Shamanic Journeys

Our dear friend Joan Forest Mage is a shamanic healer and dancer.

I value soul retrieval and extraction as a valuable healing practice; and i accept reincarnation as the way things are.

Joan did some shamanic journeys on Maris's behalf.

I am sharing them here in case anyone else resonates with Joan's experiences.

"Client Journey 12/22/09

This was a followup journey. Yesterday (12/21/09) at the Solstice ritual, in the land of Fire, I was led by my guides to bring back a soul part for Deena. I was not expecting to do this, but the guides asked me to do it and said it was appropriate.

In the land of ice I saw Maris. I went past the ice, and Maris was in a dark cave or room. Ray was with him; I separated their energies (cut cords) and Ray's energy went back to Ray.

Maris kissed my hands, thanking me. It was also an energy gift to give Ray and Deena, which I sent to them.

It was also clear that I was being called to do another journey to help Maris, which I did today. Before I even left the room to journey to the Otherworld, I sensed a presence. It did not seem to be friendly. From past experience, I know that when I encounter a presence or entity like this, I ask my guides to contain it, and I continue on with my journey so that I'm establishing contact with my guides. Then I come back to the entity. An entity who appears before I even start the journey usually is one that is a key element in the healing that needs to take place.

I went to the cave where Maris was. I asked my guides what I could or should do for him. I saw that there were shackles around one of his ankles. My guides and I took this shackle off. It definitely seemed to be about something karmic. Athena picked up Maris and climbed up on Pegasus. I have never seen her ride Pegasus. She took Maris this way to the place I call the Spa, where soul parts go to be refreshed and renewed. She and the other guides are taking care of Maris for a while.

I asked if I could know what this shackle was related to. Immediately I saw men in Africa. They were holding shields made of zebra hide. I got the information that in a past life Maris was a slave trader, causing misery for many Africans who he kidnapped and sold into slavery. I was seeing the slaves as African and Maris as European, rather than it being some other culture or historical period involving slavery. I got the sense that this was circa 1700's.

I saw one particular African man glaring with hate at the slave trader. I got the impression that not only was karmic retribution at work here, but also a curse from this African man he enslaved (possibly more than just that one person.). It's quite possible this African man knew how to do formal spiritual cursing. If not, just the intensity of the experience enabled him to curse the slave trader, who was born in this lifetime as Maris.

I asked if there was something I could do to balance the energy with the African man and any people who had a grievance with the slave trader. I apologized to the African, and the guides and I gave several gifts of energy to him and the other slaves, so that their energy was lighter and clearer. Finally, the slaves were able to move on.

I found soul parts of Ray and Deena, and returned them. There were other things that happened that I can't remember now.

When I returned to my physical room, the spirit entity was still there. With my guides, I talked to it. He seems to be some entity that was sent to collect on a debt owed. I am not sure yet if this entity was sent as part of the African man's curse, or for some other reason. I asked my guides what to do, and received wisdom of what to say. I said to the spirit, "I honor you. I will see to it, in all ways that are appropriate, that this debt is paid. Namaste." My guides were able to contain this spirit's energy for now.

I will see what my guides have to say tomorrow. I sensed that this situation is very large, involving many, many people: perhaps the whole interaction with Europeans and the African slave trade. Exteremly large, karmic energies are involved here, that need to be balanced.

i returned to ordinary reality, thanking the spirits and the Mystic Law.

Client Journey 12/23/09

For Maris Butta. This was a followup to the journey 12/22/09.

Immediately upon starting the journey, I saw the same spirit entity as yesterday, a man saying, “There is a debt to be paid!”

I traveled to the Otherworld. Athena and other guides were still at the Spa, healing Maris with the cleansing waters of the hot springs and cold springs.

I saw the African man I had seen yesterday, the one who was glaring. I will call him “Ali”. He was in Africa. He was talking to an African shaman, a tall, stately man of about 60 – 70 years of age. Ali wanted the shaman to put a curse on the slave trader (the person who was Maris in this lifetime) because he was kidnapping people in Ali’s tribe to sell as slaves.

The shaman, a very wise and honorable magical practitioner, said he would not curse anyone, but would put a binding on the slave trader (I’ll call him “Jeremiah”) to keep him from coming to take any more people for slaves. The shaman put the binding on Jeremiah, leaving it up to Spirit to arrange this in the best way. Interestingly, what happened was that the slave trader ran into problems with his (the slave trader’s) partner, another European man.

Apparently the slave trader Jeremiah was not only doing terrible things to the Africans, but had even cheated his partner. The partner (I’ll call him “John”) fond out about it and was livid and demanded to be repaid. They fought, and Jeremiah killed John, thus robbing him not only of his money, but of his life as well.

I realized that at least part of the entity I had seen yesterday, the man who was the debt collector, was John’s energy, demanding to be repaid. I had seen this man as a European rather than African, which had struck me as strange if it was Africans who had the grievance. Now I understood why.

I went up to the shaman and asked if I could talk with him. He was a kindly man, who said his name was Saleem. I explained that I had come to help the person who was Maris in his most recent lifetime. I told Saleem I admired both his skill and professional integrity as a spiritual practitioner in dealing with the situation in such an energetically clean manner.

