Shamanic Techniques and Practices

Sacred Space, Rituals and Practice 

Creating and maintaining Sacred Space is foundational in shamanic practice. It is a protected, energetically cleansed environment where spiritual work, healing, meditation, or ceremony can unfold safely and with focused intention. Establishing sacred space ensures a strong connection to spirit, guides, and the natural world, supporting both individual and group rituals.  

Shamanic rituals are diverse and may include drumming, rattling, guided meditation, journeying, and offerings. These practices help synchronize brainwaves (hemisynch), facilitate trance states, and deepen spiritual connection. Rituals are often personalized, blending traditional forms with individual intention and creativity. 

• Drumming & Rattles: Used to enter altered states, clear energy, and support group or solo journeying. 

• Guided Meditation: Structured visualizations to connect with clans, elements, ancestors, or spirit guides for healing and insight. 

• Offerings: Gifts to spirits, ancestors, or the land, such as tobacco, food, or flowers, to show respect and invite blessings. 

 

How to Create Sacred Space 

• Physical Preparation: Clean and organize the area. Incorporate meaningful objects such as crystals, candles, feathers, or drums. 

• Energetic Cleansing: Use smudging with sage, cedar, or tobacco, and employ sound (drumming, rattling, bells) to clear stagnant energy. 

• Intention Setting: Clearly state your purpose for the space—whether for healing, guidance, transformation, or another goal. 

• Calling in Directions/Elements: Invite the energies of North, South, East, West, Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit to protect and empower the space. 

  
  

 Invocations 

Invocations are spoken or silent calls to spiritual forces, guides, ancestors, or elements, inviting their presence, protection, and support. They are used at the start of ceremonies, meditations, or rituals to set intention, focus energy, and honor the spiritual forces involved. 

• Invocation: Call upon ancestors, spirit guides, power animals, and helpful energies to support your work. (For sample invocations, see the Website Invocations page.) 

 *For sample invocations and scripts, please refer to Invocations on the website. 

Sacred space, rituals, and invocations together create a safe, empowered environment for shamanic practice, supporting healing, transformation, and spiritual growth. 

 

Opening and Closing the Circle 

Opening the Circle marks the beginning of shamanic work, creating a boundary between ordinary reality and sacred space. Closing the Circle is performed at the end to release energies, thank guides, and return the space to its normal state.  

Opening the Circle 

• State the purpose of the gathering or ceremony. 

• Call in directions/elements and invite their energies. 

• Invoke guides, ancestors, and spirits for protection and support. 

• Seal the space with intention or physical markers (such as salt, stones, or visualization). 

  
  

Opening Invocation by Robert Moss 

“May our Doors and Gates and Paths be open,

And the Doors and Gates and Paths between the Worlds,

And may the Doors and Gates and Paths

Of any who wish to do us, or those we love, any harm

Be Closed.

May it be so.”

 Closing the Circle 

• Thank guides, spirits, and energies for their presence and assistance. 

• Release directions/elements and close the connection. 

• Ground yourself with breath, touch the earth, or eat/drink. 

• Clear the space with smudging or sound. 

Closing Invocation by Robert Moss 

“As we go forward on the roads of life and dreaming

May our doors and gates and paths be open

And may the doors and gates and paths

Of any who wish to do us, or those we love, any harm

Be closed

May it be so.”

Techniques and Practices 

Drumming and Journeying 

• Drumming synchronizes brain hemispheres, relaxes into Delta/Theta brainwave states. 

• Disengages the pre-frontal cortex, enabling subconscious/consciousness to step forward. 

• Journeyer travels to other realms of consciousness, even out of body. 

• Set scripts for leaving from a “home base” (Sacred Garden or nature place). 

• Practice returning to this place at the end of the journey. 

• Notice changes in your Garden—symbolic and energetic meaning. 

• Changes happen in your Garden first as it is your Foundation, and your Foundation always changes first to reflect changes that are about to happen in your Outer World (Hank Wesselman). 

