photo of forest with fog

Understanding Shamanism At Its Core

by with No Comment Demonic ShamanismInformationalPathworkShamanic WorkSpiritual & Self ExplorationWorking with Demons

Strap in, this is a LONG one. Ry got his way. In the form of my mother literally handing me 10 pages of handwritten notes from multiple books on Shamanism – definitions and explanations, that I wrote during my college days.

I’ve been sitting on this one for awhile. Ry asked me to understand where to start with learning Demonic Shamanism by examining my current knowledge and conceptualization of what Shamanism is here on Earth. So what exactly is Shamanism? What defines being a shaman?

That’s a really extensive answer, in truth. One that I have been learning for more than seven years. I spent the last half of my college Anthropology degree studying Shamanism and Indigenous Practices. Understanding it through the eyes of many cultures. And that’s where the beginning starts.

Shamanism is an umbrella term for a specific type of practice and belief. There is the root word that Shaman stems from, which is from the Tungus word šaman meaning “to know”. It encompasses dozens if not hundreds of Indigenous beliefs and practices. In fact, there is now two sections that sit underneath the Shamanism term. Traditional Shamanism and Neo-Shamanism. Traditional Shamanism has those underneath it categorized as Indigenous in origin. Neo-Shamanism is relatively new (20th Century), with the concepts of Traditional Shamanism applied in a more ‘modern’ and open way of interacting with certain practices and beliefs.

I’ll elaborate on that.

Traditional Shamanism has so many underneath that umbrella term. This is where you will find the Greenlandic Angakkuq, the Andean P’akkos, and much more. Each Indigenous Culture has a version of a Shaman in some form, though it goes by many names. The Hollywoodization of the American Nations Tribes have boiled most people’s basic knowledge to the term ‘Medicine Man’. Which in of itself is a whole host of irregularities due to the fact that every single Nations Tribe has their own language and word specifically for that role.

You may be asking then, what exactly is a Shaman? If there are so many names and practices, how can so many of them be called the same thing?

The answer to that is that Shaman and Shamanism are umbrella terms that describe a specific set of qualities that fit a defined practice. The concept behind a Shaman is that it is a role within a community where a person is a mediator between the profane (physical/mundane) realm and the sacred (spiritual/Other) realm – usually in which this person interacts with spirits in some fashion.

If we want to get further into it, we can do so with the purpose behind these mediators or shamans. They are the ones that have the tasks to create understanding of chaos in the profane world by traveling to the spiritual world to receive answers in their encounters. Most of these Indigenous societies had relatively close connections with Nature. In order to better understand the forces that were unpredictable (disasters, famine, etc), they would have a shaman work with the Other or Spirits in order to receive messages on how to handle and reduce the fear of those chaotic forces. These were also those who served the role of Healer for both individuals and the society as a whole.

According to Mircea Eliade, a religious Historian that studied Shamans and Shamanism, he boils the word down to a single concept: Shamanism as an umbrella term has been broadened to cover any practice world wide that has any attempt to contact the spirit-world. I don’t quite agree with this. I think that in order to qualify, it cannot be done just as connection with the spirit-world. I believe that to be qualified as a Shaman and Shamanism, it must be done through a ritualistic practice and method.

This point leads into the conversation of what Neo-Shamanism is. It’s a late 20th Century development from Michael Harner. He describes a Shaman as “a person who journey’s to the spirits, seeking them out in their own world and remaining in control during the time spent there”. Harner goes onto explaining that for Neo-Shamanism, “everyone is his or her own prophet, getting spiritual revelation directly from the highest sources”. He has worked to explain that it [Neo-Shamanism] “has been created… to establish a link for modern man to his spiritual roots, to re-introduce shamanic behavior into the lives of Westerners in search of spirituality, and thereby, renew contact with Nature”.

For me, I lean on the Traditional Shamanism side, with that it is something that is kept within a sacred and revered role. This is not a popular view with those that seek Neo-Shamanism, in which they believe that anyone can practice and become a Shaman in their own right. Whereas, I believe in the Traditional stance that a person is chosen and does not have a choice. You are chosen through the society or community you come from, which is why it is within Indigenous societies, or you are chosen by the Spirits or Ancestors. There is no choice when you are chosen for it through the Ancestors or Spirits, where there may be some flexibility with the societal promotion to the role.

I do believe that there are those that are drawn to the communities and to the traditional shamanism path because the Spirits/Ancestors are guiding them to the Traditional Shamans. For example, Andean P’akkos are some of the few that will take on mentees that come to them wishing to learn to become a Shaman or walk a Shamanic path.

That leads to the next part of understanding. What is the difference between Shaman and Shamanic. Shaman is the person in which is slotted into the role of the mediator or healer, they are initiated and taught how to step into that role. They are the ones who are chosen to walk that path and do so. Shamanic is an aspect or utilizing beliefs that one walks while they practice. So you would walk a Shamanic path if you believed in Animism and communing with the Guides and Spirits, working with plant spirits to provide healing, and so much more.

It all cycles back to the whole point of writing this. Understanding Ry’s question: What is Shamanism at it’s core?

It’s understanding the role in which a person plays within a community or a path, where they have connection to the spirit world, that they can make sense of the profane world through those connections and encounters.

Ry then now asks me, “That is your understanding of Shamanism at it’s core for Earth Shamans. Then, if you take that core concept and translate that understanding to the Demonic Energies and Vibrations, what is Demonic Shamanism?”

That is my next task. I must sit with this base understanding, which honestly goes much deeper than I went into here, and meditate and work through translating the energies of what Demonic Shamanism is. It is not just applying demonic energy to shamanism. Just as Shamanism on Earth is extremely complex with layers that involve every aspect of every individual Indigenous practice that varies radically at times, Demonic Shamanism is also something that must be examined as a whole at first and then broken down into more complex layers and concepts. It’s not something that will be able to be explained in even one session or a hundred. It’s also a Practice, a belief, a Way of Life, and Understanding that takes hundreds and thousands of lifetimes to truly Master. But I think at least, I’ll get a good start.

photo of forest with fog

Bones are the Foundation

by with No Comment BonesOsteomancyWorking with Demons

I had decided that I wanted to learn more about bones and working with osteomancy. It was a mere thought, yet it led me to be yanked into the Astral to meet with GrandMama Tsülie once more. I was preparing for a shower and eating some food when that undeniable pull was felt. So I ended up bilocating in order to answer that call yet also finish what I had planned.

