

• Who Are the Ancestors? (Discover the three types of ancestral spirits that influence you)

• On angels, psychic saviors, fallen gurus, and sovereignty (And the magic of being human)

• 7 Signs You're a Modern-Day Mystic

• Coregulating with the Natural World

• A Shamanic Guide to Illness: 5 Types of Imbalance

• Who is your Spirit Animal? A 4-Step Guide for Understanding Our Animal Allies

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A Sunday Tea Ritual

A cup of tea can become a sacred ritual—all you need is intention.

I find Sunday evenings offer the perfect time to pause and reflect in sacred ritual before the new work week begins. Here’s a ritual for you to try this evening or anytime you want to quiet your mind and connect with spirit…

Begin by setting the intention to nourish your soul and calm your mind before the week begins.

Before you boil the water, place your hands over the hot water kettle and visualize calming nourishing energy flowing from your heart into the water.

Prepare the herbs and your cup with a grateful heart. Keep this feeling of gratitude—for these plants, for this moment in time, for your body, the aromas, the nourishment—flowing as you pour water over the tea.

As the tea steeps, you may like to light a candle and prepare your journal space.

Once ready, bring all your senses to your first few sips. Take your time and feel the warm cup in your hands. Inhale the aroma. Taste the nuances.

If this is all you have time or energy for, the ritual is complete. If you’d like to take this moment to journal, you might like to ask yourself:

How can I nourish myself in the coming week?

Where can I create more space in my schedule, perhaps by delegating or saying no?

What am I looking forward to? How can I make sure that I prioritize this?

May this ritual bring you peace and nourishment.

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You might also like:

• Who Are the Ancestors? (Discover the three types of ancestral spirits that influence you)

• On angels, psychic saviors, fallen gurus, and sovereignty (And the magic of being human)

• 7 Signs You're a Modern-Day Mystic

• Coregulating with the Natural World

• A Shamanic Guide to Illness: 5 Types of Imbalance

• Who is your Spirit Animal? A 4-Step Guide for Understanding Our Animal Allies

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An exploration of the three-world model in shamanism…is it true?

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 :)

The Three-World Model of Shamanism

If you've taken any classes in the core shamanic traditions that we find so often in the West, chances are that you've been taught the “Three World Model” of shamanism. This model primarily comes from the shamanic work of the Foundation for Shamanic Studies, and it organizes non-ordinary reality into Upper, Middle, and Lower Worlds. 

In this system, the Lower World usually appears a lot like our regular world does—but with even more beauty and awe-inspiring landscapes or features. It’s a divine, earthy realm filled with only benevolent beings and healing energy.

The Upper World is a lot like the lower world, though it often appears more etheric, angelic, or celestial. Like the Lower World, the Upper World is only home to helpful, divine beings and energies.

When you travel to the Upper and Lower Worlds, there is nothing to worry about or protect yourself from. These are purely spiritual and divine realms.

The Middle World is a bit different. It’s the realm of our everyday reality—where we live here and now. By traveling the Middle World with an altered consciousness, we can explore more of the dimensions that exist right alongside us. 

The Middle World is a little different from the Upper and Lower Worlds in that you’ll encounter both helpful, benevolent spirits…and not so helpful ones. Just like we meet all types of people in the ordinary reality Middle World, we meet all types of spirits in the non-ordinary reality Middle World. 

This is why discernment—the ability to know whether or not a spirit is benevolent, or a trickster, or occasionally something more malefic—is key when traveling the Middle World realms. 

When you take a shamanic journey in the core shamanism style, you enter into one of these worlds through a portal or entry point of some sort—and the direction you go matches the world you intend to travel to. You go down to go to the Lower World, up to the Upper World, and out to the Middle World.

That’s the basic overview of the three world model—but there are a common few points of confusion that I want to look at before we move on. 

First, it’s important to remember that each of these worlds is home to infinite realms—it’s not like the Lower World is just one place you head on down to—it contains a multitude of layers to explore. 

Second, once you enter into non-ordinary reality, you can absolutely travel between realms. You’re never just stuck where you land. You can go from the Upper to the Lower to the Middle Worlds and back around again.

Third, you can meet the same benevolent allies and spirit helpers in all the realms. For some reason, there are a lot of misconceptions in this area—I keep hearing people say that “you meet power animals in the Lower World” and “teachers or guides” in the Upper World. 

This is silly when you think about it—our spirit helpers are never confined to one place. You can meet power animals, ancestors, angels, tree spirits, elements, deities, healers, teachers, and everyone in every realm, including the Middle Realm. So keep an open mind on your otherworld explorations

A Wee Critique of the Three-World Model

One of the reasons the three-world model became so popular in Western core shamanism is that it’s said to reflect the similarities of shamanic and indigenous cultures throughout the world…but this isn’t really accurate.

When I first started teaching shamanic journeying many, many years ago, I used to follow the lead of my first teachers and use only the three-world model in my workshops. And, being the good and globally minded student I was, I tried to dultifully fit other systems into this model. 

It was a stretch.

Yes, the Celtic traditions have earth, sea, and sky realms…but those aren’t the full picture. Yes, the Norse tree of life has roots, a trunk, and branches…but there are nine worlds on the tree and it gets more complex from there. Yes, indigenous tribes throughout the world often have some sort of ancestor realm, earth realm, and celestial realm…but that is never even close to representing the actual complexitities of the wildly diverse cosmologies humankind has created.

And over time, as I stepped more fully into my own spiritual knowing, I realized that the models we use for non-ordinary reality—what I also call the otherworlds or spirit realms—don’t actually matter. 

The human mind likes a system. The realm of spirit is far more vast than our human minds can comprehend. So we make up systems that help us understand the ineffable. 

All systems are facets of truth. No system is full Truth.

My guess is that many of the early anthropologists who popularized the three-world model were overly, and probably subconsciously, influenced by their own Christian cultures.

Think about it. The Earth and Heaven connections are pretty obvious right? We live here, on Earth and in the Middle World. Heaven above brings us to the Upper World and all the divine spiritual goodness found there.

Hell, which clearly correlates with the Lower World, is where I think things get interesting—because in shamanic traditions, the Lower World is a place of immense power. In pre-Christian mythologies we hear tales of gods and goddesses descending into the underworld and emerging with more power than before (look at the legend of the Sumerian Goddess Inanna for a great example of this). 

