I'm having problems falling into a trance. Are there any helpful ideas or exercises that could help me?

The groundwork for trance state is meditation. As you get used to meditation and learn to go deeper then you can try getting into the trance state.

Always begin with some breathing exercises and make sure you're relaxed. Make a point of dumping, in some way, your troubles and stressors - for this you can visualize dropping all your troubles into a big box that has a key and locking them inside. Then you're ready for meditation.

To go deeper imagine yourself walking down steps or going down in an elevator. Eventually this should lead you to going into trance.

Briganta

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Thank you. I thought I was ready, but I obviously need more exercise first.

Besides meditation, as very well Briganta put it, there are also ways to achieve trance by chanting, drumming or dancing, and than there are the plants - the big journey (this needs some special preparations before). Most of the times, most of them require fasting, special places away from the daily stress and some need assistance (especially the etheogenic ones). Also, give them time, don't rush anything, and also have a very specific intention. Might seem funny, but visit the toilet before starting to shake. And have some assistance from someone experienced, who can supervise you just in case. Spirit world is not the Garden of Eden precisely..

And something more (please, don't feel offended, it is not my intention) : you have to have "the call" to achieve a proper shamanic trance state.

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Okay, thank you. The big trouble is finding a real life person to help lol. Everyone around her is atheist or Christian.

I've just been re-reading a good little intro to shamanism called "Secrets of Shamanism - tapping the Spirit power within you" which has some really good introductory exercises in it. One, designed to develop the shamanic senses, asks you to take something natural like an apple or other piece of fruit and envision what it looks like in your mind's eye first, then smell it, and bite into it and imagine the taste of it - all just using your inner senses. I found these exercises really worked when I first tried them years ago, as if they prime the mind to experience journeying.

At times I still get what I call a "case of the fuzzy wuzzies" which is basically where there seems to be loads of different distractions, the imagery etc on the journey is all distorted (hence the term "fuzzy wuzzy"), and I feel like it's taking me ages to see what it is I'm supposed to see, or it just all seems "wrong" somehow. During these sort of trances (where I wonder if I'm in trance properly at all) I find that just standing still in the midst of the journey and focusing on something I can see clearly, and touching it as a support kind of thing, really helps the rest of it gradually unfurl in a much clearer way. Touching the ground of wherever you are on the journey also helps. I've found it's often anxiety which causes the "fuzzy wuzzies" and dealing with whatever it is that is making you anxious helps considerably. Sometimes I've found part of me doesn't want the journey to "flow" spontaneously as it should, because I'm scared of seeing something I don't want to know LOL! I'll usually ask for guidance on the matter as in "what am I so scared of here, and what can I do?" - often I'll be shown soemthing which helps, or will be advised to do a divination on my return.

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That apple technique seems helpful, thanks!

I just wanted to ask - what manner of "trance" are you talking about achieving? Because Briganta is correct in regards to inhibitive trance techniques (meditation being a means to achieve this state) - but within the context of Shamanic journey, techniques that consist of repetitive, often vigorous, motion or sound are used to achieve the proper state necessary for Otherworlds journeying. Hence why drumming, dancing, rocking, etc. are often discussed.

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I wanna get to know my totem animal, as I read a sort of trance was required. I actually found these answers to be quite helpful.

And I meant no disrespect. Of course you guys are real people! What I meant was finding close practitioners, whom I know outside of the internet.

Your totem animal will reveal itself, weather in trance or not, you just have to pay close attention to your daily events/environment. IMO, before achieving a shamanic trance, you have to learn the "basics" (you need wings before starting to fly, init?) . Try to learn more things about trance, it is not a thing to be taken lightly. As for the help, any person would do if you can't find an experienced one. Just that you have to know how to instruct them to help you, which leads again to learn more...

A proper trance requires, amongst other things (preparation) : self put aside, fasting, sleep deprivation sometimes, a special place to have the trance (can be seen as a door between the worlds), mustering some valour, as you are entering an unknown realm, with a totally different geography and rules and unknown entities ( some of the "spirits" are hostile, all of them are tricky, and some might want to trap you there) ...and intention (well established and stated), because there is no pleasure trip to the other world... With the time, you might make allies/friends there..

A tip: the fact that the other world is inside you (if you have "the call" ) doesn't make it less real, so see those preparation as preparations for a trip to Antarctica, or to Venus. The help person (especially for a "noob" ) serves as rescue shuttle....

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Thank you both. I have been feeling drawn to the hawk and seem to see it more, but I really want confirmation and not go after something just because it shows up and looks pretty, you know?

Anyway, your advice (everyone's) has been very helpful and calming. I tend to think I'm doing it wrong if things don't happen right away, so it's very comforting to see its normal.

Xtians say that patience is a virtue and I tend to agree with them..

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