moonvoice (ravenari)

When I first started out, as a pagan, I was in highschool and I was one of those kids who did tarot readings for her friends, made her own Book of Shadows, was very interested in all kinds of energy work and healing (including Reiki) and basically starting to become obsessed with animal symbolism and so on. By the time I was 17, I was in an Alexandrian Wiccan coven. I thought I was dedicated. I meditated every day, I ran a meditation group for friends, I did rituals and spells, I had my own huge altar, I burnt a circle of salt into the grass in the back garden (sorry Mum!) and so on...

So, on the outside, I was a dedicated young spiritual pagan. But there was a problem. A big problem. There was a huge divide between my spiritual work, and my real life. The person I was spiritually was more ethical than the person I was on a day to day basis. A lot of what I learnt in meditation, I didn't apply to my 'real life.' The animals I worked with taught and said interesting things, but I didn't really know how to bridge the gap. How did I take the problem solving skills of raven and apply them anywhere? I didn't. There was a big divide between what I did, who I was, the lives I was leading.

It wasn't until much later, when I split away from Wicca, and embraced shamanism and animism, that I started to see very clear ways that my spirituality could assist my 'real life.' And around that time I started realising that there's no point to a spirituality that doesn't assist your real life. And absolutely no point in any spirituality that lowers your quality of life. If you're in any spirituality or belief system, no matter WHAT it is, that lowers your quality of life; get out!!!

These days, I don't meditate every day. I don't have a great big altar (I have a few shrines). I have no circles of salt burnt into the grass behind our house (we have no grass, so...), and I don't run a meditation group. But it doesn't matter, because I live my spirituality. In my work as a spiritual artist. In my mental health and therapy where I now see a therapist who will actually bring up the totems I'm working with as a way to communicate assistance.

An excellent example of this unification was recently I experienced a great deal of anger over a serious betrayal. I am very dysfunctional when it comes to anger, I'll be the first to admit it. I rarely feel it, let along anger that is so strong that I shake from it, and feel my heart pounding and my face heat up... I had no idea what to do. So I reached out to my perevrjni, my spirit helpers, and I said 'what do I do? Help me.'

One of my spirit helpers, a grumpy old man who is partial to wolverines, came forward around me and brought another one of my spirit helpers, a water-horse (a horse that lives in the sea, with a mane and tail of fire) with him. He took a jar and said 'pour your anger into this jar.' I did, and it filled up quickly. He grabbed another jar, and said 'pour your anger into this jar.' And so we went, on and on, pouring out white, and then red, and then blue and purple and green shades of anger, until my water-horse was covered in clinking jars of anger that shone with energy. I was grounded and more calm, and I had a stockpile of energy to use for later.

In 'real life' it gave me the ability to respond to the person who had betrayed me from a rational and honest place. I stood up for myself, made healthy decisions for myself, and essentially got out of a very toxic situation with most of my soul intact and a gratefulness in my spirit helpers, and a proudness in myself for being able to manage serious anger in such a way for the first time in my life.

Those anger jars came in handy. I use them in energy work, to protect myself against being attacked by two spirits, and as offerings to other spirits (including a local crocodile god, who now has all my anger jars, and I have to wait again until I'm very angry to make some new ones). It wasn't a psychological technique I was using, taught to me by a therapist; but a spiritual one with psychological and real life implications. It was taught to me by a spirit helper named Aka Oslo, who lives on a house, on a rock that reaches out of a rough sea, that smells of salt and fur...who may or may not be a figment of my imagination. It doesn't matter if he is; because any figment of your imagination that teaches you spiritual and therapeutic tools that keep you safe and true to yourself, is a wonderful, helpful figment. Of course, I think he is real. :)

Not only that, but a couple of other people who heard this story are using anger jars themselves now. This is a technique that can be very helpful. It reached into other 'real lives,' because of its practical implications. It allows you to keep your anger, which means you're not 'getting rid of it' (don't get rid of your emotions, they're valuable!); but it also allows you to take a step back and see exactly what you have, what the energy looks like, and how beautiful it is. Anger might be overwhelming, but when it's shining out of many many jars, it's beautiful too. And colourful! And mostly, practical and helpful as well.