What better way to keep people separated from their true power than to keep them scared of the realm where so much power resides?

I have to at least give kudos to these early anthropologists for recognizing that traveling into the Earth could be a portal to benevolent realms rather than hellscapes. Perhaps this is something you can explore in your own journeys ;) 

Anyway, the point of all this is that if the three world model that you’ll commonly hear about in core shamanism doesn't quite resonate with you—no worries! 

One of the things I love most is that shamanism is focused on your personal relationship with spirit. You get to do your own explorations and decide for yourself what resonates and what doesn’t. 

For now though, take a moment to reflect for yourself: Are there certain models, cosmologies, and traditions you’re especially drawn to? What intuitively just makes sense for you?

Our personal cosmologies are like divine poems. 

We could never grasp the fullness and mystery of the otherworlds and spirit realms with our human minds.

Your cosmology is a poetic reflection of a greater truth. A metaphorical and symbolic expression distilled from cosmic consciousness into a form your human mind can at least somewhat understand.

There is no right or wrong here. Whatever arises on your journey is the perfect pathway for you. 

And…this includes the three-world model.

While I think it’s important to clarify that this model isn’t the universal shamanic cosmology it’s often said to be, I do think it offers a beautiful framework for beginning to explore the otherworlds…and we’ll be exploring the many benefits of this framework in the next classes.

Your own spiritual landscapes will unfold over time, and exploring these realms is lifelong practice.

This next bit isn’t from the course, but since I’ll be your guide, I thought it might be nice to know a bit more about where I’m coming from with regards to my personal cosmology:

1. I think it’s helpful to distinguish our mundane, physical, ordinary reality from other spirit realms.

   I also like the term “consensus” reality, which I use to refer to what the general population experiences as “reality”.

2. I look at the subtle, energetic layers of our existence as part of ordinary reality.

   The energies that underlie all of existence aren’t supernatural or special—they just are. Your meridians are as much a part of you as your bones. The aura of a tree is as present in our daily lives as its bark. Your consciousness is as impactful as your hands. We’re seeing more evidence of this all the time, so while I think it’s helpful to talk about physical and energetic dimensions separately, I view them both as part of ordinary life in my personal cosmology. 

3. I see the otherworld as endlessly complex…

   Filled with heavenly realms that are purely divine, shadow realms with mysteries and hidden forces, realms where gods and goddesses or fae or even bigfoot might reside, elemental realms, mythical realms, star being realms…it’s endless. And I have no idea how they’re structured…because I doubt structure even exists in the spirit realms they way it does for us humans.

4. I think the general idea behind the distinction between the Middle World versus the Upper and Lower Worlds is actually essential.

   Not locationally, but in that we must differentiate between places that are purely divine and benevolent from places that are more complex. We need to know if we’re entering into territory where we might encounter egos, tricksters, or darker energies.

5. I believe that our relationship with the natural world is the key to unlocking access to all the myriad realms available to us.

   Once you start talking with trees, reading the stars, and meeting the nature spirits who cohabitate with you, a new world of spiritual exploration opens up.

6. And I believe that my beliefs will keep changing.

   The Great Mystery is all I know for sure.

What about you? Have you worked with the three-world model before? What are the core components of your personal cosmology? I’d love to hear in the comments.

Shamanic Resources

• Learn more about the how to take a shamanic journey mini class.

• Find resources for your practice.

• Discover your power animal.

• Join a live workshop.

• Take an online class.

• Find shamanic healing sessions.

A Shamanic Guide to Illness & Health

Explore the five main causes of illness from a shamanic perspective―and how to heal them.

In this free workshop, you'll discover:
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• The 5 types of spiritual illness we all encounter
• How to know if you're experiencing spiritual illness
• The surprising ways addressing spiritual illness can impact your life
• A practice to strengthen your energy field right now

TAKE A POWERFUL STEP TOWARD THE LIFE YOU'RE HERE TO LIVE.

Enter your email to access this 65-minute workshop today!

Send me the workshop!

You might also like:

• How to take a shamanic journey

• 7 Reasons You Should Take a Shamanic Journey

• Is shamanic journeying the same as meditation?

• Am I making this up? (And other common shamanic journey mistakes)

• A Shamanic Guide to Illness: 5 Types of Imbalance

• Who is your Spirit Animal? A 4-Step Guide for Understanding Our Animal Allies

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This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius…🎶

Are cosmic peace and harmony really on their way? Or have we only had a sweet little preview of the hivemind to come? Also, can we talk about the 5th Dimension??? 🤯

In my mind, the Age of Aquarius will always be associated with the song from Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical.

Yes, that’s the full name — an American tribal love-rock musical. Amazing.

Though to be fair, I’m pretty sure it was mostly the 5th Dimension’s version playing in our house as I grew up.

Yes, “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” was recorded by a band called the 5th Dimension.

original cast of Hair & The 5th Dimension

Is it any wonder I was 60s obsessed in my youth? ☮

(I’m generation “Oregon Trail” for those who are wondering how far off I was born from my soul decade, hehe.)

On January 20th, we’re entering a new phase in the age of Aquarius for reals. 

This is a very big deal in the astro world…and I’ll share a bit more about the astrological reasons why in a minute.

But it feels like a big deal to me because of the song.

Decades ago, this song and the tribal love rock hippies who sang it promised me a better world! I mean, look at these lyrics:

When the moon is in the Seventh House
And Jupiter aligns with Mars
Then peace will guide the planets
And love will steer the stars
This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius…
Harmony and understanding
Sympathy and trust abounding
No more falsehoods or derisions
Golden living dreams of visions
Mystic crystal revelation
And the mind's true liberation
Aquarius…

Peace, love, and spiritual awareness…I couldn’t wait for the Age of Aquarius to fix our broken world!

Oh my sweet innocence. 🤦‍♀️

Welcome to the Real Aquarian Vibes

First thing is first: We don’t actually know when the official “Age of Aquarius” is.

An astrological “age” is a massive amount of years — 2,160, based on the Earth’s processional rotations and equinox locations. And no one really agrees on when the transition between ages has or is or will happen.

So let’s release ourselves from being in a specific “Age of Aquarius” and focus on the fact that astrologically, there is significantly more Aquarian energy in our collective than usual.

