Journeying Between the Worlds

by Eagle Skyfire

  Acquiring a Drum

  Since we are on the subject of drums and rattles, I figured I should address that here. After you have been Walking on this path for a bit, there will come a time when you will want your own drum or rattle. I frequently get asked several questions, so I would like to answer them here. Although it does make it more powerful and personal, you do not need to make the drum yourself. If you come across an instructor who knows how to make traditional Native American drums, please take advantage of it! This is a dying art and it should be preserved. I have been told by many who have crafted their own drums that there is nothing like connecting with its spirit in helping it be “born” into the world.

  I know that there are many of you who would not want to use the hide of any animal. So no, your drum does not need to be made of animal skin. There are many great drums out there that have synthetic drumheads and have a great sound. I also get asked a lot if it needs to be a specific type of drum. I would say not really, but it would not be an African drum such as a djembe or Cuban drum such as bongos. A drum that you can easily hold in one hand will serve you best, and traditionally we use single head beaters only.

  What really counts is the “voice” of the drum. The drum represents the heartbeat of our beautiful Earth Mother. As you know, each drum has a different pitch. I prefer drums that have a deeper call, and I know there are people who prefer them to have a higher sound. You will know that the drum tone is correct because when it is played, you will feel it connect deeply with your Heart, and it will move through you in a way that gives you joy.

  Whatever type of drum you get, regardless of what it is made out of, it is important to ask how to care for it. Failing to do so can cause the drum’s rim to crack or the drumhead to split. Just like any other shamanic item that you have, you need to journey to find the Medicine for your drum. It is critical that you connect with your instrument and hold it throughout the whole journey. If you are able to beat the drum as you do this journey, it will be much easier to find its Medicine and make the connection between the spirit realm and the physical body of the drum more Powerful. However, if you are unable to do this, it will still work if you have someone else beating a different drum while you hold your own. Once you know the Medicine that your drum is supposed to have, breathe it into the head of your drum.

  Whatever you paint upon the face of the drum will be the prayer and the energy that will connect it between the worlds every single time that drum is beaten. Paint and decorate the drum yourself if you can, but if you are unable to, then you can contract an artist. You need to be extremely specific about the image if you have someone else painting it. I personally recommend interviewing several artists and seeing their portfolios to make sure that their style of art will accurately capture the spirit of the Medicine that you want on your instrument. You only have one chance because once the image is on your drum, it is never coming off. Sometimes a drum will choose to have its face completely painted, and others prefer to chronicle its journey with you over time. There is no one right way.

  In order for a drum to be fully connected and act as your helper by being a bridge between the worlds, it needs to be awakened. In this tradition you need to approach someone who is Medicine or a spirit person, such as a shaman or a spiritual leader of the tribe. You would need to offer them a gift of tobacco at the very least, and if you wish to go the extra mile, perhaps you can gift them something else as well. However, I will give you a way of beginning to bless your drum since it may not be easy for you to find a traditional Native American spiritual teacher to perform the ceremony for you.

  Sit and consider the energy and prayers that you would like your drum to carry. The first song that is sung is important because from the first drumbeat until the end of that drum’s days, the meaning of the song will be the purpose of that instrument as it moves through the worlds. My sweat lodge drum’s first song was an intertribal Medicine Wheel chant because I play it for ceremonies that welcome all people who want to come together to pray. Smiley will only serve in that capacity. The first song attunes the drum. Once you have decided on which traditional chant or song you will sing to bless the drum, move it in a clockwise, circular motion four times through the smoke of smudge. Dedicate the drum to the Great Spirit and any other helping spirits that have shown themselves. You may be inspired to honor them by having their images painted upon your drum. Feel the joy as you beat your drum and sing the song, which is its birth song. Once you are done, close the ceremony by once again moving the drum four times in a clockwise, circular motion through the smoke of smudge. Your drum from this point forward will now serve the Creator and All Your Relations and act as your “horse” that you ride upon your shamanic travels.

  The procedure for rattles and flutes is much the same as for drums. Some people prefer their flutes to be made from manmade materials because they do not warp or crack easily in addition to being easier to transport. I know a professional flute maker who crafts them out of PVC pipes of various diameters for these reasons.

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  Tying It All Together

  Once you begin to develop a strong baseline of proficiency, it is the perfect time to learn how to use these traditional shamanic skills in everyday life. These newfound abilities can help you maintain your health and wellness in addition to giving you the insight to solve problems and guidance on the decisions that impact your life and the lives of your loved ones. Remember that Native American shamanic practice is meant to be a method that uses the intuitive wisdom of your Heart and the analytical power of your mind equally.

  If events in your life are creating stressful energy more often than normal, you can release it by increasing the Power flowing through your Waterfall. See if that is enough. Usually, situations are a bit more complex than just that.