So how does your spirituality translate to your every day functioning? Do you have problems making connections between your spiritual practices and your 'mundane' life? When you work with animal totems, where are the real life results of that? When you walk or commune with the land, what do you take back to your workplace or your other environments. When you are in crisis, how does your spirituality assist you?

I can't promise that any of this will make sense, my journeys are always so clear and 'simple' to me until I start describing them. erm.

( Soul retrieval, resilience, and the Button Princess, removal of malicious energies, etc. )

It makes me - at times like this - profoundly grateful that I have an 'entourage' of spirit helpers who all have different purposes and functions. Sch'iaskala was the one who opened the door for Aka Oslo. Ehrembi stayed nearby, grounded, calm and chuckling gently to all of us. Biaimundi was a fierce, protective presence who wouldn't allow anything else into the house. Aka Oslo knows the 'handywork', and Oooshala carries the energy needed to add some oomph to rituals and such.

Due to an exchange on another journal, I got thinking about possession, and decided to throw together some of my thoughts on it. One day, it may even become an article, but as it's early in the morning and I'm tired, this is what you get.

Also in my typical lackadaisical 'early morning fuck I'm tired' style.

( or, why possession is far more common than you'd actually think )

( just a ramble, really... )

also at Wildspeak blog

Some of these situations listed here have exceptions to the rule, etc. It helps to use logic and maturity when implementing these into your life (if you so choose, after all, your path will likely be different to mine).

( Laws of the Otherworlds )

Landmarks of the Underworld

Although the underworld(s) are considered transitory - like all otherworlds - there are fixed landmarks that can be visited across time, which can act as 'starting points' depending on your culture or your practices. Here are some of the 'landmarks' found within my own practices, and the practices of others. Many of these are universal.

You may notice other landmarks in your own journeys, feel free to make a note of these places, or any rules that you learn in these places that may be specific to it - such as certain offerings you may have to leave, or certain places you might have to avoid. When I say things in this article like 'it is considered a safe place' etc. I am referring to the collective wisdom of my ancestors, and other shamans and shamanists that I have interacted with over the course of 10 years. It is all a collection of personal gnosis, but valid none-the-less. This list will be added to as I continue to gain experience and learn of the experiences of others.

The Fountain - The fountain seems to be a place that I have known a few shamanists to come to when they descend to the underworld. This fountain tends to be ornate, and 'man-made', though it seems ancient and not specific to any one religion. This fountain trickles fresh water, as though from a spring, and smells sweet and tempting. I have heard some say that the water is refreshing and helps them back to the middleworlds, but I have also heard others say that to partake of any food in the otherworlds is also dangerous and unwise.

It is considered one of the few safe places in the underworld, though I would still tread cautiously.

The Forest of Dead Trees - A forest of dead, grey, skeletal trees that never seemed to fall down. They sometimes shelter dead, grey, skeletal animals that never seem to die or disintegrate. All this happens on a dead, grey ground that never shifts and changes. This is the forest of dead trees. I have found in my own practices that this is a place I come to frequently. It stretches out what seems endlessly, and it is said many doorways to many other worlds, places, events and times happen within this forest. Strange gods and spirits, and the ancestors of lost Oraite drift there. Many are not benevolent.

The Underground Palace/s - Often made of bone, ice, sculpted rock, grey stone, these formidable palaces tend to house demons (powerful spirits) or deities that can lure you into traps, or alternatively grant favours at a high price. Many shamanists are steered clear of such places by their spirit helpers. Often, travelling near these palaces, one encounters great villages, tempting foods and material wares. In the Norse mythos, these Underground Palaces are sometimes inhabited by Duergar and other earth-based wights that can be benevolent or malevolent; but mostly just indifferent to humankind.

Great Ladder / Great Stairs - They go on forever, upwards or downwards. You can walk a great ladder for days or weeks or years in the underworld never reaching a new destination. Are they tricks? Maybe. Or are we trusting too much in the solid familiar? Maybe that too. I avoid these, unless I am directed to use them.

Ropes - Ropes are far more helpful than the great ladders / stairs, but they tend to be harder to climb! These usually lead directly to the middleworlds. They can hang directly from the sky or from ceilings / tree branches etc. As always, be careful, some ropes are just tricks! When in doubt, trust the advice of your spirit helpers.

