Chapter 8
Returning/How to Cope
As we have seen through exploring psychopompic journeys, each realm the spirit encounters is a reflection of their worldview, or cultural beliefs. This explains the differences in the landscape and surroundings the shamanic practitioner encounters when escorting souls of the dead. A prime example is the being that wouldn’t let the young man board the boat – which would have enabled him to cross the river to the other side – without some form of payment. This is obviously was a belief held by the young man before he died. A simple payment of two stones, which may have appeared to the young man as great wealth, enabled him to make payment to the ferryman and cross the river into the next realm. The similarities between this payment and that owed to Charon to row across the river Styx are uncanny.
When returning to ordinary consciousness after a successful psychopompic journey, your first impression may be, “Wow, was that real?” The answer will immediately follow. “Of course it was and what an awesome journey!”
You may notice that your heart is beating wildly or you may be drenched in perspiration. You may have even physically moved while during ecstatic trance and are in a different area then when you started. You may be curled into a ball and trembling. You may be full of energy with a feeling that you, at that very moment, can accomplish anything you set your mind to. Your physical state will depend greatly on your success and the ease in which you have completed your task.
Emotionally, your heart may be full of joy and deep gratitude at having had the opportunity to assist a spirit into the next realm. You may feel like celebrating. And why not? You just helped a spirit cross over into the next realm safely! From now on, you will be carrying this experience with you and can justifiably feel extreme joy.
On a philosophical level, you now have the firm, undeniable understanding that life is everlasting and that physical death is merely a moment of transition in the journeys of our souls. This is an important aspect no matter what religious tenets you follow.
You may feel an overwhelming urge to share your story with someone. The most important thing to remember about this is to first gain the permission of your power animal or spirit guide. Many of the instructions given by spiritual companions are for the knowledge of the journeyer and the journeyer only. After placing so much trust in these allies, the last thing one would want to do is to offend them in any way.
The second is to confide only in those whom you most trust. Kristin Madden in Shamanic Guide to Death and Dying, tells us that sometimes just being able to talk about our experiences without worrying that the person we are speaking to thinks we have lost our mind, can make a huge difference in our capability to cope with our new-found abilities. You may find it prudent to keep your experiences in dealing with departed souls to yourself. You will have to be the ultimate judge when it comes to sharing the tales of your travels.
In my case, I received permission from my spiritual companions to share my tales with you. I have done so with the intent to assist the shamanic practitioner in his or her travels. To provide examples for others to see so the question of their senility doesn’t arise.
If, in the event you weren’t able to successfully guide the soul into the next realm, you may have an entirely different set of physical and emotional characteristics.
Physically, you may feel drained and cold, similar to my initial psychopompic experience related in the last chapter. You could feel feverish and shaky. Your face may be pale and a feeling of faintness lingering. In my opinion, these symptoms are related to the stress of undergoing a psychopompic journey with unsuccessful results. These symptoms will vanish in time and life will resume as normal, if you allow it.
On the emotional side, you might feel depressed or saddened. Being unable to help a spirit make the crossing is a depressing matter. You know they want to go across but can’t do so on their own. They relied on you and you may feel your inability has let them down. You may wonder how long they have been in that state and how much longer will they have to wait to finally cross the barrier and enter the next realm of existence. This is an important time to remember that linear time, as we know it, doesn’t apply in these realms.
The philosophical side won’t change but the truth will be bittersweet. As noted in the last chapter, it is important not to give up. As a shamanic practitioner, the choice of giving up may not even be ours to make. If the soul didn’t think you could help, it wouldn’t have called to you in the first place. Eventually you will be successful. The mere fact that a soul called to you should reinforce this belief.
Should you find yourself in a deep funk after an unsuccessful psychopompic journey, seek the counsel of your power animal or spirit guide. Rely on their experience to guide you through this time. They too, believe in your abilities. Your relationship with your spiritual companions is reciprocal.
Above all, don’t be discouraged! If it helps, try to remember when you first learned to ride a bicycle. Very few children can hop on a bicycle and take off. It takes practice and there will be a few falls resulting in cuts and scrapes along the way. This holds true for the psychopompic journey. Not only that, it holds true for entering an ecstatic trance and any shamanic journey. Endurance is the key. That, and maintaining a positive attitude.
After a successful psychopompic journey, you may find your ability in guiding the souls of the dead into the next realm is requested more and more. This has certainly been my experience. This role should in no way detract from your spiritual experiences with shamanism. On the contrary, it should add to them.
In the event of success, also remember that it is the soul that seeks out the psychopomp. It is very easy to return to the shamanic journey in search of other souls to help. While this may be attempted for the noblest of reasons, it is best to avoid the temptation. Repeated journeys into the Land of the Dead in search of “clients” has the potential to result in psychological difficulties. There can be too much of a good thing. Your power animal or spirit guides will remind you of this.
One of the most important aspects of performing the psychopomp role is the understanding of what transpires after the death of the physical body. With this understanding, the shamanic practitioner is armed with the knowledge of how to help alleviate the extreme sorrow felt by those left behind. While this may not apply to the family of the spirit whom has just been guided to the next realm, this will be effective in dealing with those families close by who have lost a loved one. When the shamanic practitioner can effectively communicate to the loved ones that life does go on, he or she is contributing to the family’s ability to overcome their grief, which we know if left unchecked and is allowed to run amuck, keeps a departed loved one tied to this world.
The benefits of undertaking this task are many. First, it has been my experience that I have a new zest for life. All life. I see the beauty in nature all around me. Sure, I’ve seen it before, but now I see.
The second benefit is a deeper understanding of the nature of the universe. Because the shamanic practitioner has direct, personal contact with the spiritual world, he or she fully understands the reciprocal relationship. He or she knows that not only is human consciousness made up of energy flows but also the consciousness of animals, plants, and minerals. To take this thought to a wider spectrum, the planet on which we dwell has Her own consciousness. Even further, our universe. Each of these energy flows can be brought into harmonious integration with one another.
The reciprocal nature of our universe is evident in the fact that the components (atoms, cells, etc.) that make up our human bodies have been contained in many other beings of the past and will be part of many new in the future. The parts that make us who we are have always been around and will always be as long as there is life on Earth. The only change is the relationship between the components.
Another benefit to the shamanic practitioner who now has this awareness of reciprocity and who exudes a zest for life is that this knowledge will be reflected in their day-to-day interactions with others.
As you can see, returning from a psychopompic journey is relatively easy. What is done with the knowledge and experience gained is up to the practitioner. Learning to cope with successes or failures will only add to wisdom that is present in the Jungian “collective unconscious.”
