Spirit-journeys into elemental realms, A few questions Options

Hello all,

As I mentioned in the "Faerie Tales" thread, my partner has been making some incredible contact with the elemental/nature-spirit realm. Usually, though, its been with the fauns, or in-dwelling tree spirits.

Recently, however, she was taken into the slyph's plane. I wanted very much to see if we could communicate with the dwarves or gnomes (BTW, are they the same? Are they both Earth elementals?), so instead of touching a tree, I urged her to lay against a large stone or boulder. There are a few questions I want to ask about the sylphs, but first, I also have a few questions concerning the Earth elementals.

The first time with a rock was very interesting. A downward flow of energy (as opposed to the downward-spiralling energy in the root-system of a tree that always preceeds any tree-spirit communication) was the first thing felt, and then there were a few things that occurred, that I won’t go into here, which led us to believe that perhaps large stones and boulders can be used as a sort of long-distance communication portal, with each stone and rock on the planet being connected to all others through the Earth, the Earth being a large stone unto itself. Has anyone else ever felt something similar?

Anyway, as we have yet to make succesful contact with the Earth elementals, I wanted to ask if anyone knows another way to make contact besides stone. I thought perhaps that the dwarves would be in-dwelling like the tree-spirits, but perhaps not, or its just not time yet, but we will try again with the stone (something tells me it was her physical position the second time that led to contact with the sylphs). Also, there is a large pit on top of the Mt. here, with a deep and narrow crack in the earth. But I’ve always felt that that was an entrance to the underworld, and not to the Earth elemental realm (in warmer weather, we plan to hike up to that and she will try making a spirit-journey into the small chasm there). Does anyone know how the two planes are related? In my head, I keep associating the two, but then remind myself that they are probably different.

The second time, she laid down on a different boulder, belly up, facing the sky, and was taken to the realm of the sylphs. As usual, there was a vision of the flowing of energy, but this time, it was an upward rush of billions of particles that she was carried on. The story she relayed afterward was incredible. What was really amazing was that she encountered her own sort of personal sylph (which helped her get back to her body when she got stuck in this one place), like it is a part of her, or is somehow always connected to her, even though it resides on another plane.

Afterwards, I thought that if she sought it out again, and asked for its name, she could always ask it for assistance whenever she needed. What also came to mind was to have it come into a magickal instrument, like a dagger, so she could use it when she needed. But she wasn’t keen on that. She said she wanted to let it be free, and not trap or dominate it, CM style. She could however, invite it, and ask it if it wanted to come into the dagger, but that it was free to leave if it wanted to. My question concerning this, is how useful the sylph would be in other planes. If she went into the Earth elemental plane, would the sylph have no real power or influence there? What about the underworld? Could it be any assistance to her there? I’ve read about shamans bringing magical tools and spirit-helpers with them when they journey. However, book-knowledge only brings inspiration and ideas, but not any real understanding.

Is it possible to “invite” a sylph into a tool, yet still allow it to be free? And what would be the benefit of it as opposed to just letting it remain in its realm? Sorry for all the different questions, but even though I’ve been studying the occult and shamanism for a long time, I realize I know nothing when it comes to the real thing.

(Man…the envy I feel…that she can just go there whenever she wants. And the weird thing is, I’m the keener about it all. She’s willing, but she’s not obsessed like I am, which I guess is a good thing (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) ).

Greetings!
Hiya "newbie".... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)
Please don't confuse dwarves with gnomes....dwarves are height-challenged humans and 'gnomes' are of the elemental realms of Earth (at least, according to Paracelsus) The Gnomes I've had the honor to become familiar with do not really look humanoid though they can take the appropriate shape when pressed. In shamanic practice that I have been acquainted with (I learned through a combination of Michael Harners School and the Caitlin/John Matthews Celtic Shamanism method(s)) the interaction of the elementals and humans tends to be a very personal thing...not necessarily following a set guide. Brennans book "Astral Doorways" gives good accounting of some of their experiments with the devic worlds. (check out any literature about Scotlands Findhorn for further fun reading)...ooops! and also Bardons 2nd book about Evocation...fantastic!
IMHO, Gnomes (and other elementals) are best approached whilst in their native habitat. Though once communication has been established your ideas about standing stones/rocks can be very good 'doorways' or communication ports. Gnomes like deepearth things and are found more readily in subterranean surroundings (caves, mounds, etc.) I once had great fun by getting the nature spirits in the garden and woods to introduce me to a gnome. The Gnome was alittle put out by all the 'lightness' of energies surrounding it, preferring, instead, the more denser vibrations of their realm. He looked more like a slumping mass of clay rather than the oft humanlike visage portrayed in faerietales!
I agree with your partners reluctance to have a sylph take up residence in a dagger. From what I can ascertain they are very difficult to deal with! Very beautiful, very willfull... The easiest elementals are the Salamanders and a few of the nymphs (woodland variety)! Gods I could go on all night about this...*sigh*
Anyway, try either caves or mounds or even deep, deserted basements below ground level for gnomes. Avoid sunlight...not that they don't like it but you'll end up more likely with other devic creatures and sylphs. Try to make sure that you slow and lower your vibes down and wait for them to come to you. They all have a natural curiosity about multielemental types...remember to show reverance to the element involved...don't pollute! Stones can and are used to communicate but there are some stones that are 'dead' and others that have been altered to work towards different purposes! Spirit helpers can and do go with you by their own choice. But now we're covering vast amounts of territory and experience. Got the next couple of years? I certainly have the time if you're interested! (I don't get to talk with people on similar paths as mine... and I'm abit happy (overbearing) to find them!)