Gates - These are usually guarded by beasts, underworld dogs, people etc. and it's not easy to get through them much of the time! Yet you will find that you need to negotiate these barriers (in all the otherworlds) if you want to get to certain destinations.

Dunes - A great desert in the underworld seems to go on eternally, it is hot, desiccated and dry (or alternatively it is a desert of ice; cold and windy). There are traps here laid by mischievous spirits and malicious ones, caves to fall into, illusions and delusion to follow. These dry places are unpleasant, but many demons who take soul fragments tend to hide here, and so traversing the deserts of the underworld is a skill required by Oraite and many other shamanists.

The Ocean of Black Water - It is said that when a deceased spirit drinks this water, they realise they are truly dead. When shepherding the dead to a place where they find peace, encouraging them to drink from this ocean can help them move on. It is further said that when they cross the ocean of black water, they reach a place where they can no longer be contacted by any except those given the training to reach 'the land of the dead.' Many Oraite and ancestral shamans choose to stay in the otherworlds, instead of moving onto the 'land of the dead,' but sometimes it is necessary to cross this ocean. This is only done by experienced shamanists.

There are different ways of doing this. Some cultures had a boatman who could be coaxed to carry a living soul over by trickery or coin, other cultures required the spiritual animist to depress their breathing, to give away their 'life' and make themselves feel and be 'dead' on the inside. This technique was dangerous, because it meant that the shaman risked losing their own life-force on what is already a dangerous journey. In our practice, we swim across the ocean ourselves. This is also a journey that carries great risk, as soon as we absorb, swallow or breathe in the spray of the black water we believe ourselves to be truly dead, and it is only through the help of our assistant spirits and spirit helpers (many who cannot cross over with us) that we are able to make the journey back.

Incidentally, looking into the lapping waters of the ocean will reveal precognitive visions.

The Land of the Dead - The place/s where many of the deceased go. The appearances of this place are many and diverse, depending on who you are visiting and how they died. It is a dangerous place where dead people can still be holding onto the soul fragments of person's living. It can also be a place of trickery, despair and longing. Anyone who has lost a loved one and has unresolved business (i.e. is still grieving) is not encouraged to go here alone, or without the assistance of another human who can intervene if necessary. This in my experience is a preliminary place before an actual paradisical land of the departed which I don't know of anyone having reached.

The Great Tree - A gigantic, gnarled tree. The Great Tree is sometimes known as the world tree, or Yggdrasl in Norse culture, and is a common fixture in many different cultures. The root system in the underworld is usually complex and enormous, containing numerous openings. Some of these openings lead back to the middleworld, and some don't. By the root system of this great tree live spirits, gods, some of the greater ancestors, and are also places that many deities frequent. The root system of the great tree is a source of wisdom. It is possible to find an opening that leads to:

The Centre of the Earth - A place I haven't myself visited. Thought to be an empty place, either filled with heat and fire (the sun within the earth), or like a limbo place without any solid matter at all, it is thought that the Void could be found here; that lack of spark that existed before this universe, and yet is a part of this universe. This is very rarely a place that any soul fragments visit - in fact I'm not sure myself of any soul fragments visiting here if lost. Therefore visits to this place are not often called for.

The Happy Village - A village which appears to be happy, prosperous and hardworking. People smile to each other, children play in the street, and you can smell bread baking and meat cooking over a fire. The longer you spend in this place, the more sinister it becomes. Some people might have animal tails, yet other children may suddenly turn into dogs and chase and kill a chicken that was once a child. You notice sleight of hand between the false smiles of merchants, everyone is ripping each other off. And the more you notice how deceptive this place is, the more they tend to notice you.

The Happy Village is a place where soul fragments can be tricked into staying, taken in by the external appearance of the place. However once the residents in the village notice you (especially if you are looking for soul fragments), they become more obviously dangerous, attempting to trick you into giving your real name, into abandoning your spirit helpers or ancestors, and decrying your own flaws and insecurities. Given the chance, they will steal fragments of your own soul. You may even notice - or have noticed - that they 'money' they steal off each other each belongs to a person who has lost a soul fragment. In this village, the souls of other people can become trapped here, turned into money that is only used for deception and the continuation of falsehood.

The Plateau/s - Grey, green, black, brown plateaus of endless soil or mud or dirt or even concrete. These are flat, dark places, often not illuminated (and certainly not be celestial beings like stars or the moon), and frequented by lost children, shadows, demons and prowling animals and beasts.