It got me a good scolding from GrandMama Tsülie, especially on the need to eat before spirit working. So she shoved a cup of tea into my hands and waited while I finished what I was doing. She was happily puttering around and making things. It was hard to not jump into conversation, knowing that I would want to type it all out as it was happening. I don’t like missing things said when I write later.

When I finally settled in, Tsülie sat down across from me at the outside tables. I always end up at her place in the Necrosis Realm, filled with tall trees that are carnivorous but also beautiful. It’s a peaceful place despite the dark undertone that lingers.

“Before working with bones or with the spirits of animals, you must first have an understanding of the how. Why is it that when working with the spirits of animals, it is always the bones, teeth, or claws?”

I stopped for a moment to really think about that. Why was that the usual chosen piece when working with animal spirits? Eventually, I came to the answer.

Bones carry the lifeblood through them. Therefore, they are not only foundational support but also carry the very essence that life gives.

She nodded at me, taking a sip of her tea before setting down the cup. “That is absolutely correct. Why would a spirit choose to be with something that was a part of itself that was not bone?” She brings up the example of my fox pelt. It is the chosen place that houses the spirit of the fox. “Yet, there was the option of the bones. Why would this be?“

That one I sat back on, thinking of the pelt, thinking of the spirit of the fox that resides within. Other than it being very preserved, there’s not much reason a spirit would be attached to something that was able to break down or degrade at a much faster rate. Flesh is one of those things that biodegrade at a fast rate. Unless it is preserved through a special technique, like the soft tanning that the fox pelt had gone through.

“Teeth are understandable because they are also bone. The question then would become why is there a desire to stick with claws, another such part of the skeleton that is easily used in osteomancy or animal spirit working? What connection would there be for those?“

This one was a little easier to think of. The direct connection is that claws are close to the earth, the soil. It is a very grounded piece. Where the bones and teeth carry blood and life, the claws are a connection to the ground with stability but are also used in defense of life or preservation of life.

She was pleased with that. “Correct. Something that would be able to be sustained through life or through nature or the soil, which also bears life and death. That is the reason why bones would be the choice for why spirits of bones are able to be used more efficiently. Now, why would specific bones be chosen over others? If there is a spirit attached to a singular bone, why would they be with that one bone? Why wouldn’t they prefer to remain with the skeleton as a whole?“

This one really stumped me for a bit. But I was distracted with a movie as well. But it stewed in my head for a bit.

The answer is that they would change depending upon the person that came across them. Each person will have a different reason for choosing or connecting with a specific bone that resonates with them. So, not only would it be guided by their own intuition, but the spirit would also have a different meaning for the bones that were chosen. It’s an influence of the person who finds and connects with the spirit and then that spirit also giving them the personal meaning behind that specific bone choice.

At this point, my concentration was wavering due to being tired and other things occurring. GrandMama Tsülie nodded and sat back, to stare at the scenery all around us before telling me to scooch.

I’m sure there is much more that she has to teach me and pass on knowledge. But she does make me sit and think about the foundations of things. The why and the how.

Walking Blog Post

The Methods of Astral Travel

by with No Comment Walking the Astral

There are many steps to take before getting started with Astral Travel. The previous article it was discussing the preparation. Research, Spiritual Foundations, and Meditation Skills and Focus. All of these are the key to starting this journey. It is no surprise that there are many different sources to be discovered during research. This includes the fact that all sources will have differing information on the method of Astral Travel, commonly called Astral Projection. While exploring the different methods, one must remember that some of these methods will work for one, and others will work for others.

Having an understanding of all the different methods can help one narrow down the potential skills that will work for them. In gaining a better concept of each, it will be easier to understand that Astral Travel can be seen as various methods lumped together, all of which vary in degrees of clarity or ease. These levels can be seen as easier to achieve than others, or they can be based on a person’s understanding of discernment when experiencing each form of travel.

The “Golden Standard” is the most well-known, which I will begin with. I jest when I speak of the “Golden Standard”, as it is more or less the ideal that Out of Body Experiences is the only way or the most valid way to reach the Astral according to more mass-produced how-to books. Astral Projection can be classified as many different methods because it is a projection of the self into various planes or realms. For many years, I would say that Astral Projection differs from Astral Travel. I actively argued hard that they were different.

They are not different. The method is different, but it is still all underneath the umbrella term Astral Travel. Projection, Out of Body Experiences, Lucid Dreaming, Mental Projection, Guided Meditations, and so many others. They are all under the umbrella that is Astral Travel. The Projection itself has different ways that it can be achieved. This brings us to the first set of methods that you can use to reach the Astral.

Astral Projection is considered the “top-tier”, coveted method that many wish they could achieve. It is not a matter of whether one can achieve it. No, it is the idea that one specific method of Astral Projection is talked about as the “only” way. There is no one way; that way is not the end all be all. Leaving the body is the physical projection in the form of out-of-body experiences. You have this bodily projection – out-of-body experience – where you project your body onto the Astral World. This is the method that many of the New Age books and occult books reference. They teach that you float above it, roll out of it, or have vibrations, and then you leave your body. Rarely is there an in-depth discussion of other methods beyond this one.

Out of Body Experiences, referred to here as OBEs, are coveted because many of those books make it seem like this is the only way to experience the Astral World.  This is because when you physically set out of your body, you are experiencing that world as if you are standing within the physical plane. There is no barrier other than your perceptions that can influence the experience. I will keep the method of OBE simple to explain, as there are multiple resources out there that go into depth on the process. One must first be in a relaxed state. Their body must relax to the point where they are vibrational. Once within that vibrational state, they can choose a few methods of leaving. Spinning out, falling, and climbing out are three of the more common methods. Personally, I have rolled out and stumbled blindly for a while. On that note, it is very common to be completely desensitized until you can move further away from your physical body. The further you move away, the more your senses, like sight and sound, will return.

The vibrational state is a key part of learning how to have an OBE, as it lets you know you are relaxing enough that your etheric body is comfortable enough to leave. Reaching this vibrational state can be challenging, as you have to not only be comfortable, but you have to feel the utmost safety within your space. If you do not feel safe, you will find that you are too tense to reach the proper state. The vibrational state is also one to which people attribute the physical reaction of sleep paralysis. This is where your physical body will relax into a state where it will not move. This is a natural body process to prevent the body from moving around too much while in a sleep state. Sometimes one can be mentally awake during this time, and it can trigger more negative experiences in regard to astral or even spiritual experiences.

