Pronalaženje vaše životinje moći

Ovaj post posvećujem dvama prijateljima. Prvoga je toliko zanimala ova tema da sam naprosto morala napisati nešto o njoj. Druga osoba jest moj dragi prijatelj Hora kojeg bih mogla opisati kao jednu od najsimpatičnijih osoba koje sam ikada imala zadovoljstvo upoznati. Da nije bilo njega, ne bi bilo ni ovog posta, a sada ću vam ukratko objasniti zašto.

Hora je već jako dugo u šamanskim vodama, a njihov sastavni dio jest nauk o životinjama moći. On je ovo ljeto neka svoja saznanja o ovom području podijelio sa svim sudionicima Vještičjeg sijela 2013. Moram reći da su svi istaknuli ovo njegovo kratko predavanje i radionicu kao jedan od highlightova okupljanja.

U ovom postu vam prenosim potpunu radionicu i predavanje sa sijela (naravno, s Horinim dopuštenjem) plus još nekih dodatnih, sočnih informacija. 

Što je uopće životinja moći?

Termin "životinja moći" (eng. Power animal) je prilično novi koncept koji proizlazi iz animizma i šamanizma i kojeg je 1980. godine uveo Michael Harner putem svoje knjige The Way of the Shaman. Sama životinja je zapravo dobronamjerni duh koji štiti osobu za koju je vezan i daje joj snagu, hrabrost, mudrost i sve ostalo što joj je potrebno u životu da prevlada prepreke.

Postoje dva tumačenja tj. dvije struje koje različito definiraju životinju moći. U klasičnom šamanizmu, ona može biti samo divlja životinja, sisavac, riba, ili reptil (nipošto kukac!). Neošamani su po tom pitanju nešto slobodniji pa su stvorili nešto širi dijapazon u kojemu životinja moći može biti sve od navedenog, ali uz to i mitološko biće, domaća životinja i još mnogo toga. Zapravo sve ovisi o tome koliko sebi date slobode u tom pogledu.

Još jedno neošamansko tumačenje jest da je životinja moći prikaz našeg višeg Ja u donjem svijetu (tj. u podsvijesti, više o ovome u sljedećem podnaslovu). Ona poprima onu formu u kojoj će nas najviše toga naučiti, ili u kojoj će nas najbolje iscijeliti. Neki smatraju da ona može sadržavati upravo one karakteristike koje nama nedostaju (dakle one koje bi nas mogle poboljšati kao bića) pa da nas time nadopunjuje na neki način. Ona je, dakle, esencijalni dio nas. Ili, kako je to Hora rekao: "zapravo smo jedno biće i doživljaj odvojenosti je iluzoran".

Klasični šamanski pristup se protivi ovom tumačenju. On kaže da je životinja moći u potpunosti drugo biće (dakle ona je odvojena od nas), ali s njom možemo ući u simbiotičan odnos od kojeg obje strane profitiraju. Mi dobijemo nova saznanja, mudrost i moć/snagu, a zauzvrat omogućujemo duhu da ima tijelo nakratko i da doživi fizički svijet svim osjetilima (jer duh kao takav nema osjetila). 

Šamanski pogled na svijet

Maloprije sam spomenula nekakav "donji svijet", pa ću sada pojasniti o čemu se radi. 

Šamani smatraju da postoje dvije stvarnosti; ona obična (realna, materijalna, "naša") i neobična stvarnost (nematerijalna, energetska, duhovna). Običnu stvarnost doživljavamo u normalnom budnom stanju svijesti, neobičnu stvarnost doživljavamo u promijenjenim stanjima svijesti (trans, sanjanje i sl.).

Vjerojatno vam je jasno što se podrazumijeva pod običnom realnošću, no ta neobična vam je zasigurno...neobična. Nju šamani dijele na tri svijeta: gornji, srednji i donji. Oni ovo ilustriraju pomoću simbola stabla (često u obliku drva života čije se grane i korijenje manje-više ogledaju jedno u drugo iako je zapravo svako drvo prikladan simbol). U ovom simbolu krošnja simbolizira gornji svijet, deblo srednji svijet, a korijenje donji svijet (koji je fokus ovog posta). 

Srednji svijet je energetski odraz naše obične stvarnosti u kojima vrijeme normalno teče dok gornji i donji svijet postoje samo u neobičnoj stvarnosti; u njima vrijeme i prostor prestaju imati značenje, sve je tu i sad.

Nas trenutno zanima donji svijet jer upravo u njemu obitavaju životinje moći (iako mogu putovati iz svijeta u svijet).

Zašto se ne kaže "totemska životinja"?

Kratki odgovor bi glasio: iz poštivanja prema plemenima sjevernoameričkih Indijanaca. 

Dulji odgovor je sljedeći. Ovaj je pojam zaista poseban za ove kulture. On za njih predstavlja pripadnost nekom plemenu, ili porodici kojoj je ta životinja zaštitnik. Uglavnom se uzima da je ta životinja ujedno i predak prema kojem se treba iskazati poštivanje i zahvalnost. Svaka je porodica u svome selu imala svoje totemske stupove s prikazima totemskih životinja koje su tu bile jedna vrsta čuvara, ali i kako bi služili kao podsjetnici na važne događaje u povijesti te zajednice, ili kao uspomene na nešto. 