The Killing Fields / The Abbatoirs - Gigantic places of dismembered / brutalised body-parts. For me, it is a great black place underneath a giant pyramid, that Sekmet Het-hert often visits. At other times it is a series of artificially created abbatoirs designed for mass slaughter, sometimes decommissioned yet still stinking of death, decay and haunted by demons. For others it might be a battleground, or some place that is literally knee deep (or more) in body parts. None of the body parts are alive per se, but sometimes they animate, shift and seethe underneath the force of all the bugs and creatures feasting on flesh - cleaning bones that never seem to become clean.

During initiations, body pieces are sometimes scattered here to confuse the initiate.

The Homes (Tents) of Ancestors - On a winding trail, and kept well separate, is a variety of homes / tents / yurts filled with ancestor after ancestor, keeping their own home and tending their own bleak garden in the underworlds. They can be visited and offered gifts and in turn offer wisdom, but beware, not all ancestors mean well and some are outright malevolent (and some are demons, tricking you into believing they are your ancestors). I met Aka Oslo, an ancestor, on this trail, when I travelled the underworlds as a wolverine.

The Northern Plains / The Ice Fields / The Frozen Wastelands - Here you can find a woman; maybe a goddess, maybe a demon, who created all the illnesses, hardship and 'sins' that populate the middleworlds and our own earth. In Vilturj, she is often known as Ucza. She goes by many names, and many appearances, and can be hard to find. She rarely bothers herself with taking or looking after soul fragments in her 'domain,' but will visit those who visit her. I have heard (having not visited her myself) that she is polite and well-mannered, and often appears as a once-beautiful middle-aged woman, or a beautiful woman. She is more trustworthy than a deity like Lesavny, but it seems just being in her presence can transmit mysterious illnesses, bad 'luck', and other adverse conditions which most humans generally try and avoid. Some people believe the polite advice she gives is worth the 'price' of health or wellbeing.

Mapping the Otherworlds

The otherworlds, though vast and ever-changing, generally have specific landmarks and paths that are familiar to us, and cultures. Some landmarks may even be familiar worldwide, such as the presence of a world-tree, in some shape or form, with roots that stretch into the underworld, and branches that stretch into the upperworld.

Some people ask how we know that we're journeying in the otherworlds, and not just 'daydreaming' or visualising something that is internal only, and one of the ways that we can tell - though we can never 'prove' it - is by the presence of landmarks, and the way things happen there. After all, it might be a magical place, but it still seems governed by 'rules' in the same way that our own 'real world' is governed by natural rules.

When I journey, I take note of landmarks, such as forests or hills, animals or landscapes, doors or trees. I have noticed that I tend to 'enter' into the middleworld into the same two or three areas, every time. My explorations of the underworld, so far limited, are always in the same places, with the same features. These landmarks form a mental map in my head.

Consider mapping your experience of the otherworlds, draw a mud map, or just a vague sketch of your surroundings. Is it familiar? What kind of landscape is it? Where you in the middle, upper or underworld? Who did you meet there? What did you learn there? As you go on in your experiences, you may find that other landscapes connect to this one, or that certain paths take you to specific places. Sometimes drawing a mud map may even enable you to journey to specific places more easily in the future.

Certain cultures have mythologies that suggest or indicate 'places' or landmarks that may pre-exist in the otherworlds. For example, in Norse mythology, the presence of Helheim, or an underworld kingdom for the dead, may be a particular 'landmark' that you may encounter. The world-tree, found in many cultures, is another. Look into the stories of your heritage, or look into the mythologies of your childhood and your adulthood that have interested you and pulled at your spirit, and notice if there are landmarks there which resonate with what you have encountered in the otherworlds.

I feel it's important, if you do journey, to find a 'place' in the upper, middle or underworld where you feel safe and protected. It might be a small, quiet place. Or it might be a big sunny field, or it might be many places that each mean something different to you. Remember this place, and aim - if you can - to start your journeys in these places, or to finish them there. In the middleworld, I often come to a grassy plateau, surrounded by trees. In the underworld I come to a dead forest of skeletal trees and a hard, brown, packed floor. But for some reason I feel comfortable there.

Ask yourself the following questions:

- are there certain places I have been to more than once when I journey?

