Your Complete Guide to Hydrosols

Nothing on this blog has been written by AI.

The alchemist is in session ;)

Above is a picture of my copper alembic. I love it. 

And, it took me two years to be brave enough to start using it, lol. Supposedly there can be a risk of explosion with these things…

Luckily, I have an engineering wizard of a man who put his skills to use getting me all set up this year. 

Over the summer and into early fall, our home smelled of fresh herbs and fragrant forests as I transformed wild and garden-grown plants into alchemical elixirs, mantra and blessings infusing the precious distillations. 

Blue spruce, white mountain sage, and magical mugwort are a few of the first allies who have participated in this botanical alchemy, transforming from fresh plants into healing hydrosols. Fragrant wormwood, incense cedarwood, and fresh local juniper berries are on deck, so long as I can get to them before the snow and frost set in fully.

As I tend my alembic to facilitate the transformation of these plants, I feel gratitude for the long line of alchemists who have come before me. I feel their wisdom, skill, and reverence for this process all around me, holding me within a sacred vessel of support as I do this work.

Now, steeped in aroma and the healing blessings of the plants, I come to share a bit more about this process — because I know some of you may be thinking, “Cool…but what is an alembic? What is a hydrosol? How on earth would I use one?”

I got you. And in this article, we will dive into all these questions and more ;)

Ancient Alchemy: Distillation of Spirit

There’s a reason alcohol is often referred to as “spirits” — the earliest alchemists believed the distillation process extracted the spiritual essence of plants. Since the result of botanical distillation was often alcohol, this literally intoxicating liquid became known as spirits. 

As with so many gifts from the gods, humans have created an often warped and dysregulated relationship with these liquid spirits. Yet this doesn’t mean they are inherently bad — it is pure, organic, distilled alcohol that provides the base of the sacred perfumes I create. Pure, organic alcohol, distilled from grapes in my home state of Oregon preserves the vibrational imprints of my flower essences.

In these magical, botanical remedies, alcohol isn’t just a preservative or base — it is an essential spiritual component of these botanical elixirs, helping to carry the spiritual nature of their gifts into our bodies, where we may receive great benefit. 

Yet it wasn’t only alcohol that arose from distillation…

Steam Distillation with Fragrant Aromatics

When fresh, fragrant plants are steamed in alchemical vessels, precious aroma chemicals can be captured in the form of essential oils and botanical waters — this is called steam distillation. Preparing steam distillations with my copper alembic lets me transform fresh, wild plants into magical remedies and elixirs. 

Here’s how steam distillation works: First, water and fresh plants, which contain volatile aroma chemicals and compounds, are placed in the bowl of a still (an alembic is a type of still). This is heated, and the steam rises — only the most volatile components rise in this steam, leaving the heavier plant chemicals behind. As the aromatic steam condenses back into water, it carries these compounds with it. Some compounds are water soluble, so they remain in the water, and others are not — these become essential oils that float on top of the water. 

So, this distillation creates two different magical and healing plant remedies:

• Essential Oils — You’ve probably heard of these guys ;) These are the condensed, aromatic molecules that are not soluble in water. They are highly concentrated and potent, and only a tiny amount can be extracted from the whole plant materials.

• Hydrosols — This is the recondensed aromatic steam, containing the water soluble molecules. It is gentle, fragrant, and full of very pure healing plant materials. Not as potent as essential oils, not as physically dense as a tea, hydrosols are unique distillations with their own alchemical gifts.

What Are Hydrosols, and How Are Hydrosols Different from Essential Oils?

While both hydrosols and essential oils come from the same distillation process, they are quite different in their composition and potency.

Distinctive Features of Essential Oils

• Essential oils are condensed, aromatic molecules that you’ll find floating on top of your hydrosol, their presence given away by an oily sheen.

• Essential oils float on top because they are not water soluble — rather, they are lipid-based and most soluble in fats and oils.

• They are also extremely concentrated — only a few drops are produced per gallon of water used in the distillation process.

• It takes a huge amount of plant material to make a single drop of essential oil, so they are very precious materials to use with great care.

• Since the water has been removed from essential oils, they are more shelf-stable and longer lasting than hydrosols.

Distinctive Features of Hydrosols

• Hydrosols, also known as floral waters or hydrolats, are the aromatic waters produced during a steam distillation of plant material. 

• Since they rise in steam, hydrosols contain water soluble molecules.

• And, since the steam distillation process creates a large amount of hydrosol, they tend to be fairly diluted in their potency.

• These qualities make them both more sustainable and gentle than essential oils — they are often used with sensitive individuals, children, and pets.

• Being water-based, hydrosols have a lighter, subtler scent and shorter shelf life than essential oils — a batch generally lasts about a year or two in a cool, dark place.

Ancestral Uses of Hydrosols

Historical evidence of distillation dates back thousands of years on multiple contents, with steam distillation happening extensively in Egypt, the Mediterranean, Persia, India, and China. (The copper alembic, which is what I use, likely originated with Muslim alchemists in the Islamic Golden Age, around the 8th/9th century.) 

In every country we find evidence of distillation, we can see that hydrosols were used in ritual and spiritual practices, medicine and healing, food and flavoring, and perfume and beauty.

In the past, it’s likely that the hydrosol itself was the primary aim of the distillation process, and the essential oils were either skimmed from the surface or simply mixed in — and this is really important to remember: 

So often, we think that more is better. More potent, more healing, right? Not necessarily. For thousands of years, hydrosols were incredibly valuable and revered for their medicinal properties.

The earliest use of hydrosols probably dates back to ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, a world in which boundaries between perfume, medicine, and ritual were nonexistent.

Evidence shows that some of the earliest plants to be distilled were likely pines and junipers, along with lavender and rosemary.

In ancient Greece, hydrosols were used along with infused oils for cleansing, pathing, and ritual purification. As time went on and the use of hydrosols spread throughout Europe, health and beauty became the focus — rosewater being a favorite in both England and France.

I’m particularly drawn to the Taoist practices of the Han Dynasty in China. There is a long, beautiful history of using both hydrosols and essential oils in the Jade Purity lineage of Sun Simiao, which we’ll be diving into more deeply with my Nectar & Alchemy programs next year…

But in brief: Sun Simiao was a revered physician who used hydrosols and essential oils to anoint specific acupoints to bring about deep healing. His work was so effective that he became renowned throughout the land and was called to serve as a court physician.

Sun Simiao as depicted by Gan Bozong, woodcut print, Tang dynasty (618–907)

This is one of my favorite ways to use hydrosols today — anointing key acupoints, often related to the eight extraordinary vessels, to bring about deep, soul-level transformation and healing. 

And when I get to use hydrosols that I’ve myself, from plants grown on my own land and harvested by my own hands, the results are even more profound.

The Unique Benefits of Hydrosols

Among all the wonderful ways we can partner with plants, a few benefits make hydrosols a unique kind of remedy:

Hydrosols are very safe. Unlike essential oils and herbal remedies, hydrosols are incredibly gentle. While you should always check for contraindications and allergies, in general, you can safely use hydrosols with children, pets, and the elderly, making them wonderfully accessible remedies.

Hydrosols are energetically potent. Hydrosols are primarily energetic in nature, yet retain light and pure physical properties, as well. This combination helps us receive their gifts in every level of our being.

Hydrosols are more sustainable. For every drop of essential oil created, a gallon or more of hydrosol is made. This means that we can use far less plant material and still receive profound benefits, which makes hydrosols a more ecologically sustainable option for plant healing.

Hydrosols last under the right conditions. Kept in a cool, dark place (such as a refrigerator) and free from contamination, hydrosols will last 1-2 years without any added preservatives. While this isn’t as long as an essential oil or tincture, it is a lot longer than a tea or infused water — and pretty amazing considering no preservatives are needed!

How to Use Hydrosols

Healing, spiritual practice, fragrance and flavor, beauty…the many historical uses of hydrosols carry forward into our lives today. You can be endlessly creative with your hydrosol use, so here are just a few ideas to get started:

1. Make an aromatic mist

Use a single hydrosol, combination, or add essential oils and other plant extracts to create an aromatic mist. These mists can be used as you would any other aromatherapy spray — for beauty, cleansing, aroma, protection, refreshment…get creative!

2. Flavor your food and drinks

Add a teaspoon of hydrosol to a glass of water, use rosewater in a Mediterranean dessert, add orange blossom water to a honey cake, blend an herbal hydrosol into a salad dressing…most hydrosols are totally edible, so have fun in the kitchen. (If the plant isn’t edible, don’t eat the hydrosol!)

3. Apply topically

Hydrosols are safe to use directly on the skin — even with children and pets. Soaking some cotton pads in antiinflammatory hydrosols and applying to puffy eyes or irritated skin feels so soothing, and antibacterial hydrosols can be dabbed onto scratches.

4. Use ritually

Hydrosols can safely enhance any ritual intentions. Mist your space, attune your energy field to practice by taking a few drops internally, and cleanse your ritual objects. 

5. Anointing

Hydrosols are beautiful for any anointing practice — whether you are opening your third eye before meditation, attuning your heart to its highest vibration, or practicing traditional acupoint anointing in the TCM style, hydrosols carry the vibrational gifts of plants deep into your body’s energy system.

6. Support your health

All of the wellness benefits of the plants involved are carried into their hydrosol form. So, use peppermint and chamomile for digestion, tea tree and sage for antibacterial purposes, helichrysum for skin health, and lavender for a calm mind. Once again, there are endless possibilities. 

Psst — this list just scratches the surface! Download 44 more creative ways to use hydrosols—my gift to you!

44 Creative Ways to Use Hydrosols

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2024 Hydrosol Collection

Ok, now that you have some idea about how totally magical hydrosols are, and how many ways you can use them (although, honestly, my favorite is just to mist my face for hydration and a mood boost throughout the day), I hope you’ll be inspired to start incorporating them into your own daily rituals.

Right now, there are 4 freshly made hydrosols in the botanica at Alchemessence. Obviously, pretty limited amounts are available.

Here’s a peek at who you’ll find:

• Mugwort — Mugwort has a long history as a sacred herb for enhancing dreams, intuitive work, and protection. Known for its ability to clear energetic blockages, Mugwort supports relaxation, enhances spiritual practice, and aids meditation.

• White Sagebrush — A lovely, local, and sustainable white sage from the artemisia family, this hydrosol purifyies the mind, body, and spirit. It helps clear emotional clutter, provides mental grounding, and energetically prepares you for spiritual practices.

• Blue Spruce — This hydrosol captures the spirit of evergreen forests, bringing about feelings of peace and strength. Blue Spruce hydrosol is wonderfully grounding, helping to clear mental fog, support emotional balance, and create a sense of calm stability.

