The Upper World may be reached by going up a rainbow, a column of smoke, or on the wings of a flying bird. The Middle World is entered horizontally through a bank of fog, a thicket of leaves or some other type of natural membrane. An experienced shaman knows intuitively which of these locations is the most suitable for the task at hand. Beginners usually go into the Lower World, as it seems to be the easiest one for most people to visualize. In every one of these domains there are landscapes, objects and entities waiting to teach and to help us.
Information is given either in words or through symbolic images.
And so, Rose and I lay down on the floor next to each other in a darkened room, covered our eyes, and began listening to a CD recording of shamanic drums. With some trepidation I visualized jumping down a tree hollow. The following sequence of events was completely unexpected and had the quality of lucid dreaming with perfect recall. I saw myself going through a long, foggy tunnel that eventually brought me to the playground outside our apartment building in Moscow. I saw myself as a child of about nine.