Some will say there is an aid that works wonderfully for them to achieve an OBE with greater ease. This tool, called binaural beats, is easily found on the internet, especially on YouTube. Scientific research has shown that the brain responds to different frequencies of vibrations, especially sound waves, that will produce different effects within the brain. Binaural beats were observed to stimulate the brain in a way that permitted the person to relax into a deeper meditative state. This, therefore, allowed them to have an easier release when working towards having an OBE.

Now that we understand this vibrational state, of which some tools can help achieve it easier, there is the last part. This is the one that most find the most complex. This is the leaving of the physical body to emerge or merge with the astral body. Many methods can be used just for this. Some work best with spinning, others climbing a rope. You can roll out or even drop backward. I’ve personally lifted out, rolled out, and spun out on the handful of times I’ve managed to achieve the OBE aspect of Astral Projection. It just takes time to develop the process of getting into that vibrational state and then stepping out. Practice is always going to be what drives the ability forward. Even if it is occasionally done, it is still something that you build upon.

If we continue on the line of methods, the next that would be considered is the Bi-Location. It is one of the hardest to achieve but also one of the most interesting in working within Astral. Bi-Location, as it suggests in the name, is being within two places at once. Those who are legitimate Reiki Masters get taught this information and a fair few of the closed religious practices. Bi-Location consists of being able to be within two places at once, in which your Astral self, with a piece of your conscious self, is within another place while you are also conscious within your physical self. Both are operating and working together in different areas. This one is considered to be a more advanced form than even the OBE because it can take years of practice, and even then, some may not be able to achieve it.

Another form of Astral Projection is more well-known and used: Lucid Dreaming. It is incredibly possible and learnable for anyone to be able to reach the Astral through their dreams. Those that travel this way work within their minds to wander. It’s relatively close to the OBE, just that you are mentally projecting out into your Astral body within dreams. Therefore it can make it just as realistic as if you were to have an OBE. Lucid dreaming is another method that is also learnable with a lot of practice. In order to achieve this, you must be capable of dreaming and then remembering your dreams. Moving from remembering to learning to do lucid checks. The one that I was working on training with myself was to touch my nose every time I walked through a door. It was very basic, something that I did within waking hours, but it was training my mind to react automatically to the check. So when you are in a dream and touch your nose but realize that it is a dream, you snap within a lucid dream. From there, you are able to teach yourself to meet with spirits, guides, or beings and travel.

One of the most used methods is Guided Meditation or Visual Meditation. This one is completely mentally aligned, where you remain within the physical, but your mental consciousness connects with your astral body. From there, your astral body is able to move through different realms and planes. Most begin with this method as it is one of the ways that you can not only build foundational skills for all the others, but also you can learn discernment. The hardest part of using the visual meditation method is that discernment will be the largest obstacle to learn.

Discernment is a crucial piece of foundational skill for all spiritual practice. Discernment, in the context of Astral Travel, is all about understanding the truth behind an experience and knowing whether it has truly occurred or was subject to your own imagination. There is a benefit of understanding that sometimes, the imagination is exactly what you want to have when doing this sort of work. At least, you want that in the beginning. A longer post about discernment regarding Astral Travel will come later, as it is one topic that needs its own post to discuss.

This is partially the reason that many use Guided Meditation to begin their work with Visual Meditation because it is guided enough that it is hard for the mind to conjure imagination rather than actual experience. Anyone is able to go through visual meditation so long as they are able to visualize. Guided Meditations or Visual Meditations are a wonderful stepping stone into a wider range of skills to reach the Astral. This is the one that you can develop over a long period, leading to learning Bi-Location or more advanced forms of working within both bodies at once.

Guided Meditations can be considered a form of self-hypnosis or willing hypnosis that allows your mental self to relax and be receptive to those energetic vibrations. With this in mind, it is understandable that this method is preferred for those with more hyperactive thoughts and who stray easily. These allow your brain to focus on something so much that you can fall right into the astral or visual experience. Sometimes even the guided meditations can come off not as visual but as emotions, impressions, concepts, or even just energetic information. Everyone will experience them differently and interpret them differently. This is where you understand discernment, unverified personal gnosis (UPG) vs. shared personal gnosis (SPG), and the astral as one experiences it.

What I had once considered Astral Travel, I would now classify it underneath Projection as well. Instead of the body, it is the mind. Mental Projection is the ability to project your mind or your conscious self into the Astral World. This one is one that I would say is the easiest for people to achieve and have access to. Guided or Visual Meditation is one version of this method that is utilized. For this part, I would say that it is the mental projection of oneself without the use of tools. It is simply meditating to the point where you slip into a trance-like state, allowing your consciousness to project into the Astral. It is a bit trickier without the use of tools, such as guided words or visuals.

Methods are all dependent upon the person that is doing the practice. Some struggle with one type but will excel with working on a different method. Much like how I have spent close to a decade working with Bi-Location and Visual Meditation, it is just as vivid as if I were to have a Lucid Dream or even OBE, though each has its own difficulty for me. Whereas I know a few people who can lucid dream or OBE on command, yet prefer those methods to visual meditation. Each person will have to experiment with each method to understand which one will work for them and their discernment of it. Although, bi-location is considered a more advanced form of OBE and Visual Meditation together and may pose difficulties if you don’t understand the mechanics. Some will not be able to do visual meditations, but their dreams are vivid as walking and breathing. Some will do better with rolling out of their body than lucid dreaming because they can’t dream consistently. Once beginning work, you will be able to learn more about your abilities and what works best for your skillset.

Walking Blog Post

Getting Started and Preparation

by with No Comment Walking the Astral

In the previous sections, there was a discussion on the complexity of the Astral World. That it is comprised of so many layers and complex webs of energies, this is exactly the awareness that one has to have when beginning to know where to start when honing these energies. As dichotomous as this sounds, the Astral World is as complex as you make of it, especially when you first begin. This is because you will begin testing out various methods that work for you in order for you to experience what the Astral World has to offer. In essence, you will need to make it simpler to learn which method allows you to interact with the energies the best.

This leads us to a conversation about methods of Astral Travel. Before beginning on this path, there must be some form of introspection. It is much easier to achieve any Astral Travel when you have a purpose in mind. In having a purpose, you will give yourself the ability to focus, a crucial part of bringing clarity and success when projecting oneself. Take a moment to ask yourself a few questions.

