Post 3 of 3
This post, the final of a mini series, is about getting an idea of what the experience might be like.
No two people are the same. When we scale back, we find that those words are truly a blanket statement:
not only are two students unique, but so are the teachers, and so are the lesson plans... a teacher will likely
be the first to say "no lesson is ever a direct replica of the last". So with that in mind, there is not prescriptive prediction of what the shamanic apprentice path will be like for you... however, there are typically some major milestones that most everyone reaches in their work. This is why I will share generalities, from my purview of my experience, below.
1- You will meet your guides
We all have guides - ancestors who are on the other side rooting us on... Deities, Gods who we have worked with in past lives and have a relationship with in this life (think: Jesus, Vishnu...)... Ascended Masters whose teachings appeal to us - could be like St. Germain and the compassionate purple flame... Animals are amazing guides and often times we have quite a few who we work with on our lifetime journey. Some animals are here with us for a temporary time, while some others are with us our whole lives.
Guides are those in spirit form who want to help us succeed in our path. They will be support systems for
asking questions, learning or remembering wisdoms, and help us in times of healing and growth.
2- You will face your fears
Perhaps your fears are about feeling vulnerable, opening your heart, trusting the unknown. No matter what, when we go down the shamanic path, we do something called Shadow Work. That is where we go within our bodies, mind, experiences/emotions to explore the places that have been hidden to us... for example... when we experience a situation wherein we were shut down for being our truest self - we might experience pain or trauma. That pain then freezes in our bodies instead of flowing and processing out (which would happen if we had all the tools to navigate the stressful or upsetting situation). This freezing can look like clenching in reaction, being emotionally guarded, or mentally tuning out. This frozen pain then becomes a block in our energetic flow, but it hides in our shadow side (inside the body). That block then becomes a tool of protecting us... keeping us from going into similar situations that we experienced at the earlier time.
So - if you were shut down in an emotionally or physically painful way for dancing with daisy flowers... when you are older, should you be given some daisies while listening to lovely music - you might become anxious, uncomfortable or insecure, or even think "what a terrible idea - dancing with daisies!" or "better not dance, someone might think I am stupid." See? You are not letting yourself flow with your natural energy because of that block that lives in your shadow side.
Facing blocks and your shadow side is central to the shamanic path - we must go inward and diligently heal
our own pains for many reasons. Some reasons are: to replace that block with flow, and our own light so we
might feel joy, comfort, and awareness. Another, is so we can witness others in their authenticity. Whats
more, if we become healers, we cannot carry our own baggage into sessions. Also, we should be able to
lead the experience with confidence - helping the person feel strong in their own bodies to do the work.
Relieving shadows makes room in our bodies for our own authentic unique light to flow in at greater
quantities. It is hard work sometimes, and sometimes involves a lot of ugly crying, but it is absolutely worth
it.
3- You might do some really wild stuff!
Ever heard of plant medicine? If you have ever had fresh tea from a local farmers - you have, in essence,
enjoyed plant medicine. Plant spirits (aka the spirit of a plant) come through the imbibing or eating and
offers us support in healing, moving energy, releasing blocks, or bringing in new wisdoms. The plant
medicines used in ceremonies, ritual and healing work are grown and cultivated with high standards, tended
to with tremendous care, are fair trade, unaltered, unprocessed, and brought to you with educational
support about what is associated with that spirit.
Shamanic work does not depend on working with plant medicine... though you might hear A LOT about it
and see/learn about ceremonies happening constantly. I myself have not dove into the world of psychedelic plant medicine, but I have enjoyed some really moving Cacao (chocolate) and Kava ceremonies, (separately, of course) and amazing work with the support from Flower Essences. The idea is that the plant spirit comes through the journey into our bodies and helps us on our course.
If you move forward with this - be safe. Be sure to check the adverse affects too and see the physiological
side affects... should you have a sensitive heart muscle, you might not want something that is caffeinated,
etc. Be wise, consult your doctor about your specific condition, and allow the beautiful plant medicine to
come through and teach you something new.