Još jedan iznimno važan razlog zbog kojeg se koristi izraz "životinja moći" jest taj što sjevernoamerički Indijanci stavljaju korištenje njihovih imena, a prvenstveno običaja od strane bijelaca u kategoriju duhovne krađe. 

Tko je šaman?

Šaman je sibirska riječ koja doslovno znači "osoba koja vidi u mraku", a često se prevodi kao mudra osoba ili osoba koja posjeduje znanje (nešto slično etimologiji riječi wicca?). To je osoba koja ima sposobnost ući u trans i putovati u neobičnu stvarnost i koja služi kao posrednik između svijeta ljudi i svijeta duhova.

Uloga šamana u primitivnom društvu je bila mnogostruka; on je bio i svećenik i vođa plemena, liječnik i još mnogo toga. Dakle, o njima je ovisila sudbina plemena.

Pripadnici određenih šamanskih pravaca, poput Core Šamanizma, ne koriste riječ "šaman" jer ona sadrži društvene konotacije koje u modernom društvu više ne postoje. Umjesto ovog izraza oni rabe termin "šamanski praktičar".

Poznati spisatelj knjiga na ovu temu, Mircea Eliade, definira šamana kao osobu za koju se vjeruje da može liječiti, poput svih liječnika i činiti čuda fakirskog tipa, poput svih magičara... No najvažnije od svega jest da je on psihopomp (vodič duša), a uz to može biti i svećenik, mistik i pjesnik. Iako Eliade uzima primjere šamana iz središnje Azije i Sibira kao "najčišće" primjere, ona smatra da šaman ne moraš nužno potjecati iz tih područja. Ovaj se pojam također ne odnosi na sve magičare i liječnike. Ako vas više zanimaju razmišljanja ovog autora, možete pročitati jedno od njegovih kapitalnih djela na ovu temu, Shamanism - Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy. Ako je uspijete naći u pdf formatu, svakako mi je pošaljite! :D

No, ne morate se brinuti o tome jeste li vi šaman ili ne jer NE MORATE biti šaman da biste pronašli svoju životinju moći. Svatko ju može pronaći jer je svatko ima!

Vježba pronalaženja vaše životinje moći

Kao što sam rekla, ovu je vježbu vodio Hora na Vještičjem sijelu ovoga ljeta svirajući nam na svom šamanskom bubnju. Naravno, prije toga nam je dao kratki uvod, kao što sam i ja u ovom postu, i potom objasnio što nam je činiti. 

Prvo je potrebno otputovati u duhovni svijet. Ovo se radi na sljedeći način:

1. Nađe se mjesto u uobičajenoj stvarnosti s kojeg se može na miru započeti putovanje (poželjno je da bude pomalo nagnuto put dolje jer može olakšati sljedeću vizualizaciju, ali svakako ne bi smjelo biti neravnina i trebalo bit udobno).
2. Osoba se udobno smjesti, po mogućnosti ležeći na drobu i opusti se. Dobar korak bi bio stvoriti uvjete u kojima je toplo i gdje ništa ne može smetati.
3. Treba se imati namjeru naći svoju životinju moći (ako ju već imate onda neka vam cilj bude opet se susresti s njom iz određenog razloga).
4. "Vizualizira se" rupa u zemlji/korijenje drveća/pećina ili bilo što kroz što se može ući (kažem "vizualizacija" je to zapravo znači ulaženje u maštu, a ovo je ulaženje u duhovne sfere gdje se ne mašta nego samo percipira duhovna stvarnost). Prođe se kroz taj prolaz i spušta (!!!) sve dublje i dublje dok se ne dođe u donji svijet (znat ćete kada ste došli i pripremite se na to da će se ovaj prolaz put dolje sužavati kako budete išli sve dublje i dublje i da će se proširiti kada dođete u donji svijet; to je normalno. Napomena: nema pravila kako će donji svijet izgledati, svakome je drukčiji doživljaj i poimanje.).
5. Tamo se ponovno postavi namjera da se traži životinja moći. Onda se počnu pojavljivati razne životinje. Potrebno je prepoznati svoju životinju moći.

Kako ćete prepoznati važu životinju moći? 

• Vidjet ćete ju iz barem 3 kuta (npr. s leđa, iz jednog profila pa iz drugog profila).
• Vidjet ćete 3 specifična detalja na njoj (npr. nos, rep i oči).
• Ona će vas optrčati.
• Ona će se zaletiti u vas i ući u vas.
• Ona će se pojaviti treći put ako ste je već 2 puta prije toga otjerali (više o ovome u sljedećim koracima).

Kako možete znati da neka životinja NIJE vaša životinja moći? (ako se gleda iz klasične šamanske perspektive)

• Ona je kukac.
• Ona je riba, gmaz, ili ptica koja pokazuje zube.

