The Upper World as Realm of Vision and Guidance
BY NICOLE LAU
The Upper World—the celestial realm, the heavens, the sky world—is where shamans journey for vision, prophecy, and divine guidance. This is not fantasy but a real domain of consciousness accessible through altered states. Understanding the Upper World reveals how spiritual guidance works and where visionary insight comes from.
Characteristics of the Upper World
The Upper World has distinct qualities that differentiate it from the Lower and Middle Worlds:
Energetic Quality
- Light and airy: Bright, ethereal, weightless
- Expansive: Vast, open, unlimited
- Refined: Subtle, high-frequency, delicate
- Transcendent: Beyond ordinary reality, timeless
Landscape
- Sky and clouds: Celestial, above the earth
- Crystalline structures: Temples, palaces, cities of light
- Gardens of paradise: Perfected nature, Eden-like
- Geometric patterns: Sacred geometry, mandalas, perfect forms
Atmosphere
- Peaceful: Calm, serene, harmonious
- Wise: Ancient knowledge, timeless truth
- Loving: Compassionate, benevolent
- Ordered: Structured, hierarchical, organized
Inhabitants of the Upper World
Who you meet in the Upper World:
Spirit Guides and Teachers
- Ascended masters: Buddha, Christ, saints, enlightened beings
- Personal guides: Beings assigned to help your development
- Ancestors (elevated): Those who've transcended and become guides
- Future selves: Your higher, evolved self
Angels and Celestial Beings
- Archangels: Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel
- Guardian angels: Personal protectors and helpers
- Devas: Nature spirits of higher order
- Light beings: Non-human intelligences of high vibration
Deities of Light
- Sky gods: Zeus, Odin, Indra, Horus
- Solar deities: Ra, Apollo, Amaterasu
- Wisdom goddesses: Athena, Sophia, Saraswati
What You Seek in the Upper World
The Upper World is accessed for specific purposes:
Vision and Prophecy
- Seeing the future or distant events
- Understanding the bigger picture
- Receiving prophetic dreams or visions
- Gaining perspective from above
Guidance and Wisdom
- Asking for direction on your path
- Receiving spiritual teachings
- Understanding life lessons
- Getting answers to spiritual questions
Healing (Spiritual)
- Receiving divine light or energy
- Spiritual cleansing and purification
- Blessing and consecration
- Alignment with higher purpose
Connection to the Divine
- Experiencing unity consciousness
- Touching the source
- Receiving grace and blessing
- Remembering your divine nature
How to Journey to the Upper World
Shamanic techniques for accessing the Upper World:
The Ascent
- Climb the World Tree: Visualize ascending the trunk and branches
- Fly: Transform into a bird or ride one upward
- Ladder or stairway: Climb Jacob's Ladder or a rainbow bridge
- Smoke or light: Rise with incense smoke or a beam of light
- Mountain: Climb a sacred mountain to the peak
The Threshold
- Often there's a membrane or barrier to pass through
- May need to ask permission or state your intention
- The transition feels like breaking through clouds or a veil
The Return
- Descend the same way you ascended
- Bring back the vision, teaching, or blessing
- Ground the experience in the Middle World
The Upper World in Different Traditions
Shamanic (Siberian, Native American)
- The Sky World where the Great Spirit dwells
- Home of helping spirits and celestial guides
- Accessed through ecstatic flight
Kabbalistic
- Atziluth, the world of emanation
- The realm of divine names and archetypes
- Accessed through meditation on the upper sephiroth
Buddhist
- The deva realms, celestial heavens
- Pure lands of the Buddhas
- Accessed through meditation and devotion
Christian Mystical
- The heavenly realms, the throne of God
- The communion of saints
- Accessed through prayer and contemplation
Psychological Interpretation
From a depth psychology perspective, the Upper World represents:
- The superconscious: Higher mind, spiritual aspiration
- The Self (Jungian): The organizing center beyond ego
- The superego (idealized): Not punitive but guiding
- Archetypal wisdom: Access to collective knowledge
- The observer: Witness consciousness, meta-awareness
Journeying to the Upper World is accessing higher functions of your own consciousness.
Gifts from the Upper World
What you bring back from Upper World journeys:
- Vision: Seeing your life from a higher perspective
- Clarity: Understanding what was confusing
- Purpose: Knowing your path and mission
- Blessing: Divine grace and empowerment
- Teaching: Spiritual wisdom and knowledge
- Inspiration: Creative insight and innovation
The Shadow of the Upper World
The Upper World has its dangers:
- Spiritual bypassing: Using transcendence to avoid earthly work
- Inflation: Identifying with the divine, ego inflation
- Dissociation: Losing connection to body and earth
- Addiction to bliss: Seeking only pleasant experiences
- Imbalance: All ascent, no descent; all spirit, no matter
The Upper World must be balanced with the Lower World and grounded in the Middle World.
Practical Application: Upper World Journey
To journey to the Upper World:
- Set intention: What guidance or vision do you seek?
- Enter trance: Through drumming, meditation, or breathwork
- Find your axis: Locate the World Tree or your personal axis mundi
- Ascend: Climb, fly, or rise to the Upper World
- Meet your guide: Ask for a teacher or helper to appear
- Receive: Be open to vision, teaching, or blessing
- Return: Descend back to ordinary reality
- Integrate: Journal, reflect, and apply what you received
The Upper World is not fantasy—it's a real domain of consciousness where vision, guidance, and divine wisdom dwell. When you need perspective, clarity, or spiritual teaching, journey upward. Climb the World Tree, fly to the heavens, ascend to the realm of light. Your guides are waiting. The vision you seek is there. Rise.