• Purple-Leaf Chokecherry Blossom — This unique hydrosol offers us gentle emotional healing and reminds us of the sweetness of life. It provides calming support for the nervous system, uplifts the heart, and enhances a sense of connectedness and harmony.

You might also like:

• How to Use Flower Essences: A Complete Guide

• A Guide to Natural Perfume Fragrance Families

• The Complete Guide to Magical & Ritual Anointing Oils

• A Short & Sweet Guide to Understanding Flower Essence Dilutions

• A Guide to Perfume Types: Dilutions & Ratios in Natural Perfumes

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don’s sacrifice magic at the altar of the mind: an exploration of shamanic soul retrieval

imagination as throne for the gods

Why We Gather

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

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

don’t sacrifice magic at the altar of the mind: an exploration of shamanic soul retrieval

Nothing on this site has been written by AI.

Soul Retrieval is the shamanic art of becoming whole. It is a spiritual practice that restores all of the parts that make you you. 

It’s beautiful…and it can be a little confusing.

Isn’t the soul eternal? Aren’t we all truly divine and whole in our essence, no matter what happens to us in life? Why would part of our own spiritual essence not be present with us? 

These are very good questions, and how we answer them depends a bit on which perspectives we approach this work from…

Because shamanism is a spiritual practice. We’re dealing with spiritual healing. 

And our modern minds are psychologically oriented. We put everything through the lens of mental filters.

Depending on which worldview you’re biased towards, just what exactly is happening during a soul retrieval session might shift significantly.

Which brings me to one of my personal questions: Can the two approaches co-exist when it comes to the tradition and practice of soul retrieval? 

Want to learn the art of soul retrieval for yourself?

Join me for a rare, in-person 5-day training this September. Learn more.

Modern Mind, Timeless Spirit

The idea that illness and hardship could be the result of soul loss dates back thousands of years and is found throughout the world. 

Now, something happens in our modern minds when we hear this…

Mostly likely, you’re thinking — it’s not the soul that was lost…

• Perhaps part of the personality or an archetypal influence was lost.

• This is what we call dissociation. 

• It sounds like soul loss is actually PTSD. 

• This seems what IFS refers to as an Exile.

• It’s not soul loss — it’s an unhealthy attachment style.

• Maybe this is a metaphor for feeling depleted and out of touch with your personal power or life force energy. 

With the exception of the final statement, notice that all of these interpretations are psychological ones. 

I believe that there is great value in working with our modern-day minds. Humanity and consciousness are simply different than they were thousands of years ago. We have different needs when it comes to feeling whole, embodied, and empowered in our lives today. 

And…we are still the same animals we have always been. Our DNA remembers the power of ancestral healing techniques. Our spirits respond to ancient practices that our minds do not understand. 

As we explore the world of shamanic healing in general and soul retrieval in particular…

We must not sacrifice magic at the altar of mind. 

Spirit & Soul

The foundational idea behind soul retrieval can be found in a wee linguistic nuance: 

The Spirit is eternal. It is the part of you that is always whole, complete, and divine. It is always one with all of spirit and can never be lost. 

The Soul is that part of your spiritual nature that grows and evolves. The Soul experiences separation from the oneness of truth in order to play in the variety of life. 

Although I often use these words interchangeably, which I’m sure instigates much confusion in my readers and students (sorry), this distinction helps us understand the seeming contradiction inherent in soul retrieval…and spiritual healing in general.

You are always whole. You always, always, always have access to your true nature, which is one with all and completely divine. And the more you remember and consciously embody this nature, the more you bring this truth into our current reality. And this changes our current reality in miraculous ways. 

(Psst — this can be done through the art of transfiguration, which we’ll learn at the Soul Retrieval training in September.)

Even though you are whole, the universe is expansive and dynamic. In order to participate in this dynamism, part of your spirit experiences separation — not just in physical form, but in what we refer to as spiritual dimensions as well. This part of you is your Soul. 

Each time you incarnate, your Soul carries a blueprint for your life — your gifts, lessons, joys, loves, dreams, and role in the web of life. This is the spiritual part of you, a compliment to the energetic, mental, emotional, and physical parts of you. 

Since the Soul chooses to experience separation, it can experience illness.

(Confusingly, I call this spirit sickness, even though in this framework “Spirit” is eternal.)

Alas, the limitations of language…these definitions of Soul and Spirit make sense to me. And I’ve spent a lifetime not using these exact distinctions, so…💁 I tend to use the term divine to refer to the oneness realms, spirit to refer to the spiritual dimensions of reality, and soul to refer to our individual experiences. Let me know your thoughts on all this in the comments!

So, within this model, while your divine Spirit can never be anything but whole, your Soul can have a wide range of experiences.

Note: You may have picked up that I also make a distinction between the Soul and the energy body. Your energy body — or subtle body/aura/meridian/chakra/all the things that aren’t physical body — exists in the energetic realms of reality that underlie our physical reality. Our Souls enliven both our energetic and physical bodies, so we can look at spirit sickness, energetic sickness, and physical sickness as both distinct and interconnected.

Being Ensouled

When you are fully ensouled, you more naturally live in a state of coherence: Your thoughts and actions are in harmony, and you feel more at home in your body. You have inspiring visions for your life and the world, and you feel capable of doing what you are here to do. Your entire self is aligned, and self-sabotaging patterns fade away. 

Yes, you encounter challenges, pain, loss, failure, grief, and all the parts of being human…but somehow you don’t take them so personally. You feel them fully as a natural part of life, and then you are more able to transmute difficulty into loving energy that carries you forward. 

You’re heart stays equally open in the face of pain and joy.

This is our natural state, and it is your birthright to be full of your own soul.

Unfortunately, just as our physical bodies can become injured and sick, our mental processes and beliefs can get wacky, our emotions can feel painful, and our energy bodies can have blockages and leaks…our spiritual souls can suffer, too.

Before moving on, I want to make one thing very, very clear: This is normal.

Do you have digestion issues and still live a full life? Get depressed sometimes but maintain healthy friendships? Show up to work even with a sprained ankle? 

Well, you can live a perfectly satisfying life with a bit of soul loss, too. 

But there are techniques and strategies that can help you fix your digestion, feel a little happier, and heal that ankle…just as there are ways to restore soul loss. And we feel better when we take care of ourselves. 

Symptoms & Causes of Soul Loss

When we feel fragmented, as if part of ourselves is missing, we end up constantly leaking energy as we search for lost parts of ourselves. This happens unconsciously — but our daydreams and fantasies often point to the places where our searches originate.

There’s a sense that we’re just not living as fully as we could be. We’re missing the intimacy with self and spirit and other that is meant to enliven us. We long to come home to ourselves but don’t know how.

This is the low grade, chronic condition of soul loss. Of knowing that there is more vibrancy and meaning that you are meant to experience. Of searching for something outside of yourself to fill in what’s missing.

We all do this. 

Traditionally, soul loss was seen to occur in response to trauma: Part of the soul essence separates from the whole as a self-protective measure. This can happen in response to all kinds of ongoing or acute traumas — abuse, war, accidents, loss of loved ones, miscarriage, illness, divorce, surgery, addiction…

In my experience, modern society doesn’t support us being fully ensouled.

Children are reprimanded for being their authentic selves and taught to conform. Teenagers are initiated into adulthood with shame. We’re sold stories about what a good life consists of, and we sacrifice our truths in order to achieve this false vision. Loneliness, disconnection from the Earth, witnessing the traumas of others via media…the list goes on.

All of this leads to soul loss, too.

The effects of soul loss might be subtle and chronic — much like Sandra describes in the quote above. Or, they can have more noticeable consequences: addiction, fatigue, chronic illness, dissociative tendencies, lost memories, strings of bad luck, self-sabotaging patterns, ongoing depression, and even, in extreme cases, coma. 

Our language describes what soul loss feels like: something is missing, not feeling like yourself, sleepwalking through life, feeling dead inside, nobody’s home…

When the soul is restored, these effects may melt away on their own. More often, however, the other healing work we’re engaged in becomes more effective. Our bodies seem to have more energy to heal with, we feel more motivated to stick with the changes we want to implement, and the psychological inquiry we engage in yields faster and more impactful results. 

Where does the soul go?

The feeling that something is missing, or the idea that “you’ll be happy when…” are common human experiences. We keep searching for something outside ourselves to make us satisfied. 

While timeless spiritual wisdom tells us that everything we need is already within, shamanic perspectives actually acknowledge that yes, something is missing. You’re just not going to find it in the places you’re currently looking in.

But is the soul really missing? 

From shamanic perspectives, the part of the soul that leaves is somewhere in the otherworlds, non-ordinary reality, or the dreamtime depending on the language you use. It is the role of the shaman to traverse these realms, find that soul part, and bring it home. 

Yet, in Tibetan shamanism and even many Western Mystery traditions, we are microcosms of the macrocosm. The entire universe is within us, including the realms of non-ordinary reality. So, while we may feel disconnected from a soul part, it is still within us, hiding beyond our awareness. 

This has some similarities to modern psychotherapeutic theory — the idea that parts of ourselves dissociate and get buried in our subconscious. These parts aren’t gone, but they aren’t accessible either.

Which brings me back to our modern minds…

As consciousness has evolved, it’s become more important to integrate intellectual and psychological awareness into our healing work. 

And, we are still born from our ancestors. Both our DNA and our souls respond to the mythic and magic medicine rooted in thousands of years of shamanic practice. 

There’s a danger in putting all shamanic and spiritual healing through the lens of modern psychotherapy.

The miraculous healings I’ve witnessed when a shaman or shamanic practitioner retrieves a soul on behalf of a client are just that — miraculous. The healing is a gift, and it didn’t require years of therapy or internal struggle to receive that blessing. A spiritual healing creates the conditions for psychological wellness to be cultivated.

But I’ve also seen how impactful it can be for someone to retrieve their own soul essence through guided journeys, unburdening exiles (in IFS language), and inner excavation. This work can create a psychological healing that welcomes the exiled spirit home.

I have a lot more to say on IFS, parts work, and soul retrieval…but that’s for another article. And for the upcoming Soul Retrieval workshop I’ll be sharing in September ;) 

Beyond the Individual Soul

There’s another benefit to celebrating the magical side of soul retrieval — we can heal beyond our individual lives. 

From animist perspectives, communities have souls. Homes have souls. Lands have souls.

The shamanic practice of soul retrieval can be used to heal the collective spaces and places we live within with far reaching impacts for all of us. 

(Yup — we’re definitely doing some soul retrieval for the land at the September workshop!)

Learning this practice empowers you to be a true Earth ally, to support humanity’s evolution, and foundational levels. 

