Journey into Shadows - Guided Meditations

We embark on a transformational journey into the depths of our shadows and the wisdom they harbor. The episode invites listeners to confront their inner selves and embrace their connection to the spirit world.

• Introduction 
• Creating a sacred space for meditation and self-discovery 
• Encountering the Spirit of the Raven for guidance and insight 
• Embracing the Spirit of the Snake for transformation and healing 
• Understanding the Spirit of the Owl for wisdom 
• Connecting with the Spirit of the Wolf to accept our true selves

Thank you for listening to another enlightening episode of Belief, Being, and Beyond! Don't forget to explore the book "Shamanism and Your Shadow" for more insights. 

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Journey Work
• 0:15 Creating Sacred Space
• 1:35 Welcoming the Spirit of the Raven
• 3:42 Meeting the Shadow with the Snake
• 7:17 Acknowledging the Spirit of the Owl
• 14:09 Embracing the Wolf's Wisdom
• 27:47 Conclusion and Reflection

Transcript

Granddaughter Crow: 0:00

Welcome to Belief being and Beyond with your host, granddaughter Crow. Hi everybody, granddaughter Crow here. This is a very special edition of Belief being and Beyond. In this edition we are going to be doing journey work. There are four parts to this journey work, separated out whether you're on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts into chapters. It does accompany the book Shamanism and your Shadows, so if you want to read it coupled with a book, feel free. Otherwise, sit back and enjoy Approaching the Shadow with the Spirit of the Raven.

Granddaughter Crow: 0:53

I am creating a sacred space in a sacred time. I draw a circle around this space and time and declare it as sacred. It is within this space that I am whole, I am loved, I am me. There is a reason that I have found myself here. I am ready to meet my shadow and I know that my shadow has led me here and is ready to meet me too. Being here confirms that I have made an agreement to meet my shadow in this holy, sacred space. I welcome in the divine as it reveals itself to me to walk with me here, to me to walk with me here. I welcome the spirit of the raven and its magical keenness to accompany me here. I welcome my shadow with great honor and respect. Be here with me now, and so it is now, and so it is.

Jeffrey Gray : 2:13

Breathe in this place. Breathe in the spring wet prairies. Notice the warming humidity of the prairie as it is drying in the morning sun. The storm clouds that passed last night are drifting east, billowing still popcorn white in the blue sky of the morning sun. Breathe in the scent of loamy soil steaming up from below the dewy stalks of the big blue stem grass that surrounds you on all sides. As far as you can see, beaded water on the tips of its blades casts glistening prisms of light across the prairie beneath the ever-climbing sun. As you face east, you do not see your shadow behind you. The whirling wings of a dragonfly catch your attention and you sense its flight path. Breathe in the warming air as the great prairie gives up its inspirations to the climbing sun. In the distance, a lone structure stands between the horizon and the prairie and you begin to walk east towards it. And you begin to walk east towards it. The sun warms your face, relaxing you, and you spread your fingers wide, lightly touching the wet tips of the stalks as you pass In this vast open landscape of waist-high grass.

Jeffrey Gray : 4:01

You seek the shaman of this place, but you sense no other presence than your own as you wade through the grass high, stepping at times toe to heel the structure, a scaffold stands before you. Iron poles, stilts, jut up high, supporting a long branch-woven bed. It is from here that suspended earthly bodies are surrendered, unburdened and unbound to the sky to continue a journey where only the wind may carry their weight. Long feathers hang from each corner of the bed and you crane your neck to focus on one in particular. Beating of wings behind you startles Wooshing. Widespread black feathers cup the wind. Above outstretched talons, the great black bird alights atop the burial scaffold. It sits head cocked looking at you. Its gurgled croaks are interrupted by loud clicks of its beak, sounding like woodblocks being struck with bone.

