What is a Psychopomp

Psychopomp

Psychopomp is a powerful and sacred practice that embodies the shaman's role as a bridge between worlds. By serving as guides and companions to the souls of the departed, shamans honor the interconnectedness of all beings and the eternal cycle of life and death. 

Many of us have experienced unexplained phenomenon in our lives, occurrences often caused by spirits whose transition into the afterlife was interrupted at the time of death due to trauma on this plane, or because of unfinished business that kept the soul anchored to the Earth. Caught in earth-bound patterns indefinitely, these corporeal spirits need help to progress with their transition. Until help is received, they persist in making their presence known, creating disturbances in our everyday waking life.  In Psychopomp work, the practitioner works directly with these souls in non-ordinary reality, guiding them compassionately through the process of transitioning on to their next journey.

Functions of a Psychopomp

• Guiding souls: Their primary function is to navigate the souls of the departed through the different realms of the afterlife, ensuring they reach their proper destination. 

• Healing grief: By providing a safe space for the grieving to connect with the departed, psychopomps can help alleviate pain and facilitate the healing process. 

• Facilitating communication: Shamans can utilize psychopomps to enable communication between the living and deceased loved ones, potentially allowing for reconciliation and resolution of unresolved issues. 

• Accessing spiritual knowledge: Psychopomps might also serve as conduits to access wisdom and knowledge from the spirit world, aiding the shaman in their healing practices.

• Ancestral work: Psychopomps also work with their ancestors and the ancestors of others, both living and departed, to facilitate healings.

• Life Transitions: Psychopomps also work with the living who are going through transitions in life, a metaphoric death and rebirth.

Premise of Psychopomp Work

• Spirits are real and not all the dead are equally well

• Consciousness operates on many levels, and in several energy vehicles, during life and after death.

• Healing and forgiveness are always available across the apparent barrier of death.

• Spiritual guidance and protection from the other side by well ancestors and guides is possible for helpful and timely communication assisting the unhealed dead with their transition

• Departed family and friends once well in spirit can become helpful allies and a potent source of well-being and support.

Psychopompary

Psychopomp techniques vary widely across cultures and traditions, but they often involve rituals, ceremonies, and journeying to access altered states of consciousness. Shamans may use drumming, chanting, or other forms of rhythmic sound to induce trance states, allowing them to navigate the realms of the spirit with clarity and precision. One of the key teachings of psychopomp is the importance of compassion and reverence for the journey of the soul. Shamans who practice psychopomp approach their work with humility and empathy, honoring the sacredness of the transition from life to death and offering support and guidance to those who have passed.

A psychopomp is called to help the souls of those who are trapped in either lower vibrational planes of existence or in what is known as the middle world, another dimensional side of our current Earth-bound plane. The belief is that these Earth-bound ones are stuck, in need of vitality, having access to freely move about in a disembodied state lingering until they receive assistance to move on. One presumption is that the further back in time they are the weaker their spiritual essence is unless they have been actively able to access hosts through generational family patterns.

Psychopomp is not only about guiding the souls of the departed but also about facilitating healing and closure for the living. By helping loved ones connect with the spirits of the deceased and providing opportunities for communication and reconciliation, shamans can help alleviate grief and bring a sense of peace and resolution to those who remain behind.

Psychopomp work can be done in person, and yet because it is ‘non-local’ work, it can also be done long distance as distant healing since it uses the shamanic journey in either instance.