Will Aquarius bring us cosmic peace and liberation as promised?

To answer this question, it helps to look at what Aquarius is all about — the collective. 

Aquarians serve the greater good — but not from some heartfelt love of humanity, and not by getting their own hands dirty.

This is because Aquarians don’t live in the emotional or physical realms. Their world is mental, one of philosophical ideas and higher mind perspectives.

They see the potential for Heaven on Earth and will pursue this vision from a more detached position…and they aren’t really bothered if your individual feelings are hurt along the way.

My parter is an Aquarius Sun, and it shows. I love his ability to see the greatest possible solutions to our collective problems. And, I’ve heard his complaints about the “tragedy of the commons” more than once. 

For those who need a review, the tragedy of the commons is an economic theory that refers to a state where individuals deplete public resources for their own benefit, which ultimately depletes everyone’s ability to benefit from those same resources. You can probably see just a *few* examples in our modern world…

And this is the total opposite of Aquarian energy. They would never prioritize a single individual over the collective good. 

With this in mind, let’s look at the first big shift into more Aquarian energy that happened back on December 21, 2020, when Jupiter and Saturn conjoined in Aquarius. 

Yeah, I said it. 2020.

The year we had a masterclass in the tragedy of the commons via toilet paper.

this is what AI thinks it looked like

This initiation into Aquarian energy showed us the potential for coming together in challenging times…and gave us some glimpses into the shadows around mob mentality.

And it hinted that the transition from a society rooted in competition to one rooted in cooperation might be just a wee bit stormy, with just a wee bit of backlash...

The next phase of Aquarian influence kicks off on January 20th, when Pluto forms a Cazimi — a super powerful perfect alignment with the Sun — in the very last degree of Capricorn before sauntering into Aquarius for the next 20ish years.

This, as I mentioned earlier, is a very big deal.

If one more person tells me Pluto is about “transformation”…🤮

Pluto is what’s known as a “generational” planet — which means that it stays in a single zodiac for about 12 - 30 years, giving a whole generation a particular vibe. With Pluto moving into Aquarius, a new vibe begins.

To understand what this means, let’s take a quick look at the areas of life ruled by Pluto, our “great transformer”.

Here’s the thing. A lot of planets are transformational. What does this even mean?

We need to know Pluto’s unique transformational flavor… 

Spoiler: It’s rough.

Pluto is a shadowy planet. It rules the things we try to keep hidden — violence, addiction, coercion. It heralds transformation so great it can feel like a crisis. Death and rebirth. Power and surrender. These are the themes of Pluto.

Pluto is also a planet of will — not our individual will, but our collective will. It’s one thing to make up your mind and work towards what you want. It’s another world to swim upstream against a collective that wants something else entirely. My guess? This is going to be a time of re-calibrating how your will and the collective will can best co-exist.

And, Pluto is not a fan of sweeping our shadows under the rug. It wants to pull them out and eradicate them for the greater good. I like how Astrobutterfly puts this:

Pluto’s role is to keep the engine of the universe going by eliminating what can no longer sustain life. If something is rotten, Pluto will eliminate it to leave space for healthy growth.

Knowing what’s rotten is a good thing. If your tooth rots, you go to the dentist and fix the problem…and save your other teeth. If you want your tree to grow healthy, you trim the dead branches.

When Pluto brings transformation, it comes in the form of the Tower card of the Tarot. Things topple. There’s usually some kind of shock involved, a shock that shakes us out of our slumber and wakes us up to a new way of understanding the world and our place within it.

As a reminder here — Pluto is always somewhere. Some area of life is always undergoing collective transformation in pretty disruptive ways. This is part of how we evolve and grow.

looks fun!

Pluto, meet Aquarius. I think you’ll have fun together 😵‍💫

How interesting that Aquarius, the hivemind sign of the zodiac, is going to be home to Pluto, the planet of really challenging collective transformations. 

I’m thinking this era might not be the love and light land I’d hoped for…

Aquarius and Pluto are both focused on the collective good, equality, and innovation in service of all. This is a vibe that we could definitely use more of, and one that goes quite well with our Age of Aquarius theme song. 

But Pluto just won’t nicely walk us over into lala land. Pluto strikes the Tower down, forcing us to cultivate resilience as we grow into the people who can build our Aquarian society. 

Pluto in Aquarius heralds a return of power to the people. Expect to see tyrannies of all types topple and crumble like the Tower itself — from oppressive political regimes to spiritual cults and cult-like corporations.

Yes, power to the people.

But have you seen people lately? 😬

The mob mentality and cancel culture we’ve witnessed in the last couple of years is likely a sweet little preview of what’s to come. 

Whereas in the past, radicalization was a major concern…I’m a bit more worried about righteousization (totally made that word up) in the coming era.

Righteous anger. Righteous rage. Righteous power. Righteous spirituality.

All under the guise of serving the collective good. 

Righteousness is group-think meets nervous system activation. 

You believe you have the power of the collective behind you, your adrenaline kicks in, and you become part of the earthquake that shakes the Tower.

That’s not my vibe. I’m all for radical change, but it’s going to be rough enough without righteous zombies adding to the chaos. 

This is your opportunity to become a vessel of integrity and clarity in an era of change and confusion. 

Learn how to distinguish your intuition from an adrenaline rush. Cultivate skills that help you regulate your nervous system. Stay open to change and align yourself with service. Keep checking in with your heartfelt knowing of what is truth and what is group-think.

We are co-creating a new world together, and you are here to play an invaluable role. One that is unique to you and needed by us all.

A few more winks at the future 👽

And to wrap up, here are a few more areas we can expect to see Pluto in Aquarius impact…

Aquarius rules technology, communication, markets, and the circulation of resources. It takes an interest in the policies and infrastructure that affect society as a whole. It’s the group energy in life — executive boards, congress, friend groups, communities. And it rules the skies. 

You can probably guess from here — changes to our economy, how information is shared, where power falls in our political systems, and whatever is going to happen with AI, to name a few. 

Oh, and UFOs. Definitely expect more on aliens and UFOs. 😉

For those who want more, here are a few resources to keep exploring this upcoming Pluto-Aquarius party:

• Adam Elenbaas of Nightlight Astrology goes into a pretty thorough deep dive here and provides a fun overview of how this will affect each sign here.

• Astrobutterfly has a great, easy-to-read article on the whole thing here.