  I will now walk you through the steps of how you can use all the different skills taught in the book so far to guide you through situations that come up for you. The first step, as you know, is to develop the proper questions and get an overall look at the situation that you are trying to get answers for. Analyze it with your mind as well as sense with your Heart what other energies are attached to it. Factor in your emotions and your mental outlook because they will influence you.

  Summary for Tying All the Lessons You’ve Learned in This Book Together and How to Apply Them

  Here is an outline of the steps for you. You may not necessarily need to utilize all of them, for every situation, but this should give you an idea of how you can put the hours of practice and of honing your skills to good use.

  Look at the question and the situation surrounding it and analyze it.

  What is the desired outcome?

  Is the desired outcome in Balance? Why or why not?

  Find out what strategies to use by visiting with your kin.

  Find out which energies are most needed by touching base with the five elements.

  Is there further guidance from a greater perspective that is needed? If so, journey to the Sky Realm and speak to one of the higher beings. Remember that they will also tell you what you have to release in addition to what you need to do.

  Sit with all the information and energy that you have gathered in the realm of spirit. Combine it with your own intellect so that it can be formulated into practical actions in this twenty-first-century world.

  Example One: Looking for a New Job

  Say, for example, that I am looking to start a new job. The current job that I have is not bad, but I am finding it very limiting. I would like to see how else I can grow my career. Analyzing the situation, I notice that the job market has many opportunities for me now. I can safely look for a new job since I am under no pressure. The next step is to decide what my desired outcome is. In this particular case, it would be to end up with a new job that offers me better pay, includes benefits, and allows me to expand my skills so I can
grow my career. It is important to be clear about what your desired outcome is because that alone can give you clarity about whether a situation is worth engaging or not. But since what we desire is not always the best for us or timely, the third question I should ask is if the desired outcome is in Balance and for my greater good. In addition to logically investigating why this may or may not be in my best interest, I then begin the journey with my Guardians to the Fire of My Heart. In this space, I pose the same questions, feeling which of my internal energies may influence the outcome. I welcome guiding spirit beings that come to answer my question. Say, for example, that in this case I go to the Fire of My Heart and the one who comes to be with me is my grandfather, who in life always watched out for me. He says that a new job would be good for me because the timing is right, and it would encourage me to grow as a person as well as benefit my family.

  Knowing that this situation is a good one and that I should pursue it, the next part I would need to look at is strategy. The next step is to pose the question to my kin. I journey to the Realm of Deeper Earth to see which Power Animals would come to assist me. I also observe their behavior, as that begins to give me insight to the strategies that I should use. In this example, I go journeying to the Lower Kingdom. Of my kin appears a Cougar, who makes sure I see her marking her territory after roaming it to see that all is in order. As I go further along, I see Rabbit, busily digging a burrow alongside a river to make a new home and advising me to do the same. At the river, three female Beavers stop their labors on their dam, and they come to greet me and welcome me as one of their own. They want me to help them continue building the dam.

  My Guardians come to escort me back. I thank each of my kin in turn for approaching me and showing me what I need to know. The message that I received from the Cougar is that I must show my ability to lead and to manage the greater responsibilities that will be given to me. The burrowing Rabbit shows me that when I seek my new job, it is like looking for a new home that I can settle in. The Rabbit teaches us that we forespeak our own futures and that our attitudes influence the self-fulfilling prophecies that we create. The three Beavers are significant in that Beavers represent a work culture of cooperation and camaraderie. Since the Beavers were female, I know that I am to look for a company whose leaders are women. To these women, a candidate must be like a member of a family to be accepted as aperfect fit for their company.

  Now that I have the strategy, it is good for me to know which energy is most needed for success. This is where the elements come in. Since I am not too sure which of the elements would be needed, I journey to the spirit side. I ask the Eagle to indicate to me and lead me to the direction of the elements that are necessary for success. The Eagle guides me to an ocean shore where there is a fire burning. She lands with me and gives me a feather from her own wing. Eagle speaks to me and advises me to take a careful look at how this new job will impact not only me but those whom I love. Here I gratefully receive the energy of water, fire, and spirit.

  But if I wanted to go further? Yes, I may know the strategy and the energy I am to use, but I’m still not too sure how to apply these things. I would then seek higher guidance. I would journey to the Sky Kingdom. Here I request if a higher being could speak with me. The being who appears is just as important as the counsel given! I would also like to note that the advice given here can include what you have to release and not only be what you need to do. In a little while, I see a Sacred Ancestor. This Sacred Ancestor is the spirit of a clan mother. She advises me how to use the elements of spirit, fire, and water and to present myself as I am when I am interviewed. I am admonished that I must speak with my family before a new job begins because this will greatly impact the time I can spend with them and they will need to adjust emotionally. She tells me that my new bosses will be understanding if I explain to them what I need not only in my professional life but also in my personal life. I am to be a leader of compassion and demonstrate that I sincerely care for the people who are around me and who are working under me. The fact that it was a clan mother who graciously came to speak with me already showed me that I need to be thinking like one. A clan mother is a tribal matriarch. She has many responsibilities, and one of them is to ensure that everyone is doing their part for the tribe so that things run smoothly.

