Getting There and Back Again A NeoShaman's Guide to The Underworld Experience               by Kenn Deigh Is It Real? One of the most frequently asked questions about all this "Traveling" about in "other realms" in altered states of consciousness – loosely referred to as Shamanic Journeying – is also the most useless:  "Is it real?"  Imagine that you live and work in Cincinnati, and you take a month's vacation to Tibet.  While there you see all sorts of marvelous things that you never imagined existed, as well as some relatively familiar things that you might have seen "back home".  Now imagine that upon returning from your incredible journey all your friends want to know is not how wonderful it was, not how strange and unusual the people and the scenery were, but "was it Ohio?" While it's obvious that this question is absurd, most people don't realize that the question of "is it real' is equally so.  What you are asking is – in effect – does it conform to my ordinary experience, which obviously it does not.  But you are also asking, is it an experience of valid, irreducible phenomena whose effects have a real and lasting impact on your life – and the answer to that is a resounding "yes!" The experience of the Underworld is real, if for no other reason than that it has a very real effect on every person who has an authentic experience within its realms. Is it a place?  Not in the way we think of "place".  Rather it is in between places, and beyond the Inner World you know.  If you begin to think of different states of consciousness as "places", you begin to get the picture.  If you've ever done a creative visualization, or been hypnotized in order to look into your own mind, this is the doorway to the Underworld.  Keep on going from there and that's where you will end up...but don't start just yet.  It's better to have a very clear idea of what you're in for.  In terms of a Shamanic map, the Underworld is one of the three realms that make up the whole of the multiverse.  These three are the Upper World, usually associated with celestial vistas and the realms beyond the merely human; the Middle World, which is sort of a mirror image of our own earth; and, the Lower World or Underworld, which is associated with everything from spirits of the departed ancestors to chthonic creatures of the Deep.  In a very real way, you are your own doorway into the Underworld.  It is your state of consciousness which allows you access to the Deep; your own mind, body and spirit which create the shamanic body that moves into that other world. Getting There Okay.  It's not really as easy as it sounds.  And that's good, because it is a lot more dangerous than it sounds.  While the basic theory is quite simple, it takes a lot of work to be able to master the necessary focus to effectively move yourself from one state of consciousness to another at will, while remaining completely aware.  Most people lose awareness as they move into shamanic state, and end up going to sleep.  Probably just as well.  The reason they do this is that their consciousness is unstable in these other places.  It's like being a disembodied ghost.  So what do you do?  Why, you build yourself a body. To create your Shamanic form or body, you begin with your intention. Your intention is to create a spiritual double that will journey into the Underworld, while your physical body remains in its accustomed locale.   It is easiest to have it look as much as possible like your physical body, simply because that's what you are used to identifying with, and you will want to be able to identify with this body even under stressful circumstances.  You create the foundation of this body through the use of your imagination; clearly visualizing what it will look like; then you feed the body on energy drawn from whatever source you find appropriate, and then sent through your own nervous system.  If you don't know how to raise energy and move it through your own body, then you've no business messing about in the Underworld, so I won't go into greater detail here. Granted, there are some people who seem to have a ready–made Shamanic double already formed.  This may be due to the rigors of their life, or perhaps to work done in some previous existence.  Still, I recommend creating your Traveling Form from scratch, if only to know it better.  Once you have developed your Shamanic Body, you will want to be able to move into and out of it at will.  You can practice this by entering Stillness; imagining your double as an image in a mirror, your heart centers connected by a strand of light.  Then allow yourself to move along the strand to enter the double.  Feel yourself as completely IN that other body as possible.  Turn your attention back into the "mirror" and see your physical body there.  Now move back through the mirror again.  Once you have become adept at the transfer, spend some time getting used to feeling sensations through this new form.  These senses may be indistinct at first, and it is doubtful that you will lose all sensation of your physical body, but with practice you should be able to get a clear sense of what your double is experiencing.  Now get up and move around in the body.  Practice moving, stretching, dancing, running, even flying.  When you feel completely comfortable in your Shamanic Body, then you are ready to move on.  As I mentioned earlier, your first step on the path to the Underworld is through your own self – and something called Stillness.  Enter Stillness first.  Move into Shamanic Form, then continue in Stillness IN that other body.  Find the portal that lies at the epicenter of your Shamanic Body, and move through that door.  You will find yourself in the same inner world that you visit in creative visualizations.  Move through this place, seeking the boundary between what is you, and what lies beyond.  You will recognize it when you find it.  Then, go ahead.  Jump!                                                                                                     Continued... 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