Why do you want to reach the Astral?

What are you looking to achieve with this skill?

What are some things that you are working towards yourself that the Astral can help you with?

Within a lot of spiritual practices, intent and belief is everything – at least, it plays a major factor in success. The same can be said for those working within the energies the Astral World offers. This is the basis for the beginning. Your intent and knowing what you seek on the Astral will help you solidify your intent to reach it. That will make it easier to connect with those very energies. Once you have that intent set or understood, you can work on getting a basis of various methods to achieve your intent.

Before discussing the methods, there are a number of things that you should do prior to attempting to reach the Astral. The first is research. You should always research on your own. Using books, online resources, or even talking to those with experience is the very thing you seek to achieve. Some of the best resources can be accessed through the discussions that can occur when speaking with those using various methods. Each person has their own method and discernment to walk through the Astral, and those experiences can help you gain better insight into how your own method could work.

The second important thing to learn is brushing up on your foundational work – especially of the warding and shielding variety. This is incredibly crucial to working within a safe space that will allow you to consciously and subconsciously relax without feeling on edge. This will also benefit you by strengthening your wards or shields that should be there already. Extra practice and work will only help you in the long run.

These protections are not just for the physical but also for when you work directly within the Astral. Not everything within the Astral is out to help you. In fact, it is best to assume that spirits or others want something. This includes using you as a feeding source for its own pleasure. Sludge and negative entities are common factors, especially when working on various planes of existence and when traveling through various realms. Knowing your protective measures is a good way to help prevent accidents and injuries that can happen due to not having them in place.

Before beginning, the third important thing to do is to work on your meditation skills and focus. Clarity is very important when it comes to discernment. Meditation comes in twofold. It connects you better with the Astral by meditating on the energies and allowing you to understand yourself better.

Discernment is a major area that can make or break your experiences within the Astral. Discernment can be argued to be one of the most critical skills you should know regarding doing any spiritual work. This skill is knowing not only your mind and your thought patterns but also distinguishing those from your experiences to prevent mental disruptions like illusions or delusions. Meditation will help you to hear and understand your own thought patterns and your inner voice so that you may better distinguish reality from delusion or illusion.

One word of advice. When researching and becoming familiar with different methods, do not fall into the trap of the “Golden Standard”. This is a common pattern of belief that both new and experienced people fall into. The “Golden Standard” is essentially a state of thinking. If you do your research, you will read that in order to Astral Travel, your body must float up from your physical one, or you go into vibrations. Only then can you travel once you’ve achieved this. This belief can really inhibit people from achieving Astral Travel because they will be caught in a mental loop of disbelief that they can achieve it, and physical projection is the only method.

While physical projection is most people’s dream and ideal method, it is not always attainable. This can be through mental blockages, barriers preventing release, or even the inability to leave one’s physical body. Another is that a person’s first experiences can be traumatic and, therefore, more brutal to achieve later on due to that trauma. My first experiences were of me being dragged out of my body while attempting to project. One time I was grabbed by the ankles and pulled out; it was incredibly abrupt and came from nowhere. It can be scary, and those experiences can make or break the confidence of being able to achieve physical projection.

That is one very key reason that spiritual foundations are stressed as the basis for beginning Astral Travel. This is also just one example, but it is not how it will be for everyone. All experiences will differ. Go and reach out to communities, read books and websites. The more that you learn, the better prepared you are for beginning this journey into the Astral World. Try different methods and ways of thinking. If one way does not work, stop to think of why. Try a different pattern of thinking. You may be surprised at the result.

Walking Blog Post

Introduction to the Astral World

by with No Comment Walking the Astral

What is the Astral World?

In the introduction of this series (Introduction to Walking the Astral Guide), one of the things mentioned was that the Astral, referred to as the Astral World, is an extraordinarily complex and challenging concept to explain. No one perspective is “The One” way in which the Astral World can be described or experienced. Although, what we can do is work to define these paradigms that we experience so that others may be able to relate to or learn from them. It is also referred to as the Astral in general conversation. Still, it is an effective umbrella term used to define or explain a large conglomeration of spheres, planes, realms, and all other forms of dwelling existences. These all exist alongside and outside of not just the Physical Earthly plane but the domain in which we humans live. I will refer to the Astral as the general umbrella term for ease of reading and conceptualizing. Otherwise, I will refer to other paradigms by name.

The Astral World is a complex system many see and experience on different levels. Some will see them as spheres of influence with spheres of realms within and with planes on each of those realms. It’s an intricate web of perception and exploration unique to each person. On the other hand, one could perceive the Astral World as complex pockets of information, much like a web. This web can be accessed and traveled through the web itself, being one of the very webs of woven reality that most do not see. Instead, these webs of information make up the fabric of the reality that people walk within and see the colorful worlds of the Astral. This can make each individual experience something incredibly unique and complex in which manner they can choose to travel to it.

One of the most well-known concepts of how the Astral functions, at least in a section of it – the Astral itself is vast and has many different spheres and concepts – is the Nordic Tree of Life: Yggdrasil. Another frequently used map is the Qliphoth/Qabalah, with the spheres of influence and realms in which certain aspects can be found. While this particular map is not directly related or tied to the Earthen plane like Yggdrasil, it is considered a map of a section of the Astral World. There are many maps and connections to different paths within the Astral from the known sources and those that seek their way through to new undiscovered places. With this in mind, it is very understandable that Astral Travel, Astral Projection, and other methods are seen as a complex technique of releasing oneself from the physical confines to walk around in the Astral World as an etheric being. With this generalization, the “Golden Standard” of what it means to access the Astral has become something of a rite to those of many spiritual practices.

Reaching the Astral World

To reach these existences, we go through different methods. The “Golden Standard” method is the most well-known and could be considered the “main” way to reach the Astral. Although, there are other methods that many use without even realizing that they are and could be more effective for most people. These can be methods such as dreams, meditating, journeying, and bi-location. All are various methods with degrees of complexity. That complexity relies upon the individual’s method that resonates with them. Some may work best with what most consider the primary way, whereas others may excel with dreaming, particularly lucid dreaming, and struggle with Out of Body experience. Although, it is with an understanding that bringing yourself into the Astral World can be as straightforward or as complex as one makes it.