6. Svaku životinju se može poslati dalje ako ne zadovolji prva tri gore navedena uvjeta, ali i ako se naprosto ne osjeća povezanost s njom. Ako se ona vrati nakon što je otjerana već 2 puta, onda je ona prava životinja.
7. Kada je osoba sigurna da je to njihova životinja moći, potrebno ju je primiti i izvesti u srednji svijet kako se god zna i umije (ja sam svoju životinju, na primjer, uhvatila oko vrata objema rukama i praktički izvukla vani).
8. Treba se vratiti u srednji svijet kroz isti onaj uski prolaz kojim ste došli (makar ne bi trebalo biti više prolaza; naprosto vas instinkt odvede do pravog prolaza). Uspinjanje može biti teže i povratak može trajati duže sa životinjom, ali je povratak neminovan.
9. Kada se osoba nađe na "površini" (tj. u srednjem svijetu), treba se spojiti sa svojom životinjom moći putem srčane čakre, udahnuti je. Ovo se radi vizualizacijom bijelog svijetla koje prožima kroz osobu i životinju, koje se isprepliće, ulazi iz jednog u drugo tijelo itd. (Naravno, ovo se može činiti i drugačije pa i sami malo istražite i nađite način koji vama najviše odgovara)

Vježba je trajala 20 minuta tijekom kojih je Hora svirao šamanski bubanj. Ritam je bespotrebno uopće opisivati, ali ću vam zato preporučiti nekoliko videa i pjesama koje vas mogu kvalitetno voditi kroz ovu vježbu. Ritmovi se razlikuju, ali će svaka imati jedan ustaljeni ritam kroz pjesmu, drugi ritam koji će označiti vrijeme za povratak u srednji svijet i treći ritam koji označava kraj vježbe.

Evo dva videa koji vas vode kroz proces, ali s drukčijim pristupom. Primijetiti ćete da se instrukcije razlikuju, ali i ritmovi. Najbolje vam je isprobati pa vidjeti što vam odgovara. Prvi video je puno sličniji vježbi opisanoj u ovom postu i mogu reći iz osobnog iskustva da mi je bio jako prijatan.

Pjesme koje se dobiju uz prije spomenutu knjigu Michaela Harnera The Way of the Shaman možete preuzeti na sljedećem linku:

Shamanic journey solo and double drumming - preporučam solo bubnjanje

Neke zanimljive mp3 pjesme koje uključuju šamanski bubanj možete preuzeti na stranici Schamanenstube (na njemačkom je, ali vjerujem da ćete se snaći uz malo zdravog razuma i Google prevoditelj).

Ako imate torrente na računalu, možete preuzeti i ove pjesme (makar meni nisu odgovarale jer ima previše dodatnih zvukova...sve osim šamanskog bubnja je suvišno zapravo).

ALI, kada ste uspješno otputovali u donji svijet i pronašli vašu životinju moći, to nije kraj priče. Kako bi vam ona pomogla u životu, morate s njom održavati kontakt i odnos kao što biste s bilo kojim prijateljem. Evo nekoliko načina na koje to možete raditi redovito:

• Putujte u donji svijet što možete češće, družite se s njom, učite od nje itd.
• Pozovite ju da bude pored vas kada idete u šetnju u prirodu (kao što biste bilo kojeg prijatelja u običnoj stvarnosti).
• Pozovite ju da vam pomogne dok radite rituale, dok proričete, iscjeljujete ili bilo što što uključuje duhovnu aktivnost.
• Držite slike, figure i druge ukrase vaše životinje moći po stanu.
• Imajte predmet(e) koji ju predstavlja(ju) sa sobom.
• Razvijte odnos sa životinjom njezine vrste u ovoj stvarnosti.
• Informirajte se o životinji, njezinim navikama u prirodi, ponašaju, prehrani itd.
• Plešite s njom (zvuči čudno, ali reći ću nešto više o tome).

Ples s vašom životinjom moći

Kako je Hora učitelj TranceDancea (slob. prev. tranzičnog plesa), oblika neošamanskog rituala i plesnog načina ulaska u neobičnu realnost, "natjerao" je sve sudionike da zaplešu nakon ove vježbe. Imali smo nekoliko šuškalica koje smo svirali (on je nastavio svirati svoj šamanski bubanj), a uz to smo slobodno plesali (puštali tijelo da se kreće kako nam dolazi prirodno). Mogli smo i pjevati ako smo htjeli, trčati, njihati se...zapravo je glavno kretati kako vam dolazi prirodno.

Dakle, ovaj ples se izvodi dok je životinja u nama tj. dok smo povezani s njom. Hora ističe da je dobro redovito plesati kako bismo osnažili našu vezu sa svojom životinjom moći. Pritom se samo mora zapamtiti da se treba u potpunosti energetski odvojiti od nje na kraju plesa (ovo možete učiniti pokretima, vizualizacijom...).

Kako mi životinja moći može pomoći?

Ovo je vjerojatno jedno od praktičnih pitanja koja ste se zapitali dok ste čitali post. Cijelo vrijeme govorim kako je fino naći životinju moći i kako je to jedno prekrasno iskustvo, ali kako vam ona može pomoći?

Odgovor na ovo pitanje glasi: svakako.

Životinja moći jest vaša moć, a ona vam je potrebna u svakoj situaciji. 

Konkretno rečeno, ona vam može pomoći na vašem duhovnom putu tako da vam dođe u pomoć tijekom nekog rituala, magijskog rada, iscjeljivanja, divinacije itd. 