• Rebecca Gordon adds some lovely nuance here.

• Chris Brennan has a couple of 2024 overview episodes of The Astrology Podcast, which you can explore here.

• And I always love a good Chani article.

What do you think about all this incoming astro weather? I’d love to hear what you think we can expect in the comments. 

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You might also like:

• Who Are the Ancestors? (Discover the three types of ancestral spirits that influence you)

• On angels, psychic saviors, fallen gurus, and sovereignty (And the magic of being human)

• 7 Signs You're a Modern-Day Mystic

• Coregulating with the Natural World

• A Shamanic Guide to Illness: 5 Types of Imbalance

• Who is your Spirit Animal? A 4-Step Guide for Understanding Our Animal Allies

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Just Say No to Bro Goals

Just say no to bro goals.

Unless that works for you. But I'm taking a more feminine approach this year.

The cult of self help has a particular flavor in the podcast realms…

A lot of the habit-tracking and goal-setting info that makes it's way around the bro-podcast circuits just doesn't work for me.

I like the idea of 5am wake ups, cold showers every day, and pushing through discomfort to see change...

But ultimately, so much of the advice out there separates me further from body and intuition.

I'm cyclical. My energy levels are not the same throughout the month, or the seasons. I need the freedom to create space for my authentic needs without having my mind crowded over with "shoulds".

A lot of women suffer from the idea that we can hack our way to health and force ourselves into productivity…

Which brings me to an observation during a recent meeting of my weekly astrology class.

It’s an advanced class with just a small group of pretty badass women. We were practicing reading each others' charts, and a theme emerged…

We had all burned out. Hard. Enough so that half of us had quit our full time jobs for the sake of our health.

As above, so below.

I think a lot of us were drawn to astrology as part of our recovery.

There’s something incredibly comforting about seeing our human experiences reflected in the cosmos.

I have the fixed star Sirius conjunct my moon. Sothis to the Egyptians, many refer to Sirius as our spiritual sun—a portal to divine wisdom. Makes sense for me as my entire life has been a deep dive into mystical realms.

But Sirius is also known as “the Icarus star”. It blesses us with great inspiration and success…yet this success is almost always followed with a painful crash and burn.

Fortunately, rather than deciding my fate, this cosmic knowledge reminds me that I need to be extra intentional with my self care and energy levels.

AND it helps to not pretend that I will magically create consistent equilibrium in my life. My authentic blueprint inherently has cycles of success and burnout.

The question becomes, how can I work with these cycles instead of pretending they don’t exist?

For me, this means knowing that I will need periods of deep rest between creative projects. If I’m launching a new perfume or writing a hefty Substack series for example, I’ll need to put a few days of self care and rest into my calendar.

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How Mama Moon Saved Me

To heal from the extreme burnout I experienced (by extreme I mean total adrenal fatigue, no cortisol spike at all, inability to digest food, horrible skin, and crying all the time and unable to get out of bed), I knew I needed to start taking more exquisite care of myself than I ever had before.

This meant resisting the pull of mainstream messages about endless productivity and growth and sinking into a slower, earthier way of being.

But here's the challenge: Committing to exquisite self care is one thing—actually doing the self care is another.

Because being totally depleted makes it really, really hard to take care of yourself in even the most basic ways.

As much as bro-hacking doesn’t work for me, I do need some accountability to keep myself healthy. I will absolutely slip into later and later bedtimes, skip vitamins, and put off meditating until "tomorrow" if left completely to my own devices.

I needed help. So I turned to the moon.

In Hellenistic astrology, the Moon is considered to be the closest ally of our human experience. Her cycles directly affect our physical bodies and energy levels.

This is why consciously tuning into the Moon’s cycles can have a profound impact on our well-being.

So I made myself my own cyclical, nature-based habit tracking calendars.

These trackers are based on our monthly calendar system because that's the time my mind lives in. But they incorporate moon cycles because that's the time my body lives in.

Rather than rigid to-do lists that reinforce a mind-over-matter mentality, these lunar calendars help me track and plan according to my authentic cycles.

I’ve used these sheets to become more aware of my own energy levels and natural tendencies with the cycles of the moon, and I was better able to cultivate more sustainable habits on my journey back to health as a result.

I still plan and track goals like taking cold showers in the morning, getting sunlight on my skin within the first 10 minutes of waking, morning movement, pranayama, yoga, vitamins, etc.

But I also plan on skipping cold showers during the first days of my cycle. I put in the best days for certain foods or supplements. I mark the weeks when I'll likely have the most energy to go on long hikes, as well as the weeks when I know I'll need more rest and a hot bath.

I used these sheets all last year and love them.

So I packaged them up into a lovely little set that I can share! This set includes:

🌝 two types of tracking sheets — one for intentions/planning and one for tracking/measuring
🌝 a 20-page moon-syncing guidebook
🌝 a moon cycle wall calendar for fun

You can get yours here.

Using these sheets helped me:

🌚 cultivate more sustainable and nourishing habits, from drinking more water to recommitting to my pranayama practice
🌑 plan ahead for different types of self-care activities (saltwater baths at the new moon, socializing at the waxing moon, long solo hikes near the full moon)
🌒 align my schedule with my natural energy levels—sometimes I just won't be as naturally productive and that's ok
🌓 use different herbal tea blends and eat different foods as my body's needs change throughout each month
🌔 become so in touch with my body that I can more easily spot the first signs that I'm heading towards illness or imbalance, which helps course correct before its too late
🌕 get way happier!!!

And…here are pictures!

Here’s the link to get your moon magic:

2024 Moon Magic Guide

May your new year be filled with a balance of productivity and rest that perfectly meets your uniqueness. Many blessings!

You might also like:

• The Heliacal Rise of Sirius, the Five Sacred Epagomenal Days, and the Egyptian New Year

• On angels, psychic saviors, fallen gurus, and sovereignty (And the magic of being human)

• How to Be Spiritually Sovereign: Making Magic with the Virgin Goddesses

• Coregulating with the Natural World

• It’s Not Depression. It’s Exhaustion. ☥ Why Creative Women Are Burning Out and the Soul-Level Need for Deep Rest

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Serket & Scorpions

The scorpion goddess came to me during Scorpio season.

