Insights from Shamanic and Mystical Views
What Is Reality?
At its simplest, reality is the experience of being — the unfolding of what is. Beneath this simplicity, there is a complex dance between perception and consciousness. It also involves something vast and mysterious that exists, whether we name it or not.
Reality as a Shared Agreement
In everyday life, reality often feels like the world we all agree upon. We collectively accept that the sky is blue, that gravity pulls us down, and that time moves forward. These shared beliefs create a framework — the physical laws and cultural norms we live by.
Think about how a traffic light works. We all agree that red means stop. Green means go. This agreement keeps us safe. This is the outer world — measurable, observable, and confirmed by consensus.
But is consensus the full story? What if reality is more than just what the majority agrees on?
Reality as Perception
To mystics, shamans, and dreamers, reality is fluid, not fixed. It shifts and bends according to our attention, beliefs, and energy.
Imagine a tree in a forest. To a scientist, it’s wood, leaves, and roots. To a shaman, it might be a living spirit, a guide, or even an ancestor watching over the land. Reality, then, is relational — created and experienced through the unique lens of the observer.
Ask yourself: How might your reality change if you saw the world through the eyes of wonder or spirit?
Reality as Vibration
Ancient wisdom and modern quantum physics converge on an intriguing idea: all reality is vibration. Everything — from rocks to rivers to your own body — is made of energy vibrating at different frequencies.
Think of a radio tuning into different stations. Matter is like condensed energy, shaped by frequency. From this viewpoint, reality isn’t solid; it’s a responsive field that changes with thought, emotion, intention, and soul resonance.
What might happen if you treated your thoughts and feelings as forces shaping the world around you?
The Shamanic View: Layers of Reality
In shamanism, reality is layered into three interconnected realms:
- The Middle World: Our waking, material life — the here and now.
- The Upper World: Celestial realms of spiritual guidance and enlightenment.
- The Lower World: The domain of ancestral wisdom and elemental forces.
All these layers are equally real, simply existing at different frequencies or states of being.
When I drum or enter trance, I don’t escape this world — I deepen your connection to these overlapping realities.
Have you ever felt moments where time or space seemed to shift? That’s you touching these other layers.
So… What Is Reality?
Reality is not a single, fixed truth. It’s a weaving — a rich tapestry of soul, spirit, sense, and story. It is shaped by where we place our attention, softened by wonder, and expanded by love.
It is the dream that dreams itself awake — through you, through me, through all that is.
Reality is less a place to define and more a rhythm to remember, a dance to join.
What does your reality feel like today?
How do you shape the world around you — through belief, perception, or intention?
Shamanic Healing 