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before, you should always create a ritual space before
attempting a trance, and close that space afterward. It is also wise to pick a
specific destination, at least until you are very, very good at trance journeys.
Having a particular god or goddess in mind when you set out ensures that you
will be journeying into a safe space, under the protection of a deity. I often
find that the goddess I am trying to contact is expecting me, as if I’d made an
appointment with her when I decided to do the trance. You should also put some
thought into which deities you visit. When starting out, it’s best to pick gods
and goddesses who are highly accessible, friendly, and beneficent. Sometimes the
more ambiguous deities can be a little disturbing or hard to contact, and you
want to ensure your success as much as possible on your early journeys.
    AVOIDING PITFALLS
    You might want to call in a magical helper of some sort to
accompany you on your initial expeditions. As you will see from my own trance
descriptions, I was always met by Sleipnir, the god Odin’s horse, which could
travel through the various worlds. Having a trusted guide greatly increases your
confidence on your journeys and makes the initial stages more interesting.
Later, after you gain more experience, you can try journeying alone, although it
often seems harder to reach your desired destination that way. You can take the
shape of an animal or envision an ideal trance self for these journeys. After
all, this is an imaginary body, so you can fulfill your deepest fantasies. I
personally always see myself as taller and stronger, with the beautiful reddish
hair and flawless complexion I ought to have had. When I began tranceworking my
trance self was older than my actual age, but she is now somewhat younger,
although I’m afraid she’s not the one who has changed.
    If you are walking down a path in your journeys, you should not step off it
for any reason. If you wander into a landscape or region that makes you feel at
all uneasy or that looks ugly or threatening, just turn around and go right
back; you can always start again, or try it some other night. The point of these
trances is to make yourself feel empowered and glad, not to scare yourself
silly. Often, if you are going to visit a particular god or goddess, that deity
will appear and help you if you get hung up somewhere. Sometimes you will meet
the deity on your way to her abode and wind up traveling with her to some other
location altogether. Be aware that your imagination can shape this trance world,
just as it does in a lucid dream. You can imagine yourself able to fly, jump
over forests, fight magnificently, or turn into an animal. Once, when I felt
scared and wanted to return very quickly, I conjured up an image of a very fine
outboard motor that ran on mead to speed my little boat.
    I sometimes experience various physical sensations while in a trance, usually
when I’ve had enough and am ready to come back. I get muddled and vague and have
trouble communicating or listening. I feel the trance world starting to fade,
and sometimes my own body starts getting a bit transparent. Usually the deities
I am with will notice this first and comment on it; very often they will tell me
point-blank to go home and come back again later. I often experience slight
cramping in the calves of my legs and a sense of restlessness and discomfort
when I have been in trance too long; it’s as if the body can only do this for a
certain period of time. When you start feeling uncomfortable in the trance,
simply say good-bye and head back as swiftly as possible.
    After my initial problems with achieving the trance state, I became convinced
that my objective was to try to achieve the best, deepest trance state possible.
However, in practice I have found that deeper is not necessarily better. If I go
into too deep a trance, I find that my body becomes too heavy and I