Shamanic Dedication

From my journal:

11/26/22, 7:30 PM, waxing crescent moon.

I journeyed tonight to seek out my grandfather and let him know I’m ready to step onto the path that he has helped me find. I appeared as a young-ish teen when I spoke with him to tell him my intention. He seemed both pleased and unsurprised at my decision. He said I’m not quite ready to speak with Reindeer yet, but that I should dedicate myself as an apprentice shaman to him, and tell him my intentions when I have my ritual on the full moon. 

Grandfather said I should find my voice – I assume that’s singing and chanting – tools Reindeer shamans use in their work. Singing (possibly in the form of joiking) is used as an invocation, a spell, or a conversation. It can be either casual or very powerful, depending on the shaman’s desire. It was used powerfully in the ritual for creating our ‘flying medicine’. Grandfather directed the song to the plant(s) he was working with, imbuing them with his wishes and giving them thanks and honor. 

My antlers are a symbol of my shamanic work and are on my head when I’m engaged in this work.

I felt very present with my grandfather. At one point I felt like I shifted from my body and more fully emerged in the dreaming. I was wearing a white, cotton-like shift instead of furs, and my feet were bare. I could see myself as a small child and could feel the safety I felt there. Whatever trauma I suffered in losing my parents I was able to leave behind.

Not on this visit but on other visits I have seen many people engaged in dancing and drumming when we soul traveled. Were those other members of the community? I know some of them were shamans, which would indicate either a physical gathering of shamans from multiple communities or shamans from my grandfather’s spiritual lineage. Or both? It felt like a lot of people at times. 

This article is part of an ongoing series that follows the path I’m traveling of Reindeer Shamanism, and how I’m building my skills and practice. If you’d like to read more articles in the series or follow my story from the beginning, they are collected under the blog category of ‘My Shamanic Path‘.

Header image by Liv Bruce on Unsplash