Write the journey down straight away, then start with what it means to you: in Therapeutic Shamanism the deepest meaning of a journey is what it means to the person whose journey it is. Feel your way into it first, then research anything you do not understand. Journeys speak in symbol and metaphor, mythosMythos. Metaphorical, symbolic, felt truth: the truth of art, poetry and shamanic journeys. Shamanic reality is mythologically true, not literally true, which is why journeys are interpreted, never taken at face value. More about this rather than logosLogos. Literal, factual, analytical truth: the truth of facts you can check. One of the two modes of truth, alongside mythos. More about this, so their meaning is engaged with over time, never handed down by someone else.
What should I do after a journey? #
Write it down, quickly. For the first few years of shamanic work, writing journeys down as soon as you have done them is a very good habit to cultivate.1 Details fade fast, and “When you come out of a journey you have a treasure trove of things to unpack.”2
Why do journeys need unpacking? #
Because they speak in symbols. “The language of journeys is symbolism and metaphor. Sometimes the meaning of them is clear, but sometimes really not.”3 They are mythos, not logos: “Shamanic journeys are like dreams. They are full of symbolic meanings, not literal truths.”4 Their meaning is not handed to us; we have to engage with it.
Unpacking is part of the healing. “The skilful unpacking of a journey can immensely add to the healing power of the experience.” The task is to find the hidden meanings and healing messages, and in doing so to bring them “into conscious awareness.”5
Where do I start? #
With what it means to you. “In Therapeutic Shamanism the real and deepest meaning of the journey is what it means to the person whose journey it is.” People often find they already know: “it is amazing how often people do in fact have a personal meaning for the colour blue, or hedgehogs, or why they were buried”.6 Only after that does research come in, for whatever still means nothing to you.
What are right-brain and left-brain unpacking? #
Two complementary ways of making sense of a journey. “The right side of our brain is the bit that can go and do the journey, and come back with the information. The left side of our brain then wants to understand what has happened.”7 In a nutshell, the right brain asks what this feels like, and the left brain asks what I know about it.
Right-brain unpacking means exploring what resonates and how it feels. Left-brain unpacking means research: looking up the Plant, Animal or Stone you met, or the symbolism of a mountain, the sea or a cave.8 Done this way round, the research deepens the journey rather than replacing it, and the guides can go on teaching “using this rich symbolic language, rather than through the limitations of spoken words.”
What should I notice about the setting of a journey? #
Where it happens. Where something happens tells you as much as what happens. A journey in the depths of the ocean carries different lessons from one on a windswept plateau, and your emotional and bodily responses are clues. Do not rush: “Don’t decide what it means too quickly. Instead, ask how it feels to be there.” The setting also tells you which realm you were in: the Lower-WorldLower-World. The realm of Mother Earth: pure, unspoilt, wild nature, with no technology and no agriculture. Home of the Peoples and of our own Soul, and completely safe: feeling threatened in a journey is a reliable sign of not having reached it. Read the full answer is pristine nature, so any cars, roads or fields mean you were still in the middle-worldMiddle-world. Ordinary physical reality together with its energetic layers: the realm of individuality, separation and mixed intentions, and the only realm where harm is possible. “If there is a hell, then it is the middle-world.” Read the full answer.
How do I unpack a journey about the past? #
Remembering that journeys give meaning, not facts. Journeys are symbolic: “You cannot use them to find out ‘facts’.”9 What can change is the story we carry. The past cannot be changed, so the focus is on reshaping the stories and messages we took from past events.
How do I know whether a journey needs more action? #
There is no fixed rule, but some follow-up is common. Research is itself one kind: things met in a journey “will have to be ‘unpacked’ afterwards, in order to really understand them and learn about them.”10 Some work continues long after the journey. Meeting your Soul, for instance, is the beginning of a process.11 And after meeting an Animal, you might do something to help that animal in this world, as a way of showing gratitude.12
Can another person help me unpack a journey? #
Yes, by helping you find your own meaning, not by telling you theirs. “If we do a journey for our self, then what the journey means is what it means to us. Other people can offer suggestions, but it is up to us to see if they feel true to us or not.”13 When working for others, any ideas “should only be offered tentatively and as possibilities. If you offer anything and it does not feel right to the client, then you need to drop it.”14 See How do I distinguish guidance from projection and middle-world bleed-through?
