Journeying is the heart of all shamanic practice: carried by the steady beat of a drum, you travel your inner landscape into the spirit world — to meet your power animal, receive guidance, and return with healing. Gently, safely, and fully awake.
✓ Substance-free — carried by the drum · ✓ You stay aware & in control · ✓ Practiced for 40,000+ years
A shamanic journey is a gentle shift of consciousness. Guided by a drumbeat of around 4–7 beats per second, your brain settles into a relaxed theta state — the same soft, dreamy state you pass through every night just before sleep. In this state, your inner landscape opens: you can travel to the Lower World to meet your power animal, or to the Upper World to meet your teachers. You remain awake, aware, and free to return at any moment — the journey unfolds with you, at your pace.
Tradition calls the drum "the horse of the shaman." Its monotonous rhythm gives your everyday mind something to rest on — so your deeper perception can open.
Every journey begins with a clear, simple intention: "I journey to the Lower World to meet my power animal." The intention is your compass — it decides where you travel and why.
A journey ends with a callback: a change in the drum rhythm that gently signals it's time to return. You retrace your path, thank your spirits, and open your eyes.
This is the classic first journey I guide my students through — simple, safe, and beautiful.
Find a quiet place where you won't be disturbed. Dim the light, lie down or sit comfortably, and cover your eyes if you like. Then set your intention, clearly and simply: "I journey to the Lower World to meet my power animal."
Play a shamanic drumming track of 15–20 minutes with a callback, or have someone drum for you — a steady rhythm of about 4–7 beats per second. Let your breath deepen and your body soften.
In your inner landscape, go to a place in nature you know and love. Look for a way that leads downward — the roots of a tree, a cave, a spring, a hollow in the earth. Enter it, and let yourself be carried down until you arrive in a landscape: the Lower World.
Look around with soft attention. When an animal appears, ask gently: "Are you my power animal?" A power animal often shows itself several times or radiates a feeling of warmth and familiarity. Spend time together. Ask your question. Listen.
When the callback sounds, thank your power animal, retrace your path, and come back through your entrance. Wiggle your fingers and toes, open your eyes — and write everything down immediately. Journey memories fade like dreams, and your journal becomes your greatest teacher over time.
This is the most important thing I tell every beginner: nothing happens to you in a journey — everything happens with you. You can open your eyes at any moment. You can return whenever you choose. The theta state is a natural, everyday state of your own mind, and your power animal's first task is your protection. With a clear intention, a callback, and a little guidance, journeying is one of the gentlest spiritual practices there is.
Journeys speak in many languages — and none is better than another:
Some people experience vivid inner movies: landscapes, colors, animals in rich detail. Beautiful — but not required.
Many perceive through the body and heart: a warmth, a presence, a sudden clear knowing. These subtle impressions are just as real and just as true.
Words, songs, sounds, or a quiet inner voice. With practice, your personal way of perceiving becomes clearer, richer, and easier to trust.
And if your first journey feels like "nothing happened"? That's normal too. The door opens a little wider every time. Be patient and loving with yourself — this is a practice, not a performance.
Curious which animal might be waiting for you? Explore the free A–Z Spirit Animal Guide — and let the Power Animal Finder guide you to yours.
In Module 1 of the Elements of Shamanism, I personally guide you into your first journeys — live, step by step, in a warm circle. Next start: July 18–19, 2026.
Journeying is step one of five. See how the full shamanic path unfolds in the beginner's guide.
I had my first shamanic visions as a child, suppressed them for years, and finally left the corporate world when life called me back. I've trained in shamanic lineages from Siberia to Mongolia and North America — and as a Certified NLP Trainer (Society of NLP), trained directly by NLP co-founder Dr. Richard Bandler, I bring a deep understanding of the subconscious mind and hypnosis into everything I teach. Ancient practice and modern psychology — bridged with heart.
"The forest whispers, the waves dance, the mountains stand silent — if you listen closely, you can hear the wisdom of your spirit guides, leading you with gentle paws and soaring wings."
Take your first journey with someone holding the space for you — gently, safely, and at your own pace.
Journey With Me – Module 1Next Live Training: July 18–19, 2026 · No prior experience needed
