About Denver Metro Shamanic Journeying Meetup Group

While journeying on one's own works fine, shamanic journeying with a group is something else! More energy and more intention are present, and many people report different, easier, more vivid, intense or profound journeys when working in a group setting.

Plus, it's more fun! More drumming, more ecstatic dancing, more crazy animal howls (!?), more laughter. And a supportive group of like-minded people with whom to work.

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Some general guidelines:

1. Please be on time. Please enter unobtrusively if you arrive late.

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2. Please bring your drums and rattles! This is a participatory meeting, and that includes creating (and learning to create) good journeying sound-support.

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3. Please be tolerant and kind. Chances are we don't all have the same training or experience, but we can meet in a place of respect, and treat each other with consideration.

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4. Please, don't assume the responsibility of explaining other people's journeys for them. Conversely, please don't habitually ask others to interpret your journeys. Shamanism is a path of personal responsibility, and everyone is entitled/encouraged to work out their own meanings with the help of their internal guides and helpers.

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5. Please respect the privacy - names and details - of anyone who chooses to share any personal- or journey-information. (What happens in Non-Ordinary Reality stays in Non-Ordinary Reality?)

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6. Let's have an active meeting rather than a lecture hall. Friendly interaction is great, but ideally no monologues (and NO pontificating) and WAY more drumming, journeying and direct experience with Spirit.

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7. To help assure that this is a safe and nurturing place in which to do spiritual work, all meetings are drug- and alcohol-free.

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A potential dilemma with shamanic journeying and drumming groups is whether to teach or to practice or do both. Many folks learn to journey but then have no regular place to pursue the spiritual practice of drumming and journeying in a community setting. Other folks are ready to learn the basics, which is the starting point, of course.

Trying to accomplish both goals in one meeting - teaching AND practicing - is problematic: Those who want to learn how may need (and certainly deserve!) more than a cursory explanation, while those who come to journey can end up sitting through introductory teachings again and again without the extended journeying experiences they crave. Neither gets quite what they need, and gradually the group dwindles away, which benefits no one.

So, rather than try to wear both hats simultaneously (and inevitably wearing neither well) this group will focus on journeying rather than teaching, so people can hone their skills and continue building a practice. Journeying experience is NOT a prerequisite to attend, and we'll run through the basic how-to material on request, since some folks DO pick this up very readily. Sandra Ingerman's book Shamanic Journeying: A Beginner's Guide, which comes with a CD of drumming, is a great introduction to this practice, but a class generally helps. Check the calendar here: there's usually a beginning class coming up.

Hopefully, our format will help assure that all attendees can have great experiences with shamanic journeying as we meet on this path. And if you're looking for on-line discussion, take a look at the Yahoo Group "colo-shaman" - the name is silly but the group is growing.

On to the drumming!