Inula Austin Soul Growth

I fell in love with Shamanic drumming when a wonderful friend of mine, who is a Shamanic Practitioner, conducted a Soul Retrieval for me.

Part of her extensive practitioner training was to collate practical, individual case studies and I happily volunteered to help with this, although I had no real clue as to what it might involve.

What followed was an extraordinary experience, that led me to new ways of thinking and exploring new ideas around spirituality that chimed very closely with my childhood adventures in nature and the close associations I hold between the Great Spirit, cycles of nature and my own inner worlds.

I recently read that the practice of Shamanism is largely thought (by academics) to be around 10,000 years old. I have to query this, in light of discoveries of places such as Gobekli Tepe on the Turkish Syrian border. Archaeologists started to uncover this monumental site in the 1990s, its circular temple structures filled with astronomical features and heavenly alignments that currently point to a date of usage at some 13,000 years ago. Logic dictates that if such well planned and constructed complexes were in use that long ago, then surely shamanic practices must pre-date such sites by many tens of thousands of years.

Personally I feel that Shamanism & other indigenous spiritual and cultural practices have coexisted with humanity since time immemorial, after all, the absence of archaeological evidence is not evidence of the absence of such practices.

Who among us has failed to sit beneath a clear, starry night sky and pondered their own origins and place in the grand scheme of things? Shamanism is the integration of cosmological and spiritual beliefs, practiced to benefit the individual and community. Often consisting of the use of natural elements available in the local environment, shamans have an ability to understand and communicate with the energies of the Earth Mother as well as animal spirits, elemental beings and discarnate humans. They see all realities and understand that we exist in a multidimensional universe, with all that that offers in terms of health, wellbeing and incidence of dis-ease.

The role of the Shaman is often to Journey, in an altered state, into one of the Three Realms (Upper, middle or lower) in order to receive and retrieve information or guidance for an individual or community, to give healing to the Soul of someone who is suffering illness or malady or to influence the welfare of their community through petitioning spirits (‘Ancestors’) for a good harvest, safe hunting grounds, clean water supply etc.

Whilst the altered states of many shamans across the world may often be attained through the ingestion of hallucinogens (think the peyote and mescaline of Mexico or the Ayuhuasca of the Amazon peoples), one of the most commonly used ceremonial tools to aid in the trance state required for Journeying is the drum.

Although many different ceremonial instrumemts are used throughout the world, the drum seems to be a common thread amongst Shamans. Believed to enable shamans and participants to undergo transformative States from the very earliest times, the rhythmic beating sounds have the effect of shifting an individuals conscious awareness into a trance state. It is now understood by neuro scientists that the rhythmic sounds produced by Shamanic drumming increase serotonin and dopamine production in the brain and may contribute (biochemically) to a closer cohesion of community members, an increase in the feeling of all working towards a similar goal to the benefit of the whole.

During my own Soul Retrieval my friend (& Shamanic Practitioner) and I sat with our knees touching, as she played her drum. It was a profound experience for me. Firstly, the volume of the drum can be quite a surprise to the uninitiated. In the west we are used to silent prayer, quiet introspection and meditation practices, not so the Shaman!

Quite soon, with my eyes closed, I became lulled and relaxed and far from the drum beat being an imposition to my relaxation, I felt myself dropping, falling gently into my own inner being. The drum had a voice… actually, voices, three of them. There came the distinct and objective sound of three men, chanting in deep tones in time with the drum beat.

In my psychic vision I slowly became aware of a spirit shaman who was participating in the ceremony with us. He spun around and around, with his own drum, whirling in ecstacy. He was so close to me that I could feel the air moving as he circled and the strips of black material that covered his head, face and body all the way to the ground, whipped around him.

He stopped very suddenly and appeared to me, nose to nose. Extending an index finger he pointed towards me and called me ‘Wind Whisperer’, then vanished.

The Soul Retrieval continued and when we were finished I told my friend all I’d experienced. I have never worked out the true meaning of those words ‘Wind whisperer’, the closest I could find is the ancient Slavic tradition of women who act as healers for their village, exorcising ‘malevolent’ spirits from the sick through incantations whispered into the ears of their patients. It is also said that there exists in Eastern Europe similar practices amongst certain women, who whisper words into the air in order to effect certain positive changes for themselves and their communities (evidently similar to the ‘spell casting’ of witches).

Perhaps the epithet simply referred to the mediumistic abilities that the spirit shaman recognised in me and he named them in a way which was familiar to him.

Feeling inspired by the turning of the Wheel of the Year, I decided to begin practising journeying by myself. Not to be confused with the work of Shamanic Practitioners, I believe that Soul Journeying may be practised by anyone who has an interest in learning to traverse their own inner worlds and the subtle dimensions around us and it is perfectly safe to do (though as with most metaphysical practices, only to be experienced by those with good, balanced mental health.)

I had an early introduction to a version of the Celtic God Cernunnos, as I travelled to meet my Guide in the Lower Realm. Since then we have been on many journeys together. These Soul Journeys are often very symbolic but also incredibly rewarding and can tell us a lot about ourselves, our motivations and our weaknesses. Working with our shadow nature (the parts of our psyche that we try to shun) is a very rewarding process and one that is extremely worthwhile.

Whilst my journeys have only just begun as far as these ancient practices are concerned, they already feel very natural and have a sense of ease about them. They align very comfortably with my love of the natural world, nature, Mother Earth, Father Sky, the Great Mystery and all it’s accompanying parts. While they may not be for everyone, I do think that anyone who does feel drawn to them will find within their teachings and lessons a real sense of coming back to the true self. Recreating those tangible links between the inner and outer worlds is more important in today’s world than it has ever been and it is no surprise to me that nature-based and indigenous practices are becoming more and more popular as a way of reconnecting and realigning with our innate and ancient understanding.

COMING 15/02/23 7.30pm-9.30pm

Soul Journeys(Session #1)

(@the Crystal Cariad Studio, Dunvant, Swansea UK)

An in person group session to introduce you to the practice of Soul Journeying through the Three Realms. Each month you will journey to meet your guides and helpers, to receive wisdom, gain healing for yourself and others and much more in this fascinating monthly event.

Places limited, please DM to book.