3rd Shamanic Lesson

April 28th 2003 (Monday) – 3rd Shaman Class (These are the notes that I wrote durng the lesson) June 8th Healing Day Sunday centre for Self Awareness Pleasant Street – red Brick Building 10.30 1pm Healing (12.30 arrive for lunch, Bring and share) £5 for 1pm £10 for all day. Bring Heulwen and Ieuan Upper world Journey You take your power animal on ‘Upper world’ journey Guidance, Insight, Inspiration Upper world is about Knowing. Lower world is about Doing. Journey to find an entrance to the upper world and explore. There was a lot of confusion as to what imagery I would use. I asked Dove and he flew around in circles a bit which confused me, then I had an image of ledges in my cavern where the ‘creatures’ play those long pipes, so I started a lower world journey to get to the ledge. Once there I saw a cave entrance that led upwards, but then the recall sounded, so I returned. Part 2 – To find a guide / mentor / shaman / etc. I asked Dove to come with me back to the ledge, went into the cave entrance and walked / flew up through it. Eventually I broke out into clouds and flew up and up until I found ‘Morguhnpolis’ where I landed on the edge and looked for the highest tower. For a short while I was in the glass domed dance hall of Oakenharg II but did not feel right and had some odd visualisations also there was nobody there. Then I remembered the rooftop garden where Elderick plays chess in his little gazebo and flew / appeared there. Elderick was there sitting by a chess board, I ked Dove and he seemed happy, I also asked Elderick and he explained than whenever I needed him he would be here playing chess, as would any others that I might need from time to time. (This was happening even as the recall sounded). (4th may Sunday 2-5) Homework – Healing 2 journeys 1 – Upper world Journey What area in my own life do I need to address before helping others shamanically. 2 – Lower world Journey To gain the power to do the answer to part 1 (might be a power object or power animal) Upper world Journey What can we do for the teacher / guide in return for their help. Much faster finding Elderick this time, I asked him what it was he would like me to do. His answer, after some musing, was to write about ‘His Life’, not an easy task, but one he reckons will also teach me much about myself in the process. This happened quite fast so I told him about my homework and he told me what I needed to do was not take on so much, concentrate on one thing at a time and to also find my centre (that’s a task for some other journey work).

Of Nests and Medicine Wheels

April 19th 2003 (Saturday Morning) I went for a walk up Kilvey hill, ending up sitting on my tree (although I think I snapped it this time). I went into a visualisation travelling to the lower world and invited the collared dove along as my teacher. Dove landed on my shoulder to indicate his agreement then flew off into the tunnel. I tried to follow by flying (very badly) and landed on the bank of the pond in a roll. Once I stood up Dove landed on my shoulder and when I asked ‘Where are we going?’ I saw a clear image of one of the forests in my drawing of the cavern. We appeared there with our backs to the trees, facing the lake. I sat down and talked to Dove who had turned into a ‘human’ although still having strong bird features (feathers for hair). He asked why I have not started my nest for him and explained that it was very important in teaching me about him and him about me. We also discussed my medicine wheel, Dove felt that I should build my wheel as I feel it should be build not how Kenneth Meadows says it should be. I should keep my clear quartz at the centre for as long as it needs to be there and I should collect all my stones as I have been, one or two at a time, also the stones I have now know their positions and purposes (although I should thank them). Then I came out of the visualisation even though my time was not up.

The Dove and the Telegraph Pole

April 16th 2003 (Wednesday) I was walking home from youth club this evening when as I was walking along the bottom road near the park, a collared dove flew over my head, landed on the wooden telegraph pole and said ‘coo’ just the once. I stood there and watched the dove and am sure he was watching me. After about 1-2 minutes the dove flew into the air heading towards Dartford Place, flew up the street and over my house, then vied to the right slightly up the hill into the trees. The experience was very interesting especially after a stressful and tiring day, after arguing with my wife in the morning, not eating anything until teatime, and not having my medicine bag on me. I felt that the dove was telling me something by flying over my house, perhaps I needed to settle matters with Heulwen. I should apologise to her for the morning and make no excuses either (like being tired!). Sorry Luv

Another Shamanic Lesson

14th April 2003 (Monday) (These are the notes that I wrote during the class) Power animals – Your main helper You ask the power animal for help, assistance and knowledge Everyone is born with a power animal They are more for doing things than understanding things They are not always big, ‘Power-full’ = quality Power animals are not totem animals Book – Animal Spirits (Gold Spine?) Rattle is a diagnostic tool I used the rattle on Peter, I felt a bit uncomfortable using it, perhaps nervous of ‘showing myself up’, so I quietly rattled away. I felt drawn to an area on the lower right side of Peter’s back, why was this. We reversed roles, peter was very enthusiastic, joining with the rattle, moving where it wanted too. I felt a bit uneasy when the rattle was fast. Journey to find a Power Animal Once again had some trouble getting into the tunnel but eventually fell in some what reluctantly, landed face first in the mud on the edge of the pond in the cavern. I had some difficulty getting past some animals and what appeared to be a flock of parrots. I did not feel comfortable with them. Eventually I called to the Collared Dove and he flew to me and landed on my shoulder. I asked him if he was indeed my power animal as I suspected from previous journeys, he did not fly away, I offered him a home in my tree for his nest, but he also stayed with me for my journey back. There is a Healing Day on June 8th 2003 (Sunday) The more you do for and with your power animal the better the bond. Poetry, art, dance, talking or light a candle, etc. Journey to ask what I can do for my Power animal I need to make a nest for the collared dove, it will also be a place to energise crystals I found it a bit confusing as I tried to use the cavern as the start of my journey as opposed to my familiar place in the lower world. Question: If the cavern is my lower world area, where is my upper world area? The flying castle Morguhnpolis, or perhaps the wind level in Castle Oakenharg.