Jeffrey Gray : 5:35

Three others gather on the scaffold, fluttering their wings and calling as they jockey up and down for a position to observe you from being four. Now their presence overshadows your own. Through the calling and throated efforts comes the words as they look down upon you from their macabre perch. The first one speaks you from their macabre perch. The first one speaks the burial tree bears the branches that we will speak to you from. The second, defiantly, I am not afraid of you. The fourth the shadow is your wisdom keeper. They then ask do you hear these words?

Granddaughter Crow: 6:42

Understanding their nature, you are now able to listen, breathe in this place and return when needed. You carry the spirit of the raven and this landscape within you. Now, recognizing the shadow, with the spirit of the snake, I am creating a sacred space in a sacred time. I draw a circle around this space and time and declare it sacred. It is within this space that I am whole, I am loved, I am me. There is a reason that I have found myself here. I am ready to acknowledge more of my shadow and I know that my shadow has led me here and is ready to assist me. Being here confirms that I have made an agreement to meet my shadow in this holy, sacred space. I welcome the divine as it reveals itself to me to walk with me here. I welcome the spirit of the snake and its magical diagnostics to accompany me here. I welcome my shadow with great honor and respect. Be here with me now, and so it is.

Jeffrey Gray : 8:19

Breathe in this place. Oven, dry air, devoid of moisture, dries your nostrils. With its heat, the air distorts the base of the monolithic tabletop mountains in the distance like a mirage rising above the warp of the contorting heat. The punishing sun bears directly down upon the barren landscape from a cloudless blue sky, casting no shadows. Beneath its midday blaze, the strong scent of the blue juniper's waxy needles lies close to the shrub. Here and there, twisted sand, blown trunks jut up. From the fractured sandstone landscape you catch the earthy tang of burning sage coming from the entrance of the Slot Canyon, a natural landscape carved by water. Facing south, you walk into the Arroyo Soon. You are deep within its crevasse, carved by torrential downpours of proportions. You struggle to understand A narrow passage once a rushing river snakes through the water-worn sandstone walls which extend far above your head. Were those swift waters to return at this point, you would not escape them. The slot canyon narrows to a v-shaped point where you must place one foot in front of the other, hands touching either side of the canyon walls for balance. Ahead, you hear the rattle of the shaman. A short distance away, you shoulder through a hairpin, turn back against the wall when a gust of wind from above, sends a blanket of sand and dust upon you, blinded momentarily, your palms feeling for contour, you sidestep into an alcove within the arroyo, following the sound of the rattle. As the rattle's songs crescendo, the air clears, revealing a coiled serpent directly in front of you, furiously warning you of its presence. It is covered with the dust and sand from the wind that just passed and takes on the hue of the stone it sits upon. It strikes out at you, touching the top of your hand, and you recoil in shock, frantically looking for the tell-tale marks of fangs on your hand. Your heart is pounding and you are trapped with your brack against the stone, facing the agitated reptile.

Jeffrey Gray : 11:32

It strikes at you once again and falls short of its mark. As the snake slowly recoils, its eyes are clouded and ashy. It is blind at this moment. The rattle, on the tip of its tail, is now still. It begins to inhale deeply air, hissing through its nostrils as its ribs fill like the drawing of a bellows. Its forked tongue flicks up then down, sensing your presence. As it exhales, once again hissing, it inhales a second time, splitting its ashy skin which slides off and away as the serpent undulates to free itself, undulates to free itself. Now the snake sits anew before you, beautifully colored, the telling gold diamond pattern is clearly visible down its brown and gray scaled back. Its throat, neck and chest look as if girded by idly white plates, and the elongated pupils within its yellow irises clearly focus on you. Venom adrenaline medicine. It speaks to you in neither word nor thought.

Granddaughter Crow: 13:11

Understanding more of the nature of the snake and the landscape, you are now able to listen, breathe in this place and return when needed. You carry the breadth of the landscape and your connection to the snake within you. Understanding the Shadow, with the Spirit of the Owl, I am creating a sacred space in a sacred time. I draw a circle around this space and time and declare it as sacred. It is within this space that I am whole, I am loved, I am me.

