Daily Shamanic Practice

By Alex Stark. Copyright 2001 and all rights reserved.

In order to activate your overall energy bubble (Qechua: poqpo) and increase your capacity to hold energy, it is important to maintain a daily practice. This practice can be done in conjunction with any other physical, spiritual or energetic practices you are currently doing. With a little creativity you can combine some of these practices with your own and create hybrids.

  1. Purification.

    2. In order to begin your practice it is essential to cleanse the aura of impurities. To do this you can perform hucha mijuy (digesting energy) in several ways:

  1. Bring problems or concerns which are currently affecting you and capture them in the breath by holding an inhalation. Then forcefully blow them down into the Earth. The hucha you release is a valuable sacrifice to the uchu pacha (the lower world) and will also work to enhance your relationship with the darker forces. (i.e. keep them at bay)
  2. Capture energetic debris from your poqpo by opening your qosqo (navel) and pulling the negativity downwards into the earth through your first chakra. You can also split this stream in two. One stream of hucha moves down, the other steam of sami (refined essence) moves up into the Hanak Pacha (Upper World).
  3. It is also possible to purify your aura by bathing (especially in a sacred river, lake or spring), by smudging yourself with sage or incense, or by using florida water (lavender).
  1. Breathwork

    2. Take deep breaths with retention. Inhale to the count of ten, hold to the count of ten and release to the count of ten. With practice you can hold each stage for 20 seconds, making one full breath every minute. This increases your stamina and allows vital force (kawsay) to be split from the air that carries it and be stored in your spleen and gallbladder. Work up to 5 full minutes.

  2. Invocation
  1. Call in the directions by intoning the directions. This can be done out loud or internally.
  2. Call in your Mountain Spirits verbally or with a shell horn.
  3. Call in Rivers, Springs, Lakes, and Wells
  4. Call in Nature Spirits, Trees, and all the denizens of Nature.
  5. Call in your teachers, your ancestors, and other guides. You can use drums, whistles or rattles
  6. Call i n any other spirits that you are familiar with or who are needed on that particular occasion.
  1. Receiving
  1. With open palms facing the Heavens, receive Cosmic Energy through the crown, brow, neck and palms, allowing it to move downwards through your body and into the Earth through the soles of your feet. Visualize this energy as a shaft of light that is compassionate, all-knowling and full of power.
  2. Receive energy from the Earth and allow this to mix within your energy body to activate and energize your field.
  3. Direct this energy to the center of your mesa (altar) with the palm of your right hand. Run energy as long as necessary.
  4. Direct this energy to any other location that is in need of help. This can be a person, a place or even a time.
  5. When the flow of this energy begins to recede, you can then gently disconnect and shake your hands. Cleansing yourself with lavender or incense is a good idea.
  1. Thanking

    2. Thank for the gift received by bringing your left hand over the heart, right hand over left, inhaling, retaining and then blowing your gratitude forth to the Heavens.

  1. Feeding

    2. Feed the Spirit World as follows:

  1. Offer animal products (butter, gee, fat, meat) to the Watchers or Nature Guardians
  2. Offer vegetable products (corn, tobacco, cereals) to the Spirits of all plant forms
  3. Offer mineral products (crystals, rocks, ashes, dirt ) to the Tree Spirits
  4. Offer petals to the Spirit of the Waters
  5. Offer man-made products to the Ancestors
  6. Offer cornmeal and grains to the earth mother.
  7. Offer smoke to the sky.
  8. If other spirits have assisted offer them something as well.
  1. Closing

    2. Close your Mesa or Altar by intoning the directions one time each.