Article by Patti Deschaine
Shamanic Reiki is Reiki with a deep connection to nature, the elements, and spirit. Using a process called “journeying” the healer can access helping spirits who answer questions to provide insight into medical, physical or spiritual problems. A journey is meditative practice where the practitioner can visit spirit guides, ancestors and power animals to bring back messages of healing for themselves or others.
As part of a Reiki practice, many practitioners connect to spirit guides, ancestors, or angels to enhance and strengthen their healing. Shamanic Reiki takes this a step further. A journey is mindful meditation done to a drumbeat or while listening to a recorded drum track. The drum is a powerful tool as its vibration and frequency closely matches that of the earth’s vibration. In addition to drumming, a healer will often incorporate rattles, whistling, or singing as a way to quiet the mind of chatter and connect to spirit by way of the heart. An invocation to the elements and four directions will help create sacred space for the journey.
During a journey, meditation takes the healer to different energetic planes: the Upper, Middle and Lower Worlds. Here the healer can access information for their own use, or on behalf of a friend or client.
Just like connecting to energy in Usui Reiki, a journey is initiated by breath and by setting an intention. The intention is straightforward and simple. It expresses where the journey will take place and what the desired question or outcome is. An example would be: “I will journey to the Lower World to meet with my power animal to discover what is holding me back from a more spiritual existence.” A simpler beginner’s request would be: “I will journey to the Lower World to meet up with my power animal.” A power animal can be any animal or bird: a crow, a fox, a whale, a raccoon, rat or opossum. Spirit takes many forms and it is best not to judge a power animal by outward appearance. It is the message that the animal brings that is important and all have vital messages to share.
Image by h.koppdelaney
The Lower World resides at earth’s core and the journey will take the practitioner down through the layers of grass, dirt, tree roots, rock and finally, into a stream that will carry them to a beautiful garden. The garden is available to visit at any time. It is a place of peace and regeneration: to rest and recharge. In the Lower World, you may meet your power animal or another helping spirit who will offer wisdom and help you grow. You may discover old wounds that affect the choices you make today and by healing them, create a new and better way of life. The Upper World is the sky, the stars, the universe. Here you can seek a teacher or other helping spirit to answer questions you have, or meet a supportive ancestor. Ask how you can deepen your relationship with them. The Middle World is the world we are most familiar with. It is used to travel to places common to us in the world today. You may journey to a favorite spot in nature to commune with the spirit of the land that you live on or communicate with birds, animals and trees. It is even possible to visit a past or future event in the Middle World.
By connecting to teachers and guides in the Upper and Lower Worlds, we can gather information about past wounds obtained during our time here on earth, pain associated with traumatic events. We all have our share of wounds, blockages, limiting beliefs about ourselves, and journeying can assist with healing unreleased pain and removing blockages that hold us back from our true destiny. We may have old ideas that were passed on to us by family, teachers or bad experiences. Using journeying, we are able to identify and release them.
Soul Retrieval is an advanced method of healing through journeying. During times of trauma or pain, we may lose pieces of our essence, our soul, and the healing seeks to reunite the lost soul pieces, located and recorded in our chakras, with our spirit to create wholeness. You must have comprehensive training to perform a Soul Retrieval.
Shamanism and Reiki are, each by themselves, powerful ways to heal. Together, their power multiplies, and healing methods become available that aren’t accessible when used separately. This article is only a brief introduction of the world of Shamanic practice. If these ideas resonate with you, there are many great books available on this subject. You may also visit a practitioner and learn about how they practice, or find a qualified Shamanic teacher.
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Patti Deschaine
Patti Deschaine is a traditionally trained Usui Reiki Master, Lightarian Reiki Master, and owner of Maja Energy Works and Reiki Healing. She resides and practices in Wilmington, NC. She enjoys all types of Reiki and particularly loves using Reiki on animals. Patti can be found at MajaEnergyWorks.
When I was younger, while falling asleep, I always had the sensation of going down deeper into the earth, I could feel the slow movements of my steadily sinking. I was never afraid, it just felt so natural. I would get so far then jolt back on my bed. Because I had no one to speak to about this, it eventually stopped. Now at 60 I have “found”, myself again, yet I cannot manifest this! I am Jikiden Reiki Level 5 Practioner Thank you!
So how can Reiki and Shamanism work together. Did I miss that in the article. I’ve been reading and studying Shamanism for months. I’m currently Reiki Level II certified. I love both and would love to incorporate them. I’d hoped this article would describe how, but I’m not seeing it.
