Jose AMD LEJIA STEVEMS 35
guide, and emerge from the opening. Recall the room or
place where you are, move your body and open your eyes. It
is helpful to jot down in a notebook the main points of what
occurred as soon as you can. These will be useful to you as
you journey more and begin to piece together the meanings
of the various messages you receive.Exercise #5: The Steps
- Lie down in a private place.
- Relax.
- Formulate the question you wish to ask.
- Picture opening into the Earth.
- Meet guide or ally.
- State problem or question to guide.
- Follow guide's lead and instructions implicitly.
- Return via the same route.
- Thank your guide.
- Jot down your experience.
Understanding Your Journey
In most cases, the information that you receive on a sha-
manic journey is clear, direct, and to the point. It will say,
"Proceed with your plan, good work, all systems go" or it
will say "Stop, to proceed is disastrous."
Occasionally, however, your answer will come in symbolic
form as in a dream. You may need to interpret its meaning
for yourself. This usually means that there is more to the
situation than meets the eye. Take your time if this is the
case. Interpret the shamanic advice as you would any dream.
Although only you can interpret your own experience accu-
rately, you may find it helpful to talk it over with a trusted
friend, experiment with possible associations related to each
symbol or image, and sleep on it. Try not to analyze or figure
it out too much. Its meaning will become clear in the appro-
priate amount of time.
Often practitioners of the shamanic advising technique
report with amazement the profundity and depth of knowl-
edge they receive. So, do not be surprised if you get a new
slant on a situation that you may have overlooked before.