Granddaughter Crow: 13:57

There is a reason that I have found myself here. I am ready to once again meet even more of my shadow, and I know that my shadow has led me here and is ready to meet me too, is ready to meet me too. Being here now confirms that I have made an agreement to meet my shadow in this holy, sacred space. I welcome in the divine as it reveals itself to me to walk with me here. I welcome the spirit of the owl and its magical insights that will lead me to further understanding. I welcome my shadow with great honor and respect. Be here with me now, and so it is.

Jeffrey Gray : 14:49

Breathe in this place, breathe in the water's cool vapors that swirl in the air. The air is moist, cool and humid, cascading down upon you in misty airborne waves from the waterfall far above. You can both smell and taste the mist in your inhalation. The humidity forms droplets on the fine hair of your arms and on the fine hairs of the emerald green moss that clings to every stone. The moisture beads upon the shoot of the fern that clutches the bedrock that forms the waterfall, fractured bedrock set ajar eons ago. The vibration of the water's course is felt even within the wet stone that you stand upon. Were you to speak, the discernment of your words would require effort. Your presence as a visitor here is dwarfed by the volume of water rapidly sheeting over the ledge. Above, falling white and dashing relentlessly on the smooth boulders. Below, a rainbow forms within the rays of the setting sun that floods the ravine with its fading light. Turning west, you walk in the direction of that setting sun, seeking the shaman of this place.

Jeffrey Gray : 16:24

The game trail that you follow away from the waterfall winds with purpose, through the forested bank beside the river, a trail worn by countless footfalls of hoof and paw. It meanders around tree trunks and boulders, becoming increasingly difficult to discern in the lengthening autumn shadows. Straining to see, ego abandons you as you wander off the trail. Here and there you backtrack, after blindly veering off one of the many hidden turns that you failed to see. A trick of the light? The pink tinge of twilight gives you pause as you look up from the trail, eyes dilating as you change your focus. From near to far, you marvel at the golden rays of the setting sun through a clearing before you. This evening will bring no moon and the shadows are dominant.

Jeffrey Gray : 17:23

As you struggle to see the path in the fading light of the setting sun, in a few paces you are standing on a pebbled beach exposed by the ebbing tide. You are standing on a pebbled beach exposed by the ebbing tide. The smells of kelp and brine fill your nostrils. As you clear the forest ravine, great snags of driftwood that form ghostly specters in the bay of receding water now seem sentient. With outstretched arms Checking your footing on the slick pebbles, you walk upon the tidal plain until you stand before one of the colossal snags. Worn, smooth and waterlogged, the skeleton of a once majestic conifer is prostrate. It easily stretches twenty paces in either direction and you cannot see over or beyond the girth of its trunk, even though it lies securely anchored in the silt of the tide, flattened by its tremendous weight.

Jeffrey Gray : 18:27

You ponder what the tree witnessed when it stood a century ago. Its lifetime spanned countless generations that formed the tree of your own ancestors, ancestors now dimmed by time and distance. When, green-needled and evergreen this tree lived, you instinctively walk toward the flare of gnarled roots at the far end of the immense trunk, inspecting the patterns of winding wood that meander out and away from the once rooted stump. A glimmer from one of the roots catches your eye and you lean forward to inspect it in the dim autumn light. Embedded in the root is a multifaceted stone held in place by years of growth. The touch of a finger reveals it was loosely held in place by the soft wood. With its weight in your palm, you run your thumb over the sharp edges of the stone symmetry, exploring the flat faces of its geometric structure. It is clearly a magical crystal Pocketing your prize.

Jeffrey Gray : 19:40

You turn to leave, but the silhouette of the owl, now perched on the broken bow, is before you. The owl silently arrived behind you while you were distracted. It has come for the feast offered by the ebbing tide. As you walk towards the owl's silhouette, its head swivels to the right. Then it turns its gaze upon you, its great talons tacking into the soft wood on which it is perched. It says wood on which it is perched. It says release your ego, your justified righteousness, your judgment and shame, or I will fly away.

