Meeting Bison and Medicine Man: The Power of Shamanic Journeying

This painting was inspired by two shamanic journeys. I journey to the place of the Hummingbirds. I sit in the grasses at the pond and drum, thanking the hummingbirds for their admonition to write, thanking them for their inspiration and their feeding me the sweet nectar of life. As I drum they come in groves, stopping to drink from the flowers and then come to feed me the nectar.As I continue drumming, remembering, as instructed in a previous journey, to gaze into the mist that rises from the pond, suddenly there emerges a large furry animal, taking shape out of the mist. I recognize it as a bison. Almost immediately, I am on the plains, living with the bison. As I continuing drumming the bison comes fully formed out of the pond and mist, a large powerful animal with shaggy fur.The hummingbirds then come again in groves and begin to fly around me in clockwise fashion, spinning faster and faster until they are just a blur of energy. I feel their energy feeding my luminous energy body, increasing its vibration. I feel energized. I thank the hummingbirds, call on Huascar to return and complete the journey back into the room and into my body.Upon returning from the journey I review Ted Andrews' words on Bison Medicine. According to Andrews, Bison medicine is about manifesting abundance through right action and right power. He says that if bison shows up, it may indicate opportunities to manifest abundance in some area of your life. This is not a time to push or force. Rather this is the time to follow the law of synchronicity, allowing things to happen in their own times, in their own manners and means—the skill of non-doing. I understand this as confirmation and reinforcement of my own belief that I must do what I know to do or what comes to me to do then let the events take their natural course, trusting spirit to accomplish what I can’t, trusting in synchronicities.Andrews’ suggests that when Bison shows up to look for opportunities for abundance and increase. This means to me to say “yes” to life. Say “yes” to opportunities that may take me out of my comfort zone. Andrews also suggests if bison shows up it is time to explore questions such as, “Am I honoring that which I seek? Am I remembering that the divine is essential to all things in the physical? Am I giving honor to myself and to the efforts of others within my life? Do I show gratitude for what I already have?” The quickest way to stop the flow of abundance is by failing to honor that which has already come into our lives. (Animals Speak, pp. 254-255)A couple of days later I journey to the Upper World to sit with the Spirit Walkers and the Lineage of Healers. I tell them that I am in needing validation and verification that the energy healing work that I do actually works. I apologize for needing this confirmation, saying I know this works but the evidence is in the peoples' healings. I tell them that I sense a shift happening in me, a movement out of thinking into the workings of pure energy, where there are no words, but that I need confirmation. Suddenly I see a young Native American male with long hair kneeling on the ground doing a healing on someone, perhaps a small boy. I notice that he has a black bag, like a doctor's bag. I ask his name. He tells me "I am Medicine Man. Call upon me for I am your medicine. I bring the healing.” I have the awareness that I am very far away, having traveled a great distance. I thank the spirit walkers, Pachacuti and the lineage for their support and re-commit to being a channel for them to do their healing work, trusting that it is happening, even if I don't experience it, holding the space for spirit to do its work in my clients and wherever I walk or am called to show up. I journey back to my room and into my body.This painting is a way to interact with these energies and to honor these journeys and to establish their messages and energetic blueprints into my luminous energy field. Placing this on my blog is my way of honoring and encouraging the shamanic path.