Group Ceremony: Shamanic Journeying

 drreginahess.com

  Regina U. Hess, Ph.D.

Shamanic Journeying like meditation is a tool for spiritual growth. It is also a tool that can be used for healing, to obtaining information, and in working through psychological issues. In shamanic practice it is believed that part of the soul is free to leave the body. There are various times the soul might leave the body, during dreaming or to protect the soul from trauma. When a shaman is initiated onto the shamanic path, they usually learn how to send their soul forth intentionally, on the soul flight, which is commonly called a shamanic journey. In early shamanic societies, many shamans were initiated because of having a near death experience. Death being an experience when all of your soul leaves the body, the near death experience is thought to teach an individual to travel with the soul.

When a person journeys the soul leaves the body, and may travel to a spiritual aspect of places on the earth, or may go within the earth, or above it. In certain societies there are destinations that are peculiar to the culture. There are also destinations that appear to be the same for many different cultures despite the separation of these cultures by nature and geographic location. The map of these common destinations is referred to as a cosmology. Terms such as upper, lower and middle world are used to divide the cosmology, but there are a wide variety of destinations. The journey is then achieved by a person’s intent. The person intends to leave and so she/he does.

The shamanic journey occurs by shifting awareness or consciousness in order to allow part of your soul to leave the body. The drum or rattle is frequently used. The slow repetitive rhythm shifts the individuals “rhythm” so that he or she can journey. The rhythm of the drum puts you in a trance state to journey. The drum beat used is very close to the frequency that is measured from the earth, and has proved effective for the majority of people.

Psychologically some people use the journey to work through emotional issues. They may confront a deceased or living relative about past abuse. The journey provides a safe environment to express anger, or to work through grief.

The shamanic journey provides a tool for spiritual growth because the individual can seek out evolved spiritual teachers. The messages given often have an unexpected depth of meaning. Journeyers often report that their journeys “add up” to a deeper spiritual teaching because one journey has built on another.

Amazingly enough, journeying seems to be a skill that people posses innately. As if it is something we already know how to do, but just need reminding of. The effectiveness of shamanic work, and apparently journeying seems to be magnified when performed in community.

Group Ceremony: “Seeing in the Dark”

 

drreginahess.com 

The Shamanic Tool of Seeing in the Dark

& Vision Quest “Song of Your Soul”

& Divine Feminine/Masculine Ceremony

 Regina U Hess, Ph.D. Germany

 

Seeing in the dark is an ancient practice used in indigenous traditions and in all world religions. With the tool of exposure to darkness meditation we can awaken those inner senses and instincts that I have termed womb intelligence. As a way of unlocking our wild, instinctual sacred nature by re-connecting with our primordial essence. it can help us become more whole. The darkness of creation is the darkness we are all born from: the darkness of the womb of our mother. It is also the darkness beneath the ground of Mother Earth’s womb, and the darkness in the universe. Everything is interconnected through this darkness of creation – the web of life. It is personal, interpersonal, and transpersonal. Through the tool of darkness meditation we enter the unknown, mysterious, invisible, we access secret wisdom and hidden knowledge, and start to see with our body.

Day I: The vision quest ceremony workshop will give an introduction about the shamanic tool of Seeing in the Dark including scientific background, application for hands-on practice, and self-exploration/self-development for both women and men. It will focus on the exploration of your “song of the soul,” reflections, shamanic journeying, and expression of your soul´s purpose, your destiny, your Divine contract that brought you to earth and that you have to fullfill and live to your fullest.

Day II: Day two will build on Day 1 and deepen the learning and experiences Further shamanic practices will be introduced with a particular emphasis on exploring Divine Feminine and Divine Masculine qualities within us and around us with the aim to understand and balance them. One definition of health and wellbeing is a dynamic balanced equilibrium. We will learn how to explore and integrate balance into our daily lives. It will include theoretical background, experiential and group sharing, ritual and ceremony.

DARKNESS RETREAT VISION QUEST CEREMONY

 drreginahess.com

 The Shamanic Tool of Seeing in the Dark

& Vision Quest & Ceremony

 Regina U Hess, Ph.D.

Seeing in the dark is an ancient practice used in indigenous traditions and in all world religions. With the tool of exposure to darkness meditation we can awaken those inner senses and instincts that I have termed womb intelligence. As a way of unlocking our wild, instinctual sacred nature by re-connecting with our primordial essence. it can help us become more whole. The darkness of creation is the darkness we are all born from: the darkness of the womb of our mother. It is also the darkness beneath the ground of Mother Earth’s womb, and the darkness in the universe. Everything is interconnected through this darkness of creation – the web of life. It is personal, interpersonal, and transpersonal. Through the tool of darkness meditation we enter the unknown, mysterious, invisible, we access secret wisdom and hidden knowledge, and start to see with our body.

The darkness retreat vision quest ceremony workshop will give an introduction about the shamanic tool of Seeing in the Dark including scientific background, application for hands-on practice, and self-exploration/self-development for both women and men. We will work indoors and outdoors with the elements of nature, including a fire-ritual and a water-ritual, while the core of the darkness retreat will be: the overnight darkness meditation ceremony as a special form of vision quest in nature and dream incubation. An optional an indoors variation will be offered for those who do not wish to spend the night in the open air. The day after will begin with a deep exploration and integration of your personal experiences, followed by a guided group sharing, and a closing ceremony.

 

Saturday, Day I:

– morning & afternoon workshop – Seeing in the Dark

– evening: group preparations for the night

– overnight: darkness meditation vision quest & dream incubation

Sunday, Day II: morning & afternoon: Deep exploration & integration of personal experiences, guided group sharing & closing ceremony.

List of items that you need to bring with you

Outdoor- and indoor comfortable clothing and shoes (light, warm, rain), sleeping back, matt, cushion, blanket, drum/rattle, notepad, crayons, sunglasses, hat, sunscreen, bathing suit, 2 big towls.

 

 

Photo credit: Legco.it