Otherworld Journeying: A Basic Method

This procedure is the one I use, distilled from several sources and courses that I have taken over the years.  You will find this procedure to be very similar to most that you will read about elsewhere.

You may find any of these steps a help or a hindrance to you in the manner that I describe them.  If such is the case, then by all means modify the step to more suit your needs.  My recommendation, however, is that you not simply leave out any of these steps.  Rather, you should replace any steps incompatible to you with a method that does the same thing.  Here follows the basic outline of my method of journeying:

If you feel the need to demarcate sacred space somehow, whether by rattling and smudging the four directions, casting a circle, calling upon protective spirits and guides, etc, then do this now.

Lie in a comfortable position on the floor, possibly with a pillow under your head and/or knees, or sit comfortably back in a chair with your head fully supported so that your entire spine is straight.  Cover your eyes with a bandana, sleep mask, or some other comfortable soft covering.

State your intention for the journey in simple, straight-forward language, aloud if at all possible.

Begin to drum, or signal the drummer to begin, or else start the drumming track on your electronic device.  There should be a clear beginning drum rhythm, such as 3 sets of 3 sharp beats, or 7 sharp beats in a row, followed by the journeying beat of 220 +/- beats per minute in a monotonous 1-2-3-4 rhythm without any accented beats.

Settle and center yourself, then open your mind's eye and look for the entry point, taking a few moments to look around at your surroundings. 

If you are entering an "Underworld", then your entry point will likely be some form of entrance into the ground somehow, either a hole at the base of a tree, or an animal's burrow.  Some find an entry point by going into a lake, etc.  My personal entry point to the Underworld is down through a bonfire set alight over the root system of a long dead tree in a place sacred to me. 

If you are entering an "Upperworld", then your entry point could be any number of things that allow you to ascend somehow, such as climbing a tree or ladder, walking up a mountain, or possibly ascending on a rainbow.  One of my personal entry methods to the Upperworld is on the heat rising from a bonfire that carries me upwards along with the sparks and ashes of the fire.

Go through your entry point, going down through the tunnel for the Underworld, or up for the Upperworld.

Call to your guide to join you if they have not already done so.  Tell your guide the purpose of your journey in simple, straight-forward language.  Let your guide conduct your journey and take you towards the experiences that you need to complete the mission of your journey.

After some time, either when you are ready to return, signal the drummer to call you back, or if you are in very deep, the drummer will signal you to return at a pre-arranged time or when the drummer feels it is time if there has been no preset time.  I highly recommend you set a time limit when first learning to journey, however.  It can be intense work, and you would not want to exert yourself too much to start off with. Alternatively, if you are drumming for yourself, you may now signal the call back rhythm yourself, or of course if you are listening to a drumming CD or other recording, then you will hear the call back beat when the recording comes to it.  The call back beat tends to be the same as the beginning signal, either 3 sets of 3 sharp beats, or else 7 sharp beats all in a row.  Then follows the return beat, which is a very fast 1-2-3-4 beat for 2 or three minutes.

Return along the path you came by, either down from the Upperworld or up from the Underworld, and go back through the entry point.  Look around at your surroundings thoroughly, then become aware of being back in your body.

Slowly begin to move your hands and feet, then turn onto one side for a few moments until you are fully back, then slowly sit up and remove your eye covering.

Do not forget to record your experiences as soon as possible, so that you can capture as much detail as you can for later analysis.

Note: I prefer the drum or rattle, both of which have now been shown to have been used by my Scottish and Scandinavian ancestors (Clive Tolley, 2016). Some may wish, rather than using a drum, to use some other instrument, such as a rattle, or a staff beaten upon the ground or floor, or even a mouth bow, such as the one shown being used by the buffalo headed dancer in the Trois Freres cave painting in France, dated to 15,000 years ago.