Journeying into the lower world on my very first shamanic journey, I found myself lying in a shallow earth trench the size of my body. As I looked up, I saw all the forest animals curiously peering over the edge of the trench at me, wanting to see who had arrived there. What a warm and innocent greeting. They won my heart over instantly and I permanently reconnected with this wise and loving crew.
– June Konopka
Exploring Animal Archetypes
The animal archetypes that live in our subconscious are powerful teachers and guides. They may approach us in physical form, in dreams, medicine cards, or in shamanic journeys. It is up to us, though, to develop the relationship with them by inviting them to work with us, learning their habits 
and preferred foods, spending time in their habitats, pretending to be them, making offerings to them, and creating sacred spaces, objects, and pictures for the animals to show up in. Explore their presence in your life. They can guide you in your shamanic journeys, provide healing, and lend you certain qualities when you need them the most in your daily life.
“The shamanic path is the way of the heart, the brave and courageous way of moving into the battlefield of life with nothing but an open heart.” …. Katherine Skaggs
Body-centered Shamanic Journeying
In a safe and sacred place, our conscious awareness can be brought to material buried deep in the body/psyche through this type of Shamanic journeying. This can create short-cuts to healing. Solutions and new possibilities come for long-time dilemmas from a deep intuitive intelligence inside. Lost parts of ourselves are found and retrieved. Friends and allies of the other world are reconnected with us. Our strong intention directs the outcome.
Ceremonies and Invocations
Setting intentions for our life through ceremony and invocations is a powerful way to let our subconscious and otherworldly helpers know what we want. Often times our conscious mind and subconscious mind are at odds with each other. Ceremony and ritual act out what we want to happen, so our subconscious gets the message and changes its direction to match our conscious imagination. Our subconscious responds to collages, pictures, physical objects, color, art, symbolic action, and clear strong words. Ceremony is also a great way to express our gratitude for the support and abundance we experience in life.
Shamanic Healing
Most Shamanic healing contains two aspects. One part serves to break up dense, stuck energy in the energy field. The other part re-enlivens the original energetic blueprint of a person’s field. Many tools and methods are available. A shamanic healing may include drums, rattles, songs, fragrances, and creatiing a despacho , but in general the actual healing occurs through the combination of human intention and Divine intervention.
Shamanic healing can be very quick and deeply trans-formative. Or, it can stir the core of an issue without the person even feeling like anything has happened. Then, over time, the transformation unfolds and new freedom and possibilities become a part of their life. Either way, by making the unseen world (which includes our own subconscious) a partner and helper in healing and change, more power and wisdom is available for transformation.
My 3 year shamanic apprenticeship in the Pachakuti Mesa Tradition of cross-cultural shamanism was taught by don Oscar Miro-Quesada. For more information on Oscar’s teachings go to www.heartofthehealer.org .