In this post I’d like to share a little bit about the process of working with an “animal spirit guide”. Before I begin though, let me explain the term “animal spirit guide”. To the logically inclined skeptics out there, we are talking about “semiotics”. Symbols, which, are all around us that can carry a mass conscious understanding for the majority of the population. Shamans specialize in this type of thinking. It is not based on academic achievements but rather the conscious choice of attention. We pay great attention to what is going on around us in the context of the environment.

This morning, I was reading a book about shamanism and modern medicine (Imagery in Healing, by Jeanne Achterberg), and as I was reflecting on a specific technique shared in this book, the word, “albatross”, just came to mind. For a Shaman, this is quickly understood as the subconscious mind communicating, since I have not thought or heard that word in years. The next thought that came to mind was one of my client’s sons who has mild discomforts the doctors still can’t diagnose or cure. Last time I spoke with this client, based on shamanic observations I shared that I strongly leaned towards seeing this condition as something psychosomatic. Putting it all together I did a little research on some of the habits of this amazing bird, and this led me to certain recommendations for my client’s involvement in his son’s healing process.

From linear thinking this can look like gibberish, but applying a little Jungian thinking it all starts to make sense. The brain operates through connections of compact concepts, which can be represented allegorically. We are not looking for the exact definition or curing dose, but rather, we are trying to adapt our understanding to a situation that does not use language as a form of communication. Said in a different way, we are seeking resonance with what is going on and how it can be brought back to balance. This is something I quickly found while doing an online search: “The word albatross is sometimes used metaphorically to mean a psychological burden (most often associated with guilt or shame) that feels like a curse. It is an allusion to Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1798).^[1]“. The fact that this particular poem had such an impact in mass consciousness, gives us the hint that there is an archetypal force behind all of this symbolism. The Shaman understands and will track these clues until their origins through a process of a self induced state of expanded consciousness. In essence the Shaman knows how to tap into unknown oceans of thought in order to retrieve the known back to an unknown situation. This is also one of the reasons that shamanic cures are so abstract and trivial. Again, it’s not about a linear, cause and effect solution, but rather about a micro fractal process that seeks to regain and maintain macro harmony long term.

For more information or to book a session please Click Here