U svakodnevnom životu vam može dati fizičku i psihičku snagu da nešto izdržite, ili prevladate itd. Ona vam može pomoći održati zdravlje i dobar imunitet i još mnogo toga. Ona vam može biti i podrška, prijatelj, motivacija. Ona vam može dati energije kada vam je potrebna, ali vas i umiriti po potrebi. Svakako, može vam donijeti samo dobro. :)

Nadam se da sam vam pomogla. 

Do sljedećeg posta,

vaša Witch's Cat

P.S. Ako vas dodatno zanima šamanizam, možete pogledati web stranicu shamanism.org gdje možete pronaći dosta zanimljivih članaka i iskustava drugih ljudi.

Finding Your Power Animal

This post is dedicated to two of my friends. The first was so interested in this topic that I simply had no choice but to write something on it. The second is my dear friend Hora whom I can only describe as one of the nicest people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. If it wasn't for him, this post would have never been written and I will now explain why.

Hora has been studying and practicing Shamanism for quite some time and as you may know, power animals are an integral part of Shamanic practices. This summer, he shared some of his knowledge regarding this topic during the Witches' Site 2013. I have to mention that everyone considered this lecture and workshop to be one of the highlights of the gathering.

In this post, I bring you the complete workshop and lecture from the Site (of course, with Hora's permission) as well as some additional, juicy pieces of information.

What Are Power Animals?

The term "power animal" is a fairly new concept which comes from Animism and Shamanism. It was introduced in 1980 by Michael Harner in his book entitled The Way of the Shaman. The animal itself is actually a good-intentioned spirit that protects the person it is connected to and gives them strength, courage, wisdom and anything else and anything else they may need in life to overcome obstacles.

Two different interpretations exist, that is two different currents which define power animals differently. In traditional Shamanism, a power animal can only be a wild animal, mammal, fish or reptile (definitely not an insect!). Neoshamans are a bit more flexible when it comes to this so they created a wider spectrum in which a power animal can be anything of the above options, as well as a mythical creature, a domestic animal and much more. Actually, it all depends on how much freedom you will give yourself in this situation.

Another Neoshaman belief is that our power animal is a reflection of our higher Self in the lower world (that is, the subconscious, but more on this in the next headline). It takes the form which will teach or heal us the most. Some believe that it may have all the characteristics that we lack (basically those that could make us better human beings) so in this sense, they actually fulfill us. It is, therefore, an essential part of us. Or, as Hora said: "we are actually one being and any feeling of detachment is an illusion". 

The traditional Shamanic approach opposes this interpretation. It claims that the power animal is a completely different spirit (so it is separated from us), but that we have the ability to connect with it symbiotically so that each side benefits from the union. We gain new knowledge, wisdom, power/strength and in return, we give the spirit a physical body for a short while with which it can experience the physical world through our physical senses (since they don't have them).

The Shamanic View of the World 

I mentioned some kind of "lower world" a few paragraphs ago and not it's time for me to explain this term.

Shamans believe in two realities; the usual reality (the real, physical, "our") and the unusual reality (the immaterial, energetic and spiritual). We perceive the usual reality when we are awake while we experience the unusual reality in altered states of mind (trans, dreams, etc.).

I assume you understand what is meant by "usual reality", but the unusual reality must seem very...unusual to you. Shamans divide it into three parts: the upper, middle and lower world. This is illustrated by a tree (often resembling the Tree of Life whose branches and roots mirror one another, although any tree is a fitting symbol). In this symbol, the tree top represents the upper world, the tree trunk represents the middle world and the roots the lower world (which will be the focus of this post).

The middle world is the energetic reflection of our ordinary reality in which time flows normally, while the upper and lower worlds exist only in the unusual reality; time and space cease to have meaning, everything is here and now.

What we are interested in is the lower world because it is precisely here that we can find our power animals (although they can travel from one world to another).

Why Not Say "Totem Animal"?

A short answer to this question would be: out or respect towards North American Indian tribes.

But here's a more detailed answer. The term "totem animal" really does have a special meaning to these cultures. It constitutes the belonging to a certain tribe or family whose guardian is that specific animal. It is usually thought that this animal is also an ancestor to whom we should show respect and gratitude. In their village, each family had its own totem pole with depictions of various totem animals which somewhat served as guardians but also as reminders of important events in the family's/community's past as well as a sort of keepsake.

Another very important reason why we use the term "power animal" is because Native American Indians believe ti to be spiritual stealing when a white man adopts on of their terms, or even worse - one of their customs.  

What Is a Shaman?

"Shaman" is a Siberian word which literally means "one who leads through the darkness" and is often used to refer to a wise person or someone with a lot of knowledge (something similar to the etymology of the word "wicca"?). This is a person how is able to enter a state of trance and travel into the unusual reality and which serves as a mediator between the human world and the spirit world.

The role of the Shaman in primitive societies was multiple; he was both the priest and the tribe leader, the medicine man and much much more. Basically, the tribe's fate depended on them.

Members of certain Shamanic paths, like Core Shamanism, do not use the word "shaman" since it holds social connotations that no longer exist in modern society. In stead, they use the term "shamanic practitioner". 

