Sacred Poetry - Linking to your Essence

Are you interested in ‘Sacred Poetry’ – poetry that is created or received in a ceremonial setting? Here is some advice on how to do it - either through drum-journey methods or other ways. 

Note before we start: I guess at the end, all poetry is 'sacred', coming from this sacred essence in ourselves that connects us to the source and the universe, but what I am talking about here is more conscious and can be part of your spiritual practice; a special 'language' to communicate with the universe.
When I do this work I usually also know immediately whether the sacred words are just for me (e.g. for healing), or whether I need to share them with my communities.

​If you don’t know how to journey in a shamanic way:

• Relax, cleanse yourself (incense, Reiki symbols, whatever you use), and close your eyes.
• Speak your intention to receive a poem or blessing for a special purpose (e.g. a blessing for a friend who just had a baby, or a poem to celebrate your talents… it can be anything).
• Close your eyes and imagine that you are walking through a beautiful garden or another landscape that is attractive to you. Look around a bit and enjoy the scenery. Give thanks for its beauty. While walking through the land in your imagination, you may find a big bolder or a flat piece of sand or wide tree trunk or anything else that looks like an “empty canvas”. Go there and have a look, re-state your intention (that you would like to receive some sacred words). Your poem may show up on the “empty canvas” – or directly in your head.
• If the “empty canvas” method does not work, look around again, there may be a bird who will sing the poem to you, or a tree that whispers it in its leaves, or a river that murmurs it to you in the rolling waters.
• Just experiment a bit with it. If nothing happens, you will at least have had a wonderful and relaxing time. It may take a bit of practice, and it also can be that the universe talks to you in a different language (not words).

If you know how to journey in a shamanic way:

• As in a normal journey, give out your intention and journey into the upper or lower world for it. You can use the method above to ‘see’ or ‘hear’ your poem in the landscape.
• In addition, you can do a journey first to find your “place of creativity” or “place of beautiful words”, where you may sit and hear/see or sense your poem. Once you have this place, you can return to it whenever you need “words” in a poetic/blessing form.
• I also journeyed before to find a specialised spirit guide for “power words and power songs”. Whenever I need something for a client (a word, a chant, a blessing), I journey to him or call him close and he will usually speak or chant what I need.
• You can experiment wit this method if you are a painter/creative artist as well. You may ‘see’ your next painting right there in the journey.