The Importance of Intention 

• Setting a clear intention is vital in shamanic practices. 

• Intention acts as a guiding force, focusing energy and efforts. 

• Reflect on what you hope to achieve (healing, guidance, personal growth). 

• Write down your intention and keep it in mind throughout your practice. 

• If in doubt, use: “Show me what I need to know.” 

Journeying to Different Worlds 

• Journeyer travels to “Different Worlds”: 

• The Lower World: meet animal guides and Power animals. 

• The Middle World: Dreams, Faeries, Sidhe, Elementals, your own world in a different guise. 

• The Upper World: Angels, Ascended Masters, Saints, Gods and Goddesses, Wise Teachers, Guides. 

• The Tree is the symbol and launching place: 

• Enter The Lower World through a hole in the base, roots, or embankment. 

• Enter The Middle World through the area around the tree in a parallel world. 

• Enter The Upper World from the top branches, like a bird or climbing animal. 

• Meditation script may be read before drumming to help visualise another world or scenario. 

 

Introductory Common Shamanic Practices 

Journeying 

• Entering a trance state, often with rhythmic drumming or music. 

• Visit different realms, meet spirit guides, receive messages. 

• To begin: 

• Find a quiet, safe space. 

• Lie down or sit comfortably. 

• Close your eyes, focus on your breath. 

• Allow drumming/music to guide you into a trance state. 

  
  

Soul Retrieval 

• Recovering lost parts of the soul due to trauma or emotional pain. 

• A shaman may guide you through this process. 

• To practice: 

• Visualise a time when you felt whole and complete. 

• Focus on that feeling and invite lost parts back into your being. 

  
  

Lower World Journey Benefits 

Journeying to the Lower World is a foundational shamanic practice where you connect with animal guides, power animals, and the deep energies of the earth. 

Power Animal Connection 

• Power animals are spirit guides offering protection, wisdom, and support. 

• To find your power animal: 

• Enter a meditative state and ask for guidance. 

• Be open to images or feelings that arise. 

• Your power animal may be familiar or surprising. 

• Grounding and Stability: Offers a sense of rootedness and connection to the earth, helping you feel more stable and secure. 

• Healing and Support: Encounters with power animals and ancestral spirits provide protection, comfort, and healing for emotional wounds or past traumas. 

• Personal Strength: Power animals embody qualities you need—such as courage, resilience, or adaptability—and help you reclaim lost energy or confidence. 

• Guidance for Everyday Life: Wisdom gained is practical and directly applicable, offering insights for overcoming challenges and making decisions. 

• Connection to Ancestry: A place to meet ancestors or ancient guides, deepening your understanding of family patterns and personal history. 

Middle World Journey Benefits 

Journeying to the Middle World allows you to explore the realm of dreams, faeries, elementals, and alternate versions of your own reality. 

• Personal Insight: The Middle World is closely connected to your everyday life, so journeys here can provide practical guidance and clarity about current situations or relationships. 

• Connection with Nature Spirits: You may encounter faeries, elementals, or ancestral spirits, deepening your relationship with the natural world and its subtle energies. 

• Healing and Integration: Experiences in the Middle World can help you process unresolved emotions, integrate lessons from your waking life, and find balance between your inner and outer worlds. 

• Creative Inspiration: Many people find that Middle World journeys spark creativity, offering new perspectives and ideas for personal or artistic growth. 

  
  

Upper World Journey Benefits 

Journeying to the Upper World connects you with higher spiritual beings such as angels, ascended masters, gods, goddesses, and wise teachers. 

• Spiritual Guidance: The Upper World is a source of wisdom and enlightenment, where you can receive profound insights and teachings from benevolent guides. 

• Empowerment and Purpose: Encounters in the Upper World often help you clarify your life’s purpose, strengthen your sense of direction, and empower you to pursue your goals. 

