The Importance of the Shaman's Body:
The Strength of the Bridge Between the Worlds
"I spent some time in the evening after work yesterday to inquire, inquire, and inquire. I will tell you about my journey before I ask the question that has been on my mind since."
"My intention was to travel to the upper world to meet with my teachers... My journey began at the base of the tree of life as usual; however, a form of Pegasus was there immediately…"
"Pegasus and I traveled to another place within the Upper World. We came to a large tree. I intuitively knew this was a sacred tree, and many have gathered around this tree in a circle of ceremony. There was a very large, dark opening in the tree, and I was asked to come inside. I was afraid at first, and so I asked Pegasus if this was safe. He assured me this was a safe place as we were in the upper world and my teachers were waiting inside."
"I went inside and it was extremely dark. I couldn't see a thing; therefore, I had to rely on my inner vision, my intuition and Pegasus. I heard the sounding of ceremonial drums. The darkness began to light. I saw a Native Amercian man to the right of me. I felt very light headed, and I began to see visions and flashing items before me. The Native American had hooks in his chest and was performing the Sun Dance. I was a little fearful that they were going to ask me to do this also. I heard that I was not being called at this time for that purpose. I then saw a Native American man and saw flashes of his bones and skull. I saw images of a cactus and a drink. I felt even more light headed and the visions became stronger… I felt almost drunk, and I felt like I was going to get sick to my stomach…"
"This journey was different in that I felt very "altered", and I felt as though I was dreaming it. I felt like I was observing my own journey as well as different ceremonies. I was instructed to drink lots of water after my journey and to stay away from dairy products. I was also instructed to spend some time drumming each morning and things will be revealed to me. I felt sick and was ready for the drum to call me back. As the drum began the call back, Pegasus appeared and led me out of the tree. The tree hugged me, and I felt a great love. I traveled back to ordinary reality the same way I traveled to the upper world. I thanked my teachers and power animals as I usually do."
"When I came back to my sacred place, I still felt "different" and light headed. I did the call back again as this was a deep journey. I decided to relax a bit and drink some water as they instructed. However, I continued to feel light headed and nauseous. I remained on couch the rest of the evening and went to bed at 8pm. I felt fine when I woke up this morning. My question is: Is this "normal" to experience such altered states? What should I make of this? I will certainly journey again as I was instructed, and I will inquire about my "visions". I am just seeking your thoughts in regards to altered, physical sensations I experienced."
Debbie
Questions like Debbie's do come in, and for a good reason: the shaman has a physical body, within which his or her work finds a place where the work can take place. Because shamanic work is so involved in the nonordinary realities, the practitioner’s physical body is often under-recognized for its importance. Most of the interest and concern goes to the material that is discovered during a journey, or the healing that takes place through the shaman’s nonordinary bridge between the worlds. This question brings up a very important aspect of shamanic work that has unfortunately been somewhat overlooked in the light of the fantastic nonordinary experiences that take front and center interest.
The shaman’s body is the ordinary reality vehicle within which the nonordinary work is able to happen. It is often said that the shaman travels between the worlds, but this is not entirely correct. Yes, the shaman does travel, but what is less fully understood is that the shaman actually becomes the bridge itself that connects these worlds.
It is only within the shaman’s body that the healing and divinatory (retrieving information) visionary experiences can find a nesting place. There is no such thing as ‘only imagining’ or ‘only feeling’, which is one of the ways we hear the contemporary snipe at visionary and other intuitively experienced phenomena. In fact, it is the very existence of the physical mind and body that allows these visions and body perceptions to find perception upon which they can be felt, seen, heard, and recognized for what they are.
Shamanic work necessarily involves the shaman’s physical body. Practitioners are well familiar with the enormous drain in energy they experience after such practices as extraction or depossession. Certainly, even journeys for the retrieval of soul parts or power (such as with power animal retrieval) can be tiring, though they do not seem to affect the body as much as the former. However, there is a great deal of difference to the degree that practitioners may feel any of their work.
Different people come to shamanic practice with a widely different array of strengths and challenges. Some who are naturally strong in some areas, may find themselves significantly - challenged – physically and psychically – in others. There is no flat equality in how different people’s bodies and minds have developed over the course of their life. Just as we develop particular strengths (over others) as we mature and then turn to shamanic work, we all have areas of needed growth and strengthening that may only appear after we begin learning, and experiencing different areas of shamanic care. For instance, when practitioners make deep and powerful journeys into nonordinary reality, the kind of outcome that Debbie experienced can occur.
There is a great need to bring the body and mind into tremendous balance and health when we give ourselves deeply to shamanic practice. This work can be very wearing on the body and mind, and as has been said many times and in many ways, the practitioner must even be able to enter the abode of death, and return. There is a depth to this message that carries a teaching that will be revealed to the practitioner when the time is right. But let there be no question, the enormity of the strength of mind and body that a shaman must have is hard for new practitioners to comprehend… before it is asked of them.
From what I can gather from Debbi’s experience, she can easily be feeling the aftereffects of a journey that was particularly powerful or important one for her in some way. Such things can be signaled by the consequences she felt in her body.
But there is no absolute about this. The shaman works in both ordinary and nonordinary reality with an ordinary reality body. Thus, she may also have a touch of the flu, or had not been drinking enough water or eating enough food. Perhaps it could be some other physical ailment for which a physician would be able to determine. The shaman’s body demands at least as much care as he or she gives to the spiritual practices that are pursued. Never discount one or the other.
This brings up the important point: as practitioners, we need to develop superior strength, balance, grounding and health in both body and our mind. A psychic as well as physical imbalance can easily knock us off our feet amidst the utter fluidity of nonordinary reality, and the demands this practice makes on us. It has been said that the shaman must become the master of both realities… the ordinary and the nonordinary. We understand how important solid practice protocols are necessary for traversing the nonordinary realms. Here is the other side of this understanding: we need just as much strength, flexibility, immunity and stamina in our ordinary body as well. We have to become very strong if we want our bodies to keep up with our shamanic work.
Proceed firmly and assuredly in both realities, as you must, because you are the bridge.