I’ve had a lovely day doing one of my favourite things. I love to run workshops. Sharing knowledge and information with others is so enjoyable. I also love that I can present different viewpoints of the same subject matter.

Today it was all about Trance. Sometimes that refers to working in altered states of consciousness. Other times it can mean transfiguration i.e. when an energy being overshadows the physical features of the medium with their own appearance. That’s where working through different viewpoints can be really helpful. And trance work can also lead on to physical mediumship too. Interestingly most people are unclear about the differences between these terms. Understanding what is happening can also become confused if you are approaching this experience from different beliefs about what trance represents. It was my pleasure to help the students arrive as some view of what trance meant for them.

I really like to mix traditions. So I used shamanic, spiritualist and psychological models in the workshop today. Each one practices working in altered states of consciousness but for different reasons. Helping the students to experience a trance state using techniques from each viewpoint allowed them to compare and contrast. If that sounds like an exam question I admit to enjoying getting people to think in that way. After all, to understand my experiences I want to test out what happens each time. Then I can make my mind up about what I believe is the process going on. I can also find the common threads that work across all of the trance techniques.

I know that when I approach my own learning like this I am much more open. If I am not stuck with only one point of view I have flexibility and options. I can change my understanding as I get new information.

Being open minded and willing to put different elements of a model together in new ways has opened up what I can achieve with my trance/physical mediumship work. And that is why I like sharing things the way I do. Hopefully my students found something they could take and use from each viewpoint. They may also be encouraged to research these traditions or look for others that contain an element of working in an altered state. That’s the exciting bit for me. What will they go on to discover for themselves? How will their own experiences of trance enhance their spiritual journey? Next week I’m doing a workshop for personal development using circles and spirals. I can’t wait to share more viewpoints!

Day 329 of my blogging challenge.