Each year LightSong, the school and community that I founded, puts on a Spirit Quest practicum. We have since changed locations, but for years the quest was held in Dufur, Oregon, a high desert area with ponderosa pine, dry brush, and harsh conditions. The land is arid and scenic. During the quest, my normal daily routine starts with a shamanic journey to gather information from the spirits concerning the questers out on the hill. One particular camp a few years ago had about fifteen questers and a camp of sixty people in support. Those in camp pray and live in constant telepathic communication with those on the hill, and all are involved in an environment with instruction and learning in daily gatherings related to the quest.

My Journey to the Descendants

During my journey this particular morning, I found myself stating the intention that I would like to go to our descendants. I would journey into the future and ask these beings how to guide the others in camp and what would be best for the questers on the hill. The idea to travel was spontaneous and intuitive; it presented itself and I went with it.

Shamanic thought understands that there is a dimension where the past, present, and future reside, and there are dimensions where they don’t exist. This allows the journeyer to go to any moment in time—forward or backward—to obtain information. When I began my journey with this intent to go to the descendants, I immediately noticed a circle of people. They were sitting and I immediately assumed that the circle was similar to what we had in camp. I said to the spirits, “Oh, things are still the same. Even in the future, people are coming together in a circle to hold space and unite.” The spirits replied, “Look more closely at the circle.” As I zoomed in, I realized that yes, there were figures of humans sitting in a circle, but the circle included other figures too. I was informed the other figures were gods. Information started to stream in.