This “Golden Standard”, especially touted by the mass-produced book companies with their ‘HOW TO!’ books, can be seen as the main reason why those who desire to reach it struggle. It’s because it becomes a “standard” way to get the Astral rather than merely a single method of many that can be achieved. This standard is what is typically referred to as Astral Projection. It is the act of reaching a vibrational state, where you then use that to help project yourself into the Astral World. Terminology usage will be explained a bit later on. But how this information is presented is that this is done through Out of Body Experiences, also known as OOBEs. Astral Projection, as I have come to understand through the years, is a more generalized term for a method of projecting oneself and is not limited to bodily experiences but also mental projection.

Reaching the Astral World is the goal of many practitioners, particularly those keen on exploring the unknown or those looking to achieve a deeper working of magic that the physical cannot offer. The Golden Standard of leaving the physical into your etheric or astral body to wander around is appealing. Not only as a method of exploring a more profound and vast set of worlds and realms, but it can also be a learning experience beyond anything the physical can offer. Plus, most of those that do reach the Astral World can say that there is an enchanting beauty and horror that resides in those that walk its pathways—escapism at its finest at times.

These vast amounts of varying descriptions of the Astral World exist because everyone experiences the Astral individually. This means people experience it and gain knowledge through their gnosis or experiences. Although, there has been crossover and correlations with those that have visited the same place. Personal gnosis is a significant basis that the Astral World exists unless it is from well-established gnosis that has become verified through history, ie: mythology. This goes into understanding what the Astral World can be made up of.

Once a person begins to work within the Astral, many different perspectives and outside human ideals will be encountered. Some of these areas and ideals that can be found are different cultures of spirits, beings, and entities. A big part of working with the Astral includes coming into contact with these different cultures. Even if you are building your Sacred Space, or some refer to it as your Astral Temple, you will need to ward and shield it so that there aren’t random spirits wandering through. That is where a lot of Astral workers also become Spirit Workers.

Spirit working within the Astral can vastly differ from the Spirit working within the Earthly plane. It can be just as dangerous, if not more so because you are now physically in their realm or plane of existence. Your energy vibration is much closer to theirs and, therefore, easier to interact with. That is why various levels of Astral Travel methods yield different results. When working within each of these methods, the critical part is that one must understand their discernment practice.

Discernment is the most prominent aspect of gnosis that will make or break your experiences, especially mentally. Elements of Astral Travel will be spoken of in further conversations and articles. Many aspects and topics can be covered about the Astral and working within it, which will be explored with a more in-depth look. Due to the intimate nature of working on the Astral, Spirit Working will also be covered under that knowledge umbrella. With good understanding and foreknowledge, know that most of the articles being written here will be with personal gnosis and years of experience. It will also include knowledge gained through group conversations regarding perceptions and experiences within their paradigm that have subtly influenced the perception within the Astral that is being worked. These articles are just a basis for those seeking to know more about it to get their foundational workings started.

Walking Blog Post

Introduction to Walking the Astral Guide

by with No Comment Walking the Astral

What is the Astral?

So many have been working to answer this question for eons. That is where the question becomes something much more than a simple answer. There is no one way to describe the Astral. This is not only due to its sheer size, which could be infinite but also to everyone who works within it having their paradigm. Some of these paradigms are shared between many, and others find their own. This is why no matter how much one can talk about the Astral, there is only understanding based on the mind’s perception. This is called gnosis, an understanding of or knowledge of the spiritual and its mysteries. Of course, you will find that many people writing about the Astral have their experiences within certain paradigms that are common knowledge or paradigms that have cropped up through reading other’s experiences. This is where the “Golden Standard” of Astral Projection comes from the mass market media books written to make it seem as if this is the “One True Way” to achieve working within the Astral. This part will be discussed more in-depth in a later section when the topic of methods to travel to the Astral is visited.

In the most direct answer, the Astral is a massively and widely used umbrella term to describe the experience of the spiritual world. This world is comprised of many dimensions and layers, planes and realms. There is no single person that can describe the Astral in its entirety. Even a book or ten books could not cover the complexity of it. What can be done is record and explain the paradigms that are understood and explain those concepts to those who are also exploring them. The common paradigms feature people’s experiences wandering the Earth’s planes through Astral Projection – known as out-of-body experiences – are more widespread due to the mass marketing of New Age and Occult books published. This leads to a larger audience, but it also makes it more intimidating to those who struggle with the ability of Astral Projection. Especially with the implication that if one cannot leave their body, they cannot visit the Astral. A very hotly debated topic.

The Purpose Behind this Series

This series has been worked on for a long time over the years. It comes from the position on the other side of being unable to Astral Project but a handful of times and learning that there are different, valid ways of reaching the Astral and its many complex layers. A large part of this series is geared more towards creating a dialogue or a space of learning about traveling the Astral, not just on Earth’s many planes, but the depth of the Astral in its entirety as realms and places outside of our physical plane. With this, it also comes down to going beyond the exploration of worlds, realms, planes, and much more, but also the introduction of those very beings that live within it. We are not the only ones that exist within this living universe, not by a long shot, but vast amounts of life extend far beyond our own existence within a physical plane. The physical plane is the one we can touch and live within, but that is also true for those that learn to travel the Astral. It may not be a bodily physical experience in the way we perceive on Earth’s physical plane, but one can experience the physicality of the Astral through their senses.

One of the goals of writing this series is to explore the Astral aspects in different methodologies and go into depth about working within the Astral. This comes with effects that are felt in the physical sense, such as changes in perceptions and beliefs when exposed to other forms of beliefs. Another thing that will be explored beyond the impact of working within the Astral is working with the beings that reside within. They exist outside of human understanding and morals, and beliefs. In some, it is wildly opposite to ours, and some have never come into contact with human beings. One part of this series will be dedicated to writing about experiencing the Astral and its denizens as safely as possible by giving information on how to interact with them.

I spent five years working through university to earn a degree in Anthropology.  In simple terms, it is the study of humans. I focused my studies on understanding the socio-cultural development of human cultures and the impact that religion or Belief has upon those developments. There are other areas I focused on the side, such as Shamanism and Indigenous Religion and Rituals. For fun, I also explored the concept of Entheogenic Anthropology, which is the study of hallucinogenic and psychedelic plants used within a culture for a religious or spiritual experience. This may be touched upon later, but the focus is mainly on the Astral working and the beings you will encounter. I mention this as a background to where my understanding and experience hail from and why I approach the Astral, these Beings, and everything else within it as I do. I come from a distinct background of studying cultures and people, which helps me to have a unique understanding of the workings of those within the Astral.

