An exploration of the three-world model in shamanism…is it true?
This article is excerpted from my mini workshop how to take a shamanic journey. If you want to dive into the full course, be sure to click here to learn more :)
The Three-World Model of Shamanism
If you've taken any classes in the core shamanic traditions that we find so often in the West, chances are that you've been taught the “Three World Model” of shamanism. This model primarily comes from the shamanic work of the Foundation for Shamanic Studies, and it organizes non-ordinary reality into Upper, Middle, and Lower Worlds.
In this system, the Lower World usually appears a lot like our regular world does—but with even more beauty and awe-inspiring landscapes or features. It’s a divine, earthy realm filled with only benevolent beings and healing energy.
The Upper World is a lot like the lower world, though it often appears more etheric, angelic, or celestial. Like the Lower World, the Upper World is only home to helpful, divine beings and energies.
When you travel to the Upper and Lower Worlds, there is nothing to worry about or protect yourself from. These are purely spiritual and divine realms.
The Middle World is a bit different. It’s the realm of our everyday reality—where we live here and now. By traveling the Middle World with an altered consciousness, we can explore more of the dimensions that exist right alongside us.
The Middle World is a little different from the Upper and Lower Worlds in that you’ll encounter both helpful, benevolent spirits…and not so helpful ones. Just like we meet all types of people in the ordinary reality Middle World, we meet all types of spirits in the non-ordinary reality Middle World.
This is why discernment—the ability to know whether or not a spirit is benevolent, or a trickster, or occasionally something more malefic—is key when traveling the Middle World realms.
When you take a shamanic journey in the core shamanism style, you enter into one of these worlds through a portal or entry point of some sort—and the direction you go matches the world you intend to travel to. You go down to go to the Lower World, up to the Upper World, and out to the Middle World.
That’s the basic overview of the three world model—but there are a common few points of confusion that I want to look at before we move on.
First, it’s important to remember that each of these worlds is home to infinite realms—it’s not like the Lower World is just one place you head on down to—it contains a multitude of layers to explore.
Second, once you enter into non-ordinary reality, you can absolutely travel between realms. You’re never just stuck where you land. You can go from the Upper to the Lower to the Middle Worlds and back around again.
Third, you can meet the same benevolent allies and spirit helpers in all the realms. For some reason, there are a lot of misconceptions in this area—I keep hearing people say that “you meet power animals in the Lower World” and “teachers or guides” in the Upper World.
This is silly when you think about it—our spirit helpers are never confined to one place. You can meet power animals, ancestors, angels, tree spirits, elements, deities, healers, teachers, and everyone in every realm, including the Middle Realm. So keep an open mind on your otherworld explorations
A Wee Critique of the Three-World Model
One of the reasons the three-world model became so popular in Western core shamanism is that it’s said to reflect the similarities of shamanic and indigenous cultures throughout the world…but this isn’t really accurate.
When I first started teaching shamanic journeying many, many years ago, I used to follow the lead of my first teachers and use only the three-world model in my workshops. And, being the good and globally minded student I was, I tried to dultifully fit other systems into this model.
It was a stretch.
Yes, the Celtic traditions have earth, sea, and sky realms…but those aren’t the full picture. Yes, the Norse tree of life has roots, a trunk, and branches…but there are nine worlds on the tree and it gets more complex from there. Yes, indigenous tribes throughout the world often have some sort of ancestor realm, earth realm, and celestial realm…but that is never even close to representing the actual complexitities of the wildly diverse cosmologies humankind has created.
And over time, as I stepped more fully into my own spiritual knowing, I realized that the models we use for non-ordinary reality—what I also call the otherworlds or spirit realms—don’t actually matter.
The human mind likes a system. The realm of spirit is far more vast than our human minds can comprehend. So we make up systems that help us understand the ineffable.
All systems are facets of truth. No system is full Truth.
My guess is that many of the early anthropologists who popularized the three-world model were overly, and probably subconsciously, influenced by their own Christian cultures.
Think about it. The Earth and Heaven connections are pretty obvious right? We live here, on Earth and in the Middle World. Heaven above brings us to the Upper World and all the divine spiritual goodness found there.
Hell, which clearly correlates with the Lower World, is where I think things get interesting—because in shamanic traditions, the Lower World is a place of immense power. In pre-Christian mythologies we hear tales of gods and goddesses descending into the underworld and emerging with more power than before (look at the legend of the Sumerian Goddess Inanna for a great example of this).
What better way to keep people separated from their true power than to keep them scared of the realm where so much power resides?
I have to at least give kudos to these early anthropologists for recognizing that traveling into the Earth could be a portal to benevolent realms rather than hellscapes. Perhaps this is something you can explore in your own journeys ;)
Anyway, the point of all this is that if the three world model that you’ll commonly hear about in core shamanism doesn't quite resonate with you—no worries!
One of the things I love most is that shamanism is focused on your personal relationship with spirit. You get to do your own explorations and decide for yourself what resonates and what doesn’t.
For now though, take a moment to reflect for yourself: Are there certain models, cosmologies, and traditions you’re especially drawn to? What intuitively just makes sense for you?
Our personal cosmologies are like divine poems.
We could never grasp the fullness and mystery of the otherworlds and spirit realms with our human minds.
Your cosmology is a poetic reflection of a greater truth. A metaphorical and symbolic expression distilled from cosmic consciousness into a form your human mind can at least somewhat understand.
There is no right or wrong here. Whatever arises on your journey is the perfect pathway for you.
And…this includes the three-world model.
While I think it’s important to clarify that this model isn’t the universal shamanic cosmology it’s often said to be, I do think it offers a beautiful framework for beginning to explore the otherworlds…and we’ll be exploring the many benefits of this framework in the next classes.
Your own spiritual landscapes will unfold over time, and exploring these realms is lifelong practice.
This next bit isn’t from the course, but since I’ll be your guide, I thought it might be nice to know a bit more about where I’m coming from with regards to my personal cosmology:
I think it’s helpful to distinguish our mundane, physical, ordinary reality from other spirit realms.
I also like the term “consensus” reality, which I use to refer to what the general population experiences as “reality”.
I look at the subtle, energetic layers of our existence as part of ordinary reality.
The energies that underlie all of existence aren’t supernatural or special—they just are. Your meridians are as much a part of you as your bones. The aura of a tree is as present in our daily lives as its bark. Your consciousness is as impactful as your hands. We’re seeing more evidence of this all the time, so while I think it’s helpful to talk about physical and energetic dimensions separately, I view them both as part of ordinary life in my personal cosmology.
I see the otherworld as endlessly complex…
Filled with heavenly realms that are purely divine, shadow realms with mysteries and hidden forces, realms where gods and goddesses or fae or even bigfoot might reside, elemental realms, mythical realms, star being realms…it’s endless. And I have no idea how they’re structured…because I doubt structure even exists in the spirit realms they way it does for us humans.
I think the general idea behind the distinction between the Middle World versus the Upper and Lower Worlds is actually essential.
Not locationally, but in that we must differentiate between places that are purely divine and benevolent from places that are more complex. We need to know if we’re entering into territory where we might encounter egos, tricksters, or darker energies.
I believe that our relationship with the natural world is the key to unlocking access to all the myriad realms available to us.
Once you start talking with trees, reading the stars, and meeting the nature spirits who cohabitate with you, a new world of spiritual exploration opens up.
And I believe that my beliefs will keep changing.
The Great Mystery is all I know for sure.
What about you? Have you worked with the three-world model before? What are the core components of your personal cosmology? I’d love to hear in the comments.
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