A famous author on this topic, Mircea Eliade defines a Shaman as a person who is believed to have healing abilities, just like any doctor, and perform miracles of the fakir type just like all magicians... But the most important thing of all is that the Shaman is also a psychopomp (a guide of souls). In addition to this, he can also be a priest, a mystic, a poet etc. Even though Eliade takes Shamans from Central Asia and Siberia to be the "purest" examples, he believes that Shamans don't necessarily have to originate from these places. This term also doesn't apply to all doctors or magicians. If these author's thoughts interest you more, you can read one of his major works on this topic - Shamanism - Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy. If you happen to find it in pdf form, please send it to me. :D

But, you don't have to worry about you being/not being a Shaman because you DON'T HAVE TO BE a Shaman to be able to find your power animal. You are definitely able to do this because everyone has a power animal!

Exercise - Finding Your Power Animal 

As I have already mentioned, this exercise was led by Hora during the Witches' Site last summer. He played on his Shamanic drum which made the experience all the more powerful. Of course, before starting the exercise, he gave us a short introduction, such as the one in this post, and then told us what to do.

First of all, it is necessary to travel to the lower world. This is done in the following way:

1. Find a place in the ordinary reality (i.e. the physical world) where you can start the journey in peace (it's best if the terrain is slightly sloped downwards to help with the visualization, there shouldn't be any bumps and you should be comfortable there).
2. Lie comfortably, preferably face-down and relax. A good thing to do would be to make yourself warm and to make sure that nothing can interrupt you.
3. You should already have the firm intention of finding your power animal (if you already have one, then your goal should be to meet with it again for a certain reason).
4. Now is the time to "visualize" a hole in the ground/a cave/tree roots or any place you can go down into (I say "visualization" because this would imply entering one's imagination, while this act is an entrance into a spiritual realm where you perceive spiritual reality). You have to go through this entrance and go down (!!!) deeper and deeper until you reach the lower world (you will know when you have arrived and also, be prepared that the tunnel you go down in will get narrower as you go on and that it will become wide when you arrive in the lower world, but that's normal. Note: there are no rules as to how the lower world should look like because everyone has a different perception and experience of it).
5. When you enter the lower world, you should once again clearly state that your intention is to find your power animal. This is when various animals start entering the space you're in from all sides. It is now necessary to recognize your power animal. 

How to know if an animal is your power animal? 

• You will see it from at least 3 sides (e.g. from the back, the front and from one side).
• You will see 3 details of the animal (e.g. the nose, tail and eyes).
• It will circle you (i.e. run around you).
• It will run into to you very fast and actually become one with you.
• It will come back the third time if you have chased it off/rejected it two times previously (more on this in the following steps)

How to know if an animal ISN'T your power animal? (if you agree with the traditional Shamanic approach)

• It's a bug.
• It's a fish, reptile or bird which is showing you its teeth.

6. Each animal can be sent away if it doesn't meet the requirements above or simply if you don't feel any connection to it. If it returns even after you have sent it away two times, then that's your power animal.
7. When you're certain that you've got the right animal, you have to "grab" it (or simply take it in your arms, or grasp a part of it e.g. it's neck or leg) and bring it out into the middle world any way you are able to. (For example, I grabbed my animal around the neck with my arms and practically dragged it out since it's a large wild animal).
8. You can return to the middle world by following the same tunnel which you can down by (although there shouldn't be a lot of tunnels around you and your instinct will guide you anyway). Since you're now with your animal, the ascension my now be a bit more difficult and it may last a bit longer, but your return is inevitable.
9. When you're back "in the open" (in the middle world), you have to bond with your power animal through your heart chakra, practically breathe it in. This is done by visualizing a white light penetrating both you and your animal; the light interweaves, goes in and out of each body etc. (Of course, this can be done in other ways so feel free to experiment and find an alternate way that's more to your liking if this one doesn't work for you).

The exercise lasted 20 minutes during which Hora played his Shamanic drum. It would be pointless to try and describe the rhythm, so I found a few videos and songs which could be a good guide for this exercise. The rhythms vary, but each one will have one rhythm throughout the song, another rhythm which signalizes that it's time to return to the middle world and another rhythm that signals the end of the exercise.

Here are two videos that lead you through the process although each one does it in a different way. You will notice that both the rhythms and instructions vary so I would recommend you try both and see what you feel most comfortable with. The first video resembles our exercise from the Witches' Site much more than the second video and I can say from personal experience that the first video was very pleasant.

You can download the songs which you get with Michael Harner's previously mentioned book The Way of the Shaman on the following link:

Shamanic journey solo and double drumming - I recommend the solo drumming tracks

You can download some interesting songs with Shamanic drums on the Schamanenstube web site (it is in German but I don't doubt that you'll manage somehow with the help of a bit of common sense and Google translate).

If you have torrents on your computer, you can also download these songs (although I didn't like them that much because they had too many additional sounds for my taste...basically any sounds apart from the Shaman drum are simply a surplus).

BUT, once you have successfully traveled to the lower world and found your power animal, that isn't the end of the story. If you want your power animal to help you in life, you have to keep in touch with it and work on your relationship just as your would with any friend. So here are a few tips:

• Travel to the lower world as often as possible; spend time with your power animal, learn from it etc.
• Ask it to be with you when you take a walk through nature (as you would any of your friends in the usual reality).
• As it to help you while you are doing a ritual, divining, healing or doing anything of a spiritual nature.
• Keep paintings, figurines and other decorations with depictions of you power animal in your house.
• Keep objects that remind you of it close to you.
• Develop a relationship with an animal of its kind in the usual reality.
• Inform yourself about your power animal's species, it's habits in nature, behavioral patterns, its nutrition etc.
• Dance with it (this may sound strange but I will explain).

