Several people have asked me recently how often I journey or if I have a daily practice for staying in connection with the spirits.

Working with the spirits is kind of like riding a bicycle. They are always with us whether or not we feel their presence in any particular moment. It is unnecessary to “invoke” them every day, just as it is unnecessary to have a routine for pedaling our bicycle each time we get on. We just get on and go. In fact, if we focus too much on our pedaling, we will miss the view along the way. 

A shaman doesn’t live in the spirit world. A shaman lives in ordinary reality, travels to the spirit world for wisdom or healing power, then returns to ordinary life – because this is where it’s at. This is where we work and play and live out our lives, hopefully with meaning, joy, and purpose.

How often I journey (for myself) depends on how much help I need in the moment and how much gratitude I have to express.

Life has seasons. When I had a medical challenge to get myself through, I journeyed every day for guidance and to be sure I was on the right track. At other times, I have journeyed as little as once every week or two to acknowledge the gifts in my life or ask for a piece of advice or for a hug from my spirit friends.

At a time when I was emotionally lost and desperate for grounding in the world, I had a ritual of connecting with the Earth and Sun, as well as  my helping spirits, which I performed every single day. This was not an obligation or a chore – it was an act of survival for me in the world.

As we move through each “season” of our lives, it is up to us to ask for the help or connection  we feel we need from our spiritual “partners” and to listen to their response. They always give us what we need.

What you are given and what feels right and helpful for you will be different from whatever my practice is today, and that is how it should be. To find your own authentic practice is deceptively simple – go to the spirits and ask!