Journey

Following my interest in the link between imagination and self-evolution and how the realm of images has been expressed throughout the ages and never seems to disappear, I have explored practices that make us aware of the imaginal, the abstract space between mind and matter that contains all the symbolic understanding of human consciousness and that we, aware or unaware, continuously access to make sense of our surroundings. This is Jung’s collective unconscious, Plato’s anima mundi, and what shamanic traditions refer to with terms translating as “great mystery” or “source of being”. The imaginal is accessed through an introspection similar to daydreaming and an emotional connection to imagery and symbols that become sources of spiritual expression. In my first module with the Alef Trust, we studied the psychological effects of connecting to the Imaginal through a Jungian technique called Active Imagination, a practice that provides a powerful connection to the collective unconscious. A healthy engagement with the practice brought back a forgotten inner world that allowed me to create meaningful metaphors that surfaced or explained complex emotional and behavioural patterns, which I could better integrate and use more consciously in my daily life. A bit further into my course, Integrative Practice, revealed the importance of ritual for connecting with the imaginal and communicating energetically, which I am exploring through different practices that connect with the energetic body. One of these practices is shamanic journeying, a trance-like state in which shamans enter to visit their spiritual guides in the Otherworlds. They journey to the Underworld, the Middleworld, or the Upperworld, where they find power animals and teachers who provide the necessary guidance to assist with the community's spiritual needs. Shamanic cultures are fluent in energetic communication, and Shamans use intuition, emotional awareness and the power of ritual for healing.  Note that healing is not the same as curing; shamanic intervention can cure diseases through the body's natural self-regulatory function, but the focus of their practice is to create metaphors and rituals that bring comfort and a sense of meaning, allowing those who seek their help to accept and surrender with grace to fates that may not be changed.

Journeying has become popular in the West as a psychospiritual tool to communicate with the unconscious. Just as active imagination, it is the means to engage our creative spirit and let intuition guide us into meaningful engagement with our context. I found it natural to disappear into the Otherworlds and find inspiration there. Nevertheless, the ability to journey does not make me a shaman. Shamanic initiations require traditional ceremonies that include substances-induced trances within belief systems that I acknowledge with respect, recognising my lack of cultural acumen to fully understand the physical, emotional and spiritual implications of their traditions. Although my experience with energetic practices has been very positive, and I strongly recommend trying them, I would like to emphasise the need to understand them thoroughly and practice them with specialist support to integrate them fully.   Both active imagination and journeying, particularly if induced with psychedelics, may result in spiritual emergencies: emotional and physical reactions that could easily be diagnosed as psychosis of schizophrenia. Or may become an addiction and lose its profound meaning altogether.

1.      Drake, A. (2013). Indigenous shamanism and the Western mind. In C. Carson (ed.), Spirited medicine_ Shamanism in contemporary healthcare(17-28).

2.      Ingerman, S. (2013). Shamanic visioning: Connecting with spirit to transform your inner and outer worlds. Sounds True.

3.      Jung, C.G., Shamdasani, S. (2012). The red book: Liber Novus. A reader's edition. W. W. Northon & Company.

4.      Taylor, S. (2018). Spiritual Science. Watkins.