A shamanic practice of personal separation from a group, often accompanied by physical hardships, eventually leading to an altered state of consciousness that provides spiritual insight. The separation may be accomplished physically, such as by going out on a desert, or mentally, through meditation, astral projection, etc.
Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Sandra Kynes, author of several books, including The Herb Gardener's Essential Guide, Plant Magic, and the new Witches' Encyclopedia of Magical Plants, among many others.
Although a few old books...