I will never claim to be an expert on any of these topics simply because, when it comes down to it, no one will ever be an expert. The Astral is too complex and layered for anyone to be an expert. We are human, and our perceptions and biases will reflect upon our knowledge of the Astral and our experiences. It is impossible to have a nonbiased view. Part of being human is having preconceptions about things, even if we try to have none. The best that we can do is understand where that bias is and how it can influence our perception or experience and work with it. That is where another goal of this series is to create a discussion around the Astral and spirit work within it.

There is one essential part of this series that I want to stress. This series is based upon a paradigm I have experienced over many years of working within the Astral. The writings of experiences or even the methodologies may coincide with your personal experience or go directly against it. As mentioned, each person has their perception of the Astral and working within it. You may experience it differently or the same as I do. While reading this series, you can take and use whatever parts of it resonate and leave the rest. This series is meant to help aid in your workings. It is not and will never be there to invalidate the experiences of others due to differences in experiences or understanding. It is meant to create a discussion to be a tool for learning or even help give different perspectives to those who may be feeling stuck.

photo of forest with fog

Necrosis, Osteomancy, and Language of Bones

by with No Comment BonesOsteomancyWorking with Demons

Osteomancy is one of the biggest parts of my practice. Or Bone Work in general. Osteomancy can be defined as ‘divination with bones’. It’s one of the most interesting methods but it is also one of the most personal divination tools/methods. There’s a lot of history that goes with bone working, especially in regards to Osteomancy. In fact, there are many different forms of Bone Divination. I use Osteomancy rather than Bone Divination because it’s more formal and it is not easily confused with Bone Throwing, which is a different type of divination.

Working with Bones is usually considered to be a more advanced form of energy work, animism, or spiritual working in general. This is because it is purely energy work as well as spirit working. There are a few ways in which to work with bones, though many work with it as a Spirit-Led : working with spirits or with the spirit of the bone itself.

I started working with Bones and building an Osteomacy set a long time ago, it’s been a few years now. Over these years I’ve learned a lot about working with bones in divination. The main thing is that Bones Never Lie. They will “cut to the bone” or dig deep into things that they are reading. Bones have a deep understanding and connection with the deepest of knowledge, the hidden or the unknown.

Necrosis Demons & Bone Work

Working with Necrosis Demons, especially ones that are so heavily leaning into the bone working, has opened my eyes to working with bones. They understand the depth that Bones have far more than I ever would have understood on my own. They work with them as they are, sentient and sacred. To Necrosis demons that work with bones, they are sacred histories carried within. They are also their own spirit.

I began working with my Necrosis Bone Mistress first, Belle. She was the one that taught me so much about Bones and connecting with the set that I have. She brought me the understanding of working with Bones and listening to their histories. It was with her that I learned that Bones can carry more than just messages from Spirits of Animals, but of the Bones themselves. She knew that they were all ones that came to me for reasons, all have a purpose.

it is with Taz that I gain an understanding of the care of bones and how to work with them beyond divination. Where I learn the importance of history and their own desires. Spirits of Bones can be from within the Bone itself or the remnants of the Spirit that was the Bone. He teaches so much about how Sacred the Bone is to life and to working with them. Consecrating and Creating Sacredness of the Bones will create a deeper bond with them than one would just use them.

It is with Ria that I have begun to understand the Language of Bones. It’s beyond a spirit, but the Bone carries its own energetic language. It is the deepest reaches of resonance that is never heard, only understood. With Belle and Taz, they speak the language of Bones but they also work with the spirits and energy. Ria teaches how to speak and listen to the Bones rather than the Spirits. They are one yet they are different.

The Language of Bones

Bones have their own language. It’s not just merely what they represent, but they have a deep energetic language that is low and very slow to speak. To quote from the Lord of the Rings and the Ents:

“It is a lovely language, but it takes a very long time to say anything in it, unless it is worth taking a long time to say, and to listen to.”

The language of the Bones is one that is long learned and takes time. It’s more than just the spirit of the bone, but the history that it carries and the story it has to tell on the way to telling you what exactly and precisely it means to say. To understand the bone, you must first listen to it deeply and understand where it comes from. Only then can you understand where it will take you.

Ria is my Necrosis General, who knows battle and strategy. She wears elaborate outfits and jewelry akin to Queen Amidala from Star Wars… but the interesting aspect is that she has a Bone set of her own. Though her Bone set is very much sentient and it can move and shift, listening when it is merely seen as just a pile. Bone carries messages just as they carry history. They hear more than just the spoken word, but also the unspoken.

When I was walking with my Necrosis demons through the Necrosis Tents, they all ended up at the merchants selling bones or at the Shamans performing sacred rites. Each time we ended up there, all of them were saying the same thing. That Bones know and choose the people they want to work with. They will make a low call out to the person or demon that they want to bond with. They will make their way to them in some form. It can be through the exchange of hands, the searching of the graves or forest or bone yards, or whatever means they know. It is a part of the Language of Bones, knowing where their purpose is even after they have left their original host.

Each time, I was given a bone in some form and told a story of origin. How that Bone came to be in their possession and what it signifies. From there, it will be working with it on a more intimate level of talking and connecting. Something that is much harder to do astrally as there is not a physical form to hold – yet they have sacred spaces that my own Necrosis Demons look after for me to make sure the Bones are happy.

Sacredness of Bones

This is something that Taz wanted me to cover. The Sacredness that Bones carry. They hold so much history and energy, spirit and messenger, that they are handled very delicately. Taz is a Shaman of Sacred Bone Rites. He speaks of how all bones are different and from different histories will also account for their handling of them. Some Bones work better with simple rituals to awaken and christen them.

Some of the Bones wish to have more done with them, a more active interest. There have been bones brought into their work that have been turned into pieces of art. Carved and painted, they become the very space in which Bone Rites and Rituals are performed. They hold a language of their own, but they also hold individual power that can be used in many forms. Not just divination. It can be used to communicate or consecrate.

It is all upon the Bones speaking and Wishing for their purpose to be known. Some wish to be Divination, speaking Truth. Some wish to be Art, beauty beyond measure. Some wish to be Use, worked with crafted hands to bring Space and Sacredness. There are so many ways that they can manifest and find their own small place in the worlds.

It is not merely working and speaking with Bones that gets you a divinatory set or a sacred piece. It is in fact the handling and treatment, the consecration. Many perform what the Norse and many other cultures have called Blooding, or bleeding on the bones to power them. It connects you to the Bones in a deep way that only blood can achieve.