Coming into Cosmic Balance

When we are fully ensouled, we are kind. I like the 8Cs that IFS theory uses to describe our true self: compassion, curiosity, clarity, creativity, calm, confidence, courage, and connectedness.

If everyone were connected to their full souls and spiritual nature, if everyone could embody these qualities more consistently, imagine how the world would change. 

The art and practice of Soul Retrieval is an essential skill for these times. I truly believe that the more people learn this, the more collective healing we’ll see.

If you are at all drawn to explore this powerful spiritual healing methodology, please consider joining me this September in Sisters, OR for a five-day training.

• If you are a healer, therapist, coach, body worker, or spiritual practitioner of any kind, I highly encourage you to join us. 

• Or, if you simply want to learn new ways to heal the Earth and our animal kin in the midst of such challenging ecological changes, then join us. 

• Or, if you just love to learn about spirit stuff and consciousness, then definitely join us!

Psst: If you’re reading this and wish to receive a soul retrieval, you can sign up for a shamanic healing session with me here:

Shamanic Healing Sessions

You might also like:

• How to take a shamanic journey

• Your complete guide to shamanism

• Shamanic Techniques for Healing

• Entering a Shamanic State of Consciousness

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Imagination as throne for the gods

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

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

Imagination as throne for the gods

Nothing on this site has been written by AI.

Imagination is the language of the soul.

I think Einstein originally said that. Smart guy ;)

It’s true. Our souls speak to us through our imaginations. The dreams we let dance through our consciousness are arrows to our soul’s deeper callings.

The spirit world also communicates through the imagination. Have you ever fantasized about a better world? Created stories about the fairies who must live in that mossy grove you hiked past? These thoughts aren’t just mind inventions…they are divinely inspired insights into additional potentialities and dimensions of our reality.

The imagination is a favorite language of the Muses, too. I like to think of the Muses as angels of creativity, whispering inspiration into the vessels capable of bringing it to life.

And the imagination is an invitation to the gods.

This happens through the intentional act of visualization.

When you use your imagination to visualize a deity, with as much focus and detail as possible, you create what one of my teachers (Jason Miller) calls an “astral throne”.

I love this idea. By bringing together intention, focus, and imagination, you have created a resting place for a spirit to meet with you.

In many traditions, including the Ancient Egyptian magical practices I engage in, statues are seen as physical resting places for the gods. In the opening of the mouth ritual, a representation of a deity is anointed, creating space for the god to join our prayers and rituals here on Earth.

The astral throne serves the same purpose.

Now, the astral throne may very well be an image of the deity you wish to connect with, but quite often some sort of seal or symbol is used — Tibetan or Hindu mandalas, or Metatron’s cube, for example.

The next time you sit down to connect with a spirit guide, imagine a symbol for them with your mind’s eye.

As you place your focus on this symbol, tune into your body. Can you feel this divine being arrive? Has the potency of your experience changed in some way?

Psst: If you are among the 1-4% of the population who cannot visualize, you can still do this! Look at a physical version of the symbol you’d like to work with, and then use your intention and focus to know that the image is appearing as an astral invitation.

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

Why We Gather

Nothing on this site has been written by AI.

It wasn’t until my thirties that I finally admitted to myself an important truth:

I despise attending festivals. 🙃

And group fitness classes. And camping within 50ft of other people. And even meditation seminars where we’re packed in a room like sardines. Burning Man. 😵‍💫

All the things that are supposed to be fun and good for me…end up feeling overwhelming and exhausting.

As an introvert and empath, crowds can be rough. So when Covid brought us all online, I celebrated the ability to teach from anywhere and reach students from around the world.

I still love the gifts of technology, and have a few online workshops coming up soon, but…

The most recent in-person shamanic workshop I taught here in Bend, OR blew my mind.

While it did take me a good amount of time to energetically recover from facilitating three immersive, in-person days of magic — the experience was 1000% worth it.

The women who gathered together were amazing. Ages ranged from 30s to 70s. Experience ranged from complete beginners to already professionals. And everyone had been through some shit in the past few years.

We needed each other. In the flesh. Our collective energy unfolding and holding, connecting and reflecting. The safety and clarity of our strong, sacred container allowed true magic to awaken within every participant there.

It was incredibly touching to witness these powerful women activate and embrace their divine gifts. The healings and divinations they facilitated for each other were wild to watch. It was as if I was viewing a room of seasoned healers and psychics do their work (and they probably all were in many lifetimes).

During our third day together, I facilitated an anointing ceremony. As I channeled the great goddess Isis, divine energy flowed from my heart, through my hands, and into the oil, where aromatic plant allies activated and attuned the power of this energy further before each participant received her blessing.

My dear friend and assistant for the workshop, Heather Porter, then guided everyone through a Celtic-style ceremony for receiving a reflection of their heart’s medicine.

Throughout our time together, we danced and sang. Meditated and channeled. Unraveled old narratives and their disempowering hangovers. And began to embody the divinity we are each here to hold.

As a facilitator, I loved witnessing all of this in person. I loved feeling the healing energy our group created. And I loved witnessing myself in this role, my decades of training coalescing into the exact workshop I wish I could have attended earlier in my journey.

What struck me most, though, was how every woman told me that this was exactly what she’d been looking for.

I’m now more motivated than ever to continue offering in-person experiences in addition to my online offerings. And the next one will be in September…

Soul Retrieval: The Shamanic Art of Becoming Whole

Soul Retrieval is my most requested class, and I’m delighted to be able to offer it at the most beautifully magical location in Sisters, OR this September.

Together, we will meet for five days of ritual, healing, learning, and connecting with each other and spirit.

Soul Retrieval is the art of integration. Of restoring those parts that have become fragmented. Of becoming who you truly are, eternally whole and loved.

And, Soul Retrieval is a gift we can share with our world. We can restore wholeness to our communities. We can release the energetic trappings of inherited trauma. And we can tend the Earth with our spiritual gifts.

​Applications for Soul Retrieval are now open, and I hope you’ll consider joining me IN PERSON ;) Please reach out with any questions.

May we all find the communities that light up our souls, even if small doses for introverts like me ;)

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A Short & Sweet Guide to Understanding Flower Essence Dilutions

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

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

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

Remember that You Are the Cosmos

Nothing on this site has been written by AI.

Y’all know I love me some A’s — astrology, aromatics, ascension, anointing…

So I’ve often wondered…do people think I’m a flaky dilettante when they peruse my writing? 

I mean, one day I’m sharing a deep dive into the Age of Aquarius, the next I’m channeling a meditation with an Egyptian goddess, then I’m waxing poetic on ecological trauma, and then I’m going on about natural perfume fragrance families!

But it is all connected. And I’m not the only one who thinks so.

Historically, aromatic plants were always tied to spirituality through perfume. They were always a reflection of our connection with the Earth and the environments we live in. They were always understood in relationship with the cosmos. 

And this is true cross culturally, though with some differently flavored systems ;)

In Western alchemy and esoteric traditions, every plant is ruled by a planetary god (or gods). Rose graces us with the blessings of Venus, and nettles protect us alongside Mars.

I’ll share more on this later. For today, I want to dive into an area of astrological aromatics that not as many people are familiar with…Taoist cosmic perfumery.

(How absolutely juicy are those words? I think the word “juicy” is super cringe. But Taoist Cosmic Perfumery??? I mean. It does give juicy vibes.)

Taoist philosophy teaches us that our bodies are microcosms of the universal macrocosm. The cosmos are reflected in our own physical beings. Mountains and oceans of energy rise and pool throughout our energetic vessel, just as physical mountains and oceans are energetic forces upon our Earth.

And just as stars form constellations in the skies, our meridians, organs, and acupuncture points form constellations within our bodies.

The Big Dipper is one of the most important ones: Polaris, our north star, resides in our heart while the rest of the seven sacred stars rotate around it. (How beautiful that the north star is a guiding light for our souls across cultural traditions.) In a way, our hearts are portals to our connection with the cosmos all around us.

Unfortunately, life often weakens, blocks, or severs our connection with the cosmos. You can probably see this in people around you, most of whom go through life not feeling their connection with the cosmos, unaware of the universe within themselves.

When this happens, the microcosmic orbit — our inner energetic flow that forms the basis for health, vitality, and longevity — isn’t able to flow freely. And we suffer as a result.

This is where the aromatics and anointing come in.

I’ve written before on the Taoist tradition of using essential oils to anoint acupuncture points. Again, this is not a modern invention. True distillation existed in China thousands of years ago, and oils and waters produced by this process were seen as pure alchemy. 

Essential oils in particular are said to carry the jing of a plant. Jing is a type of chi that’s kind of like our genetic makeup, the divine blueprint of our physical and energetic bodies. And plant jing is perfectly evolved to support human jing :) When we receive the jing of a plant through an essential oil, it activates our body’s innate memory of its divine blueprint for health and cosmic connection.

Blending these oils into healing formulas is a whole world of complexities…which is perfect for my overactive, maximalist mind ;)

Within a Taoist anointing blend, every oils plays a different role. Some target a specific organ or meridian, some might move the energy in a different direction, and some might be part of traditional formulas for ghost points. 

And, in every blend, at least one oil has the role of restoring your connection with the cosmos.

The blend simply won’t work without this. We are cosmic beings and our relationship with the cosmos is central to our health.

As a shamanic healer, natural perfumer, and all-around alchemist and artist, is it any wonder I’m obsessed with these Taoist practices? (There’s probably an oil to use for that obsession…)

Beyond all the healing and magic here, I delight in the potential for beauty that this healing pathway brings us. Because at heart, I’m a perfumer.

I started my natural perfumery journey in 2007, so it’s been at the core of my creativity for nearly two decades. I trained at the Institute for Natural Perfumery in 2012. I apprenticed with magical, witchy, professional perfumer Roxanna Villa in person back in 2019. 

At this point, even though I’m a clinically certified aromatherapist and my Taoist teacher claims that her blends don’t smell great (lol, she’s very functional and effective and they smell fine…), I struggle to make anything that’s not absolutely beautiful smelling. 

And so, Taoist anointing, astrological influences, and artistry comes together in my magical perfumes.

Anyone can purchase my magical perfumes, and I’ll be opening a few slots for custom ones soon. But only my shamanic healing and wild alchemy coaching clients get to have me make Taoist blends for them. That might change in the future, but right now I find that I need to really understand the spiritual, energetic, and physical influences at play in order to create effective blends. (Plus, since I’m still learning, I’m bringing my case studies to my mentor, so you have both of us working on your blend.) 

June is filling up, but you can grab a spot with me here. 

