Contemporary shaman....

When i tell people that Im working with a shamanic practitoner, folks either get a little uh oh space cadet zone, she'll be off her meds next, or say 'thats great' whilst thinking, what the **** does that mean anyways. So I thought id spend some time typing....

For me, one of the prime tools of shamanism, and some forms of witchery, is trance journeying the spine of the world tree to otherworlds. Otherworlds that exist in parallel to our daily consensual reality, some call it the astral. What people use to trigger a trance state varies, for me i have used prerecorded repetitive drumming when flying solo, and now with Odette she guides me some with her voice, which is a pleasure, i have to say. Now this may sound like some kind of escapist fantasy, but the otherworlds are certainly not that, just as we have issues to work on in daily realms so to in the otherly ones. Infact, thats part of the point. Work done in one place effects how we are in the other, theyre linked, we come back to daily reality, grounding in and returning to it. Thats not to say there's no sense of humour or play in the otherworlds, far from it..
 
 When entering the otherworlds, its done via the sanctuary Ive worked with Odette to reestablish, my place of safety. Which requires space clearing maintenance just as any physical sanctuary does and this is the emphasis of the work at the moment solidifying and building safety. I don't mean alarm systems and bars safety, no thanks, but feel it in your gizzards learning how to deal with lost or wayward entities, getting to know your spirit guides, allys and their talents type safety. These are processes by which to navigate and map make your way. Blundering around the other worlds is no more a good idea than blundering around any other place, infact it can have harsher consequences.  Ive done some blundering, and some journeying. Now Ive been lucky enough to get some support and guidance from a shamanic healer who knows some of the local lingo and can read signposts.

 Yes, I do have a diagnosis, schizoaffective disorder (I tried for PhD but this is what i got!) and I am on meds but no that doesnt mean I can't work with a shaman, or that if I do Im losing it. Shamanism is as ancient as it comes and this ancient art has some very contemporary applications for folks who in our current society often do end up with a few extra letters to their names. 


Enough from me, if this is resonating with you, or you're just plain ol curious, here's a link to Odette Nightskys website where you can read some of her wise and gentle spirited writings on such topics.

 http://www.contemporaryshaman.net/

and here's her blog

 http://contemporaryshaman.wordpress.com/about/