On a snowy Saturday night at the yoga shala there were 10 women ready for a shamanic journey. The women came as they were young and old. Danielle Wilkinson a shaman, our guide, led us through a mid world and lower world journey. As explained by Danielle, shamanism is an ancient tradition that is found throughout many cultures around the world. She uses drums in order to help us find a deeper connection to the "guided meditation" or journey helping to find our deeper selves and to heal what needs healing.
She first started with gentle rattles which preceded the loud steady drum beat that followed us throughout the journey. We were led to a mountain and suddenly we transformed and our body's melted into the earth becoming the mountain, taking on characteristics of the mountain and become strong, firm, unmoving and confident in the largeness of it. We were the place where many living things call home. We became larger than life, and then slowly, while learning from mother earth's teachings we transformed back into our human selves.
Our next adventure took us to a portal at the bottom of the mountain, and like Alice fell down the rabbit hole we also fell down the rabbit hole feeling roots and dirt as we slid down to middle earth. Soon finding and connecting with out Spirit Animal and guide, mine being a black wolf. We reconnected, found an emotional hug with our guides and danced like wild women. Our guides brought us to a fire which illuminated the faces of ancestors, descendants and loved ones. Everyone was so familiar yet some people were strangers. We were able to find and let go of the things in our lives that no longer served us, no longer was necessary to hold on to and our people helped collect these things and throw them into the fire which roared as it was let go. This bright yellow and orange illumination of the fire warmed our faces and helped heal the parts of us that we didn't know needed to be healed. My great grandmother stood tall and firm by the fire and we all joined hands to dance and circle around it, my spirit animal by my side the whole time. Somehow as the circle kept going 'round and 'round I lost my grip falling into and becoming the fire, swelling with heat and growing tall. As the fire rolls high and free I undulated up and down and grew side to side.
After a while, I slowly died down into hot ember and ash I suddenly accepted what I needed to let go of and used that ash to rebuild and sprout out of the hurt and pain that I only just burned away. Like a phoenix I was reborn from the ash and I transformed into myself again and walked to the people who formed the circle as it slowed down from its enchanting dance. I thanked my guides and followed my spirit animal away from the circle and back to the portal. With a long hug and sad wave goodbye I found myself spiraling against gravity hitting the same roots as when I came, back to the place at the bottom of the mountain. I soon found myself walking back towards the studio in which I came and melting back into my physical body lying on the purple jade mat on honey-colored bamboo floors. With a deep breath I was back; renewed and ready to tackle the next obstacle. Song of the wild.....