The Egyptian goddess Serket, also known as Selket or Selqet, is not as well-known as many of her counterparts these days — though this certainly wasn’t always the case. 

Serket is a very ancient goddess and was much more popular in earlier Egyptian dynasties — a patron of pharaohs, priests, and physicians; a central character in key myths; and depicted on royal tombs and protective amulets throughout the land. Overtime, many of this goddess’s attributes were absorbed by Auset (Isis), which is partially why we don’t hear about her quite so often today.

But we’re at a time when reclaiming Serket’s feminine, transformative, and powerful scorpion medicine is greatly needed. 

It’s time to shed a bit of light on this dark goddess.

Meet Serket: Protection, Afterlife, Magic, and Medicine

The Egyptian goddess Serket is a scorpion deity of protection, the afterlife, medicine, and magic. Like the scorpion, she can heal…and she can destroy. 

Call on Serket for:

• Protection — from outside influences, for upcoming medical procedures, from lower vibration energies, for children

• Shadow Work — face and transmute inner toxins and poisons

• Sexual Energy & Fertility — awaken the creative forces of nature within your own being

• Transmutation — a powerful ally for working with spiritual healing techniques

• Magic — she’s one of the oldest and most powerful deities of early Egypt, a patron of many priests and magical practices

• Healing — access the right dose of the right medicine at the right time

• Breathwork — for transmutation, healing, ascension, and increasing life force energy

As is true for many Egyptian deities, Serket appears in both human and animal form. As a human goddess, she is most often depicted with a scorpion raising its tail upon her head. In her animal appearance, she is the scorpion herself.

The scorpion was both feared and revered in ancient Egypt (much like many people’s love-hate relationship with the Scorpio of our zodiac). This is because scorpions (and Scorpios for that matter!) are intensely powerful — and this power can be used to harm or heal. 

A small but mighty beast that can take down a creature many times its size with its sting, the scorpion can deliver great pain. Yet its presence in your favor offers great protection. The same is true of Serket. 

Protection & Healing with the Goddess of Scorpions

As a primary protective and funerary goddess in ancient Egypt, Serket stood alongside Isis, Nepthys, and Neith to guard the deceased on their journey through the afterlife. In the Pyramid Texts, she joins these goddesses to protect the deceased king, who speaks:

“My mother is Isis, my nurse is Nepthys…Neith is behind me, and Serket is before me.” (PT 1375).1

Serket’s presence in front of the king as he traverses the afterlife realms signifies the power of her guardianship.

Just as Serket protects us from the external demons of the afterlife, she offers her protection as we face the internal demons of our psyche.

Think about the energy of Scorpio. This Zodia can sting us at the deepest levels, crawling into the crevasses of our soul to ignite our emotional wounds with its fiery venom. 

If you’ve been around here awhile, you know my thoughts on this: The dose makes the poison. 

The venom that can kill can also heal. Scorpio helps us illuminate and transform our hidden shadows so they no longer rule us from their subconscious thrones. 

And here, we see Serket as the keeper of magic and healing.

It is only through the act of facing a poison that we can transmute it. And it is through this transmutation that we can heal.

She Who Causes the Throat to Breathe

Serket’s full Egyptian name is Serket hetyt, meaning “she who causes the throat to breathe” — and if she can cause the throat to breathe, she can stop it from breathing, too. 

This makes Serket a powerful ally for working with the breath to transmute our poisons, the negative energies or thoughts that keep us from actualizing our true potential.

This is energetic healing — not the deep dive into shadow work that Scorpio can offer, but a clearing and refreshing of our energy on the most foundational level. Serket reminds us of what can shift simply from working on energetic levels, without all the stories our Western minds love to process.

Some believe that this constricting of the breath is where much of Serket’s association with scorpions comes from: Egypt is home to some of the world’s deadliest scorpions, who can cause anaphylactic reactions with their venom…in other words, they can stop the breath. 

Yet there’s another powerful association this goddess has with scorpions…the water scorpion. 

Nepa cinerea, image of water scorpion

Is the water scorprion the true origin of Serket & Scorpio?

The water scorpion isn’t in the same species as the scorpion we all know and love, but it looks similar, and its bite can pack a punch. Plus, the water scorpion expands and contracts as it breathes underwater, once again pointing to the breath as a key significator of Serket’s gifts. 

Unlike the potentially fatal outcome of encountering a scorpion on the land, water scorpions are not deadly — which may be a better fit with Serket as a benevolent goddess.

The water scorpion also bring much of what we know about Scorpio full circle — and yes, the ancient Egyptians absolutely recognized this astrological constellation and season. 

The Zodia Scorpio, confuses many people because it’s a water sign symbolized by what we tend to think of as fiery, desert-dwelling animal. 

Yet what if Scorpio was always associated with the water scorpion? Water represents our emotional nature, the feminine darkness, and the mystery of the void. This is where Scorpio’s gifts lie — we travel into the darkest regions of our shadows to face our inner poisons, transmuting and transforming them again and again. 

Scorpio is the season for finding and facing our subconscious drives, and Serket is the goddess who can help us do so.  

Isis surrounded by the Seven Scorpions

Serket and the Seven Scorpions

One of the most well-known stories of Egyptian mythology is that of Osiris’s resurrection: In short, his brother Seth chops him up and Isis puts him back together, and then they conceive the great god Horus.

What’s not so well-known, however, is the role Serket plays in this tale. Though there are many different versions, the general theme is that Serket sends Seven Scorpions to protect Isis and her divine child while they search for the peices of Osiris’s corpse. 

In one version, Serket herself guards baby Horus while Isis travels to a village in search of food. Serket’s seven scorpions surround Isis, offering her protection: Petet, Tjetet, and Matet go before her; Mesetet and Mesetetef flank her sides, and Tefen and Befen, the fiercest scorpions, guard her from behind. 

Isis first approaches the door of a noble family, yet when the woman who answers sees the scorpions, she turns Isis away in fear. (But no worries — a kind peasant woman sees this happen and takes Isis in instead.)

Serket’s scorpions are not the forgive-and-forget type (and neither is Scorpio!). Seeking vengeance for this slight, they send all of their collective poison into Tefen for a most powerful sting, and he kills the baby boy of the noble family. 

Of course, Serket and Isis are like…um, no. We don’t kill innocent babies. So, Serket — because she has power over the poisons she wields — heals the boy and brings him back to life.