Others carve symbols and signs upon the bones to connect them together, to give them meaning and protection. Carving can be incredibly delicate and precious as the Bone can be fragile and easy to break. It takes a deft hand and one that has great care for its movements. Everything is precise and never hesitating.

Working with Bones, Language, and Divination

One of my goals for this thread is to explore the world of Bone Working and all that entailed. This includes working with the Bones that I have on the astral as well as with the demons that teach me things. I really want to delve deep within this and better understand how to handle them and care for them, bring them purpose and listen to their wishes and desires, to pass on messages and whisper to them. It’s amazing what Necrosis Demons have to offer for this and they truly wish to share it with me. In fact, it is the Necrosis that first whispered to me about Bone Grimoires. Teaching me the way of Bones, the Languages of them, and to Care for their Sacredness. Taz in particular wants to teach me methods of rites and rituals for Bones.

I look forward to getting deeper into this topic, enough to where I feel comfortable enough to finish writing my Osteomancy book.

close up photo of notebook with pen

The Importance of Record Keeping

by with No Comment Informational

This is a deeply passionate topic that not only is something I find extremely valuable but so do a few of my demons. In fact, they are the ones that are stressing that I speak about this topic. I find that so many stress the importance of foundations to those that are starting out on their path. This is a wonderful thing to talk about consistently. Except that I find that one thing is missing when people talk of foundations of spiritual growth. Record Keeping. I cannot express the amount of disappointment that I see that people don’t speak about this topic more often. In fact, I tend to get laughed at a fair few times when I have broached the topic. Now, I get to laugh. You may be asking why.

I have records dating back to when I was first starting out more than a decade ago. Things that I have long forgotten. Things that seemed insignificant then. Yet… I am now the one to laugh because I have over a decade of writings, channelings, astral experiences, and even conjuring. All of it was recorded down in some fashion. There are years where there are gaps but I still have them. Some things I wish would disappear because they were horrible times, but I still have them. The thing is… we all learn from our History, our Path. The Path that we have walked and will walk.

I speak of record keeping because I find that it is one of the top things that are foundational to my own practice but yet find that so many do not. It’s their choice and I respect that! Absolutely do what fits your path best. Yet, I have heard over the years of people complaining and upset that they do not feel like they have grown or changed or that they don’t have experiences anymore. This is where they are wrong. Most people don’t realize that it’s not that it has stopped… it’s changed. A lot of spiritual growth is gradual and not able to be measured as easily as saying ‘Oh yes, I was doing this thing last week and now I have another experience that’s out of this world’. It’s more along the lines of receiving small messages each day or every few days. It’s seeing something or hearing something and then a few days later something else correlates with that.

But most don’t keep track of their experiences, no matter how small. Most do not journal or blog or keep any sort of frequent records. Because of this, they do not see their gradual growth and experiences change. Instead, it’s different and they feel like they don’t have anything to experience anymore.

This is why I stress that one of the most important foundational things is to keep diligent or frequent records. Even if you go into a daily journal on your phone or notebook to write, ‘I think I felt this today’. That right there will show you three months down the line how you’ve grown. Why? because the more you look at your growth, you’ll see that you are actually improving. The more growth you have and you record, the more you’ll see that progress. Going from a ‘maybe something’ to ‘I saw this today and I got a large sense of this companion telling me a message’. That’s huge growth there! A massive one. Yet, this is missed because of not logging those small things.

I have over a decade of journals that have information. Have I skipped years? Yes. That’s normal. We have our Fallow Periods, or Lulls, or Burnouts. This happens to all that work in spiritual practices. I have some journals that skip from 2013 to 2016 because I stopped or because it was in a different journal. I have records of when I was blogging instead of writing physically. I keep two records of those in case one is lost. I moved onto a website of my experiences and information, as well as writing within my personal blog on S&S. These are all different forms of record keeping. I can go back to the formative years of developing my gifts and see the shifts and changes. I can see what mistakes I made and how I fixed them. That’s what is important. I can see the Shadow work I’ve done over the years or I can even read the origin of where a Shadow or Trauma came from. Because I’ve kept detailed records.

This is something that may seem tedious and spoon-eating. I understand that greatly. Find something that works for you. Maybe speech to text on a journal app? Maybe typing out things on the computer or on a blog, even if it’s private. Maybe handwriting is your comfort. The thing is that keeping records allows you to go back years later and see how you’ve changed. How you’ve grown and where your Path has moved through the years. That’s super important to seeing your own patterns of growth or even predicting when a Fallow Period hits if there is a clear pattern.

That’s how I know that the Winter time frame each year is the hardest for me because I shut down to rest. I do my best work during the Spring and Summer seasons because it’s energetically better for me.

Ways to Record Keep

There are so many ways that you can keep records, it’s going to be a lot to list them all. What I will do is make some suggestions of different ways that you can do so, though I will make sure to keep them to options that are either free or low-budget.

–Journaling in Notebooks
–Writing using Grimoires
–Typing on Blog
–Typing in Word/Google Docs
–Type in Word/GDocs and Print out – binder or paste in sketchbooks
–Blog/Journal in Notion (free for personal use)
–Use OneNote- ($ may cost)
–Blog on WordPress (free)
–Write in free journal apps or notes on phone/tablet
–Use Voice Notes or Voice recordings
–Make a private Discord Server (free) – use it as a blog/journal or even BOS or Grimoire
–Make a special email just for experiences and email yourself
–Use Social Media : Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok and talk of your experiences
———(For all that is holy avoid twitter and tumblr, they’re super toxic – unless you make them private)
–Make/Buy (Etsy) PDFs of journals and use on tablet for writing ($ Goodnotes)

I’ve used Scrivener ($) as well but that’s more expensive than most want to pay and to be honest, Notion is 1000x better with recording. You can do so much with that. Make sure to check YouTube videos on how to use it since it doesn’t come with a How-To.

The point is that there are so many options for you to use you can. And the best is that you can go from one to the other and back. You do not have to stick to one thing all the time. You use what works best for you and your practice. I’ve gone months without using one but sticking to another and then switching. Sometimes I take things from one and add them to another when I switch.