Dancing with Your Power Animal

Since Hora is a TranceDance instructor, a form of Neoshamanic rituals and a dancelike way to enter the unusual reality, he made all the participants of the Site dance right after this exercise. We had a few rattles that we played (Hora continued to play his Shamanic drum) and during all this we danced freely (i.e. we let our bodies move the way it feels natural to them). We could sing if we felt like it...basically, the point was moving as comes natural.

So, in short, the dance is done while our power animal is still in us (that is, while we are still connected to it). Hora emphasizes that it would be best to dance as often as possible to strengthen the bond between our animal and us. The only thing you have to take care not to forget is to completely detach yourself from your power animal at the end of the dancing session (you can do this with movements, visualizations etc.).

How Can My Power Animal Help Me?

This is probably one of the practical questions you asked yourselves while reading this post. The whole times, I've been talking about how nice it is to find your power animal and what a great experience it is, but how can it actually help you?

The answer to this question is: in any way possible.

Your power animal is your power and you need that in any given situation.

If I were to give you specific examples, I would say that it can help you on your spiritual path by coming to help you during a ritual, magical work, healing, divination etc.

It can give you physical and mental strength in your everyday lives to help you endure or overcome something etc. It can help you keep you health and a good immune system and may other things. It can also be your support, friend and motivation. It can give you energy when you need it and also calm you down when necessary. In any case, it can bring you only good. :)

So, I hope I helped you out somehow.

Until next time. Yours,

Witch's Cat

P.S. If you're interested in reading more about Shamanism, you can have a look at the website shamanism.org where you can find many interesting articles and anecdotes written by other individuals such as yourselves. 

Bundevin kolač

Ovaj kolačić je ovog Samhaina razveselio više ljudi svojim slatkim mirisom koji je plutao po zraku i još finijim okusom. :) Zahvaljujem Green na receptu i trudu kojeg je uložila u kuhinji. Ja sam bila mali pomagač pa sam očistila bundeve, ali ona je bila prava kuharica! :D

Svi su bili zadovoljni s kolačem, a kao što ćete sami i primijetiti, nije pretjerano kompliciran pa ćete i vi moći uživati u njemu kada god poželite.

Potrebno je:

• 2 jaja
• 100 g šećera
• 250 ml jogurta
• 1 vanilin šećer
• 75 ml ulja
• 250 g glatkog brašna
• 1 prašak za pecivo
• 3 velike žlice pirea od bundeve (1 bundeva srednje veličine za ovu količinu)
• 100 g lješnjaka (sitno nasjeckanih/mljevenih)

Napomena: mi smo poduplali ovu dozu, podijelili smjesu na dva dijela kako bismo dobili 2 kolača i pekli smo ih formi za vijenac. Ako pečete u običnoj posudi za pečenje, onda svakako preporučam duplu dozu jer će u protivnome kolač ispasti previše plitak. 

Priprema: 

1. Odvojite koru i koštice od bundeve i na manje komade isjeckajte preostalo "meso".
2. Kuhajte bundevu dok ne omekša (kao da kuhate krumpir za pire...probajte viljuškom je li dovoljno mekana). Ako vidite da se da zgnječiti, onda je gotova.
3. Zgnječite ju kao što biste i krompir pire da dobijete pire od bundeve.
4. Pomiješajte jaja sa šećerom.
5. U tu smjesu dodajte ulje, vaniljin šećer i pire od bundeve.
6. Brašno izmiješajte s praškom za pecivo i sitno nasjeckanim/mljevenim lješnjacima. Ovu smjesu potom dodajte u prethodnu.
7. Kalup za kugluf/vijenac (ili koji god da imate) nauljite i pobrašnite da se ne lijepi i prelijte smjesu u njega.
8. Pecite na 180°C cca. 20-40 minuta (ovisno o jačini pećnice). Ubodite kolač tu i tamo čačkalicom; ako se tijesto ne zalijepi za nju onda je gotov kolač. 

Prijatno vam i sretan Samhain još jednom! :D

Pumpkin Cake

This cake brought smiles to many people's faces with its sweet smell which floated through the air, as well as its even better taste. :) I have to thank my dear friend Green for the recipe as well as the effort she put into baking this cake. I was just the little kitchen helper so all I did was prepare the pumpkins, but she was the real chef! :D

Everyone was satisfied with the cake and as you will notice yourself, it isn't too complicated to make so you will also be able to enjoy it whenever you feel like it.

You Will Need:

• 2 eggs
• 100g sugar
• 250ml yogurt
• 1 vanilla sugar
• 75ml vegetable oil
• 250g plain flour
• 1 baking powder
• 3 big spoons of mashed pumpkin (1 middle-sized pumpkin should be enough for this quantity)
• 100g hazelnuts (finely chopped/grinded)

Note: we doubled this dose, separated the mixture into two parts to get 2 cakes and baked both cakes in a wreath-shaped baking form. If you choose to bake in a normal cake form, then I definitely recommend a double dose otherwise the cake will end up being too shallow.

