Shamanism is mankind's most ancient spiritual practice, dating back between fifty and one hundred thousand years. It is the way our ancient ancestors communed with nature and the natural world, where they saw everything as alive and animated, and where they were able to commune with the energies of the world around them, through the use of the imagination, using the method of journeying, some with the drum, others with the didgeridoo, some through fasting, chanting, meditating or with teacher plants. The Shaman would travel to different worlds for different reasons, the Lower World, a pristine place in nature, to connect with a power animal that would act as a guide. To the Middle World, which is this reality, in the past present and future, and to the Upper World, which is the place of celestial wisdom and energy. In the Upper World, the Shaman meets spirit guides in the form of angels or archetypal beings, or the wise old man, or the wise old woman. These spirit guides take on many different forms in that realm.

Death from a Shamanic perspective is about embracing the teachings from the spirit of our own death, making death an ally, a friend. Consulting with death on problems we encounter in everyday life. The role of the Shaman was often that of a psychopomp, and was to help escort the souls of the dead across into the afterlife safely. When Imelda took her deep dive journeys into the spirit realm, she was helped and supported by her allies and guides, who opened up those archetypal realms of the collective unconscious to the role that the psychopomp plays, in working with her dead son. Her son Shane's soul spoke back to her across this incredible landscape, comforting his mother from the other side.

What Imelda has done here, is set up a beacon of hope for all others who seek to go beyond the everyday explanations, beyond the taboo against knowing who we truly are, beyond us burying death in the back wards of hospitals, and being in denial of our own mortality. She has given hope, through this work, to others, that they too can take the journeys that she took, and meet their beloved in the after-life, and therefore complete any unfinished business with them.

In these times of digital dependency, social media obsessional behavior, and loss of soul to artificial intelligence, Finding Shane reminds us of the power of the imagination for healing and the re-enchantment of everyday life in keeping with the traditions of indigenous people and our ancestors. Unless we do our inner work on the adventure of self-discovery, we risk losing our ability to mine the psyche for rich symbols and images from the dreamtime that can help us heal emotional, physical and psychological wounds and stay connected to natural intelligence and therefore re-imagine a future that is in harmony with our true human nature and nature herself. Finding Shane is a powerful example of one woman’s journey of the wounded healer and serves as a reminder to others to take the road less travelled.

Martin Duffy MIAHIP MIACP EAP
Transpersonal Psychotherapist
Dunderry Park, County Meath