A journey to the Lower World is a shamanic practice in which you enter a light trance — usually carried by a steady drumbeat — travel downward through an opening in the earth, and meet your power animal and other helping spirits there. It is the first journey most students learn, and it is the doorway to everything else in shamanic practice.
You do not need talent for this. You do not need to be “spiritual enough.” You need about twenty quiet minutes, a drumbeat, and the willingness to trust what shows up — even when it feels like you might be making it up. Here is the whole practice, step by step, exactly as I teach it.
What is the Lower World in shamanism?
The Lower World is the realm of animal spirits, ancestors and the deep, instinctive wisdom of the earth. It is not the underworld of punishment that Western religion later imagined — there is nothing dark or dangerous about it. In the shamanic map it is simply the layer of non-ordinary reality you reach by travelling downward, and it is where you go to meet your power animal, to recover lost soul parts, and to ask questions about your body, your survival, your roots.
Cultures across every continent describe the same three-layered cosmos: a Lower World reached through caves, tree roots, springs and animal burrows; a Middle World that mirrors ordinary reality; and an Upper World of teachers and elders, reached by rising. The consistency of that map — across peoples who never met — is one of the quiet mysteries of this work.
What do you need before your first Lower World journey?
Very little. A drumbeat, a dark and undisturbed space, and one clear intention. Everything else — rattles, altars, incense — is helpful but optional.
| What you need | Why it matters | Optional or essential |
|---|---|---|
| A steady drumbeat (recording is fine) | Around 4–7 beats per second carries the brain into the trance state | Essential |
| 25–30 uninterrupted minutes | Rushing is the most common reason a journey does not open | Essential |
| A darkened room, eyes covered | Removes visual input so inner images can rise | Essential |
| One clear question or intention | Gives the journey a spine to follow | Essential |
| A blanket, lying on the floor | Body temperature drops in trance; comfort keeps you from fidgeting | Recommended |
| A journal beside you | Journeys fade like dreams within minutes | Recommended |
| Rattle, candle, altar | Marks the practice as sacred and signals your body it is time | Optional |
How do you journey to the Lower World, step by step?
You set an intention, lie down in darkness, imagine a real opening in the earth that you know, travel down through it with the drum, meet what is there, and return the same way when the drumbeat calls you back. Here is each step in detail.
1. Choose your opening in the earth
Before you lie down, choose a real place you have actually been: the hollow at the base of a tree, a cave mouth, a spring, a badger hole, the drain in an old well, the roots of a hedge you knew as a child. Real places work better than invented ones, because part of you already remembers the smell of the soil there. This is your doorway, and you can use the same one for the rest of your life.
2. Set one clear intention
Say it out loud, three times, simply: “I am journeying to the Lower World to meet my power animal.” One intention per journey. Not three questions stacked on top of each other, not a vague wish for guidance. The clearer the question, the clearer the answer — this is the single thing that separates a muddy journey from a sharp one.
3. Lie down, cover your eyes, start the drum
Flat on your back, blanket over you, an arm or cloth across your eyes. Start a drumming track with a callback — most are 15 to 30 minutes. Breathe slowly for the first minute and let the drum become the only thing you are following. You are not trying to empty your mind. You are letting the beat carry it.
4. Travel down through the opening
See your doorway. Go in. Most people find a tunnel, a root system, a stairway, a chute of water — and they move downward. Sometimes the tunnel is long, sometimes it opens immediately. If nothing moves, describe your doorway to yourself in detail — the texture of the bark, the cold of the stone — until the movement starts. Detail is what makes the door open.
5. Arrive and look around
You will come out somewhere — a forest, a shoreline, a meadow, a cave chamber. Take a moment to notice where you are. Touch something. Smell the air. Then state your intention again: “I have come to meet my power animal.”
6. Meet what comes — and ask
An animal will usually appear. The traditional test: ask it to show itself to you four times, from different angles or in different ways. If the same animal returns, that is your power animal. Then ask directly — “Are you my power animal?” and “What do you want me to know?” Answers come as images, words, sensations, or a sudden knowing. All of these count.
7. Come back the way you came
When the callback rhythm changes, thank whoever is with you and retrace your route — back through the tunnel, out through your doorway, back into your body on the floor. Never skip the return. Wiggle your fingers and toes, feel the floor under your spine, and take a slow breath before you sit up.
8. Write it down immediately
Before coffee, before your phone. Write the whole thing in the present tense, including the parts that seemed unimportant. Journeys fade exactly like dreams, and the detail you dismiss today is often the one that makes sense in three weeks.
What if you see nothing at all?
That is normal, and it is almost never a sign that you cannot journey. In my experience the reason is nearly always one of a handful of ordinary things: trying too hard, an unclear intention, judging the images as they arrive, or simply being too tired.
- You are trying to force pictures. Some people journey through feeling or hearing rather than seeing. Ask yourself what you sense, not what you see.
- You are editing in real time. The thought “I’m just making this up” is the most common door-closer there is. Let it be made up. Follow it anyway. You can evaluate afterwards.
- Your intention was too broad. “Show me guidance about my life” gives you fog. “Show me what I need to release about my work” gives you something to hold.
- You are exhausted. Trance and sleep are neighbours. Journey when you are rested, not at midnight after a long day.
If it keeps happening, the piece you are missing is probably technique rather than talent — I have written a longer troubleshooting guide on what to do when a shamanic journey is not working.
How is journeying different from meditation?
Meditation quiets the inner world; journeying travels through it. In meditation you observe what arises and let it pass. In a journey you have somewhere to go, someone to meet, and a question to bring back. Both are valuable, and they support each other — but they are not the same practice, and confusing them is why many experienced meditators find their first journey oddly difficult. I unpack this in detail in shamanic journeying vs. meditation.
How do you build a real practice from here?
Journey once a week, to the same doorway, with one clear question each time — and keep the journal. Consistency does more than intensity. After eight or ten journeys the tunnel becomes familiar, your power animal becomes recognisable, and the answers start arriving faster than the drum.
If you would like to be taught this properly, with a live drum, guidance and people beside you, the Elements of Shamanism training walks you through the Lower World journey and the four practices that follow it, from your first journey to ancestral work — live or at your own pace.
Frequently asked questions
Is journeying to the Lower World dangerous?
No. The Lower World is not an underworld of punishment — it is the realm of animal helpers and earth wisdom, and it is considered the safest of the three worlds for beginners. Keep your intention clear, always return the way you came, and ground afterwards. If you live with a serious mental health condition, speak to your practitioner first; trance work is not a replacement for treatment.
How long should a Lower World journey last?
Fifteen to twenty minutes of drumming is ideal for beginners, plus a few minutes to settle and a few minutes to write. Longer journeys are not deeper journeys; most people’s attention naturally frays after about half an hour.
Do I need a real drum?
No. A good drumming recording with a callback works perfectly well, and most people start there. A live drum has a fuller, more physical quality — but that is a bonus, not a requirement.
What if a different animal appears each time?
That is common at the beginning. Use the fourfold test: ask the animal to show itself four times. The one that keeps returning across journeys is your power animal. Others may appear as passing helpers with a message for that day only.
Can I journey to the Lower World for someone else?
Yes, but only with their explicit permission, and only once you have a stable practice of your own. Journeying on behalf of another person is a core skill of practitioner work and is best learned with guidance rather than alone.
What is the difference between the Lower and Upper World?
You travel downward to the Lower World to meet animal spirits, ancestors and instinctive, body-rooted wisdom. You travel upward to the Upper World to meet teachers and guides in human or luminous form, for questions about meaning, purpose and perspective. Most practitioners learn the Lower World first.