How To Prepare:

1. Separate the pumpkin meat from the shell and get all the seeds out. Cut up the "meat" into smaller pieces.
2. Cook the pumpkin until it gets soft (just like if you were preparing mashed potatoes...test the pumpkin with a fork to see if it's soft enough). If you can easily squish it, then it's done.
3. Squash it like you would a potato until you get mashed pumpkin. 
4. Mix eggs with sugar.
5. Add the oil, vanilla sugar and mashed pumpkin to the egg mixture.
6. Mix the baking powder into the flour and add the chopped/grinded hazelnuts. After this, add this to the previous mixture.
7. Prepare the baking form you have by oiling and flouring it up a bit so the cake doesn't stick and pour the mixture into it.
8. Bake at 180°C for about 20-40 minutes (depending on the strength of your oven). Check if the cake is ready every once in a while by sticking a toothpick in it; when the dough stops sticking to it then you know it's done.

So bon appétit and have a blessed Samhain! :D

Samhain 2013

Počela je još jedna godina...neka vam bude sretna iz svakog pogleda! 

Kolo godine se okrenulo, vrijeme je za slavlje svih plodova koje smo prikupili te odavanja počasti precima na ovu noć kada je veo između svjetova najtanji. 

Iako čestitam koji dan kasnije, zaista imam valjano opravdanje. Provela sam puna 4 dana s (pre)dragom mi prijateljicom Green i proslavila ovaj Samhain s predivnom skupinom ljudi u Zagrebu. Trebalo je koji dan da se doživljaji slegnu, ali sam se sada konačno vratila u realnost (i za računalo) pa sam trebala podijeliti svoju radost s vama!

Bundeve koje vidite na fotografiji su samo jedan od prekrasnih noćnih prizora koje sam doživjela na ovom Samhainu! Zaista je bila prava proslava...puno smijeha, puno prekrasnih ljudi, novih iskustava i lijepih sjećanja nakon svega toga. Skroz solidan početak ove Nove godine (barem nama paganima)! :D

U slučaju da vam je potrebno "ponoviti gradivo", potičem vas da pročitate moj stariji post o ovom blagdanu kako biste bolje razumjeli ono o čemu ću vam pisati.

Ja u radnoj akciji

...pa da se vidi da su i drugi radili! :D

Svakako, prije nego ispričam svoje dojmove o samoj proslavi, bio bi red da kažem pokoju riječ i o pripremama koje su bilo jednako zahtjevne koliko i zabavne. Kao i kod svake fešte, moralo je biti i hrane i pića pa je na pripremu toga otišla većina jutra svim sudionicima. A trebalo je izrezbariti i ove prekrasne bundeve na slici! No, pošto nisam sigurna čije fotografije smijem objaviti, a čije ne, neću se igrati s vatrom pa ću postaviti samo dvije fotografije. :) Makar je mnogo važniji rezultat svog tog zajedničkog truda kojeg možete vidjeti na slici poviše. 

Uzimajući u obzir da je ovo ipak noć tijekom koje se smatra da je veo između svjetova najtanji, odlučili smo to iskoristiti. Stoga je odmah nakon bundeva na redu bila šamanska radionica putovanja u svijet mrtvih. Nekima će od vas ovo možda zvučati zlokobno, ali je upravo suprotno. Ovo je iskustvo mnogima bilo na kraju zaista lijepo (iako pomalo potresno) i omogućilo im ponovno uspostavljanje kontakta s precima. Radionicu je vodio naš mudri šaman Hora kojeg ne bih mogla dovoljno nahvaliti da krenem. Oni hrabriji su podijelili svoja iskustva koja su bila čarobna, dok su drugi pak odlučili nešto sačuvati i za sebe. Ovo je super prilika za najaviti i jedan od skorašnjih postova koji će se baviti temom žitovinja moći jer je Hora vodio još jedno šamansko putovanja na Vještičjem sijelu 2013 koje se fokusiralo upravo na tu temu.

Naša literarna pop zvijezda Iolar, koji vam je sada sigurno poznat po svojim knjigama, je održao kratko predavanje o Samhainu koje nam je svima osvježilo pamćenje i vratilo nam pozornost na osnovne ideje ovog blagdana; slavljenje Nove godine te života i plodnosti koji će se vratiti s dolaskom proljeća, poštivanje predaka i osvješćivanje kaotične strane života. 

Oganj u prostoru koji je
bio multifunkcionalan

Ritual je ukomponirao sve ove aspekte, a prvenstveno poštivanje predaka. Meni je najosobniji (a ujedno i najtradicionalniji) dio rituala bio bacanje "žrtava" u vatru (u ovom slučaju zavezani končići i još neki maleni predmet/komad hrane/malo pića). Vatra sama po sebi ima jako veliku važnost u ovo doba godine jer nas i grije i daje nam svjetlost u vrijeme kada su dani jako kratki.

Umjesto gozbe preminulih, svatko je postavio jednu lučicu u krug koja je trebala simbolizirati prisutnost pretka/predaka. Sveukupni dojam ovih malih plamenčića je bio očaravajuć!

Ali nemojte me shvatiti krivo, to što nije bilo gozbe preminulih ne znači da nije bilo hrane i pića. :) Kao što sam rekla, što je fešta bez ića i pića! Ovaj je dio proslave došao na red tek nakon rituala uz ekstatičnu glazbu Tribal Jam Orchestra kojima se samo iznova divim kada ih god čujem.