Our greatest challenges and most potent pains are often where we hold the greatest potential for mastery.

Serket neither fears the scorpion’s venom nor lets it consume her. She embraces that this poison is part of her unique medicine, and uses her magic and power for healing and protection. 

What are the greatest internal challenges you’ve been struggling with? What are the thoughts that poison your well-being?

Serket teaches us that within each poison is the medicine you need most. 

If you’d like to explore the hidden gifts and healing available within your shadow, parts work can be especially effective — take a look at the process here.

Serket’s iconography

Ecstatic Healing with Scorpion Medicine

The following meditation was given to me by Serket. It’s energetic. It’s ecstatic. And surprisingly sexual…though I suppose this shouldn’t have surprised me since sexuality is part of Scorpio and scorpion’s medicine. 

Serket doesn’t want us to overlay this meditation with mental stories. We’re not pulling up toxic beliefs, analyzing our thoughts, or focusing on our pain here. 

Instead, we’re somatically experiencing the ecstasy of receiving the perfectly right dose of “poison”. 

This is an energetic healing. Allow yourself to feel the shift in your being. And don’t worry about what anything “means”. 

Before you begin, set sacred space. Affirm that you are only open to working the most benevolent form of Serket and scorpion medicine.

Take a deep breath and come into your body. Allow your mind to travel to an ancient Egyptian desert. 

The goddess Serket meets you here. She is tall and radiant. She carries an ankh, symbolizing life, in one hand and a was sceptre, symbolizing power, in the other. 

Seven scorpions emerge from behind the goddess and surround you. 

Notice your response to these scorpions. Some fear, or excitement even, is natural. You might begin to feel a tingling sensation. 

When you are ready, invite these beings to share their medicine with you. You may like to check in with the goddess first, asking her if now is the appropriate time for this healing. 

One by one, they come with their stings.

Feel the effects of each sting within your body. Pleasure and pain. Exhilaration and release. Sexual energy fills your being — not with the need to procreate, but with the innate life force healing it connects you with.

Notice any resistance that arises. This type of intense pleasurable energy can feel frightening, like it might overwhelm your system or cause pain. This is natural, but if it begins to feel like too much, ask the goddess to titrate the effects on your system.

Sit with the scorpions’ medicine as long as it feels good. Remember not to analyze your experience. Just feel it. 

When you sense the healing is complete, offer your thanks to Serket and her seven scorpions. Bring your awareness back into the present and return completely to your body in the here and now. 

I would love to hear about your experience if you do this meditation — drop me a comment!

Want more reflections on Egyptian mysticism? Be sure to subscribe below…much more to come ;)

If you found this interesting, please consider sharing it with your communities. Every share means the world to me!

1 Wilkinson, R.H. The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson, 2003.

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You might also like:

• Healing with the Goddess Ma'at

• Ancient Egyptian Scarabs: 6 Reasons This Beetle is Pure Magic

• The Heliacal Rise of Sirius, the Five Sacred Epagomenal Days, and the Egyptian New Year

• On angels, psychic saviors, fallen gurus, and sovereignty (And the magic of being human)

• How to Be Spiritually Sovereign: Making Magic with the Virgin Goddesses

• Who is your Spirit Animal? A 4-Step Guide for Understanding Our Animal Allies

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6 Ways to Celebrate the Autumn Equinox

Joyous blessings for the beautiful Autumn Equinox!

Today marks one of my favorite turns on the wheel of the year — not in the least because of my triple Libra energy ;)

I’m guessing that many of you can relate to our collective craving of autumnal air, cozy traditions, and the beckoning cocoon of the darker half of the year.

And of course, the harvest. Throughout the world, the Autumn Equinox is a time for harvest celebrations — various versions of festivities and music, communal feasts, rituals of gratitude, and offerings to the deities of the land are performed throughout the world as our night dances equally with the day.

The equinox is also a liminal time — neither summer nor fall, it’s a day in between. A gift of stillness in the fleeting balance of light and dark. 

And liminal spaces are made for magic. 

The natural world and the “otherwolds” extend an invitation to deepen our connection with Earth and spirit. Today, we may make magic together. 

How will you mark this turn of the seasons?

Here are 6 magical and seasonal ideas for celebrating the Autumn Equinox:

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6 Magical and Seasonal Ways to Celebrate the Autumn Equinox

1. Create an autumn altar. 

Altars are portals that invite specific energy into our spaces. Your autumn altar can welcome the energy and abundance of the season into your home. Traditional additions include squash and grain, especially if they’re from your own garden or a local farmer’s market, as well as wine, fall leaves, and other cornucopia-like decor.

2. Reflect on the themes of the season. 

This day of equal light and dark is a beautiful time to reflect on balance in your own life and to practice gratitude for your harvests. Grab a warm beverage, light a candle, find a quiet spot, and journal on the following questions:

• How can I cultivate a greater sense of internal peace and balance in my life?

• What would I like to let go of as I move into a new turn of the wheel?

• What lessons and joys am I harvesting? 

• What am I most grateful for from this past season? 

• What are my intentions for the season to come? 

3. Bake!

Celebrate the grains and fruits with a sweet plum bread, embrace the cultural obsession with pumpkin spice, and perhaps make an apple pie…or four ;)

4. Gather roots. 

Once the wheel turns to fall, it’s the perfect time to harvest roots (and if possible, aim for the new moon when they have a bit more potency). Whether carrots and beets from a garden or dandelion and chicory from a field, the grounding energy of the roots is exactly what we need right now.

5. Make a harvest feast. 

Gather seasonal produce from your gardens and local markets and make a meal you love. This doesn’t need to be anything over the top (unless you want to go all out, which I often do…). 

Simple roasted vegetables or a cozy soup and rustic bread are more than enough. See if you can go slow here—what happens if you allow yourself just to be with the harvest, rather than push yourself to get a dinner made? Play music, relax, chop, and sing. Get into your body and smell and taste and feel your way to a beautiful meal.

6. Get grounded. 

Take a moment to sink your energetic roots into the earth today. Allow our mother to welcome you into her abundant care before the ground freezes and hardens for the winter. See a full grounding ritual here.

How will you be spending your equinox? Let me know in the comments — I love to hear from you!