I asked Saleem if he could release the binding on Jeremiah/Maris. Saleem seemed a bit hesitant, as if he wasn’t sure if he could trust me, and if it was finally all right to release the binding. I searched for what would convince him, and then said, “The mother and father of the man Maris in this lifetime are really praying for him.” I showed Saleem Ray and Deena’s prayers; the energy of the prayers was beautiful and golden and abundant. It was apparent to anyone who saw this that there was merit to the request to end this binding; that this person who was Maris had changed his ways from the way Jeremiah acted. Saleem believed this and was moved, and released the binding.

But I heard a voice say, “The debt must still be paid.” Releasing the binding was only one step; there was still energy to be balanced around the situation.

To do this, the guides took me to a place where Jeremiah was holding a soul part of John’s. I was reminded of the shamanic rule of thumb that whenever there is physical violence, there is energetic violence and soul stealing. Jeremiah killed John physically, and also took part of John’s soul.

The guides returned John’s soul part to him. John was still livid over the money he had lost. Athena came and talked to John, asking him what he needed to repay the debt. Basically, he wanted financial abundance, enough to compensate him for the lifetimes he has lived in financial and energetic poverty, ever since Jeremiah took the soul part from him.

An angel was assigned to John to lead him to this financial abundance. John was finally satisfied, and left.

Next, I saw the glaring African man. (I’ll call him “Ali”.) It was in Africa, and I saw him walking in shock and rage among the dead bodies of his tribe, including family and relatives. I am not sure of the circumstance, but Jeremiah was to blame. Perhaps the slave traders came had come to the village, and for some reason killed these people rather than taking them as slaves.

Ali demanded justice; he wanted the debt to be paid. I asked the guides what to do. They asked, “Ali, instead of asking how we can pay this debt, we ask: what is it you most want? That is what will pay this debt.”

In answer, the bodies came back to life. That is what Ali really wanted. There were eight people in particular that he wanted to see come to life. They might be his immediate family.

The guides said, “Ali, these people have reincarnated many times since they died in the lifetime you were asking about. You have even lived with them again yourself! That is the real answer to this question: that life is eternal and always triumphs over death.

“Yet, it is true that there is still a debt. These people were robbed of their lives. Also, by being killed in this heinous way, they were robbed of vitality that they otherwise would have had in subsequent lifetimes. Because of this, they were often poor or had other troubles in many lifetimes.”

The guides continued, “To repay this debt, blessings and prayers can be sent to these eight people. This will create abundance for them in this current lifetime.”

I got the sense that I should ask Ray and Deena to do this praying. I said, “I will ask Maris’s mother and father if they will restore the balance of the universe by praying for these people. I cannot guarantee that they will agree to this, but I will ask them. I think they would be willing.” I added, “What if I ask them to pray for these eight people for a year? Or a year and a day, which is a typical contract in our European tradition?”

“Three years,” said Ali counter offered, sternly.

“Very well!” I answered, smiling. “I will ask Ray and Deena if they will pray this way for three years.” I added, “In any case, I will promise to do it myself, so the energy exchange will happen.” Ali was satisfied. I realized it will be 12/24/12 when this contract is up, right after the famous “2012” date of 12/21/12.

The guides said merrily, “The people you are praying for will not even know why they have become so fortunate!”

“If possible,” I said cheerfully, “I would like us – Ray, Deena and me – to meet some of these people, and to know that they are the ones we have been praying for.” It is good when one can feel that one’s prayers have definitely had an effect, even though it might be in a way that is not provable. I got the sense that this will happen.

I heard a voice, “There is still a debt to be paid!” There is one more situation that needs to be balanced. I will journey again, possibly tomorrow, to deal with this situation.

I returned to ordinary reality, thanking the spirits and the Mystic Law.

Client Journey 1/13/09a
For Maris Butta, distance healing.

I journeyed to follow up on some of the leads I had been given in previous journeys. I asked about the lifetime Maris had in Atlantis, which seemed to be the origin of many of the problems that Maris has had in subsequent lifetimes.

I saw Maris as a man in Atlantis. I saw him working in a shop of some kind. It seemed he was the proprietor of the shop, and that he was selling something that had to do with their technology. It was interesting to experience this ancient lifetime being similar to ours, with a shop owner working in his shop.

I got the information that he had created some kind of spiritual “working” in that lifetime that is still in effect, and that this has caused problems ever since. I suspect it was a working based in greed, and that the person who was Maris in this lifetime has been feeling the karmic effects ever since.

The guides said that this was enough for today. I returned to ordinary reality, thanking the spirits and the Mystic Law."

I have faithfully prayed for these people every day.

i welcome everyone to join me in praying for them, too.

There is no way this can hurt. It will help our world. It will help these people, even if they are not related to Maris in any way, and that is a good thing for all of us on this planet.

Please pray for Maris's spirit to be at peace, that he may go forward into the light, and get the healing his spirit needs, and that when he is ready to be reborn, it will happen in a good way.