The Day the Energy Just Wouldn’t Move
I remember a specific time I went to lead a shamanic ritual. The setting seemed perfect. Everyone was ready, sitting or lying down in their positions, waiting to begin.
I picked up my drum and started playing. My intention was clear: to connect with the spirits and start the healing process. We wanted to journey into the “underworld” to cut cords with the past, release old pain, and let go of the fear stopping us from living the life we wanted.
But then, something strange happened.
As I beat the drum, I couldn’t move the energy. It felt completely stuck. Solid. Heavy. It just wouldn’t shift or flow. It ended up being a very weird, difficult session.
Confused, I later went to my master and asked him, “What went wrong?”
He explained something that changed everything for me. He told me that whenever you want to journey into the underworld to do shadow work or heal the past, there are two fundamental things you must do. Always.
If these two elements are missing, you won’t be able to go deep. You will get blocked. Instead of healing, you’ll just get trapped in your own heavy emotions and looping thoughts. 🌀
Let me share these two missing keys with you, so you never get stuck again.
Element #1: Activate Your Vitality (The Warrior Energy)
The first thing my master told me was simple yet profound: “Your vitality must be active.”
In our modern world, we often arrive at spiritual practices feeling drained. We come from long days at work, scrolling on phones, or being stuck in our heads. We are disconnected from our bodies. But you cannot enter the underworld in this state.
That is why, before any deep ritual, we often go for a hike, a walk in nature, or do physical exercise. We need to wake up the body and ignite the inner fire. 🔥
The “Victim Trap”
Here is the hard truth about energy healing: You cannot heal while you are in a state of victimhood. It is 100% impossible.
The underworld is filled with heavy energies—grief, guilt, sadness, and lethargy. If you enter that space feeling weak or thinking, “Poor me, life is so hard, my parents did this to me,” those heavy spirits will eat you up. You won’t heal; you will just get stuck in the mud of your own complaints.
To avoid this, you need to be in a state of power. You need to be a warrior.
Even if you feel weak, you must generate energy temporarily. Jump into cold water 🥶, run for an hour, do intense breathwork, or practice yoga. Do whatever it takes to fill your system with fire. With that fire, you can journey down, face the shadows, and come back up. Without it, you just get tired.
Element #2: Open Your Heart to the Spirit
The second missing key is the reason why, sometimes, I spend a good 30 minutes (or even an hour) praying before I even start a ritual. I simply cannot move the energy until the hearts in the room are open.
This element is prayer. 🙏
Shadow Work is a Team Effort
Many people try to do shadow work alone, from a mental place. They treat it like a mechanical fix—like taking a car to the mechanic. They think, “I want to fix my trauma so I can be more successful,” or “I want to feel like a powerful shaman.”
But doing it from the ego, or treating it just like a business transaction, will not work.
Real shadow work is done with the help of the spirits. You cannot do it by yourself because the whole point is to remember unity. It is a guided journey.
When you release deep pain or trauma, you aren’t just throwing it into the void. You are handing it over to the spirits. They are there to receive what you are ready to let go of. But for them to help you, you must ask for help. You must be humble.
You don’t need to be religious. You don’t need to believe in a specific “God.” But you do need to open your heart to something bigger than yourself and trust the journey. Only when you surrender and say, “I can’t do this alone, please guide me,” does the real magic happen.
How to Know If Your Shadow Work Is Working
So, how do you know if you have successfully navigated the underworld? It’s actually quite simple.
When you have both your vitality activated (the warrior) and your heart open (the humble student), the spirits can finally guide you deep. Your vitality protects you from the heavy “victim” energies, and your open heart allows the release to happen.
You will reach a moment of intense emotional release. You let it go.
The clear sign that the work is done is how you feel afterward. You should feel lighter, joyful, and motivated. You feel a spark of life returning to you. ✨
Even if you haven’t solved the “root of the root” of all your problems, you have cleared enough space to move forward. You have energy for your life, your projects, and your passions again.
The Warning Signs
On the flip side, if you finish a session feeling drained, stuck in negative loops, complaining, or criticizing yourself, it means one of the two elements was missing.
Remember this for your next healing journey: Bring your Fire, and bring your Prayer. Without them, you are just walking in circles in the dark.
Have you ever felt stuck during shadow work? Or have you experienced that rush of energy after a good cry? Let me know in the comments below. We are connected.
Join Us in the Dark to Find Your Light
We have talked about traveling to the underworld and the importance of doing it with a guide. Now, nature is inviting us to do exactly that on a cosmic scale.
We are approaching the Winter Solstice. This is the darkest night of the year—the “Zero Point” where everything stops. It is the ultimate moment for shadow work.
If you are in Brussels, I invite you to stop running and sit in the silence with us.
Winter Solstice Drum Ritual: Into the Silent Sun
On Saturday, December 21, 2025, we are gathering at the Inner Spark Ashram for a powerful 3.5-hour journey.
We will apply exactly what you learned in this article:
- Activate Vitality: We will recover the energy trapped in your past.
- Open the Heart: We will connect with the spirit of the Winter Sun to guide us.
- Deep Release: We will use the shamanic drum to journey through the four worlds and let go of the heavy baggage from 2025.
You don’t have to do this alone. Come sit by the fire (metaphorically and spiritually) and prepare yourself for a new beginning.
📍 Where: Inner Spark Ashram, Woluwe Saint Pierre, Brussels
📅 When: December 21, 2025 | 17:00 – 20:30
🎟️ Spots: Intimate group (only 10 spots)
Are you ready to close the cycle and reclaim your spark?
👉 Book Your Spot for the Solstice Ritual
(Hurry, spots fill up fast!)