  Upon my return, I sit with all that I have been given. I start my practice by honoring and integrating the elements of fire, water, and spirit. I begin to use my Medicine tools and chants to welcome my kin, the Cougar, Rabbit, and Beaver, so they may stay connected with me from the realm of spirit to this physical world as I begin my job hunt. I also sit and ponder what the Sacred Ancestor told me about what it means to be a leader. I begin thoughtful discussions with my family about how this would impact them and ask their input.

  As you can see, throughout this entire process I have combined what I have been given from the realm of spirit with my intellect. From what I received, I now know what tone my résumé should have and how to present myself when I go for an interview. With the insights that I have been given, I can recognize what type of company, work culture, and bosses to look for. I can now begin to verbalize what I can offer to a company. Since I had discussions with and feedback from my family, I can set healthy limits to preserve my home life before agreeing to take on responsibilities at the new job.

  Walking between the worlds is not only a process of Balance, but it is also a wonderful way to cocreate with All Your Relations!

  If you are like me, life never runs on only one question at a time. It is usually a flurry of activities and a multitude of questions that are circling me like hungry honeybees around sweet flowers. It can be very difficult for your Guardians to keep up with you! In the beginning, especially when you ask a question of them, there can be a delay. It is very much like communicating with someone on the moon. How confusing it is if you ask a question and then, in your rush and distraction, ask ten more. Finally, you slow down at the end of the week and your Guardian has their first chance to relay a message to you. You recognize that it is an answer of some sort, but because there has been such a delay in receiving the answer, you have no idea what it relates to! This is frustrating for you and for the ones who want to help you.

  Example Two: Building a Relationship

  Here is another common situation. Say that you meet someone and wish to be friends with them, or perhaps more. You talked to them enough to know that this individual is sane and safe. They are also interesting enough that you would like to pursue this, but you are not too sure what to do. The first step would be formulating the question: How do you pursue this relationship? Analyzing it, you realize that you would be willing to risk it.

  The next step is establishing what your desired outcome is. The optimal result is that this becomes a healthy and happy romantic relationship, but you are willing to settle for companionship or good friendship.

  Step number three is to consider if the desired outcome is in Balance. Why or why not? When you check within your own Heart and speak with your Guardians, it does not really matter one way or the other. This particular event has no karmic impact nor major influence on your life path. In essence, this relationship could enrich your life but does not have the power to strongly throw your life out of Balance, though it will definitely impact your emotions.

  Step four is to find what strategies you will use in approaching this person and situation by visiting your kin. Your journey takes you to the Lower Kingdom. Here you are visited by a beautiful Horse that matches the energy of the person you are trying to become close to. The Horse, although wild, is calm and friendly in your presence. Your personal Power Animals bring you apples and ask you to sit and wait. They place one of the apples between you and the Horse. The Horse comes toward you in his own time. After eating the apple, he does not shy when you start petting him upon the neck. Then he starts to toss his head playfully and invites you to run in the fields with him, but he does not let you r
ide him. You notice that overhead there are a couple of Crows that are friends of the Horse. These birds are laughing and singing and soon are joined by more Crows. Overall, it is a happy scene, and after a little while, your Guardians ask you to return to the Fire of Your Heart and back to the Middle Kingdom.

  In this particular case, the spirit of the Horse represents the free and proud spirit of the person whom you are trying to connect with. The apple signifies that innocence and sweetness is the strategy to be used. Since your personal Power Animals told you to wait after they placed an apple between you and the Horse, this represents initiating the friendship but not trying to force anything. Bide your time! The Horse inviting you to run and play in the fields symbolizes a successful outcome at least for the beginning of a wonderful friendship. The friends of the Horse, the Crows that are laughing and singing overhead, let you know that your potential friend is gregarious. Be prepared to socialize.

  Step five is finding out which of the elements are most needed so you know which energy to apply. Here you focus and call to Heart and mind the energy of the Horse that you had come across in the Realm of Deeper Earth. Honor and connect with each of the elements one by one. The elements that are the strongest are the ones that should be engaged. Say in this particular case that the elements that came out the strongest were earth and air. When you connect with earth, you receive the image of many beautiful things. With the element of air, you hear and see a storyteller telling an entertaining teaching story. In this case, the element of earth lets you know that this person appreciates gifts and enjoys experiences that are physical. The element of air lets you know that this person also enjoys good conversations and likes entertaining stories.