- do I have a sense of 'direction' in the otherworlds? (do I know if I'm in the middle, upper or underworlds, and what 'direction' I may be headed or in?)

- what do these different places and landmarks teach me?

- where do I do the most healing?

- do I have a place, or places I can go to where I feel safe?

- what could be the benefits and or cons of a map that I could always refer to?

The Three Worlds
A brief overview

An Oraite and Oraiyjek are generally accomplished at letting their soul or souls travel to places known to neopagans and shamans as the 'otherworlds.' I will use that term, since it is more familiar. These otherworlds are realms that exist without us, and therefore cannot be visited by visualisation alone. The Oraite and Oraiyjek visit these places in order to heal and work with their guides and gods. The otherworlds are split into 'realms':

1. The Upperworld (So'uslaijka)
2. The Middleworld (Ur'a)
3. The Lowerworld / Underworld (Y'czm)

Depending on your chosen beliefs or paths, you may believe that there are more worlds than this. You may also believe that the 'middleworld' is simply our material earth. In Vilturj, the middleworld is another realm separate to the earth itself.

Each of the worlds can be thought of as having fantastic features not found in ordinary reality. However, they can be distinguished from the Disneyland of visualisation by the presence of strict rules and natural laws that occur. In most places in the otherworlds there is gravity, for example. In the otherworlds it is not usually possible to just immediately transport yourself from one location to another. Oraite and Oraiyjek must travel either through their own locomotion, or by riding or flying on the backs of animals, spirit helpers, gods etc.

These worlds are entered through the technique and skill of journeying or ju-ouczyrt. This is different to visualisation, which is what we do when we imagine something. We may 'imagine' going through a doorway into what we 'imagine' are the otherworlds, but this is not the same as a literal journey to the otherworlds themselves.

The Oraite and Oraiyjek can enter a trance state through techniques such as drumming, dancing or chanting, or they may know how to 'look' for doorways in this world without such modalities, depending on their training. These doorways, which might be better known as 'portals' in contemporary times, generally lead to the middleworld. From there, we may find other doorways to the upper or underworld.

The Middleworld (Ur'a)

The middleworld is where deities of the 'earth' reside, and by that I mean deities of earthly landmarks such as the forest, the ocean, the swamps etc. This is also the place where many totems, vili (wights such as lskowicz - elves), rock and plant spirits and other earth-based creatures are thought to reside. It is the most common entry-place into the other worlds. It is also the place that people most commonly begin 'shamanic' training.

We may find the middleworld through our dreams, and sometimes will wake up from dreams that are particularly vivid, where we have seen, felt, touched and smelt another place that we may have never visited before. In Vilturj, we consider these dreams to be important, though they can be dangerous too as they expose the sleeper to harm from demons and other malicious or mischievous entities.

The Upperworld (So'uslaijka)

Doorways or paths to the upperworld are often found by climbing a tree or ladder, by climbing a cliff-face or swimming up-stream. Generally there must be 'upward' motion in order to locate the upperworld.

This is the place where the sky deities reside, and tends to be a more remote and inaccessible place than the underworld and middleworld. Few animals can travel to the upperworld, and few are found there. However birds like the eagle, vulture and raven can travel to the upperworld. We may also meet some of our ancestors in the upperworld, and those of the dead who have been favoured by sky deities, such as deceased Ilkara'te (sky shamans).

The upperworld can seem disorienting and overwhelming, and it is here that time is most transient. Certain physical laws do not always apply here, such as the law of gravity. It is also a place where doorways can be found to interstellar locations, and it is said in stories that there are worlds beyond the upperworld that can be located if we find the right doorway.

The Underworld (Y'czm)

Doorways or paths to the underworld are often found by descending ladders and stairs, by crawling downwards through caves, by literally moving into the earth or underwater, or any other means that follows a 'downward' motion.

The underworld is the most dangerous for the inexperienced, though all the worlds are not without their dangers. It is here where the Izyr'te (demons) reside. However it is also in the underworld where you are most likely to locate damaged and lost soul fragments. They may be stolen by entities there, or they may have fled there. It is also in the underworld that you are most likely to be possessed or injured if you do not have a healthy relationship with your spirit helpers.