As for the "doing of wild stuff" - think dancing ecstatically, chanting and howling at the moon, shaking and
convulsing during a healing session, throwing metaphorical skin in a fire, growling on all fours in the shower,
and... maybe... finding dead animals and burying them in your backyard while burning tobacco. Yep. lean in
baby, you will (with the support of your guides, for sure) do some wild stuff. Be safe, be smart, be kind and
compassionate to those around you and the land you are on... and let your own spirit be free to move.
4- Expect things to change
Your perspective of the world, and relationships around you will likely shift. The below truly depends on the
work the person does - if they are all in, this will likely happen. If they bypass, avoid, or just do surface level
engagement, this probably won't happen:
The world as you know it will not be the same. Well, it will... like, you will still wake up and eat breakfast, and
talk to people, and fill your car with gas, and need sleep at the end of the day... but how you ENGAGE the
world - how you RECEIVE the world - and how you UNDERSTAND the world.... that will change. You will become familiar with, and learn how to navigate, the multiple layers of reality. You will have tools to move through the world with grace and self-awareness. You will witness people's shadows as clearly as you witness their physical form. You will recognize energy as it exists around you, in concentrated amounts, in scattered chaos, in divine flow, etc. The key here is the remain calm. While much changes, it also stays the same outside of your perspective. So - calmly practice in navigating both simultaneously... Turn off your spirit brain and live in your human exclusively for some parts... Turn off your human and dive into the spiritual when in specific contexts... Play with it, and you will find your balance.
As for friends and lovers? Yeah, some will leave. You are changing and so the way you show up in a
relationship will shift too. You may become more present, more accountable for yourself, less likely to take
on other's pains and burdens, also more likely to call other's out on their lack of accountability... Not
everyone will stick around, and that is OKAY. The ones who witness you on a soul level and support your
shifting will stay. New people will move in to your world. You don't have to share all the details of your path
and growth with others for them to feel included and safe within your relationship. But to those you wish to involve, you can offer this fact: that you are becoming more authentic - that the person they love (aka you) is just going to be enriched by this. You do not expect others to change, but instead are learning to love and accept them for who they are completely.
You will find your way through this part. It can be sad and frustrating, but you will be okay.
5- You will feel isolated at some point...
This is part of the initiatory aspect of the shamanic path. In order to find trust in spirit - where we truly let go of our human need to control, and just flow with the divine... we have to go through a moment/period/process, where we are isolated. Not necessarily physically - but emotionally and spiritually.
A part of that path is feeling disconnected.... and it is in that darkness or isolation, that we find our own light. The light that burns eternally within, that connects us and our heart with Spirit/Divine/God - that light has always been there. But we had to shut out all the distractions to feel it, to see it, to know it, to honor it. Through isolation we find that we are never really alone. That in our darkness we have light. That in our release into trust, we have everything we need.
6- Finally, you will feel joy! true bliss! real compassion and divine love!
When we do the work, are connected with Spirit, we are able to bring in our authentic light. As such, we are also able to feel divine love from our guides. When we have those moments, we feel a vibrational energy that is unlike anything on earth. The closest I have found is the love of my child at the best possible moment.Multiply that by 100... yeah, it's intense. When I feel it, I am so moved by true unadulterated love and gratitude that I am moved to tears. ever. dang. time.
It is addictive in a way... but more than anything, it helps me to see and feel that frequency (even if it is lesser amounts) in my earthly human experiences. I feel that love in all sorts of different scenarios and contexts, with different people, and it is just a wonderful reminder that we are all divine... we are all here together... that this very life we are living is unique and special... and that at the end of the day, at the source of all life is love.
I hope this helps - an apprenticeship is no small undertaking. You get what you put in for sure. But that
being said, it is worth every dang minute. How you use your shamanic apprenticeship is up to you - whether you become a praticitioner, or just live life to the fullest extent possible. What matters is you are finding your own way, your own path, and that is absolutely fantastic.
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