For the past three weeks, I’ve spent my Tuesday evenings listening to the rhythmic beat of a drum while psychically traveling to visit with my spirit guides. We’ve shared conversations, laughs, ideas, visions, and guidance.
It’s always a rewarding, reflective experience.
I’ve written about meditation many times before on this blog, but today I want to dig into a specific form of meditation that I enjoy: a Shamanic journey circle.
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What is a Shamanic Journey Circle?
From my perspective, a Shamanic journey circle is a guided group meditation, often led by drumming and voice prompts, where the “traveler” visits the upper, middle or lower worlds to connect with something greater than themselves.
At the start of each circle, we listen to a little explanation of how the circle works, what we’ll be doing and how we can get the most out of the experience. At the end, I like to journal about my experience and any messages received.
I poked around online to find an official definition, and I keep finding organizations that are offering journey circle gatherings. There isn’t much about the actual process, so I’m glad I’m sharing my first-hand account here.
I’ve written about various aspects of Shamanism on this blog in the past. In December of 2019, I participated in the Munay Ki and completed the nine rites of initiation into the spirituality of the Andean people, and wrote about it.
What Happens at a Shamanic Journey Circle?
In my community, we’re lucky to have a few mesa carriers who study Shamanic wisdom and share their time with the community. You can learn more about what it means to be a mesa carrier (and how to become one) in this article I found on the Shamanic Yoga Institute website.
At the gatherings I attend, we usually form a circle, and create cozy spaces on our mats with bolsters and blankets.
Then, the we sit quietly as the mesa carrier calls out to the four directions and welcomes in angels, ancestors, guides and a universal power greater than ourselves (various religions and cultures have different names for this, including God, Buddha, etc.) to assist with the journey.
As we settle in, the drumming begins. The soft sound lulls us into a relaxed, meditative state. The brain shifts from a place of doing to a place of relaxing and tapping into the subconscious. For me personally, it feels like the moments just before you fall asleep at night, or in the morning, as you slowly wake up.
I listen to the mesa carrier guide us to where we should go, who we should look for and what questions we might want to ask. I work to quiet my mind and simply notice. When I first started journeying, I had trouble shutting off my logical brain and didn’t get very far. But with practice, you can find stillness, and then listen. It’s amazing what ideas and thoughts pop up. Trust what you hear.
For me, attending a journey circle feels like a mental health therapy session. The messages are usually to the point, not sugar-coated, and push you to improve some aspect of your emotional, physical, or spiritual health. The messages often remind me of a friend you can count on to nudge you in the right direction, or call you out on your BS.
Can I Journey Alone at Home?
Yes, of course! There are guided meditations online that can assist you with this. I often use the Insight Timer app on my phone for my meditations. You can find various lengths of meditations, styles of meditations and presenters offering meditations.
You can also look up meditation options on YouTube.
I also enjoy listening to the Why Shamanism Now podcast hosted by Christina Pratt from the Last Mask Center. She runs it like a weekly radio show, offering advice to callers amid her insight and reflections.
Would you like to know more about meditation practices or journey circles? Please share your comments or questions below. I’m happy to add your ideas to my list of potential writing topics.
Until next time,
Choose healthy!
Angela
PS: Wonder what I’m up to today? Visit me on Facebook at Cupcakes and Yoga Pants!