You might also like:

• Rooted: A Seasonal Grounding Practice

• An Imbolc Ritual

• Healing Pumpkin Soup with Cozy Autumn Spices

• Magical Bread Rolls with Pumpkin & Buckwheat

• Celebrating Samhain: Modern Rituals and Festivities for Connection and Protection

• Autumn in the Mountains - A Poem

• 3 Creative Ways to Celebrate Summer Solstice

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Coregulating with the Natural World

Like any trauma — and like so much of our modern lives in general — ecological trauma often leaves us depleted and exhausted. The ongoing existential threats, the feelings of powerlessness, and the potent pairing of anger and grief we experience can coalesce into overwhelm and physical, emotional, and spiritual dysregulation. 

Our work is to alchemize this pain and grief into usable energy. Our birthrights include being in sacred relationship with the natural world. Our true potential to be effective stewards of the Earth is without limit.

Here, we’ll take a shamanic approach to recovering from ecological trauma. This approach is rooted in two fundamental principles:

First, as much as we might resist connecting with what we perceive to be the pain of the Earth, deepening our connection with the natural world is our path to healing.

The Earth has provided humans with multi-layered healing for millennia, and we must allow ourselves to receive and reconnect with the gifts of our Earth.

Second, as much as we might perceive humanity as bearing the burden for the fate of the world, we are not alone in our efforts.

When we embrace a cosmological shift to animist perspectives, we recognize that the Earth and all her inhabitants are inspirited — and as such, they have agency to affect the fate of the planet, just as humans do. Listening to and partnering with these nature beings is essential if we hope to enact any change within ourselves and our world.

As we partner with our bodies, with the Earth, and with spirit, we can begin to co-create a wildly wonderful world.

Coregulation with the Natural World

The importance of being in a well-regulated body cannot be overstated. 

It’s really hard to be a fully functional, compassionate, and mature adult when your nervous system is dysregulated. Mindset and willpower can only go so far when your adrenals and vagus nerve are depleted or your general endocrine system is out of sync with your body’s needs.

I’ve noticed that when I’m depleted or experiencing activation in my sympathetic nervous system (the “Fs”: fight, flight, freeze, fawn, and I might add “fatigue”), I become more reactive and judgemental. Yet when I’m well-regulated, I’m naturally more generous and forgiving. I have more energy to take positive actions, and my thinking is clearer, allowing me to direct my resources — time, money, and energy — where they’re needed most. 

There are many daily strategies we can implement to tend to our nervous systems — I list several of my personal practices here and here. 

One of the most beautiful ways to tend our nervous systems in response to ecological trauma is coregulation with the natural world.

In simple terms, coregulation is the idea that when a person is spinning out and unable to regulate their own nervous system, another person who is calm and well-regulated can help them — almost “lending” their nervous system’s health to the person in need: Think of a child who gets taken over by a sobbing fit, and their parent simply hugs them until they calm down enough to process whatever has just happened. 

Humans, being social beasts, are perfectly primed to both give and receive this type of communal support with each other.

But what about coregulating with the natural world? 

The shamanic and animist cultures we all come from included the Earth and spirits of nature in our circle of relations. Coregulating with the Earth is our natural way of being in the world. 

When I walk through the Rocky Mountains, a place I’ve tended relationship with for over a decade, the mountains literally feel like my grandparents. The trees are wise elders. The animals my brothers and sisters. This isn’t metaphor, either. Nature beings — especially those I know well — are my kin, pure and simple.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked my favorite trails with a broken heart, ready to crawl into a hole and hide for the rest of my life. And over the course of miles and mountains, I emerge with the presence and purpose to keep going.

Coregulating with the natural world is effective because nature is naturally well-regulated.

While we certainly witness imbalances and traumas in our ecosystems, most of the nature spirits we encounter in our daily lives are resourced and regulated. They remember their divinity and often hold a broader perspective than our egoic human minds. 

And, usually, they delight when humans turn to them for support. The spirits of nature are tuned in to collective memories of times when humans actively partnered with the Earth. They know that sharing their love with us is part of their destiny.

I’m sure most of you can remember spending time in a natural place that just felt good. Even if you couldn’t pinpoint why specifically, you felt yourself becoming present and relaxed. Unintentionally, you were coregulating with the natural world. 

Intentionally coregulating with the natural world is even more powerful. While this practice can be done with a variety of nature beings and places, trees are some of our most accessible allies for this conscious coregulation.

Practice: Coregulating with Trees

Begin by approaching a tree you naturally feel drawn to. Hold your intention for coregulation in your heart. 

(One of the core practices I teach when connecting with any spirit being, including nature spirits, is to ask permission before you engage with its field of energy. Yet knowing whether your getting a yes or no answer can be tricky without practice. By setting your intention for healing and then allowing yourself to be drawn to a tree that seems to be calling you, or that just feels good, you can safely assume permission has been given.)

Take a few moments to observe the tree. Witness its beauty, notice the details you would normally gloss over. 

How do you feel in the presence of this tree? Notice your energy as you approach. How is it shifting the longer you sit with this tree? 

Even if you notice that the tree is diseased or damaged, see if you can pierce that layer of existence to align with the true, divine essence of the tree.

Take some time to tune into the roots, the trunk, the expansion of the branches. What sensations arise in your body?

Feel into the solid, grounded energy of the tree. Depending on the kind of tree and time of year, you might sense energy that feels rooted and flexible, grounded and expansive, nourished and nourishing, resilient and joyful.

Check in with your own nervous system again. Feel the energy of the tree within your being. 

You can deepen this practice even more by adding circular breathing with the tree. Visualize yourself inhaling both the oxygen and energy of the tree, and as you exhale, it receives your carbon dioxide and energy. 

You can also spend time in direct contact with the tree: Either sit with your back along the trunk or go head and give it a big, long hug. Both can enhance the energetic experience of the tree. There’s a reason tree hugging is thing!

When you feel complete, offer thanks to the tree (more on this when we discuss reciprocity in Part 3 of this series). Acknowledge what you have received and move forward with gratitude in your heart. 

If available to you, try repeating this practice with the same tree several times. You’ll notice that not only do new sensations arise, but new insights and wisdom will spark within your consciousness, as well.

Coregulating with Place

This is a practice you can do with rivers, mountains, flowers, stones, and the earth herself. The more variety you experiment with, the more you’ll realize that nourishment from the natural world has many different flavors. 