You might also like:

• 5 Essential Oils for Mercury Retrograde (and how to use them)

• The Complete Guide to Magical & Ritual Anointing Oils

• The Alchemy of Making Spiritual Perfumes

• A Guide to Natural Perfume Fragrance Families

• How I Make Natural Perfumes: Art, Aroma, and Alchemy in a Bottle

Recent Posts

A Short & Sweet Guide to Understanding Flower Essence Dilutions

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

How to take a shamanic journey

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

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

A Short & Sweet Guide to Understanding Flower Essence Dilutions

Nothing on this site has been written by AI.

When it comes to flower essences, not every bottle is the same! There are actually three main dilutions that we work with, and each has a slightly different role. Here’s a short and sweet guide to help you understand and choose the best flower essence options for you!

The Mother Essence

Flower essences are made by infusing spring water with the energetic imprint of fresh plant material, and then preserving this mixture with alcohol. This original essence is known as the Mother — because it births all the following essences :) 

The Mother is the most potent essence. It contains the strongest energetic imprint, and is preserved at a 50/50 ratio of water to alcohol. Traditionally, brandy, which is 40% alcohol is used, though I often use an organic grape spirit instead.

Rather than ingesting essences directly from the Mother, we use this original blend to create stock and dosage bottles…

Flower Essence Stock Bottles

Stock bottles are the next level of potency when it comes to flower essences. To create a stock bottle, you take anywhere from 7-13 drops from the mother and add this to a neutral blend of spring water and brandy. Some people like to keep a 50/50 ratio, while others will use 75% water and 25% brandy for stock bottles.These essences are ready to use — you can take them directly on your tongue, add them to water, or turn to other creative uses.

Pretty much any flower essence you buy, from any reputable company (including Alchemessence), will be a stock bottle — but do your homework. If a company doesn’t specifically say that it offers stock bottles, they could be dosage bottles, which are a bit different as you’ll see below.

Flower Essence Dosage Bottle

Dosage bottles are the lightest dilution of flower essences, but no less potent. To create a dosage bottle, you’ll add 5-9 drops from the stock bottle to a neutral blend of spring water and brandy. While the Mother and stock bottles have a shelf life of many years (really, they can last over a decade when stored correctly), dosage bottles fade in potency after a few months. Since they aren’t meant to last as long, they’re usually made with a blend of 80% spring water and 20% brandy.

So what’s the point of a dosage bottle, and why would you choose this over a stock bottle? Dosage bottles are meant to be used for taking your daily dose of flower essences :) By creating a dosage bottle, you extend the life of your stock bottles. Plus, if you’re taking a custom remedy of many essences, it’s often easier to combine several stock essences into a dosage bottle for ease. Some people even find that their systems even respond more to dosage level essences than stock essences. 

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Alchemessence Flower Essences

Alchemessence single flower essences, combination formulas, and custom formulas are all stock bottle strength, meaning that you can either take them as they are or dilute them on your own to create dosage bottles. 

And I have to say, it’s a bit unusual to find custom formulas offered at stock strength rather than as dosages. But this is what I prefer so this is what I share! You can learn more about receiving your own custom flower essence formula here. 

Explore Alchemessence Flower Essences

You might also like:

• How to Use Flower Essences: A Complete Guide

• All About Flower Essences: How to Partner with Plants for Whole-Self Healing

• Gnome Plant & Meeting the Queen of the Underworld

• The Magic and Medicine of the Rose

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The Complete Guide to Shamanism

Shamanic Techniques for Healing

Entering a Shamanic State of Consciousness

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

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

Your complete guide to shamanism

Did you know I have a “Learn Shamanism Resource Page” with TONS of free resources and classes for you? CHECK IT OUT HERE<<<

What Is Shamanism?

Oh, shamanism. You are such a complex word, with so many people defining you in such diverse and interesting ways. Where is a seeker to begin?

Norse shamanism, Celtic shamanism, core shamanism, Mayan shamanism…is everything shamanism?

Kind of ;) 

When I use the term “shamanism” I’m referring to something that is a spiritual practice, a healing art form, and a way of being in the world. I’m not referring to any specific practices from specific cultures. 

Every culture on the planet was, at some point, shamanic.

The approach of every shamanic society, even each shamanic practitioner, takes on a unique form, yet all share a few things in common—including the ability to enter alternate states of consciousness in order to communicate with the unseen world, forming strong relationships with helping spirits, cultivating right relationship with our Earth, and being of service to our communities.

I believe it is vital that we reclaim the practices and wisdom of shamanic paths in order to survive the challenging times we live in.

“Although shamanism is an ancient practice, it is relevant to all of us today who are seeking ways to live a life filled with harmony, good health, and returning balance and peace back to our lives and to our planet.”

— Sandra Ingerman

Shamanism is a spiritual practice and healing pathway that recognizes the inspirited essence of all beings, from humans and animals to mountains and the cosmos. It is the path of direct revelation, of cultivating your own innate and unfiltered connection to the divine.

The larger field of shamanism is complex enough that we’ll probably never have total consensus on what this word means. Still, as a teacher of shamanism, I know that it’s worthwhile to have a basic understanding of this loaded word. 

So let’s do it. Let’s look at what shamanism is, the core practices of shamanism, the tools, perspectives, healings, beliefs, and more. Here we go…

The Origins of the Word “Shamanism”

The word shamanism originates from the Tungus language spoken by certain indigenous people of Siberia. In that language, the term "šamán" refers to a man who can access altered states of consciousness in order to interact with the spirit world — and in many ways this is still what shamanism refers to today. 

But this history is worth taking another look at…

In the early 19th century, Western anthropologists were studying these Siberian people — the Evenki people — and they used that word, “shaman”, as a descriptor for all their spiritual practices. 

Then, the field of anthropology started applying this word to pretty much any indigenous culture’s healing and spiritual practices — and its use just grew from there. 

As an aside, while the Tungus word shaman was used for men, the word udagan referred to women who could travel the spirit world. Even though these women healers were just as respected as the men, and there’s evidence that many of their practices might have even predated the male ones, the anthropologists brought their patriarchal biases with them and everyone became a shaman. So, even today, we’re still using the term shaman instead of udagan. 

And, while we’re on the topic of language and shamanism — there are a few more important notes I want to make…

First, it's really important to recognize that not all indigenous cultures today identify with the term “shamanism”. 

Every culture has its own linguistic and spiritual traditions, and these do not conform to anthropological terminology.

Second, it’s generally thought that calling yourself a shaman is a bit gauche at best or offensive at worst. 

This is in part because the idea is that spirit and your community decides you’re a shaman — you don’t make this call yourself. 

And it’s in part to distinguish the depth of trials, experiences, connections, and service that true shamans have from those who simply live a shamanic lifestyle or work with shamanic practices. This is why you’ll find most healers in the shamanic arts identify with the term “shamanic practitioner” rather than the term “shaman”.

Now, whether you like these linguistic origins or not, the term “shamanism” has become the most quickly recognizable word for a certain set of spiritual practices that nearly all cultures have shared at some point in their history. 

I’ve actually coined a new word for these practices in order to move away from some of the inaccurate uses of the word shamanism, but since no one else has heard of my made up word, I still use “shamanism” too. If you’re curious, the word I like to use is mythoanimism, which you can read about here.

The Elements of Shamanism

Even though shamanism refers to a very diverse set of beliefs and practices, there are a few elements that remain consistent markers…

First, and most foundational, is the recognition that there is more to reality than our physical existence. 

In a way, this ancient understanding is not unlike our modern quantum one. We know that there are energetic and spiritual dimensions of reality that influence us just as much as the physical reality we live in. 

We can see some of these energetic dimensions by looking at our own energy body: the meridians, chakras, and auras that layer upon each other to make us who we are. We can see more of the spiritual dimensions by tuning into our souls, that part of us that remains whole, loving, and eternally connected to the divine. 

All these layers of reality influence each other. So taking care of your physical body will impact your energetic health, and taking care of your energy body will impact your physical wellbeing. 

Likewise, partnering with the spirit world, perhaps through ritual, magical practices, or even visualization and prayer, can enhance your ability to manifest your intentions and open new opportunities in this dimension. 

Everything is connected. 

The second element all shamanic cultures have in common is an animist worldview. 

Animism is the belief that all beings and things are inspirited, or animated. This includes those beings we can see — such as animals and plants, as well as rivers, mountains, stones, microbes, and stars. And it includes those beings we can’t see — at least in this dimension — such as angels, fairies, deities, and ancestors. 

But animism goes even further than this. Places are also viewed as inspirited — so you could connect with the spirit of your home or even your city. And human-made objects are inspirited — if you’ve ever talked to your car or computer, you have an innate sense of this truth. 

Even ideas and concepts are seen as having a spirit in animist traditions. So money, for example, has a unique spirit that you can connect with. As would the concept of democracy, or the emotion of hope. 

I refer to the animated energy of concepts as a field. Remember when I mentioned that the field of shamanism is complex? That’s because even shamanism itself has a living, animated spirit!

The third element is being in active relationship with spirit guides. 

Spirit guides, helping spirits, spiritual beings…whatever you call them, you are in relationship with them. These might include ancestors, power animals, deities, angels, starbeings, nature spirits, and many more benevolent beings (some we might not even have names for!).

This element is directly connected to the animist world view: We are not alone in our inspirited nature, and we don’t pretend to be. 

The word relationship is key here. This isn’t the type of situation where you contact spirit beings just when it’s convenient or when you need something. Instead, you relate to them as kin. You get to know the spirit beings in your life, check in, and practice reciprocity — giving and receiving in an active relationship with them.

These helping spirits provide us with immense guidance, healing, insights, and so much love. 

The fourth element is living in harmony with the natural world.

In all ancient cultures, the Earth was seen as alive and as an essential part of our more-than-human family. She was our great mother (and our fertile father in some ancient traditions), who ensured the survival and well-being of all her children. We were born of the Earth, nourished by the Earth, sheltered by the Earth, and loved by the Earth. And we remained in reverent relationship with her throughout our lives. 

This reverence extends to all of the inhabitants of the Earth — plants, stones, animals, the elements, the spirits of nature…even other humans. (gasp!)

What’s more, it’s not just that we love the natural world — we partner with the natural world. The spirits of nature are seen as just as conscious as we are, with just as much agency. 

We all share this Earth together, so humans don’t make decisions alone — we commune with the spirits of nature, listen to their guidance, and act in the best interest of all.

This piece is one element that can really distinguish shamanism from other new thought spiritual traditions. You can talk to spirits all day long, but if you’re not actively partnering with the natural world as a regular part of your practice, I’m not sure that I would call that shamanic.

The fifth element is being of service.