Reiki can be used in conjunction with almost any modality or belief structure, however it can be a very personal thing and therefore unique to each practitioner. Since shamanism has many facets and global shamanism even more ….it would be difficult to go into great detail in one short article.
I have been a reiki practitioner since the late 80’s, and shortly afterward “discovered” shamanism too.
The author of this article was saying, basically that you can use reiki in traditional ways, but also one can include other techniques, such as journeying, to add other elements to a healing practice. Strictly speaking, spirit guides are not part of traditional reiki but many add that to instruction or to their own personal healing and daily routines.
My thought here, is to expand on what is possible for yourself. If you are a methodical person, then use very traditional methods (like symbols for example) but if you already work with spirit guides, then ask them about how better to heal yourself and others. Or if you are drawn to the use of crystals, or to flower essences etc etc, then incorporate that into your healing routines.
Does that help at all?
I agree GlennHAZ. I am a RMT and also have been doing Shamanic Breath-work and Journey work for years. I don’t see in the article where these two healing modalities have anything to do with each other. This was a good article on Shamanic Breath-working and Journeying but has little to do with Usui Reiki 🙁
I’ve retreived some of my soul fragments and I’m not highly “trained”. It’s an amazing experience :). I do have my Reiki Master level and I use Reiki in most everything I do. I have never had a problem with retrieval, although I have never attempted to do so with anyone other than myself.
Interesting article though. Thanks
I have found that reiki seems to flow even stronger during a rattling and or drumming session. Distance work benefits from working in trance state. I go to my little healing hut in my high valley on the other side of the vale and visualize my patient laying on the bench where I proceed to do a reiki session. I have been working with a Haweian method of going in to trance state while working with clients on the bench. You point your eyes up towards the top center of the bridge of your nose until you feel them shift to the outside corners of your eyebrows while visualizing your tunnel to the other side. Adding reiki to your shaman tools helps to make them better power objects. Just like charging crystals.
Also, the drum, is not just connected to the earth, but the drum resonates to the human heart beat as well, this is what I’ve been told by every native I have been honoured to learn from in the last 4 months, here in Ontario, Canada. I have been learning more about my background then what my mother or grandmother can share with me. With my journeys, I use the long distance symbol to connect with the kukums and musums of my ancestry line. Musum has honoured me with his words and when I use my reiki skills on people I work with.
I actually just dumped my old business idea Monday evening, and changed it to focus on a more shamaniac path. perfect timing.
Thank you for the drum idea! I am urged to get one now.
I am studying shamanism alone by myself: by book learning. I need to learn to better protect myself from a coven of evil voodoo workers whom know me but I do not know all of them whom they are.My last husband was into very dark black magic and extremely pitch black voodoo. I have never been to these peoples’ coven meetings or etc. I have had curses to evil doll workings placed on me by these people. I am already a gifted person; which now I am struggling keep what I had and to study more into this spiritual healing field. I can hand and non-touch energy healing a person in body and out of body. Because I can do this; there are those whom are physically battling me over all my God given gifts: LITERALLY!! ONE man especially has even been selling my female sexual body parts, my gifts, trying to sacrafice me out of body calling me his personal Lwaz slave ready to be killed and die and totally harrass me both night and day even having seasances and etc to find my power names and etc about my personal life, family history,(I am not an EVIL person nor do I live like these horrible entitled soul-destroying people do) family background and such. I am not willing to co-operate with these dispicable lower level parasitic being. It can not even stand on its own legs, help its self to even feed itself and looks like between a giant slug and a spider with a man’s head on its shoulders. They WORSHIP this this THING!!!! The things that this being tries to get me to do is both evil, disgusting and unbelievable. All because they do not have what God gave me in their back pockets. I will never WORSHIP OR SERVE such a creature or them. These people have NO RESPECT of anyone and not really even themselves. I serve only GOOD and JESUS> any help that I can get would be appreciated extremely. I would love to get to the place that they no longer bother me AND I STILL HAVE ALL GIFTS OPERATING AND FUNCTIONING PROPERLY> PLEASE HELP> THANKS>
Bidden en nog eens bidden met heel je hart . 3 x onze vader en 3 wees gegroet maria . Zet je zelf in fel heilig licht van God en vraag bescherming. Reinig je huis met witte salie en vraag hulp aan God en de engelen om je te beschermen.
Ik leef met je mee .