...ovakvom su nas glazbom oni podarili. Bravo tribalovci!!!

Naravno, ovo su samo formalnosti koje sam ispričala. Ne znam kojim bih riječima mogla opisati koliko mi je samo druženje sa svim ovim ljudima bilo divno! Iako neke poznajem jako kratko, imam dojam kao da ih poznajem godinama, a neke čak i desetljećima! Samo se nadam da će ova prijateljstva ostati jednako snažna i lijepa kao do sada. :) 

Ovim putem želim pozdraviti sve vas koji ste bili tu sa mnom, slavili, jeli, pili, smijali se, dijelili osobne trenutke i izvodili gluposti kada je bilo potrebno! Znate tko ste ;) Jedva vas čekam opet posjetit! :D

A za sve vas koji niste bili tu da podijelite ove trenutke s nama, evo vam jedna pjesma za kraj koja bi vam mogla barem donekle prenijeti ugođaj rituala. :) 

Sretan Samhain svima!

I veliki pozdrav od vaše Witch's Cat i njezine pijane bundeve! :D

Samhain 2013

Another year has begun...and may it be a merry one in every aspect! 

The Wheel of the Year has turned, it is time to be thankful for all the fruits we gathered and to show respect to our ancestors on this night when the veil between the worlds is the thinnest.

Even though I am few days late with this post, I really do have a valid alibi. I spent 4 great days with my wonderful friend Green and celebrated Samhain with a great group of people in Zagreb. I took a few days for everything to return back to normal, but when I finally got back to reality (and my computer), I had to share my happiness with you! 

The pumpkins you see in the photo are just one of many beautiful nocturnal scenes which I had the pleasure to witness this Samhain! It really was a real celebration...a lot of laughter, many wonderful people, new experiences and finally, great memories. I have to say that this seems to be a great start to the New Year (at least the Pagan one). :D 

In case you need to refresh your memory, I urge you to read my older post on this Sabbath so you can get a better understanding about what follows.

Me at work

...and just to prove that others worked just as much (if not more) :D

Of course, before I start writing about my impressions of the whole celebration, it would be best if I said a word or two about the preparations which were as demanding as they were fun. As with every party, there had to be lots of food and drinks so preparing all of this took the larger part of most of the participants' mornings. And not to mention that we also had to carve these wonderful pumpkins! But, since I'm not sure whose photos I'm allowed to upload, I don't want to play with fire so I'll just post these two photos. :) Nevertheless, the most important thing is definitely the result of this group effort which you can see in the first picture. 

Taking into consideration that this is thought to be the night when the veil between the worlds is the thinnest, we decided to take advantage. This is why a shamanic workshop focused on travelling to the land of the dead followed the pumpkin carving. This may sound sinister to some of you, but it's actually the opposite. This experience proved to be quite pleasant for most people (although a bit soul-stirring) and enabled them to contact their ancestors again. The workshop was led by our wise shaman Hora which I just could praise enough. Those of us that were brave enough shared their experiences (which were magical), while others preferred to keep some things to themselves. This just happens to be a great opportunity to announce the topic of my next post - animals of power. We had another shamanic workshop on this topic during our Witches' Site (2013) and it was also led by Hora.

Our literary pop star Iolar, who you may now know for his trilogy Paganism in Theory and Practice (not yet translated into English), held a short lecture on Samhain which refreshed all our memories and helped us focus on the basic ideas of the holiday: celebrating the New Year, life and fertility which will return with the spring, respecting our ancestors and awakening our awareness of the chaotic aspects of life. 

The hearth which proved to
be multifunctional

The ritual incorporated all these aspects but focused a bit more on respecting our ancestry. The most personal (as well as most traditional) part of the ritual for me was the throwing of "sacrifices" into the hearth/fire (in this case, the "sacrifice" was made up of three bound threads and a bit of food/drink/another small object). Fire itself is of great importance during this time of year because it both gives us heat and light when the days are very short. 

Instead of the Feast of the Dead, everyone put a small candle in the circle which was supposed to symbolize the presence of an ancestor. The general effect of all these small candles was magical!

But don't get me wrong, just because there was no Feast of the Dead doesn't mean there was no food or drink. :) Like I said, what's a party without the two! But this part of the celebration came after the ritual just in time for the ecstatic music of a great band called Tribal Jam Orchestra. I just can't help but stand in awe every time I hear them.

...this is the sort of music they granted us. Great job guys!!!

Of course, all the things I said up to now are just mere formalities. I can't even find the right words to describe how wonderful it was just to be with all these beautiful people! Even though I haven't known some of them for very long, I feel as though I've known them for years, and some even for decades! I only hope that all of these friendships stay equally as strong and pleasing as they are now. :)

I take this opportunity to say hi to all of you who were there with me, who ate, drank, laughed, shared intimate moments and did stupid stuff with me when necessary! You know who you are ;) And I can't wait to come and see you guys again! :D

And for those of you who weren't there to share these lovely moments with us, here's a song which can depict the atmosphere of the ritual at least partially. :)

Blessed Samhain to you all! 

And a bit hello from Witch's Cat and her drunken pumpkin! :D