Beginning Shamanic Practice-

I am very interested in learning this as well. The best I could do was read The beginner’s guide to Shamanic Journeying by Sandra Ingerman and I have ordered some other books. I will post if they are useful.

Great question Martin. have you checked out the New to Shamanism page? You can also search our new member directory under workshops and training to find further support.

New to Shamanism

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I have three pieces of advice, although I am not talking about techniques here. I’m suggesting some ways to open yourself and cultivate an attitude of curiosity and listening. One, spend time in nature. This could be a garden, arboretum, city park, or your own backyard. (Or, if you have access to the wilderness, great, go for it!) Two, have a shamanic healing session. (There’s a directory of practitioners on this website.) Three, pay attention to your dreams and to synchronistic events. This is where you will find guidance. Best wishes!

I work with shamanism a little differently than many others since I do not practice journeying. Instead of going to where the spirits are, I call the spirits to me. I was taught this and in turn teach my students to simply create sacred space with the Guardians of the Seven Sacred Directions. If you do this every morning these Divine Beings will become powerful allies who can work with you in many ways. In the shamanic apprenticeship I teach, this is the first initiation folks experience. Then everything is built upon this co-creative relationship.

Martin, I found this to be interesting, too. And I am reminded of the training I received in ancestral healing, where the approach is to invite the ancestors to come close – so you do not leave your body in order to meet them. The teacher of this method is Daniel Foor. (You can find him on the web, just google Ancestral Medicine and/or his name.) It’s worth mentioning that ancestral guides can play a key part in one’s shamanic work, so you might want to consider that angle.

Also, it was good to be reminded of the importance of the sun right now, so thanks for your reply above!

Thanks Martin & Loren for finding the way I work with Shamanism interesting. I’m happy to know that I was able to remind at least two people there is more than one way to work with the Spirits. Blessings to you both!

I think a crucial step is having something in your life that forces you not to be able to rely on advice from others. Trials of isolation, or challenges that don’t have mainstream support structures such as mainstream medicine are useful for this. That said, humans are social beings, so to achieve the wholeness sought through shamanic practice, guidance at first can be useful. Grounding that in your environment by celebrating high days could be good.