In shamanic cultures, the shaman always served the community, which as I’ve just mentioned, includes our more-than-human kin. Shamanism was never just about personal development and self healing. And this is true today. 

Yes, you will find profound personal healing on this path, but if you really commit to the shamanic arts, you will be asked to serve something greater than yourself. 

This will of course look different for everyone, as we all come here with unique gifts and potential opportunities in our lives. You might be drawn to see clients and offer shamanic services. Or you might work quietly and alone in service of the Earth. Maybe you’re simply a healing presence for those closest to you. Or perhaps you channel spiritual wisdom into creations that support our collective. How you serve matters much less than the fact that you do serve. 

The sixth and final element is that of using altered states of consciousness to navigate the spirit realms. 

This is another key piece that really sets shamanism apart from other types of spiritual practice. With shamanism, you’re not just meditating, and you’re not just talking to spirits and trees and such throughout your daily life.

Learn more about the difference between shamanic journeying and meditation — and why I feel both are important.

You are literally entering into alternate dimensions of reality and traveling throughout them.

This is called — you guessed it — the shamanic journey.

Direct Revelation

The central theme of all shamanic practice, no matter what cosmology you’re drawn to, is the art of direct revelation.

Direct revelation means that you contact the spirit world directly — no intermediaries in the form of gurus, priests, or even other shamans are needed. And the shamanic journey is the practice most commonly used to communicate directly with the spirit world.

The Shamanic Journey

The central practice at the heart of shamanism is the shamanic journey.

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 directly with the spirit world. 

And second is the idea that your consciousness is actually traveling through alternate realms. In Western core shamanism, these realms are often referred to as “non-ordinary reality”, and our regular, daily lives as “ordinary reality". In Celtic traditions, we might say “the otherworld”. The language matters less than the distinction.

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, this ability to send your awareness into different dimensions and realms of the spirit world is an essential part of the journey practice.

If you want to learn how to take a shamanic journey, you’re in luck! This is a short audio course that will teach you everything you need to know :)

A Shamanic State of Consciousness

A key piece of the shamanic journey is altering your consciousness.

There are many ways you can alter your consciousness for your journeys — drumming, meditation, breathwork, psychedelics… 

Some shamanic cultures rely heavily on mind-altering substances (such as the Evenki of Siberia or many South American groups), some rely more on sound (such as völvas of Nordic traditions), and still others rely on extreme conditions (such as a sweat lodge). 

Each approach has its own benefits and drawbacks, and it’s worth exploring what feels right for you. With so many ways to shift your brainwaves and prepare for journeying, there is absolutely no need to use any special ceremonies or materials from other cultures that you do not have permission to use. 

Benefits of the Shamanic Journey

So, now that you have a better idea of what shamanic journeying is, let’s talk about some of its benefits — in other words, why is this such an important practice? 

Shamanic journeying brings us into direct contact with spiritual healing, guidance, and wisdom. It helps us access more than the physical dimensions of reality, which builds personal power that transcends all levels of reality. It’s also a great way to cultivate intuition and self trust.

I believe it is vital that we reclaim the practices and wisdom of many shamanic pathways and practices in order to survive the challenging times we live in — and the shamanic journey is the perfect entry point.

Shamanism helps us cultivate a strong relationship with helping spirits and the Earth, access our own inner wisdom, and commune directly with spirit…For anyone who values spiritual sovereignty, shamanism is a true gift. 

Here are the top benefits of having a shamanic journey practice.

Shamanic Cosmology 

You should now have an idea of what shamanism is, what a journey is, and why you might take one. 

Now it’s time to go deeper into the structure of the spirit realms from shamanic perspectives — in other words, what is shamanic cosmology?

The most foundational concept to understand is that there is more to reality than our physical, 3D world.

While every shamanic culture and cosmology is different, most seem to have a basic framework that looks something like this:

• We live in a physical world — you know what this is ;)

• There are many energetic dimensions that we don’t usually experience with our physical senses — these dimensions include everything from the energetic foundations that include our chakras and meridians, to alternate realms where fairies and bigfoot might live.

• There are purely divine realms — these are where only love exists, we tap into oneness, and meet pure benevolent beings.

Even though this basic framework has three parts, it’s not to be confused with the “three world model” of shamanism. This model primarily comes from the core shamanic work of the Foundation for Shamanic Studies and organizes non-ordinary reality into upper, middle, and lower worlds:

• 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 realm filled with only benevolent beings and healing energy — there is nothing to worry about or protect yourself from in the lower world.

• 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 beings and energies.

• The Middle World is the realm of our everyday reality — it’s where we live here and now. But, by traveling the Middle World with an altered consciousness, we can explore more of its dimensions. 

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. My guess is that many of the early anthropologists who popularized the three world model were actually being subconsciously influenced by their own Christian cultures here. You can learn more about this framework and some alternatives in this article.

Shamanic Spirit Guides

One of the main reasons you would take a shamanic journey is to communicate with the spirit world and all the myriad beings who reside there.

Some of these spirit beings are neutral, some are malefic, and some are helpful. Just like there are all types of people in the world, there are all types of spirits in the otherworlds. 

Spirit beings who are close to you, who you have a relationship with, are considered to be part of your spirit team. These types of spirits go by many different names — some of the more common ones you’ll hear are helping spirits and spirit guides.

There are infinite types of spirits who will be your helpers or who you might meet in the spirit realms — entire encyclopedias have been written on this! For now though, here are a few broad categories to get you started:

• Power animals and spirit animals

• Angels — including our own guardian angels

• Deities — gods, goddesses, and ascended masters

• Planetary gods — including the Sun, Moon, and Earth

• Spirits of nature — including those we can see, like trees and rivers, and those we can’t, like spirits of the land and fae

• “Mythical” beings who actually live in other realms — dragons, unicorns, and more

• Starbeings from other planetary systems

• Ancestors — our own and collective wisdom keepers

• Spirits of place — our homes, the land, cities, and more

• The elements

• Your own higher self

• Deceased loved ones

• And so many more!

Initiations

If you’re called not just to the shamanic path, but to serve as a shaman (even if you don’t call yourself one publicly), you will encounter initiatory experiences along your journey.

The most well-known are near death experiences (NDEs). You will encounter this type of story in the history of the most authentic medicine people and shamans throughout the world. One of my teachers, Sandra Ingerman, has been struck by lightning and experienced more than one NDE. Another good friend who quietly slips shamanic healing into her Internal Family Systems practice had a profound NDE from a rock climbing fall. 

In modern times, I’ve found that experiencing multiple dark nights of the soul is often part of a shaman’s formation. Facing the dark, experiencing the death of faith, again and again teaches you how to navigate the shadows and return to the light. (This has certainly been my path.)

Other initiations can be more intentional. Vision quests, challenges, and intensive ceremonies are found throughout the world. 

What seems to be a constant thread throughout all initiations is the theme of dismemberment. What you believe to be true about yourself and who you are is knocked down. Then, through the work of re-membering your truth, the mantle of the shaman may be received.

Shamanic Healing

Shamanism is not purely a spiritual path — it’s a healing one. If you’re connecting with nature and talking to spirits that’s all well and good…but in order for your practice to be considered shamanic, it needs to have a healing focus.

So what does “healing” mean in this context?

When shamanic practices originated in early peoples throughout the world, the concepts of “healing” and “spirituality” weren’t really separated like they are today. With shamanism, we reweave these elements back into coherence.

Shamanic healing refers to cultivating wellness on every level of our beings — spiritually, energetically, mentally, and physically. As a holistic practice, it also sees these areas as intimately connected: When we heal spiritually, we find physical results. When we heal mentally, our energetic body responds.

Yet healing in this case does not refer only to what we would think of as “health”. Healing is restoring wellness, personal power, joy, and agency throughout our lives. Healing is the ability to tend all of your life circumstances in order to self actualize, to live the life your soul came here to live.

And healing can happen on the level of the personal, or interpersonal if you are serving as a healer. It can happen on community and collective levels. And it can happen in service of the Earth, future generations, and even the cosmos as a whole.

The important part is that moving ever closer towards true wellness, towards seeing the spiritual light in all things, is part of your shamanic practice.

What causes illness from shamanic perspectives?

If healing is such an integral part of shamanic practice, what causes illness in the first place?

In line with shamanism’s broad definition of healing, illness also has a more expansive meaning. Illness can be thought of as any sort of imbalance — so everything from being literally sick or injured, to experiencing a series of unfulfilling relationships, to not feeling connected with a sense of purpose can be considered shamanic illness.

On a fundamental level, illness comes down to two things: either something is present that shouldn’t be there, or something is missing that should be there.

What could be missing? In shamanic thought, this would be your personal power or soul essence. I also believe that missing our natural, intimate relationship with the natural world is a part of this.

What could be there? Foreign energies or entities, thoughtforms, curses, entanglements, and cords to name a few things. I would also put twists or obtrusions in your energy body into this category.

Here’s a helpful guide to five main types of shamanic illness…and how we heal them.

Techniques for Healing

I’m sorry to disappoint…there is no way I could cover the range of healing methods offered by different shamanic cultures throughout the world here. Spirit is endlessly creative, and given that shamanic healing happens in partnership with spirit, there are literally infinite healing methods that can be used for healing. 

In my own healing sessions with clients, I’m constantly given new techniques I’ve never used before, so that each person receives the perfect healing for their unique needs.

But…there are a few practices that have become pretty popular among practitioners in the modern Western world, including:

• Power Retrieval

• Soul Retrieval

• Extraction

• Cord Cutting

• Curse Unraveling

• Psychopomp

• Depossession

• Transfiguration

Read more about these shamanic healing techniques in detail.

In addition to these techniques, I’ll perform various kinds of energy healing, work with sacred aromatics, and offer guided journeys and visualizations during my shamanic healing sessions. For my longer term wild alchemy coaching clients, I’ll even bring in magical spells, ceremonies, and rituals.

Tools of the Trade

The tools of shamanism are as diverse as the cultures who use them. (You’re probably sensing a theme here…)

That said, there are a few general types of “tools” that are worth mentioning.

Altars

Altars are intentionally created vignettes that hold a particular energy and serve a particular purpose. You might create an ancestral altar, a healing altar, an altar for an event, or an altar to a deity. 

Depending on the tradition you practice in, your altar might have representations of the elements, statues of deities and helping spirits, pictures of ancestors, crystals, fresh water, shells, plants, and more. 

Crystals & Stones

Most shamanic cultures recognize the healing properties of crystals and stones. These might be placed on altars, used in energetic grids, or given to people to anchor a particular medicine in their field. They might also be allies in physical form, ones that you can hold and communicate with through the shamanic journey.