Another place that I have a deep, long standing relationship with is the Oregon Coast. If you’ve never visited the Oregon Coast, know that it is wild. Largely undeveloped and protected with state park designations, these rocky beaches have retained an untamable, at times exhilarating, energy. 

Massive rocky outcrops emerge from huge coastal waves. Cliffs filled with nesting birds of prey overlook tide pools full of sea anemones and starfish. Giant kelp and jellyfish wash along the shores. The water is numbingly cold even at the height of summer, and ravaging wind gusts are almost guaranteed. 

This is not exactly a relaxing scene in many ways, yet the wild coasts of Oregon feel aligned. As rough as the waves and weather may be, the spirit of this place is strong. And I’ve never ended a trip to the coast without feeling more enlivened and empowered because of our time together.

Coregulating with the wild spirit of the coast is a very different experience from sitting with a tree in a park. The calm, nurturing, grounding energy of the tree contrasts with the wild strength of the sea — yet both energies are perfectly aligned with their own divinity. Both are resourced and regulated. And this is what heals us. 

Your invitation here is to explore the gifts of coregulating with place.

Where do you feel enlivened? Where do you feel a sense of calm presence? Allow yourself to receive the healing energy of aligning with the Earth’s authentic being.

Coregulating with Animals

You might have noticed that until now, I haven’t included animals in the list of nature spirits to practice coregulating with. Put simply, animals are different. They have nervous systems, just like we do, and they may or may not feel resourced and regulated themselves. Coregulating with animals can be an absolutely beautiful experience, and it can benefit both parties, but it needs to be approached a bit differently. 

When it comes to animals in the wild, coregulation is a rare gift. In my experience, wild animals usually don’t sit in presence and regulate with humans. While it can happen, and some humans are especially gifted at this practice, animals in the wild most often appear as messengers.

(If you’d like to learn how to understand messages from animals, I have a really special short course on the topic here.)

Our pets, however, can be wonderful allies for coregulating — and if you have a pet you love, you already know exactly what I mean. 

While human-pet relationships can be as varied as any familial dynamics, most often our pets are happy to coregulate with us. Humans have karmic bonds with many species that make dropping into coregulation natural and healing for both us and our animal kin. 

The frequency cat’s purr has positive physiological effects on our nervous systems. The unconditional love in a dog’s gaze heals the heart at the deepest levels. I even had a lizard who, though I didn’t have the language for it at the time, would coregulate with me… 

I swear — that lizard and I had karma. A lizard wouldn’t have been on my personal pet list, as I always thought lizards were best left in the wild. But this one, a bearded dragon named Diego, was about to be returned to a petshop because his owner was moving across the country, so I volunteered to take him in.

At first, he was so foreign to me — a little dinosaur walking around my kitchen floor. Yet it didn’t take long for me to learn his language, see his intelligence, and tune into his amazing presence. 

I was in grad school at the time — not exactly a stress-free era of life — and I would often take Diego out of his enclosure to run around my bedroom while I studied. I distinctly remember that whenever I would pause and take a meditation break, he would run over and hop in my lap to join me. Eventually, this magical little being would initiate the meditation breaks!

I loved that lizard, and would hold him while watching TV, feed him green beans from the garden, take him on little walks in the backyard…I know without a doubt that he was coregulating with my perfectionist student self, and I needed him.

If you open your mind and heart to the many possibilities of connecting with the natural, wild world — support can be found in the most surprising places.

Cultivating Self-Regulation 

One of the basic tenets of psychological teachings on coregulation is that it’s not a replacement for self-regulation. We must develop the skills to soothe and tend our nervous systems on a regular basis, to cultivate resilience for challenging times, and to become beacons of stability and healing for others. 

In a way, coregulating with the natural world is a beautiful step toward being able to effectively self-regulate. In the presence of nature spirits, we aren’t alone, yet we can be alone in the human sense. We can tune into our own resources, guided by the natural world.

You may also like:

• Ecological Trauma: A Guide to Understanding Eco-Trauma

• Earth Friends & Reciprocity (You Belong Here)

• Humans are losing their ****, and how body and Earth can help

• 5 Steps for Communicating with The Spirits of Nature

• Who is your Spirit Animal? A 4-Step Guide for Understanding Our Animal Allies

• 8 Benefits of Partnering with the Spirits of Nature

An Imbolc Ritual

Welcome to February—what an auspicious start to the month! 

We have our Aquarian new moon, Imbolc, and the Lunar New Year all coalescing at the beginning of a new month. 

While Aquarius expands our vision of what’s possible, the new moon and the beginning of a new year invite us to set intentions for bringing these visions to life. 

At Imbolc, a cross-quarter celebration on the Celtic Wheel of the Year, we say our goodbyes to winter and welcome the spring. Traditionally, this is a time for planting seeds, trusting that they will spring to life when they’re ready. 

Now, as we envision and set our intentions this day, we plant the seeds for the year to come. 

Can you keep faith that your seeds will germinate even though there are not yet signs of life?

The wheel of the year will bring births and celebrations, gifts and harvests, endings and completions. At this turning, we’re asked to hold faith that all will come if we plant our seeds, taking the first step and trusting the cycle to carry us to the next. 

And yet, there are no guarantees, as we well know by now. Which asks us to find even more faith and resilience—can we effort enough to plant our seeds knowing full well they might not bloom? Can the simple act of planting and letting go be enough to fill our spirits, in this moment, at this time?

Setting intentions, letting go of attachments, and staying in the present moment—this is your invitation today.

An Imbolc Ritual

Begin by lighting a candle in honor of the Goddess Brigid, who presides over Imbolc.

Gaze into the flame, giving thanks for the presence of fire—its life-giving heat and light and its destructive and cleansing powers as well.

Allow the flame to clear your eyes and mind of preconceived notions. In tantric yoga, we practice trataka—the act of gazing into a flame, unblinking as much as possible, until your eyes water and cleansing occurs. You might like to experiment with this as you cleanse.

When you feel the cleansing is complete, close your eyes and come into your heart. Ask your truest self and heart what seeds wish to be planted at this especially potent new moon. 

Allow whatever arises to pour into the flame, where the spirit of fire carries it to spirit. Feel your desires with all of your heart, and then let them go.

When you feel complete, thank the fire, Brigid, and blow out the flame with gratitude. 

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