Out of Body Experience?

April 13th 2003 (Sunday) I went up the hill today, went beyond the playing fields back to where I entered the trees the very first time that I went up. I started following the route that appeared before me and ended up breaking out above the tree-line on the marsh. I walked around the marsh and ended up on a small rise overlooking St. Thomas and Kilvey Church. For some reason this is where I envisage the stone circle being. It is very interesting as there is a large depression (pit) in what would be the centre of the stone circle if this was to be the location of it. I found a rock to sit on and played the single drum (track 1). I went to the lower world, to my cavern and asked the bird if he was my power animal, he flew up in the air, I thought to fly away, but he landed on my head and just looked at me. I then tried to feel the things that a bird would as he started to fly around me. The roof of the cavern lifted away as I could clearly see the sky and clouds, the wind I could hear in the physical world became the wind I could hear howling around the cavern. I then concentrated on the bird and became it, seeing through its eyes. I looked down and saw myself sitting on a rock, wearing my baseball hat and listening to my personal CD player with my staff resting across my knees. I noticed that the sky around me was quite bright even though when I opened my eyes everything in the physical world seemed quite dim and overcast. I slipped back into the visualisation and imagined me flying in human form with a set of wings. Then the recall sounded and for some reason I did not feel like continuing with the ‘Double Drum’ track so stood up and thanked the hill, taking out the plastic bag I had found on a tree previously and collecting rubbish on my journey back down off the hill.

Power Object Visualisation

(April 6th 2003) I went up to the hill and sat on my tree, placing my staff squarely in the ground resting on my base charka and placing the clear quartz on my 3rd eye. I started to play track 1 on the drumming c.d. Power Object VisualisationI imagined a black tunnel / cave that I threw myself down into. I seemed to slide down the tunnel as if it was one of those things in a fairground or the hydroslide in the Leisure Centre. After a few short moments I emerged from the tunnel splashing into a small pond (shallow water). I had arrived in a large cavern which seemed familiar (reminded me of Elderick’s cavern retreat). I changed scenes from the water at the edges of this grassy cavern with rolling hills to the tree house at the centre. There appeared to be nobody there so I looked around and found leaning next to the door a wooden staff / stave. The drumming changed tempo so I grabbed hold of the staff to bring it back with me and returned. When I played the double drum track I returned back to the cavern although I did not approach too close to the tree house. I was instead drawn to the sound (drone) of large wooden pipes being played constantly from the ledges around the edges of the cavern. I tried to see what type of creature played the pipes but other than being humanoid and possibly reptilian I could not get a good look at them no matter how hard I tried. At one point I was looking at a flat piece of rock that shimmered and reminded me of wings. These wings altered slightly and then started flapping about until it started flying away from me at which point it started to resemble a bird of some sort. (A powerful eagle of some type or was that just wishful thinking). I then wondered if the bird was my power animal at which point I came out of the visualisation to see a bird fly out of a nearby tree. This bird was all gray with a collar (white or black, do not know!) I think it is called a Rock dove / pidgeon or some such. Question: Is there a link between the stone flying and changing into a bird flying from the tree?

My First Contempory Shamanic Class

(These are the notes that I wrote during my Shamanic Class) We talked about Journey work. During my first visualisation I was asked to visualise a tree and the way in which the water flows up through the roots and the way in which the Sun’s energy is transferred from the leaves down the branches into the main trunk on the tree. Although I found it difficult to visualise the tree, I felt an odd sensation in the area of my forehead that some would call the ‘third eye’ when I was trying to visualise the water up in the branches and leaves, interesting to say the least. Then when I was trying to visualise the energy of the Sun going down to the roots my legs started to stiffen and spasm. My 1st Drum Journey Did I visualise a tree or entrance. I was very confused as to which tree. Eventually I started to see the wood under the bark; I tried to slide down, but just could not find a way. Then I saw another tree but only glimpses, almost golden brown bark, found a dark spot under an exposed root and I think I started to travel along an earthy root filled tunnel. Then all of a sudden I was walking along a stream that had a rocky bed but was it underground or outside I do not know? But I was fully conscious the entire time is this the way it is? And all of the above was in glimpses found it hard to concentrate or was it too hard. Indian CD Gabrielle Roth Michael Harner – The Way of the Shaman Kenneth Meadows – Earth Medicine, Medicine Way Sandra Inaman – Soul Retrieval The drum beat drives you into the journey. Website – http://powerandsoul.homestead.com (Susan’s) Journey for a Power Object I wish to journey to the lower world to retrieve a power object that will help me in my shamanic journeying (visualisation as well). Was very confused, could not seem to remain focused enough and in the end could not enter the tunnel. Perhaps I need to find an entrance in the real world that will help me in my visualisation. What am I doing wrong?