Shamanic Trance Postures: A Visionary Path to the Sctastic Experience

Shamanism offers a way for people to become aware of their potential and begin to explore their spiritual relationship with the universe, with other life forms, and with each other. The experiences that come from shamanism help a person develop a deeper bond and respect for all creation, and from this perspective, they are likely to lead a vibrant life full of harmony and balance, and to foster understanding and understanding. optimism. The shamanic path is a way to experience this expanded view of the universe.

One of the central practices of shamanism has been defined as the journey of the spirit or trance. One of the ways to embark on this experience of expanded consciousness is what is called ‘the shamanic journey’. In this Journey, the shaman travels to the world of Spirits, (commonly known as the Upper and Lower Worlds), to communicate directly with the spirits that reside in the other realities. This is done for many reasons, for example, to receive guidance for healing, maintaining both the spiritual integrity of our own community and that of our community.

There are several ways to embark on a Spirit journey; These can be through dance, sleep, the teacher’s use of plants, and the adoption of certain specific physical postures. The latter is known as Shamanic Trance Postures and they are a method of achieving ecstatic trance and entering that place of both personal and collective vision.

The word ecstasy and ecstasy is used in its original meaning, which is based on the Greek ex-stasis, which means “outside of yourself,” outside of the everyday world. The ecstatic trance brings with it a change in our perception, a way of becoming aware of a reality outside the world of the ordinary and mundane. The trance allows us to perceive the continuum of life, from what has been called non-ordinary reality, a reality that has been known to coexist with our physical reality over time. Black Elk, the Lakota healer and great visionary whose life was recorded by John Neihardt in the 1930s, speaks of the “world where there is nothing but the spirits of all things. This is the real world behind it, and everything we see here is something like a shadow of that world. “

There are certain ancient art works, glyphs, carvings, cave paintings that are more than creative expressions of their culture. They are visual teachings for a specific ritual. These paintings and statues of the ancients represent people who adopt different body postures. Many of these body postures are ways of altering consciousness, visionary experiences, and a way to embark on a spiritual journey. There is a wide geographical distribution of Trance Postures, and there are indications that they belong to all cultures and traditions. These postures have been rediscovered by Dr. Felicitas Goodman after years of exhaustive research, and a full account has been documented in her truly outstanding and remarkable book ‘Where Spirits Ride the Wind’.

When a person adopts a specific posture as in one of the ancient artifacts, accompanied by a rhythmic sound, for example rattle or drum, the person can experience a vision that, while personal, is also posture specific. It is as if, personal as the vision may be, it fits into a coherent framework.

The ritual has great power in this reality; it is a way of combining the heart, mind, spirit and body in a single action and physical intention. Religions around the world have long recognized the importance of ritual. The ritual is a means of communication between the Spirits and us, it is a way in which the Spirits can cross from their world to ours. In Western society we have forgotten that ordinary reality and the other go together, they are two halves of a whole.

Ritual is a way to enhance and enhance the trance state, and is a gateway to safely contain, translate and guide an altered state of consciousness into a spiritual experience. Another way of saying this would be that a ritual carries an innate intention, a purpose.

Each of the Shamanic Trance Postures is itself a ritual, and is a ritual with such intrinsic qualities of accuracy and power that its goal is accomplished outside of the original cultural setting. This means that we, in contemporary Western society, can also participate successfully in shamanic trance postures.

To understand shamanic trance postures, they must be experienced directly, no amount of words can compensate for this. The best place to experience ecstatic trance states is in a workshop setting. This brings with it the guidance and support of the workshop facilitator and the collective energies of the group. Group power is important because it helps in terms of the focus of the ritual and provides direct and indirect feedback. Feedback is the way to obtain the unspeakable quality of trust. Trust is one of the pillars of this work, and the group provides validation from its own experience. Another important factor is that the power of the trance postures is magnified, as each person supports and is part of the collective visionary experience.

An exercise: the posture of Grandpa Bear Trance.

A powerful healing posture.

You can experience great energy, certain colors, a feeling of support and content in a loving and gentle way.

Stand with your feet parallel, about six inches apart, and your toes pointing forward. Your knees should be slightly bent, eliminating any stress on your lower back that would occur if your knees were locked. This pose is consistent for most standing poses.

Gently rotate both hands, as if you are holding a small egg in the palm of each hand. Position your hands so that your bent fingers form a high triangle over your belly button. The first joint of the index finger of each hand should be touched to form the apex of the triangle, with the thumbs resting opposite each other, not one on top of the other. Your upper arms can easily rest on either side of your body so that your elbows don’t stick out. With your eyes closed, tilt your head back as if you are looking at a point just above the line where the wall meets the ceiling. There may be a feeling of tension in the muscles at the back of your neck.

Feedback from people who have experienced the healing Trance Posture known as ‘Grandpa Bear’ in workshops.

“I have had a sore throat for some time. When I started the pose, I very quickly felt a warm energy cradle me from behind, which I saw in my mind as a big bear. I felt the bear ripping my throat with its claws and pulling out a heavy, thick material like mucus. This lasted for a few minutes, and then the bear blew heat down my throat and I began to see flashes of blue-violet colors all around me. When the trance pose ended, my throat cleared and my body felt like it was glowing. “

“My back felt like it was opening, and the metal plates that covered my spine opened up and pulled out of my back. When we finished, my back felt so much more flexible, I could even touch my toes, which It’s something I haven’t been able to do for quite some time. I’d forgotten how stiff my back had become. “