Dealing With Entities Shamanically, Using a wiccan spell on an Otherworld Journey Options

Hello,

I have been practising Shamanism since I was approximately 8. It began with a book I bought with money from my mom (who probably wishes she hadn't given me it (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) ) I am pretty experienced with journeying, at least to the Upper World, but I've avoided the Middle and Lower Worlds because of the entities that can be experienced there.

Maybe I'm more leary about the Middle World than I ought to be, but after an experience there when I was twelve (I'm now 21) I've not ventured back. I came upon a large wraith-like creature that tried to attack me. Fortunately I had my Spirit Guide with me, Redtailed Hawk, who protected me at the time. I wasn't 'off' for more than week after that.

I'm a lot older now, and I think I really need to go back, but I want to be prepared this time.

On a journey, how would you protect yourself? I'm begining down another path, Wicca, presently too, and I have hope that it might give me tools to confront entities like the one who attacked me.

Is it possible to use a spell while on a journey to protect myself should I have a repeat encounter? I worry that my fear will draw them to me (sort of a never-ending cycle huh? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) )

Does anyone have experience with these sorts of things? Combining Wicca and Shamanism isn't something I have any experience in.

Would it be possible to create a servitor (or maybe summon an entity I could control enough) to use for protection? Maybe my view of the Middle World is flawed by an experience a long time ago; Am I expecting it to be more violent than it is, or is it fairly accurate that when venturing in the Middle and Lower Worlds it is wise to have protection? I feel like I've lost trust in Spirit Guides- not that they aren't great at answering questions- I just worry about their ability to keep my soul safe, and feel a need to learn to do so myself.

I also have this ill-advised urge to search out buggers like the one who nearly got me so they can't do the same to anyone else. Sounds like a good way to get in trouble huh? I always gotta keep my mind away from bad ideas like that.

Thanks!

Hamilton

This post has been edited by Hamilton: Sep 13 2006, 08:59 PM

Just me, but a well accustomed astral circle can have a real buffering effect. Fear is the thing that will provide the best access to you from the "worst" critters you'd meet

Spend some time in the higher world, until your well resonant with those high vibrations . . . then sink lower. It can help to have a clear/recent "visceral" memory of the high vibrations. Many of the lower entities won't even investigate it.
They're honestly scared of those vibrations, and try to impose fear on you to keep you at a harmonic closer to thiers (in essence, bleeding you)

Try establishing a repore with very "high" entities just before sinking, specifically to help/watch-over.

(do you practice some form of conscience-raising prior to journeying?)

This post has been edited by palindroem: Sep 14 2006, 03:47 PM

Greetings!
Well....it appears that you've started dealing with certain journey aspects alittle ahead of time and without proper guidance. The normal/average beginning in shamanic journey work is established in the middle or lowrer worlds where you usually are connected with a spirit 'guide' or power animal. It is with working with this spirit that you learn to encounter and deal with the various denizens of the shamanic worlds. There is no direct corrolation with the shamanic journey world and a magicians pathworking or even the astral. There can be obnoxious encounters on ANY world but to live in one to the exclusion of the others is to severely curtail yourself! R.T.Hawk will guide you though you may wish to have others with you when you journey until you feel safer. Are there any drumming circles in your area?
Shamanic technique can prove to be invaluable in the study of magic and I wish you well...You most likely already have the info necessary to continue...now get out there and Dance your animal and go for a walk in the middle world...or have Hawk show you his home in the lower world. Tell him to take you to 'safe' areas! Good Luck! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

PS Yes you can cast spells in journey but your Hawk should be able to protect you. Fear can be healthy or it can cripple you. Start out with baby steps. You will soon gain conifidence! Shamanic technique will blend very well with your new Wiccan beliefs. Stay away from the Wild Hunt!

