I love to travel by car, train, or boat. Whether a planned trip or an impulse adventure, making the most of an opportunity to revisit familiar and well-remembered places or explore new settings always makes me happy. For me the journey itself is as important as the destination. Music, conversation, comfortable silences, roadside diners, scenery, and side trips to see an old cabin or a waterfall or a special little bookstore add immeasurably to the width of each adventure. Research into the historical and natural elements also plays a part, and my love of actual, in-my-hands folding maps and atlases sweetens the depths.
By natural extension, the same interest and passion for travel in this realm and time has applied to traveling in other ways such as meditation, journey work, astral travel, or dream travel. I made use of those modes of travel long before I even knew what they are called or understood how they work, but over time my knowledge caught up with my experiences.
A collection of maps and travel brochures from the author’s collection [S. Barker]
Unfortunately, I do not often travel in this realm these days. Aside from family obligations that keep me close to home, the diseased and uneasy state of the current social, economic, and political climates in the United States make moving beyond my home boundaries unappealing. Until recently I did not realize that, except for dream travel – which has been running full-tilt – I have subconsciously limited my alternative travels as well.
Shortly after two of the recent and horrifying gun violence incidents in the United States, the Rev. Angie Buchanan, Senior Minister at Earth Traditions, offered to lead a dark moon ritual and guided meditation with an intention set to heal the lands where those acts took place. Like many other people, I am weary of the ineffective and tiresome “thoughts and prayers” platitudes that spring up like wild violets whenever tragedy and trauma happen – all showy and pretty and carrying about as much weight as those tiny flowers. Rev. Buchanan’s event was an opportunity to participate in intentional, directed action to repair harm done to the land. I have not met the reverend but am familiar with some of her work, and a trusted friend thinks highly of her, so I felt comfortable joining her effort.
Although I work daily with land spirits and am experienced with and comfortable walking between worlds, I have seldom taken the opportunity to work with other people on a psychopomp level. For a hundred reasons I am glad I took the chance to do so and look forward to doing so again when the opportunity arises.
The guided meditation was beautifully crafted and the work, although intense, was thoughtfully and powerfully directed. Unfortunately, even though I have been practicing magic for more than 30 years, I was so caught up in the emotional aftermath of Buffalo and then Uvalde that I made some terrible rookie mistakes before the journey work even started. Despite having grounded myself and put my personal protection in place I ended up feeling disoriented and unsafe. I ended up stepping away from the group, returning home, and going into my gardens to ground and recover.
I sincerely appreciate that Rev. Buchanan followed up with me by sending a message to ask if I was all right and offered to talk if I needed to debrief. In my experience, it is uncommon to find someone who follows up with those who might have encountered difficulties during a group activity. The shifting dynamics of virtual events probably make that type of care even more rare. As we move deeper into the troubled days ahead, I hope there is more of that level of attention and care within Pagan communities. I believe we are going to need it.
My writing usually focuses on the joys of practicing magic and being deeply connected to my land spirits and the elemental energies. What I do not often write about are the things that sometimes go wrong or the encounters I have that make me uncomfortable. Perhaps in circles broader than my own people are talking about topics that seem wild and disconcerting. I may never know. But I hope that the wider Pagan community is aware of and paying attention to the unusual little things that go bump in the other realms.
What were the rookie mistakes I made? First, I did not make sure I was properly rested, nor had I eaten. I certainly was not well hydrated. Second, although I knew the intended destinations, and despite lifetime habits of road trip preparation, I jumped in the mystical car without ever looking at a map or any other point of reference which might have helped me maintain my balance and sense of direction. Because I neglected to do basic preparatory research, I knew little or nothing about the history, the land, and the water systems surrounding the areas in which I would be working. For me, that knowledge is essential for the most successful and safe work with land spirits.
Finally, and most importantly, I failed to check in with my deepest self before departing. I ignored the fact that I have not been traveling or doing psychopomp work and that there was a reason for that change in my personal practice. I could no longer ignore that reason once I was in the midst of the working when despite my protections the disturbing energies between worlds made my spirit and skin crawl like every basement bogeyman that ever existed was standing right behind me.
The lights of home [S. Barker]
The miasma that blankets the land in this here and now is a primary factor for my limited travel. I can no longer ignore the fact that there are places in the in-between spaces and in other realms where a similar uneasy and diseased inorganic atmosphere or energies exist, and that they are distinct and separate from organic land spirit energies. I first became aware of them a few years ago but they did not seem interested in human presence. That is no longer the case.
Which world was first affected or infected by this presence? I hold no chicken vs. egg theories on this subject and while it is an intellectually appealing line of thought, pursuit of the answer does not serve to alleviate the pricking of my thumbs at this time.
Since the night I chose to retreat from an unsafe space I have been refining the methods I use to travel between worlds so that the healing work to be done will be uninterrupted by any unwelcome presence. I can best attend to that by further developing my relationship with my own land spirits. Increasing my personal and home protection has also been a large part of the process, as has been my love of maps. I love to travel – but I have never been a fan of flying and have no interest in parachuting into unfamiliar territory.
One of the things I most love about my tiny homestead is that it holds safe haven for me. Whenever traveling beyond the boundaries of this land becomes too much to bear, I look for the lights of home. In these uncertain times, may everyone find such a place of comfort.
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