Animal Parts

From feathers and wings to fur and bones, most shamanic cultures work with parts of animals for various purposes. Feathers might be used to disperse smoke or cleanse your energy field. Bones and shells could be thrown for divination. Furs would be worn to bring some of the spirit of that animal into your own being. 

This is because animals are such integral allies on the shamanic path. As mentioned before, they are our kin and sources of great power for the shaman.

What’s important to remember is being in right relationship with our animal kin. Objects made from animals have no good power — and might even bring curses — if they are not obtained in ethical ways, which usually means they were gifted by the animal itself.

I have many gifts from animals in my shamanic studio — snake skins and shells, dozens of large and beautiful feathers, bowls of bones and skulls. And I found every single one on my hikes and walks. 

When you show up as ally for the animals, they will respond by giving you exactly what you need.

The Drum

The drum has become almost emblematic of shamanism — and for good reason. It’s the rhythmic beat of the drum that can so effectively and safely shift our consciousness and call in the spirits. 

The most common type of drum used in shamanism is the hoop drum, a handheld framed drum beaten with a mallet. 

The drum itself is seen as alive and animated. When I teach shamanic workshops, I see the spirit of my drum guiding my students into the otherworlds for their journeys.

For this reason, many practitioners like to have drums made from particular animal hides, as the medicine of that animal can be imbued into the drum.

I actually prefer synthetic Remo Buffalo drums. These are cruelty free and more durable — you don’t need to worry as much about moisture or temperature changes affecting the sound of your drum. Plus, I know my Remo still has a beautiful spirit!

The Rattle

Like the drum, a rattle is a core tool in shamanism. The sound of the rattle can be used to clear spirits and shake up stagnant energy, and it can be used to call in spirits for healing work.

The materials your rattle is made with can also impact the way you use it. I made one of my rattles myself, with buffalo hide and a juniper wood stick. It’s filled with small crystals and dried seeds, and calls in abundance and blessings whenever I use it.

I purchased another rattle from an Alaskan native who was apprenticing with a master rattle maker. It’s filled with obsidian and is incredibly powerful for clearing foreign energies.

Aromatic Smoke

Sacred smoke is central to my personal shamanic practice. The spiritual use of smoke is common to every culture on Earth…so there must be something to this magic, right?

Smoke contains both the chemical constituents and spiritual imprints of our plant allies. Like sound, it can call in benevolent spirits and disperse more negative energies. Plus, the aroma of smoke itself can help shift our consciousness into altered states.

Smudge sticks, smoke bundles, and woods, are common types of burnables — and there’s more to these than white sage and palo santo!

The white sage bundles and palo santo sticks traditionally used by many native tribes have both become so popular that they are now considered to be threatened species. Fortunately, just about any aromatic plant can be burned for fragrant smoke. Cedar, juniper, and other evergreens are wonderful, as are the many herbs found in our gardens. Great Western Sagebrush, artemisia tridentata, is an abundant and effective wild alternative to white sage.

From the temples of ancient Sumeria to modern day Japan, incense is burned as offerings to spirit. Some types of incense are more complex, made with finely ground woods, resins, and aromatic plants and oils. Others are more straightforward — simple resins burned on charcoal briquettes. Either way, the smoke from incense fulfills the same roles as the smoke from smudging.

In my personal practice, most of my burnables come from my own wild travels. I hike through alpine mountains sustainable gathering wild plants for smoke bundles, often supplementing with my own garden grown herbs. I collect resins fallen from local trees to make my own incense blends. 

Every morning, I offer smoke blessings to all the spirits who fill my life. Every time I meditate, I use sacred aromatics.

Other Plant Allies

The plant kingdom holds a central place in most shamanic cultures. 

Medicinal teas provide physical and soulful healing. 

The energetic benefits of plant allies are shared through vibrational remedies.

Plant brushings clear our energy field.

Ingesting plants, both psychedelic ones and not, can shift our state of consciousness.

Aromatic oils alter our bodies, affect our minds, and call in the spirits.

Dried plants, such as corn and tobacco in the Americas, make offerings to spirit.

Trees are wisdom keepers we can journey to for guidance.

Wild foods attune us to our own wild natures.

Even houseplants help keep the energy of our homes fresh and high vibe.

Every part of life is made better with plants, and shamanism is no exception.

Shamanism in Daily Life

A spiritual practice, a healing method, and a way of life — shamanism is all of these things. So what does it mean to life a shamanic lifestyle?

First and foremost, a shamanic life is lived in partnership with spirit. You don’t just meet with your spirit guides when you need something, and you don’t wait for special ceremonies to pay attention to them. Everyday is lived with knowledge and recognition of the myriad beings that coexist with you.

These relationships are founded on reciprocity, and offerings are a beautiful way of acknowledging your connection with the more than human world — whether you begin your day by greeting the sun, or offering smoke and prayers to your kin, or leaving sweets outside for the fae. 

Regular ritual and ceremony are also elements of a shamanic lifestyle. While the daily rituals that make life more magical are important — blessing your food, sitting in meditation — it’s important to have larger and more momentous ceremonies on a regular basis.

Rituals and ceremonies can be held to mark significant occasions, for healing, for manifestation, and many other intentions. Clean yourself and your space, call in the support of spiritual beings and the elements, and know that your actions are elevated from the grind of everyday life.

Find 5 of my favorite rituals here.

Living with the rhythms of nature is another key part of a shamanic way of life. This isn’t always easy in a world that asks us to function more like machines than humans…but even little adjustments make a difference. 

Eating locally and seasonally, tending a garden or connecting with a sit spot, syncing with the cycles of the sun and moon, celebrating the seasonal markers of your ancestors, tracking the shifts in the stars and planets…and most of all, slowing down. These are essential practices for coming into coherence with the natural world.

Finally, living in devotion to something greater than yourself is at the heart of a shamanic way of life. Reverence for spirit, the expression of creativity and beauty all around, the tenacity of the human spirit, love for the Earth, in service of the generations to come…it doesn’t matter what expands your spirit, so long as something does.

What are you for? What is your life in service of? Keep this question close to your heart, and know that the answers will unfold in time.

Are you called to the shamanic path? 

If you’d like to learn more about incorporating shamanic practices into your own life, here are a few resources to support you:

Here, you’ll find everything I wish I had when I started my own shamanic journeys.

You can cultivate your own shamanic skills by taking a self-paced course or live shamanic training.

I also offer a limited number of personal mentorships in the shamanic arts.

Sacred smoke bundles, teas and elixirs, anointing oils, flower remedies, and spiritual perfumes will support your practices.

What else would you like to know? Leave a comment and I’ll add it to the list! 

You might also like:

• How to take a shamanic journey

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

• 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

Recent Posts

Shamanic Techniques for Healing

Entering a Shamanic State of Consciousness

Um…maybe it’s not your intuition (How to tell true guidance from mind chatter)

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

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

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FREE WORKSHOP

Shamanic Techniques for Healing

Spirit is endlessly creative, and given that shamanic healing happens in partnership with spirit, there are literally infinite healing methods that can be used for shamanic healing. And of course, different shamanic cultures have their own traditions here, as well. 

But…there are a few practices that have become pretty popular among practitioners in the modern Western world. If you’re going to see any sort of practitioner trained the core shamanic practices of the Foundation for Shamanic Studies or other well-known practitioners — Sandra Ingerman, Bestsy Bergstrom, Hank Wesselman, and more — there are at least a few types of shamanic healings you can expect to be exposed to. 

Psst, shamanic healing tends shamanic illness, so you might want to check this article out, too!

And of course, I’m writing from my own bias here, as well! I use all of these techniques in my own shamanic practice :) Here we go….

Power Retrieval

In shamanism, power refers to your ability to affect change. This is spiritual power that allows you to take action on your dreams, experience physical vitality, and cultivate emotional resilience.

One of the most common techniques for restoring power is through a power animal retrieval. Your power animals carry gifts, medicine, and power that they can share with you. 

Yet of course, this isn’t the only way to restore power. Plant and stone allies may also be restored, carrying more unique gifts. Power leaks may be stopped. You might even be given rituals or lifestyle shifts to make in ordinary reality in order to cultivate more personal power.

It is your birthright to embody and express your personal power.

Soul Retrieval

When we experience trauma — whether an instant affront or an ongoing circumstance — it’s possible that part of our soul essence may leave as a protective measure. Restoring this essence is an essential part of shamanic healing, and this is done through the art of Soul Retrieval. 

From what I can tell, most cultures have some sort of practice for restoring soul essence. In Taoist alchemy, a combination of acupuncture and anointing can be used to call back soul parts. In modern Internal Family Systems, dialogue can be used to integrate exiles.

In modern core shamanism, practitioners travel the otherworlds in order to find the soul essence that has left. Then, in partnership with helping spirits, they restore this essence by blowing it into your heart. 

Obviously, this is just a simple overview of a very complex practice. If you’re interested in learning more, see my classes on the topic.

Extraction

This is another common practice in shamanic healing sessions. Extraction refers to removing foreign energy that doesn’t belong to you. 

Traditional shamans would often perform extraction with the breath, sucking in and blowing out the foreign energy. This can be quite dangerous for the practitioner unless they are completely filled with power and very experienced…so don’t try this at home ;)

The hands can also be used to obtain and remove foreign energy, and certain tools can assist the process. I’ll often use a large crystal as a magnet to call out foreign energy from the body.

Whatever is removed is then transmuted by the elements. You really don’t want to leave random energies flying around to attach onto someone else!

Cord Cutting

Most of you have probably heard of cord cutting — it’s certainly not unique to shamanism. It is incredibly useful for working on entanglements, though. Whether you’re bound up with another person, a habit, a place, a substance, a belief…cutting the energetic cords that keep you entangled is essential.

Psychopomp

Psychopomp is the art of helping souls cross into the light when they leave their earthly bodies. From the Greek, we use this word as both a verb for the work we do and a noun for those who do this work.

Shamans will bless babies as they are born, and bless and guide the dead as they depart this plane of reality. This is serving as a psychopomp.

Occasionally, souls will get lost or stuck in a realm they don’t belong in, rather than transcending to the next phase of their evolution. When this happens, the shaman serves as a psychopomp, guiding lost souls back home to the light.

Depossession

Sometimes a disembodied spirit being attaches to an embodied living being, like a human (though they can also attach to places and things!). In this case, depossession is called for. Depossession involves separating the attachment from the human and helping it move on.

There are many ways shamanic practitioners engage with the work of depossession. Some do the entire process in the spirit world, almost like performing psychotherapy with ghosts :) 

Betsy Bergstrom has popularized compassionate depossession, which involves having the affected person “give voice” to the attached spirit as part of the separation process.