This post has been edited by bym: Sep 15 2006, 08:21 AM

Thanks for your help. I was once told that the lower world is free of negative energies/entities. It surprized me to hear it said, but alas... The way I was taught to work with the worlds was based upon a 'world map' that I think is quite different from most. Maybe not.

I was taught to view the worlds like this:

Upper world: The Sky (or Heavens). Very "spiritual" both in terms of surroundings and the entities present. Perhaps instead of spiritual I should have used "ethereal." It's a better word. This was always the place I was taught to go for help with divination and problem solving. You see the furthest when you sit on top of the world!

Middle World: "Earth." If I had used the tree model, I suppose this would have been the trunk... I've always conceptualized it as basically being like our world, minus the buildings. In my limited travels here I've found cities, but not much like ours. Besides the Wraith-like bugger (which according my understanding, belongs in the Upper World [and possibly the lower], and likely was banished or somehow 'fell'- why else drop energy levels?). This is where, according my teachings, the gnomes, fairies, giants, and a lot of the 'fictional' beings reside. My teachings have generally established this as a safe place- assuming I don't aggravate any of it's denizens.

Lower World: "RIvers." My conceptualization of the Lower World has always been that it was basically a few rivers and nothing more. Geographically at least. I've always understood it to be basically various 'rivers of souls'- one a river of fire, the other, placid, slow-moving and warm. I've always thought that everyone who dies goes there, floating through whichever river they'd Karmic-ally earned before reaching the end of it to be reincarnated or simply snuffed out. On the river of fire (I suppose it would be Acheron, correct?), also the various malign entities ended up after they were 'killed' and so it wasn't a safe place to go visit under almost any circumstances, as they almost certainly weren't going to allow themselves to be taken downstream peacefully. The other river, I suppose it would be named Styx, which was typically peaceful and provided the oppurtunity for those needed to know things from the past- as long as they could find the right soul to ask.

Does anyone else use this model of the OtherWorlds? I had a teacher, for about a year before he died, who taught me it. He had a name for the model but I can't recall. I've found it very useful. If anyone has the name for it, I'd love to hear it. I don't even know which culture it's taken from, if any. The river's names are simply ones I've attached. I'm sure he had different names for them, but they seem to fit well with other cultures river-of-souls name's. I think it might be australian (no idea how he would have learned it) because when I recently read the Garth Nix "Abhorsen Trilogy" there were some similarities with the way the Lower World worked (no others were mentioned). He simply termed it "Death" and divided the river of Death into Nine Gates, each one with different obstacles to trick the necromancer into falling in and being sucked through to the end. Certainly fictional, of course, and there're some major disagreements (his one river vs. my understanding of two), but all in all, it seems awfully similar. I know there's a Shamanic tradition among the aborigines, so perhaps Nix and my teacher both borrowed some things they liked from it? Who knows.

Hamilton

i don't know much about shamanism. which is something i regret because i would like to learn more about it.
Could you be so kind to direct me to some good sources for learning about it. Perhaps some books i can buy or something.

It would be greatly apreciated (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

anyways, i find your model of the rivers higly interesting, but since i do not know much about shamanism, i cannot say that i hear of it before.
It seems plausible enough though.

Hamilton,
I've used something similar to the 'Rivers' in my journeywork (hell, I have a river in front of the house) but also one that I refer to as the World Tree. It has decided Norse overtones (though I don't even pretend to know anything about the Norse or the Asatru) by using a very Yggdrasil figure. Whatever your schtick...
A Smoking Fox,
My primary source for ny shamanic technique was learned initially from a book by Michael Harner called "The Way of the Shaman", then followed up with many interactions with his Shamanic Institute of North America and his various students. I don't know if he is still teaching but his method is alive and well (and very effective)!

Shamanic technique can be a very useful tool or path in the study of magic. I'd be abit careful about adopting the title unless you are prepared to take up the responsibility of ministering to your community! Knowing and utilizing shamanic technique is one thing...being a Shaman can be a very different 'ball of wax'! Happy Trails!