• Healing and Blessings: Many practitioners experience deep spiritual healing, blessings, and a sense of peace during Upper World journeys. 

• Expanded Awareness: These journeys can open your consciousness to higher states, fostering a sense of unity with the universe and a deeper understanding of spiritual truths. 

 

Shamanic Tree Meditation for Healing & Middle World Journey  

Begin by finding a quiet, comfortable space. Play gentle drumming or nature sounds if you wish. Sit or lie down, close your eyes, and take a few deep breaths.  

1. Grounding & Healing Intention  

• Relax your body with each breath.  

• Imagine roots growing from your feet or spine, reaching deep into the earth.  

• Silently set your intention:  

  “I open myself to healing.

  May I receive what I need for my well-being and wholeness.”  

  
  

2. Meeting the Tree  

• Visualize yourself in a peaceful natural setting.  

• See a magnificent tree before you—tall, ancient, and wise.  

• Approach the tree. Notice its bark, leaves, and the energy it radiates.  

• Place your hands on the trunk. Feel its strength and grounding power.  

  
  

3. Entering the Tree  

• Ask the tree for permission to journey with it.  

• Imagine a doorway or opening in the tree.  

• Step inside. You may find yourself in a tunnel of roots, a spiral staircase, or a shaft of light.  

4. Journey to the Middle World  

• Move through the tree until you emerge into the Middle World—a realm like our own, but filled with magic, mystery, and spirit.  

• Notice the landscape: forests, rivers, mountains, or meadows.  

• Be open to meeting beings of the Middle World: faeries, elementals, ancestors, or wise guides.  

• Ask for healing and guidance. You might receive symbols, messages, or direct energy.  

• Ask:  “What do I need to know or heal at this time?”  

• Allow yourself to explore, interact, and receive whatever comes.  

  
  

5. Receiving Healing  

• If you encounter a guide or healer, ask for their help.  

• You may be offered light, energy, a gift, or a ritual for healing.  

• Accept this healing with gratitude, knowing it is for your highest good.  

  
  

6. Return & Integration  

• Thank the beings and the tree for their guidance and healing.  

• Travel back through the tree, returning to your starting place.  

• Feel your roots reconnect with the earth.  

• Take a few deep breaths, wiggle your fingers and toes, and open your eyes.  

7. Reflection  

• Journal about your experience: What did you see, feel, or learn?  

• Notice any changes in your mood, energy, or perspective.  

  
  

Tip:  If you get distracted, gently bring your focus back to the tree. You can repeat this meditation as often as you like, exploring different worlds or seeking new guidance.  

Reference:  This meditation is inspired by Robert Moss’s “The Tree Gate” exercise, as described in his book Conscious Dreaming: A Spiritual Path for Everyday Life, pp. 132–135. Moss’s approach blends shamanic journeying and active dreaming, inviting practitioners to use the image of a tree as a gateway to deeper realms of healing, guidance, and spiritual exploration.  

Downloadable Resource  

You can download the complete, ready-to-use document here:  

Tree Meditations for Healing and Journeying (Word Document)  

• Download as Word Document  

• Download as PDF  

Hank Wesselman’s teachings, including shamanic journeying, the clans, and the elements, are referenced in his workshops, books, and audio programs (such as the Spiritwalker Teachings and Shaman Visionary Circle). [sharedwisdom.com] 

• These resources often include guided journeys and meditations, but the actual scripts are typically available through his official programs, books, or audio recordings, not freely published online.  

How to access the scripts:  

• You can find Hank Wesselman’s guided meditations and teachings (including those on the elements and clans) through his SharedWisdom website. [sharedwisdom.com]  

• The Spiritwalker Teachings audio series and the Shaman Visionary Circle offer recordings of his journeys and teachings. [sharedwisdom.com] 

• His book Awakening to the Spirit World (co-authored with Sandra Ingerman) also covers shamanic practices and may include relevant meditations. [sandraingerman.com]