Jeffrey Gray : 20:24

You slow your steps as you continue to approach, the owl adjusts its footing upon the wood as its head swivels to the left, once again staring directly at you. It says Release your emotions of love and hate. Both are blinding. Bias must be abandoned or I will fly away. It's illusioned. You now stand before the owl, disembodied from your ego and your emotions. You stand within the glare of its attentive eyes. Your own eyes try to focus in the failing light. The night hawk has come for the ebbing tide's exposure, it says. Now, in the absence of light, you see with clear vision.

Granddaughter Crow: 21:17

Understanding their nature. You are now able to listen, breathe in this place and return when needed. You carry the spirit of the owl and the landscape within you now, except the spirit of the wolf. I am creating a sacred space in a sacred time. There is a reason that I have found myself here and I am ready to meet my shadow. And I know that my shadow has led me here and is ready to meet me and accept me too. Being here confirms that I have made an agreement to meet and accept my shadow in this holy, sacred space. I welcome in the divine as it reveals itself to me to walk with me here. I welcome in the spirit of the wolf and his knowledge to accompany me here. I welcome in my shadow with great honor and respect. Be here with me now. And so it is.

Jeffrey Gray : 22:50

Breathe in this place Sizzling charcoal and evergreen resin scent, the cold forest air that you inhale through your nostrils, your breath clouds only briefly lost to the warmth of the small fire that burns before you. The snap of twigs as they are engulfed by flames punctuates the silence of the great aspen forest that surrounds you on all sides as far as the eye can see. Near you, the fire's glow reflects off the snow's icy face. The fire's reflection shifts and dances on paper-white trunks, giving the illusion of movement within the stillness of the tall trees protruding through the snow. Gazing up high on one of the trunks, you see the healed scars of bear claws that once slashed through the bark, marking their territory for all to see. It is here that you seek the shaman of this place. The small fire before you flares yellow, then falters in flame, having rapidly consumed its fuel. Shadows shift directions as the blue light of a full moon now casts shadows from above, illuminating the thin smoke of red embers dimming before you. If you were God, what question would you ask yourself? Speaks the forest as you gaze into its moonlit stillness. Blurred tree trunks lean like cathedral columns beneath their canopy of branches. Far away, you see movement between the trunks and hear the crunch of four-legged footfalls breaking the crust as the form makes its way in your direction, you sense no menace.

Jeffrey Gray : 24:59

As the she-wolf nears you, she has not come for you. She seeks, but it's not you that is sought. Head low and tail down, she stops opposite the cooling embers Momentarily. She sniffs the snow, then raises her snout to taste the cold night air. As she circles in a counterclockwise direction before you, beginning to whimper apprehensively and summoning up yipes of concern. The yipes and whimpers are louder now, and, pained, she sits, raises her head and begins to bay towards the treetops. Her song calls out to the ones who are late returning to the den.

Jeffrey Gray : 25:50

The she-wolf is the call of return for those who wander in the shadows. Hers is the voice they gather to and around. Hers is the voice they gather to and around both the young and the old. It is a voice in the wind that speaks of counsel long forgotten. Into the rays of moonlight, wolves appear like ghosts from between the trunks. All the wolves gathered behind her on the frost-white snow within the shadows. They all peer at you in silence, as does she. Their numbers take you aback as you wonder how you could not have seen at least a glimpse of their presence before. It is said that to offer attention to the forest is to immerse with its spirit and in return, its spirit will immerse with you. The forest is home to the wolf, man's first teacher. When wolf is born, it is connected to all. Through this process, you are no longer observing or being observed. You have become one with the pack. The pack has become one with you and through them you are connected to the trees and the moon. Oneness within the greatness of all.

Granddaughter Crow: 27:30

With this connection and this experience with the wolf, you now are able to listen deeply, breathe in this place and return whenever you wish. For now you are able to carry the spirit of the wolf and the acceptance of your shadow. Once again, thank you for tuning in to another episode of Belief, being and Beyond. I hope you enjoyed this journey work. It is coupled with the book Shamanism and your Shadow Love. Ya See you on the flippity flip.