Mayan Shamanic Journeys: Part 1
Also see Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five
Writing up all the internal and external wonders of my shamanic journey to Guatemala is happening slowly. The integration is slow, gentle and joyful. It’s almost two weeks since my return and I have sung and danced everyday since! I think it will all come in parts and I’d like to start at the beginning, as we did.
These are two journeys John Perkins led us through the first day. I think these go hand in hand. It was important for us to be unburdened, open and free, to feel safe and to have the space to take in all the wonders and deep spiritual places our energies would go throughout the week. We all wanted to be open and allow the wisdom of Patchamama to teach us and enter our souls.
For the first journey we were asked to let go of all blockages and worries that could get in the way of us being open and to get rid of anything that could hinder our journey in anyway. Then we went straight into our second journey to find our heart spirit so that our hearts would feel protected and strong in order to open and receive the gifts that were waiting for us from the Mayan earth and cosmos. They are very specific energies! I see how these journeys needed to happen together for us. We needed to be clear in all ways in order to really have open hearts and minds – that’s the optimal way to embark on this kind of spiritual journey.
Both of these are partner journeys. Many of the journeys we did in general are very simple and it’s really up to you how deep you go and how far you allow your consciousness to open and explore the pure potentiality of you.
John used a hand drum during both these journeys, you can do it without a drum but it’s much better with one. There is something special about the tribal origins of drumming that our spirit innately reacts to in a positive primal way – it brings us deep, quickly.
Letting Go Journey
How Too:
We were asked to partner up and get comfortable and to make sure we were touching but not side-by-side. Some people sat in a meditative pose holding hands and others found creatibe ways but I was focused on my journey so my partner and I laid down with our feet touching – and throughout the journey we would adjust our feet and our legs connected, it felt natural and was not distracting at all. It was actually comforting because we both were on the same journey and it put us into harmony.
As John drummed he would encourage us with a word or sentence, only once in a while, like ‘find where your blockages are and let them release into the land’, ‘let your worries go’ etc. I know how simple this sounds but when you are in it lying on the ground with a partner and a group all having set the same intention and the drum is beating it’s amazing how powerful it becomes! I can’t wait to re-create this in a workshop!
My Journey
I said I wanted to let go of tension and anxiety and the earth came up to hug me deeply and a butterfly came to sit on me gently, it was as big as me and she was radiant as if her wings were irridecent, dragon like in a way. She seemed to be working on my front and back and I was just watching her and feeling all the worry and anxiety just melt away. My head got involved for a second of what do I do now, should I fly with her and the answer came immediately, ‘no, don’t rush just, be.’ so that’s what I did and then boom, my cosmic self showed up and she was beautiful, seemingly glowing and she reached out her hand to help me out of my old skin. I was new. Everything good in me just needed the clutter to clear so it could shine. I looked back at the old skin and it was a clump of clutter, which made me giggle a bit about why on earth was I carrying that around? I felt deep love and birds began to show up and I began to playfully fly and do loops around all the spirits that were with me and then I took my cosmic self into myself. I fully let her in, it felt amazing. So I’m feeling this blissful radiance and the big message came to me in thought and feeling – I realized I was not alone! I am not alone. Big for me. After we shared our experiences with our partner and tears were shed, but happy tears.
Retrieving Another’s Heart Spirit
How To:
The intent is to find your partners hearts spirit guide so that they, and you, would feel safe allowing all the amazing heart energy journeys and challenges we were about to be faced with. Oh sure finding someone else spirit guide, no pressure, lol. But John was very encouraging, the drum began beating and my new partner and I looked each other deeply in the eye and said, “we can do this” and we began.
You and your partner lay side-by-side holding hands. Once you clearly see your partners guide you squeeze their hand to gently let them know and you slowly sit up, eyes closed if possible and your partner continues to lay on the ground with their eyes still closed and you then blow the image of their heart guide into you hand(s), as if you are really holding it or at least its energy. Then you put your hand onto the center of your partners’ heart center (middle of chest) and you blow it into their heart with a big shamanic “shooooowosh” sound. You then quietly lay down again and wait until your partner finds your heart guide and she or he will do the same as above. You can choose to lie down again or just stay up and your partner joins you to share experiences.
My Journey
So there we are lying side-by-side, hand in hand on the semi grassy wet ground. John’s drums sounded louder this time – I could feel the earth reacting. My partner squeezed her hand first but I think we both had our images about the same time – even with all my energy medicine training and practice I was still surprised by how quickly we connected and found what the other needed. I surprisingly saw these green stalagmites with blurred yellow rings around them but they were facing away from her and I knew they needed to be turned around so I did that for her. I felt she was giving too much away on every level and that she wasn’t giving herself what she needed. Not surprisingly, at this point, she immediately confirmed what I saw and felt. It was a very loving moment.
For me she saw this big bird of pray show up. I immediately thought it would be an owl because I have flown with one in other journeys but she was clear it was an eagle. I have shapeshifted into birds a few times and let me clarify shapeshifting – yes there are indigenous mythologies of real physical form changes but I speak of energetic shapeshifting where you merge energetically with an animals or earth spirit – a talk for another time but you get it I’m sure. The meaning of why the bird came as my heart guide didn’t really sink in at first. Finally I realized it is almost always a bird that is flying me around in other journeys I’ve had and because one of my main lessons of this trip was to learn to open my heart the fierce bird of pray came to protect me. And the bird was there to show me it’s time for me to fly. That message has been coming for a while and after this trip I am ready. Lets fly!
And this folks was day 1….
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