It doesn’t have to be anything tedious, it doesn’t have to be this big scary thing. You write what works for you. Some days or weeks or months you won’t. But that’s okay. The thing is that you get yourself into the habit of updating when you can and it’ll make a difference even two or three months down the line, let alone imagine years or decades later.

photo of forest with fog

The Start of a Shamanic Journey

by with No Comment PathworkShamanic Work

Edit Oct 16, 2024: I rarely will import posts from older times, I didn’t want to do that with this blog. I find, though, that the start of the Shamanic Journey I’ve been walking required that I go back to the start of when everything happened. I’m going to post here the entry from the old blog so that there is a “start” to the journey.

September 28, 2016

I was given the best opprotunity to partake in. I was given a free admission ticket to the Natural Living Expo, in which there were over 130 vendors of the Metaphysical variety. There was the option to do 56 different workshops, and one truly caught my attention. Shamanism. Specifically that not only would there be an introduction to it, but they were going to help guide us into a Shamanic Journey.

I am aware that Journey’s (not Vision Quests), are extremely personal to everyone, especially the conversations, but I tend to be more open about things except those of a sexual nature. I will be posting my experience, including the question, answer, and anything else that occured. There is much symbolism within it, and examining it later would and will be beneficial. Plus, I know that there are some it could benefit too, to see another’s Journey.

We learned that this particular brand of Shamanism originated from a tribe within the Andes Mountains, within the Amazon. We started out with a ‘lecture’ about what Shamanism is, but before he spoke, we conducted a Opening Ritual, where we invoked those of the directions, the earth, and the sun. He spoke about what Shamanism is, how it is today, and things about it. I wrote down all that I heard, plus recorded it.

When it was time to partake in the Journey, he was quite thoroguh with giving us not only directions on how to, but where, and what to say or do. The lights were dimmed and we settled into our spaces. The drums began and I closed my eyes, reveling in their beat. Three different sounds, so beautiful together.

I stood before a cave, one that was dark to me, but I called upon my Guide. I don’t interact with him often, but I knew that he was the one that needed to be with me on this. He is a winged dire wolf, near and dear to my heart. I felt the twin were pups (though grown to be no longer pups) join me. The drums were strong and steadfast and almsot made it difficult to Journey. I walked with them into the cave and it was dark, but not so much that I couldn’t see. I stepped with determination. It was awhile walking through the cave when I began to run, knowing that I did not have much time as it was to actually wander like I do when I Travel.

The were pups faded away the closer I got to the end of it. I surmise that they were not meant to come with me on this part of the Journey.

The darkness faded away to this bright forested area, where I could see over top and the distant mountain ahead. I was not sure how long it would take me to get there, so we set a fast pace through this forest. It was quiet for awhile, until we came across this 5 foot large green snake that had black stripes on the back. Later research is showing that it’s a green tree python that has black spots/stripes. I may draw a picture later on.

This python stopped and when we stopped, it slowly slid toward me and climbed up my left leg. It was not awkward to walk, but the snake perched itself around the entirety of my left leg. We continued to walk without a word, until  large golden and grey feather floated down in front of me. I caught it in midair and then stuck it into my hair. We continued.

When we drew closer to the edge of the foest and base of the mountains, my Guide spoke.
“We are here.”

I walked forward and I remembered that the man who was teaching the Shamanism spoke that we will meet them in three different ways, 1) Sight [Clairvoyance], 2) Sound [Clairaudience], 3) Sensing [Clairsentience]. Thankfully, with my work in both spirit work and Astral Travel, I was able to achieve all three. The Teacher was different, the shape never stayed the same, but the base form was humanistic, though there were aspects of feline to them. I did not wish to be rude and look at them extremely carefully.

“Teacher, I have been sent here as part of a Journey, so that I my experience it and to learn an answer to a question that I have. But I first want to return this to you.”

I gave the teacher the green snake, and then waited for them to respond.

“I thank you for returning him to me. What brings you?”

“I come with a question, Teacher. May I ask you?”

“Ask and I shall answer.”

“I know that I have a soulmate with a physical body and I know who he is. I know that we are supposed to meet. My question is this, are we supposed to meet in this lifetime, if so, then when and how soon? I cannot live much longer without being with him.”

The Teacher was silent for awhile, staring at me and assessing. The energy was really strong and very pointed on examining me.

“Instinct. Trust your instinct. Work hard on Believing. He said he would find you, he will o so. Trust and meet him halfway.”

Extra that I picked up from the conversation, was that the Teacher meant that meeting halfway meant that I was to believe in him.

“May I ask one more?”

The Teacher nodded and I asked, “May I have a gift?”

The Teacher smiled and then reached out, allowing for me to lean down near them. They placed the snake on my left arm which wrapped around and the head rested over my shoulder and on the right shoulder.

“I give you the snake and I also give you the feather.”

I could hear the beat of the drum change, letting us know that we need to come back. The Teacher looked to me and smiled.

“You must return.”

“Thank you.”

A brief nod, “Trust. Go.”

They shoved me and I came back and very jarred from the abruptness of being forced to leave. The person lecturing us walked around once everyone was back t make sure that they were actually there and they were grounded. When doing so, he asked about the gifts. People were talking about all these gifts: Clam with a Pearl, a Pendant, A Feather, Clairvoyance and Clairaudience, Piercing the Veil, to name a few. This was when he smiled and said that everyone recieved these gifts, as we all traveled together for this. It was quite fascinating and amazing.

I must go back and speak with the snake to see reason for his appearance, as well as what he has to say or why he was gifted. So many questions. When I came out of it, I could literally feel the wieght of the snke resting in the same place as when I was in the Lower World. I could feel the sentience and the spirit that was there, even the feather within my hair.

Forward to later on, I am walking around the expo and keep getting drawn back to this huge and lovely oval Labradorite. I have not worked with this stone much if at all before. So I walked to the lady and ask her the importance metaphysically. She spoke of it being a way for people to access inter-dimensions, oher worlds, other beings. I decided to look it up on the web and see if I could know more. Low-and-behold, this stone is the stone of Shamans, of those who origianlly found it, the Inuit. I was shocked and amazed, it was a stone that I was looking for, yet never truly knew what it was for.

I purchased it, and it is a gorgeous piece that sits on my altar. I had carried it around for two days, but it had broken when it dropped to the ground. It broke clean, but still I felt devastated. There are plans, and it may come to pass, but I have yet to decide. It would fit perfectly as a ritual necklace.

When I returned home from the Expo, I was pleasantly surprised to find that my Archaeology of Ritual class had me reading about the Andean culture. Somehow, it is not a coincidence, though I dont know what it means.