The underworld always has gravity, and many encounters with demons can be navigated by following what we consider to be basic rules of etiquette. Rudeness in the underworld is rarely tolerated. Many Oraite broker bargains with Izyr'te here. Not all animals are able to travel to the underworld, though there may be 'variations' of earth animals in the underworld. There is usually something off about them, such as a stag possessing cat eyes, or a robin with teeth, etc. The underworld is generally considered more dangerous than the upper and middleworld because of the heightened presence of demons and malicious entities.

Basic Rules/Laws of the Otherworlds

1. Never give your true name (the name given to you by birth, or a name gifted to you by gods). Do not expect to be given 'true names' by others either.

2. Carry food and drink on your person. You will often be asked to dine or partake with food with other spirits and gods, but this is not generally considered wise. It is often considered polite then to respectfully decline by offering your own fare.

3. Treat all living and non-living entities of the otherworlds with respect. This might be as simple as asking a rock permission before sitting on it. Or as complex as not letting your fear govern a rude response to a god or demon.

4. Exercise vigilance. Use your brain. Don't speak without thinking first. Instinct is good in the otherworlds, impulse is not.

5. Do not expect that everything will want to give you attention. If you signal that you wish to speak with an entity and it ignores you, then leave it alone. If it signals back, approach respectfully, do not invade its space (leave a distance equal to your height between you), act with courtesy. You may be talking to a god in disguise.

6. Do not lie. In the cases where you have to give 'false' information, be creative. If you are asked where you live, it is acceptable to say 'in a house by the road' (if that's true), but do not say 'on the moon.' If you are asked for your name, do not give a false name, give a nickname that you have been called in the past, or give a name that you have given yourself for these circumstances.

7. Unless you are in the presence of certain deities, try not to indicate irrational fear. Normal fear - such as that which you might present a snarling bear - is fine, but irrational fear leaves you extremely vulnerable, and will end up with you earning a somewhat contemptuous reputation.

8. Learn to master your ego. Do not ever boast of what you can do to other entities if you can't do it when they ask you to. Do not ever brag to gods.

9. If an entity indicates a wish to travel with you, you are obliged to accept. If you feel your path may be dangerous, indicate this.

10. If an entity does you a favour, is a temporary guide, or helps you in some way, it is considered appropriate to repay it in some way. You can ask how, or travel with pre-prepared gifts. If you feel an entity is offering to do something for which you cannot offer appropriate payment, show the gifts you have available and say 'this is all I have right now, but if you can indicate to me what you would like, I can let you know if it is possible for me to give.' You will not ever be able to give an appropriate gift to every creature that helps you. There will be cases where you end up in the debt of other entities (and they end up in yours). This cannot be avoided if you plan on long-term journeying.

11. If you are asked to give a favour, and it is within your power to do so. Give it freely, and do not expect a reward. The law of the otherworlds indicate that they will be in your debt anyway, so asking for a reward or favour is simply rude and ignorant.

12. Do not make promises you can't keep.

13. Do not indicate deadlines you can't meet.

14. If an entity plays a trick on you, or hurts you, brace yourself before fighting back. Petty anger has little place in the otherworlds.

15. Don't preach to, or assume you know what's best, for any other entity in the otherworlds. This also includes wounded soul fragments. They have their own innate knowing, and if they don't come back with you, it may not be a slight on your own character, it may simply be the soul fragment doing what is best.

16. If you are ever offered a token, say thank you and accept it. If you are worried it may be a curse, place it in a 'safe place' or 'neutral place' in the otherworlds. Never decline a gift, no matter what it is, whether it be animal gore, or treasure. If given an article of clothing or jewellery however, do not put it on.

17. Ugly people can be helpful. Beautiful people can harm you. As in the real world, 'beauty' is not a true reflection of character.

18. Compassion, canniness, a generous spirit and wit can get you very far in the otherworlds.

19. Remember, if you feel you are faltering, or don't know what to do next, always ask your spirit helpers, guides, totems, ancestors for help. If they are absent, ask them for a sign or indication. If they have left you because you have offended them somehow, get out of the trance state as quickly and as safely as you possibly can. I find a quick method to get out of the trance state is to have a pin in my 'pack' which I prick my finger with (which in the real world rests under my right index finger). The physical shock of such an 'awakening' is preferable over the dangers you can be in unprotected and unsupported in the otherworlds.