Looking up information on shamanism for the first time, I suddenly realized that I'm very confused about the difference between meditation, shamanic journeying, and trance.
I've been trying different types of meditation for years...clearing my mind, focusing on one thing or a train of thought, guided meditations, focusing on my breathing, etc. I've never really looked into shamanism at all, but I've taken an interest in hedgewitchery recently and I was curious about it, so I started reading. When I read a few different articles online about shamanic journeys, they sounded really similar to meditations I've done where I had a specific intent, was working with guides/spirits, or was seeking answers to specific questions.
And a lot of what people are describing as "trance" sounds like the very deep state of meditation I've been in. So I'm sort of confused about what the differences are. Is it all one form of meditation or another or have I been calling everything by the wrong names all this time?
I've been trying different types of meditation for years...clearing my mind, focusing on one thing or a train of thought, guided meditations, focusing on my breathing, etc. I've never really looked into shamanism at all, but I've taken an interest in hedgewitchery recently and I was curious about it, so I started reading. When I read a few different articles online about shamanic journeys, they sounded really similar to meditations I've done where I had a specific intent, was working with guides/spirits, or was seeking answers to specific questions.
And a lot of what people are describing as "trance" sounds like the very deep state of meditation I've been in. So I'm sort of confused about what the differences are. Is it all one form of meditation or another or have I been calling everything by the wrong names all this time?
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