In Toaist alchemy, I’ll anoint sacred trinities of acupoints with essential oils in order to expel a foreign spirit from the energy body.

Depossession has always been a big focus of mine, and I have a series of articles that go into much more depth with this topic.

Curse Unraveling

Like it or not, curses are real. When intention is somehow funded — usually with a combination of strong emotion and physical materials — that intention can affect ordinary reality, becoming a curse.

Just like all cultures were shamanic at some point, all cultures were cursing at some point. So, most of us experience the effects of curses that have taken root somewhere in our ancestry. And most people continue to give and receive curses without even knowing it in daily life today!

There are many approaches to curse unraveling, and it tends to be one of the more complex shamanic arts — you’ll need to use extraction skills to remove funding, psychopomp skills to free up beings that might be involved, disentangling skills for the energetic webs of the curse…

It’s a lot, but it’s powerful.

Transfiguration

Transfiguration is the art of healing with spiritual light. This word and practice were given to Sandra Ingerman from guides more ancient yet related to the Egyptian Neteru. And yet, it is similar to what we find in modern quantum healing. 

In short, transfiguration is the art of dropping form and becoming one with the light that is the truth of all things. You see the light all around you, and you are the light. 

Of every technique mentioned here, transfiguration is probably the most foundational, impactful practice. Though seemingly simple, if you do nothing else, transfiguration will make a difference. 

Other Techniques

As I mentioned, there is no end to the creativity of shamanic healing. During my sessions I’ll perform various kinds of energy work, bring in crystal grids, work with sacred aromatics, use sound healing, offer divinations, provide energetic attunements, and offer guided journeys and visualizations. Magical spells, ceremonies, and rituals are all part of shamanic healing techniques.

Do you feel drawn to receiving a shamanic healing? Learn more about working with me.

Resources

Want to learn more about shamanism and shamanic healing?

Dive into how shamanic illness works with this free class.

Learn how to take a journey in this mini course.

Find your power animal in this jam-packed workshop.

Deepen your practice with 144 journey prompts.

Join me in person this June! I’m offering a 3-day immersive workshop all about spiritual rewilding, shamanic practice, intuitive development, ritual, ceremony, nature communication…all the good stuff.

You might also like:

• How to take a shamanic journey

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

• 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

Recent Posts

Entering a Shamanic State of Consciousness

Um…maybe it’s not your intuition (How to tell true guidance from mind chatter)

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

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

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

FREE GUIDEBOOK

FREE WORKSHOP

Entering a Shamanic State of Consciousness

I get some funny responses when I tell people that I’m a shamanic healer — and probably the most common one is, “Oh! Like ayahuasca?”

I am all for the psychedelic revival, but let’s get something clear:

Just because someone is using psychedelics, it does not mean that they are practicing shamanism. And just because some practices shamanism, it does not mean that they are using psychedelics.

But of course, psychotropic plant allies have played an important, spiritual role in many shamanic cultures throughout the world — from the ayahuasca popular with psychonauts today, to the amanita used by Tungus shamans (which is where the word even comes from!), to the Dionysian elixirs and fermented wines of old.

I love that plants can play such a supportive role in shifting our consciousness so we may more easily travel the other worlds…and, they are by no means the only way to shift your brain state.

In this article, we’ll look at different ways to enter the altered states of consciousness that are so central to shamanism. 

This topic could be a book in and of itself, but I’ll do my best to share just enough of an overview that you can start to really explore what will work best for you.

Understanding Shamanic Brainwaves

Let’s start by looking at our actual brainwaves. 

Brainwave states are different patterns of electrical activity in the brain, and they are associated with various levels of consciousness. They’re classified based on their frequency, which is measured in Hertz (Hz) — which is why you’ll often see the hertz listed after different types of meditation music tracks. 

Each state is linked to different cognitive functions, behaviors, and experiences. Here are the main brainwave states and what they generally represent:

1. Beta (13-30 Hz): This is the state of normal waking consciousness. Beta waves are associated with active thinking, problem-solving, decision-making, and external focus. Some of the higher beta frequencies can be linked to stress, anxiety, and overthinking.

2. Alpha (8-12 Hz): The alpha state is when you are relaxed but alert. It's often experienced during activities like meditation, daydreaming, and light relaxation. Alpha waves are associated with a calm and creative mental state. You’re present and alert, but not working so hard at thinking — flow states can come in here.

3. Theta (4-7 Hz): Theta waves are present during deep relaxation, meditation, and light sleep, including the dream state (REM sleep). This state is linked to creativity, intuition, imagery, and accessing the subconscious mind. And this is generally what we hope to enter into for shamanic journeying. 

4. Delta (0.5-3 Hz): Delta waves are associated with deep sleep and the unconscious mind. They play a crucial role in physical healing, restoration, and rejuvenation. Accessing the delta state while awake is challenging but can result in profound experiences of unity and oneness. As an aside, I find that combining yoga nidra with shamanic journeying can support entering Delta states.

5. Gamma (above 30 Hz): Gamma waves are associated with high-level cognitive processing, including perception, problem-solving, and conscious awareness. They are often seen during states of heightened focus, meditation, and moments of insight. Gamma waves are still an area of ongoing research, and their exact functions are not fully understood.

The brain is complex and we’re still learning about how these states of consciousness work and overlap. 

In general, I find that people can have helpful shamanic journeys in the alpha state, but their conscious mind might still be quite active. If you can get into the theta state, shamanic journeys often seem deeper and more impactful.

How to Alter Your Consciousness for a Shamanic Journey

So how do we get into these altered states as we prepare to journey? There are many, many ways — and here are just a few. 

Meditation

The first and most basic is simply meditation. 

With practice, meditation alone can absolutely bring you into altered states. As you withdraw your attention from day-to-day life and external stimuli, you naturally quiet beta waves and enter into an alpha state. Over time, experienced meditators are able to quiet their minds and enter into theta states, and sometimes very experienced and committed practitioners can enter into theta-delta states.

Certain meditative practices, especially lovingkindness meditation, have even been shown to help people enter into Gamma states. I teach a powerful lovingkindness meditation in this class.

In addition to supporting your ability to enter altered states of consciousness, meditation greatly increases our ability to focus — this is why I recommend that any shamanic journey practice is supplemented with a meditation practice. We’re losing our ability to focus more and more — yet focus is the key to being able to stay in altered states and commit to shifting reality with more advanced practices. 

If you don’t already have a meditation practice, start now! 

Breathwork

Breathwork is another foundational, accessible way to shift your consciousness. By breathwork, I mean any practice that involves conscious control of your breathing patterns to achieve specific physical, mental, or spiritual effects. 

Breathwork can significantly impact your consciousness by influencing your actual physiology as well as your mental states. It can help regulate your nervous system which brings you into calm, relaxed states. And It can influence the levels of oxygen in your bloodstream, which can potentially impact your mental clarity, energy levels, and overall sense of well-being. 

Different breathwork techniques can have different effects on your consciousness and body, and some of them can be quite intense, even overwhelming your system if you’re not adequately prepared for them. In general, simple box breathing or alternate nostril breathing are safe places to start. 

My personal breathwork practice is rooted in traditional pranayama, which I love so much that I’ve completed a teacher training in it. I teach a few of my favorite breathwork practices in this class.

Yoga Nidra

Yoga nidra (sometimes called “non-sleep deep rest”, or NSDR) could be considered a type of meditation — but like journeywork, it’s so unique and powerful that I want to call it out as a specific and effective way to alter your consciousness. 

Some of my most profound spiritual experiences have come from combining yoga nidra with shamanic journeying — and I’ll share a recorded practice that bridges the two in a future class. 

Yoga nidra is often referred to as "yogic sleep" because it guides you into a state that hovers between wakefulness and sleep. During a practice, you go through a structured meditation that systematically relaxes your body and mind by taking you through the five koshas, or different layers of your being. The idea is that you move your awareness from the outermost layer of the physical body to the innermost layer, which is pure consciousness.

There are tons of yoga nidra practices online these days…and some are much better than others at guiding you to this deep spiritual state. When you have the right intention and guidance, however, this practice is nothing less than magical.

Sound

Different sound frequencies, rhythms, and patterns can influence brainwave activity and therefore induce shifts in consciousness. This works in part because of brainwave entrainment — where your brainwaves naturally adjust to an external frequency. 

The drum is one of the most commonly thought of tools for this, and has been used in cultures throughout the world for entering ecstatic or trance states. Most core shamanic workshops in the West use a traditional drumbeat to entrain your brain and body to altered states.

But, in this day and age, we have access to many musical frequencies that can also support entering trance states through entrainment — some people find they have deeper journeys by listening to binaural beats or frequency specific music.

Crystal singing bowls and gongs are often used in sound healing practices, and I find that using these to clear the energy of a room, and attune your energy as well, can be a beautiful addition to a journey practice. 

And finally, there’s your own voice. Your own vocal cords have the power to alter your state of consciousness. Chanting seems to be a nearly universal practice for this — whether you’re using Sanskrit mantras, Tibetan sutras, or Monastic prayers. 

Even simply humming or toning — opening your mouth and letting intuition guide the frequencies you produce — can enhance your ability to enter into and then sustain altered states. 

I love the Norse tradition of Seidr for this. In this oracular shamanic practice, the community sings the shaman — or what would more accurately be called a völva — into the other realms. They continue to sing to hold this container, and then sing the völva back out again. It’s a beautiful practice that’s being revived today, and you might be able to find a circle near you. 

Heroic Efforts

Another traditional way to induce altered states is through extreme, often purgative in some sense, experiences. I call these “heroic” efforts, taken from the language of heroic psychedelic doses.

Here, we can look at anything that puts your body into an extremely stressed state and therefore can induce consciousness shifts — think fasting, ecstatic dance, vision quests, fire walks, and sweat lodges or saunas, for example. 

While some of these individual practices are culturally-specific and not something for just anyone to adopt, like the Sun Dance of Native American plains cultures, it seems that all cultures have some sort of tradition that involves undergoing extreme physical stress to induce altered consciousness. 

While powerful, these heroic type practices clearly have inherent risks and are best done in partnership with an experienced and ethical guide. 

Psychedelics

These heroic practices bring us to the final category, and one that I’m sure draws many people to shamanism — psychedelic substances. 

There is a whole psychedelic revival happening now because of the unique ability of these substances to activate and open our consciousness — ayahuasca, san pedro, and psilocybin being just a few of the more well-known ones. 

And, while many people in the West will immediately think of South American ceremonies when it comes to plant-induced altered states, we can actually trace this practice back through many cultures. It’s likely the Oracle of Delphi used psychedelic substances to enhance prophecy, and many scholars feel that Eleusinian Mysteries centered around mind-altering substances, as well.