(Man…the envy I feel…that she can just go there whenever she wants. And the weird thing is, I’m the keener about it all. She’s willing, but she’s not obsessed like I am, which I guess is a good thing  ).

You have the potential for the shamanic path...right? I can see how your mind works like a magician but you can do this stuff if you wanted to. Why not? You each approach the subject matter by different paths but there is no good reason to sit on the sidelines (unless you are comfortable there). Wizarding blends abit of the Shaman with the Magician. Go for it! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wizard.gif)
PS Happy Solstice!

This post has been edited by bym: Dec 20 2005, 10:24 PM

Greetings Bym!

I could go on all night about this too! I am so excited by my partner’s talents, that she sometimes finds me overbearing too ( “let’s go do this, let’s go do that!”) LOL! It’s like doing fieldwork in an unexplored branch of science. So it is really wonderful to find another along the same path.

And, well, I do hear the voice of truth when you say that it is possible for me to go there too. My partner says the same thing to me. But, man, whenever I lean my head and hands against a tree for five minutes, the only thing I come away with is a mark on my forehead! However, I am definitely not comfortable on the sidelines. I think I must have some kind of block, which I am working through by daily practice.

But whatver potential I may have, I feel that Elizabeth, my partner, is a very special case. She has come over on the other side of a tormenting scizophrania that was, in truth, the other reality begging her to pay attention to it. Allow me please to explain a little of her story for you.

When I first met her, she was plagued by these horrid attacks that had been going on for many years, where she would feel like there was within her “a hurricane of whirling razor blades” (also, other stuff that had been going on since she was young – audio and visual halluinations, and odd sensations like the feeling of disappearing, etc.). This immense pain, and the feeling like she was being pulled out of her skin. She said it took everything she had just to stay “here” in order to be responsible and be there for her kids.

So I intuited that what must be happening was that the other reality, the spirit world, had been forcibly inviting her into its arms, and her resistance and fear was the thing that was generating so much of her pain. The classic shamanic illness, unfortunately diagnosed as schizophrania in our ignorant culture. So I told her what I believed, and I assured her that if she left this reality, she would indeed be able to come back, so there was really nothing to fear. Just let go. As you can imagine, this was difficult advice for her to follow.

But finally, on one night, we lay down in bed, and I put on some music. It was Steve Roach’s Kiva, and it immediately triggered an attack. She told me later that after a minute of its playing, she was about to tell me to shut it off, but then decided to go with what I said, and try to relax into the experience. After a few moments of sheer terror, she came out the other side of it and found herself floating in an endless expanse of blissful euphoria.

After that, she was like an iceburg that had been held beneath the water, and once released, flew out above the surface. She tranced so often, it was almost a daily occurance. When she mellowed out, we discovered, through that time I discussed in the “Faerie Tale” thread, that it was no longer an involuntary capacity. And even with being on the sidelines, it is still like finding a door into the Secret Garden. I am really so happy that she is letting this part of herself out, and that we are sharing it together.


Anyway, I really could go on about this all night. I’ll have to look up Astral Doorways. Never heard of it. But The Magic of Findhorn had a tremendous and critical impact on both of us, and helped her let go of a lot of her doubts that it really was real, and not some imaginary silliness. But that is the only book on Findhorn we’ve read, so I’ll have to do some more research there. My favorite, so far, is Marco Pogacnik’s Nature Spirits and Elemental Beings. That effected me even more that the Findhorn book. It is a bit dense, his writing style is a tad chaotic, and its not very well put together, but it is still quite amazing.

I have a lot more to go on about, but I’ll leave it there for now. Thanks for the info on gnomes. It confirmed what I intuited, that the pit on top of the mountain here would be ideal for contacting them.

Where we are a bit lost though, is how to create a relationship that would benefit both the elementals and ourselves, and how to utilize this contact to better ourselves and our lives. Findhorn had a garden that gave them a place to work with the Devas and other spirits. Unfortunately, neither of us have any green thumbs. What I believe is that we need to somehow make contact with a Deva (which would be amazing), but what I am really thrilled about is the possibility of meeting Pan, and forming a connection with Him. But I am still unsure of how to do this, and also of carrying this into our everyday lives. So what is your experience with that?

Okay, okay, I have to go to bed now. Elizabeth is dragging me away. We've been packing and moving all day. I really look forward talking with you more on this. And I wish you well.