Shamanic communication with spirits rests upon the deliberate cultivation of altered states of consciousness. Through rhythmic drumming, rattling, chanting, singing, or other repetitive sounds, the shaman enters a trance in which ordinary perception gives way to visionary or dreamlike awareness. Fasting, sleep deprivation, and other forms of physical austerity may heighten this sensitivity, while dancing, breath work, and meditation further deepen the shift in consciousness. In many traditions, sacred plants and ritual smokes are also employed to open the gates of perception, allowing the shaman to step into what is understood as non-ordinary reality.

Within these altered states, the shaman’s consciousness is believed to journey to other realms, sometimes described as upper, middle, or lower worlds. In these subtle domains, encounters occur with spirit guides, animal allies, ancestors, or other helping beings, and communication unfolds through direct visionary experiences, symbolic scenes, and mythic narratives. Spirits may also convey guidance through sounds, spoken messages, or distinct bodily sensations that the shaman learns to interpret. This “soul flight” or journeying is not regarded as fantasy but as a relational engagement from which knowledge, healing power, and divinatory insight are brought back to the community.

Another mode of communication involves inviting spirits to come closer, sometimes to the point of partial or full incorporation. Through invocation, prayer, and sacred songs, particular beings are called by name or function, and in some settings the spirit is understood to speak or act through the shaman’s body, with noticeable changes in voice, posture, or behavior. Ritual objects—such as drums, rattles, masks, feathers, stones, or other consecrated items—serve as focal points and vessels that attract or house these presences, helping to “tune” the ritual space to specific spiritual allies. Dreams, intentional dream practices, and vision quests in solitude further extend this dialogue, as teachings, songs, and instructions for healing or divination are revealed in the liminal space between waking and sleeping.

Across these diverse methods, the common thread is a disciplined engagement with symbols, visions, and embodied experiences as meaningful messages from the unseen. The shaman’s task is to navigate these encounters with discernment, to interpret the often symbolic language of spirits, and to translate it into concrete guidance for healing, restoring balance, or discerning hidden information.