Psychedelics can be amazingly effective for enhancing the shamanic journey, but there are a few things to know if you’re drawn to working in this way:

First, I believe that it’s important to form right-relationship with the plant spirit before ingesting or using it. 

This is a bigger topic, but in general, you’ll feel a calling or knowing that a plant ally is wanting to work with you first. 

Then, you’ll want to make sure that you're working with ethical practitioners, and that the material itself is attained in sustainable, kind, and reverent ways. 

Part of being in right relationship with these plant spirits is avoiding abusing them. Many people enjoy using psilocybin or other substances recreationally, which is fine — but not shamanic. 

Your intention matters when you're on this path, as does your relationship with the spiritual allies who support your journeys. With shamanism, you enter into relationship with psychedlic substances with reverence and respect, not just for entertainment. 

Second, the type of journey you might experience with these substances is quite different from the ones you enter into through meditation or sound. 

In general, you’ll have much less agency within psychedelic assisted journeys, and it can feel more like you’re just along for a wild ride, even at lower doses. There’s a time and place for both types of journeys for sure — this is just something to consider. 

A note on non-plant psychedelics

You might notice that I only mentioned plant allies here. I know that many people are interested in kombo, which is obtained from frogs, and other manufactured substances like MDMA. 

Personally, I’m drawn to the spirit of a substance in addition to its chemical properties, so my interest is much more on the allies we find in the natural world. I really can’t speak much to lab created substances for shamanic practice, but I know they’ve helped many people in other ways. 

As for kombo, again — it’s important for us to be in right relationship with all allies, and I feel there’s even more care needed when it comes to our animal kin. The cultures who traditionally work with kombo have been doing so for thousands of years, and there is an established karmic agreement between the people and the frogs that supports both parties. When colonialism  and capitalism enter into this equation, things can shift. 

If your “medicine” is obtained from the suffering of another living being — and this goes for plants and animals — it will not serve your soul healing. Be very careful if you explore this area.

Honorable Mentions

I know I said that psychedelics were the last category, but I do have a few honorable mentions ... .our non-psychedelic plant allies, as well as the crystal kingdom. 

Plants and stones are invaluable allies in many ways, and helping us subtly and safely shift our consciousness is one of their greatest gifts. 

Plants have been ingested — through teas, foods, and smoke — for various healing purposes for as long as humans have been around. Sipping a tea that calms your nervous system or burning fragrant resins that clear the mind can absolutely support your shamanic journey practice. 

Aroma has been used in spiritual ceremonies for millenia because of its ability to bypass the conscious mind. Flower and crystal essences work at vibrational levels and shift your energy field to allow for deeper spiritual communion. Placing crystals on the body or in intentional grid formations can also open you to greater connection with the spirit world. 

Final Thoughts

So there you have it — the many, many ways to alter your consciousness and deepen your shamanic journeys: meditation, breathwork, sound, heroic experiences, psychedelics, and plant or crystal allies. 

And of course, you can layer these practices on one another for even greater effects. Beginning with some breathwork or a yoga nidra practice, anointing yourself with sacred oils and aromas, and then listening to the beat of a drum can lead to truly magical journeys.

Which of these have you tried? And which are you drawn to experimenting with in your own practice? 

Resources

If you’re just getting started with shamanic journeying, I go into more depth with all of this my mini course, The Art of the Shamanic Journey.

This course is included with paid subscriptions to my Substack, The Mythoanimist Path. Subscriptions are only $5 per month, and you can totally binge the entire 7-lesson course in one month if you want :)

The absolute best way to go deeper with these teachings and more is to join me in person this June! I’m offering a 3-day immersive workshop all about spiritual rewilding, shamanic practice, intuitive development, ritual, ceremony, nature communication…all the good stuff.

Early bird registration ends April 19th and there are a few spots left! 

You might also like:

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

• 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

Recent Posts

Um…maybe it’s not your intuition (How to tell true guidance from mind chatter)

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

How to take a shamanic journey

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

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

FREE GUIDEBOOK

FREE WORKSHOP

Um…maybe it’s not your intuition (How to tell true guidance from mind chatter)

Have you ever sat down to do a bit of meditation, journeywork, or intuitive practice…and as soon as you close your eyes, your mind is flooded with images? 

Images that go by so fast you don’t know how to interpret them. Images that seem frightening or stressful. Images that are just plain confusing…

While assisting Sandra Ingerman during one of her workshops on intuitive development, I facilitated a breakout room for folks to explore their journey experiences.

One woman shared that when she entered the journey, dozens of images flashed through her mind, and t she didn’t know what to make of them. She wondered if she could trust what came through since it was so immediate.

First thought, best thought, right?

This was the consensus of the group. Everyone piped in with “Yes! Trust yourself, trust what you see. Maybe you work fast. You can do this!”

I expected this reaction. In nearly every shamanic or intuitive development course I’ve attended, the refrain is the same: Trust your intuition. No, you aren’t making it up. This is how spirit communicates with you!

And this messaging makes sense…to an extent.

Probably the number one hurdle when it comes to cultivating your intuition is doubt. Our society values evidence-based results, the scientific method, and logical explorations of our challenges. 

Most of us live in our left brains and have been enculturated to doubt anything beyond our ordinary 3D reality. It truly is an ongoing process to rewild ourselves back into right relationship with our inner knowing.

But…. (you knew this but was coming, right?)

This approach ignores the fact that our minds constantly create millions of thoughts all the time that have absolutely nothing to do with our intuition. 

We do our students and ourselves a disservice when we ignore the very real possibility that it’s actually not your intuition this time.

Of course, this makes intuitive development tricky. How do you know the difference? 

There’s no simple answer to this question. Like I said, it’s a process. Fortunately, understanding just a bit about what might be happening instead of your intuition is a good first step. 

Is it intuition, or a purge?

Let’s go back to the woman in Sandra’s workshop. Maybe her intuition really was coming in quickly. Or maybe, she was experiencing a “purge”.

Our minds are so full and capable that they have a hard time shutting off. And we live in a world where we are constantly bombarded by information.

If you don’t create space for all this input to flow, it’s almost as if it gets dammed off and stuck in your mind. Then, when you finally do sit down for some sort of meditative practice, it bursts through the floodgates all at once.

The result? You’re immediately flooded with quickfire images and thoughts — even if you’ve set the intention for spiritual communion. Generally, once this influx if mental activity has a chance to move through your awareness, your mind can calm down enough for true insights to come through.

This phenomena is really easy to take care of by — you guessed it — meditating. 

The more often you create space for thoughts to flow through your awareness, and the more you cultivate the ability to focus and quiet your mind at will, the easier it will be for you to more quickly and intentionally access your intuitive guidance.

Related to the purge above is a different kind of purge — a purge of psychic material. 

Just as we all pick up on physical gunk as we go throughout our days, we pick up on energetic gunk, too.

A lot of this is your run of the mill dense energy, negative thought forms, and collective psychic activity that gets lodged in your own energy field. 

When this happens, the first images you receive are often the result of psychic processing. Just as information needs to move through your mind, foreign energies need to move through your psyche.

This is totally normal, and as before, simply allowing it to happen usually creates space for you to receive true information. 

Just as meditation helps keep our minds ready for spiritual practice, a good energy hygiene routine can help keep your psyche ready for intuitive insights.

Remember your negativity bias.

Humans were gifted with a lovely little mental trick called the negativity bias. And thank goodness! The mind’s natural tendency to focus on and remember negative experiences has played a major part in the survival of our species.

I’m pretty sure that my personal negativity bias is on steroids.

Every time a loved one simply goes to the grocery store, my mind creates a story that they’ll get in a horrible crash, or there will be an active shooter, or the apocalypse will suddenly happen and they’ll have to trek back to me (without groceries!) while I wonder if they’re alive…

Seriously — that’s just a taste of the amazingly awful stories my mind creates for me. 

(As my partner once said, in response to another one of my disproportionate fears about daily life, “If that were true, every other person would be an ambulance driver.” He’s good for me.)

Learning how to discern a fear that’s been programmed into your mind from a real intuitive warning comes down to understanding your nervous system. This takes time, practice, and a lot of self-knowledge.  

When it comes to spiritual practice, however, you have an advantage: Effective spiritual practices usually have nervous system regulation built in.

Take time for a body scan, breathwork, or visualizations that help you come into a state of calm. Practice bringing your brain into a meditation state with binaural beats, a drumming track, or even sacred fragrances. 

When you combine this somatic work with clear intentions and prayers, you are much more likely to receive true guidance rather than fear-based stories.

Does this mean you’ll never receive scary guidance? Not at all. But when it comes through, you will feel your own power to respond in a healthy way, rather than the panicked kind of response you’ll get from the negativity bias.

To really trust your intuition, you must know yourself.

Everyone has different intuitive strengths and weaknesses. Different ways of caring for their nervous systems. Different ways of receiving and discerning information. 

The more you get to know your own uniqueness, the more you’ll naturally know when to trust what arises intuitively.

Whenever I teach on this topic, I share a few keys for unlocking your intuitive gifts:

1. Know your clairs. The “clairs” are different sensory ways we can receive intuition. You need to learn not only which ones are strongest for you, but the unique ways they work together for you to really understand your intuitive guidance.

2. Know your symbolic language. Sometimes we’ll get lucky and intuitive insights come through like a how-to guide for your life. Quite often, however, insights come through symbols and metaphors. The more you know how to interpret your personal dictionary of symbols, the easier it will be for you to receive intuitive messages.

3. Know that you actually are imagining everything. And this is a good thing! Imagination is absolutely one of the languages of spirit and our own subconscious. When you’ve done the prep work to tend your nervous system, clear your mind and psyche, and set your intentions, you may very well “imagine” the intuitive guidance you need.

Resources

If you’re just getting started with shamanic journeying, I go into more depth with all of this my mini course, The Art of the Shamanic Journey.

This course is included with paid subscriptions to my Substack, The Mythoanimist Path. Subscriptions are only $5 per month, and you can totally binge the entire 7-lesson course in one month if you want :)

The absolute best way to go deeper with these teachings and more is to join me in person this June! I’m offering a 3-day immersive workshop all about spiritual rewilding, shamanic practice, intuitive development, ritual, ceremony, nature communication…all the good stuff.

Early bird registration ends April 19th and there are a few spots left! 

You might also like:

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

• 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

Recent Posts

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

How to take a shamanic journey

Is shamanic journeying the same as meditation?

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

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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.

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• How to know if you're experiencing spiritual illness
• The surprising ways addressing spiritual illness can impact your life
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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.

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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:
​

• 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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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!

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• 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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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!

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

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• 3 Creative Ways to Celebrate Summer Solstice

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