Shamanic journeying is one of the oldest spiritual practices on the planet, and one of the most misunderstood. At its simplest, it is entering a state of trance in order to facilitate healing. But what that actually looks and feels like is far more open and flexible than most definitions suggest.
Most people come to shamanic journeying because something in their life has reached a point where the tools they already have aren't quite enough. That was true for me. I had years of deep practice with plant spirit relationships, prayer, and working with my medicine bundle before I ever needed to journey. But the tradition I was trained in was rooted in a specific geographic place, and once I came home to the United States, I no longer had access to the teachers, the land, or even some of the sacred materials that tradition depended on. My practice was real and my spirit relationships were alive, but I needed an additional way to receive information and connect with help that I couldn't access through prayer alone from a different country.
If you've ever traveled to learn from a living tradition, come home transformed, and then found yourself struggling to continue that practice in a place that doesn't support it, journeying may be what bridges that gap. It was for me.
That's one of the things people don't tell you: journeying isn't usually the first practice. It's the practice you find when you realize you need something more. And it often finds you through a problem, not through curiosity.
What does trance actually mean? It doesn't have to look like what you see in movies. There are journeys that go very deep. There are lighter journeys that are just as effective. There are light trance states that accomplish real work without ever leaving your living room floor. These aren't better or worse than each other. They're different types of experience, and which one you need depends on what you're doing and what the spirits are guiding.
What trance does require is a safe container. You want to be somewhere undisturbed for about fifteen to twenty minutes. Eyes closed, relaxed, not doing anything else. Sitting up or lying down, either works. You are not doing this while driving or multitasking. These are basic guardrails, and they matter because what you're doing is real.
One of the first things that helps is having a relationship with an animal spirit who can journey with you. This isn't required, but it's one of the most natural starting points. The animal spirit that works with you isn't one you choose. It's one that comes to you. You wait, you pay attention, and you see who shows up. This is why I offer a free guided journey to help you meet your animal spirit companion. I believe everyone should have access to this. A lot of practitioners charge significant money for this first step, and I don't think you should have to pay for the doorway.
Who tends to find this work? In my experience, people who are drawn to shamanic journeying are often energy healers, people who do ritual or ceremonial work either personally or professionally, astrologers, or people who would describe themselves as sensitive, highly empathic, or intuitive. Some are working with abilities that feel a little too active at the wrong times, maybe your energy body is doing things when you should be sleeping, or you're picking up heaviness from spaces or other people that you can't quite shake. Not everyone who journeys fits these descriptions, but if you recognize yourself in any of them, this work may be for you.
Shamanic journeying has been part of my practice across three living traditions for over fourteen years. It is not something I picked up casually or learned from a video. It was transmitted to me through trained teachers, deepened through years of sustained relationship with the spirits, and refined through more ceremonies, offerings, and trance sessions than I could count. I teach it because it changed my life, and because I've watched it change the lives of others in our community.
If this calls to you, the free animal spirit journey is a good place to start.