A Guided Shamanic Journey to the Four Sacred Hallows
In honor of the full moon, I offer this guided visualization journey to connect you with the Four Sacred Hallows. Such Otherworld journeys are known as Imramma in the Celtic tradition. In Gaelic, Imramma means “Wonder Voyage.” It is a form of magic that can transform your consciousness from the inside out.
Are you ready?
Find a relaxed position, sitting or lying down, where you can remain awake while entering the land of dreams. Close your eyes and take a few minutes to breathe slowly in and out, relaxing each part of your body in turn…
Now you find yourself standing on the shore of a calm sea at twilight. You notice a small boat approaching, rowed by an ancient-looking man with a dark hood covering most of his face. He lifts his hood and smiles, and the twinkle in his eye draws you closer. He motions for you to step into the boat and you know immediately that you can trust him. You sense that a wonderful voyage awaits you.
As soon as you are seated, the boat begins to float out to sea. You notice a few stars peeking through the darkening sky as the soft, rhythmic splashing of the oars lulls you into a deep state of relaxation. As the boat continues to gently rock over the calm waters, you notice a thick mist beginning to swirl around you. It feels cool and refreshing on your face. Even the stars have disappeared now, and you find yourself wrapped in fog, in a world of your own, aware of only your own breath softly moving in and out, in and out…
Suddenly, the fog begins to clear and you are greeted by the dim light of dawn. Not so far away, you can see a beautiful island, covered with green grass, apple trees, and wildflowers. Your boat is heading straight for it. In another moment you feel the boat scrape against the sandy beach and you step out onto the shore feeling a sense of wonder and anticipation.
You see a path before you where the grass has been trodden by many feet. You wonder where it leads and you begin to follow it across a meadow and through a wood, until you come to a wide, clear lake. Just as the sun emerges over the distant horizon, you see a woman stepping into the light of the first sun rays. She holds a sword that gleams with light, and you want more than anything to hold it, just for a moment.
Knowing your wish, she steps forward and places the sword in your hands. You feel the embossed gold of the hilt and marvel at the brilliance and sharpness of the blade. You immediately know how to use this sword and you begin swiping it in a circle all around you, intending to cut away all the chains that bind you to illusions, limiting beliefs, fears, frustrations, and false programs that you picked up from others.
Soon your heart feels lighter. You begin to feel unfettered by expectations and conventions. You breathe a deep sigh of relief and hand the sword back with a smile. The woman nods with a knowing look in her eyes as she takes it back. Then she sinks into the lake, disappearing as if she had never been there at all.
Before you have time to think about how strange it is, you notice that the sun is now blazing high above you. As you look up at it, you see a brilliant man radiating the light of the sun. A spear of light shoots out from his arm, hitting you right in the solar plexus. It feels warm and strong, stirring up passion and power in your gut… He then moves his spear to your heart, and it feels like the light and warmth of the sun is bursting in your chest… Next he touches his spear to your forehead, igniting your third eye with a brilliant sunburst… You hear a whisper saying, “Awake,” and you become aware of the life force vibrating through your body… You look up to thank him, but he is gone.
Now the sun is setting and you stand at the edge of a churning ocean. The sky is filled with glowing clouds in pink and gold sunset colors. Not far away, you see a woman stirring a huge cauldron. Her energy is so powerful that you dare not go closer, but she looks up and smiles, waving for you to come near. Her eyes are like brilliant stars and you cannot look into them, but you know her heart is kind, so you approach her.
You look into her swirling cauldron and see spinning galaxies of stars, and more stars are continually bubbling up from the center of the galaxies. She gestures for you to step into the cauldron and you realize that it is the cauldron of plenty that regenerates all life. With gratitude, you step into the swirling waters and immerse yourself from head to foot. Immediately, you sense that all life flows through you. You are the cauldron. You are the galaxies. You are the Universe. It feels blissful and perfect, but you cannot stay… It is time to re-emerge and return to your journey.
As you step out of the cauldron, you find yourself standing at the foot of a grassy hill in the light of the full moon. Billions of stars twinkle above you and the air feels cool and calm. At the top of the hill, you see a large, smooth stone glimmering in the moonlight and you feel compelled to touch it. It is no ordinary stone, and you sense that it is sentient and aware of your approach as you make your way up the hill. Kings and queens have sat upon this stone and received their power from it. Will you be able to touch it? You wonder as you move closer.
Suddenly, you cannot take another step. The stone is within reach, but you cannot move any closer. Is it because you are not a king or queen, or is there another reason? You look around for help and notice a haggard, old woman standing nearby. You ask, “Is it you I have to appease?” She shakes her head, no. Then you realize the truth. There is nobody you have to appease. You are sovereign in your own life. She smiles and transforms into a beautiful queen, adorned in robes of Earth colors and a jeweled crown. She gestures for you to sit upon the stone and you humbly take a seat.
Sovereignty, you realize, is not about power over others. It is power to choose your own path in service of the whole. It is the birthright you received when you emerged into this Earth plane reality. It comes from Earth and will return to Earth when you leave.
You feel your connection with the core of Earth and with the entire universe around you. You are the center of the universe and you have a unique destiny that only you can fulfill. You may not know what it is yet, but you know the next step and you resolve to take it…
As you rise and walk away from the stone, you feel called to return to your boat, but before you leave, you take one last look around the island in the dawning light from the top of the hill. Right in the center of the island you see a massive spinning vortex that rises up cascading into a huge torus field, like a pulsating doughnut of energy surrounding the entire island. You notice that the center of the vortex is like the trunk of a tree – a tree of light and energy – and you realize that you are looking at the Tree of Life. You feel a similar torus field surrounding your own body, and know that you are a reflection of the Tree of Life. For a moment, you just stand and feel the life force energy pulsing through you… but your boat is still calling and you must say good bye.
With overflowing gratitude, you walk back to the shore and climb aboard the little boat. The ferryman rows you back to sea, through the veil of mist, and back to the sandy beach where you started. Remembering everything you experienced, you bow in thanks to the old man and then turn away – back to the needs of your body, back to the feelings in your arms and legs, fingers and toes, back to the breath moving in and out of your lungs. Take a moment to stretch and move. Get yourself grounded back into the reality of everyday life. Welcome back!
You might want to take a few minutes to write down any important insights or experiences you had on your journey. They tend to fade quickly.
Do you feel different now, than you did before the journey? That is magic at work. You have changed your consciousness at will, and what changes you will change the world.