Shamanic Services Explained | Soul Retrieval
Soul Retrieval: The Heart of Shamanic Healing Arts
At the heart shamanism is the wisdom that all living things are designed to fulfill their highest state of being. In order to do so they must exist in a state of balance and wholeness.
In order for a human being to be healthy, to achieve their optimal state, a state in which he or she can fulfill their souls mission, known as completing your souls destiny in shamanism the individual must first have in possession all their soul parts.
When we talk about soul we talk about your pool of energy, your life force, your essence that is both spirit and matter. In our competitive and stressful modern society soul-parts often leave ones body to protect from having to experience potentially damaging situations both emotional and
What are some of the Symptoms of Soul Loss?
- depression
- grief that doesn’t pass
- anxiety inability to move forward on some issue feeling like you are not in control your life
- people who say “I felt like part of me died when.….”
- people who say “I feel like so and so stole my soul”
- feeling that something is missing from your
- feeling of being incomplete
- Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome
- you have done everything you can do but are still stuck
- disconnected from life, you can’t feel anything, or connect
- memories or incident in your past when you can say, I feel that I lost something that I never got back.
- You sense that someone took or you gave a part of you, your heart, your soul and that you were not the same once they left you or died
- wanting to return to a person, or a location that seems unhealthy or unlikely
- lost memories, like a part of your history is "missing"
- feeling that soul retrieval may help you.
Possible Reasons for Soul Loss
If a person was in an abusive situation part of one's soul may leave to protect itself from the abuse. Sometimes as a child, fighting parents may prompt the soul part to hide because the child is scared. If a traumatic accident is about to occur such as an impact or accident the soul would leave so that it wouldn't be effected by the force of the accident. If a loved one is lost, the soul part may go until the person is ready to deal with their grief.Other Types of Soul Loss:
Cording
Another way to lose ones soul is to give it to someone. A process we call cording. When two people are in love, or when they are in a family, it sometimes occurs that people will energetically give portions of their souls to their loved one via a cord that will connect the luminous bodies. A mother may give some or her soul to her child because she wishes to protect them.
This type of soul exchange may seem noble, but from a shamanic point of view it is not a good idea. An individual should not use another person's soul, because simply: it is not their soul.
The person who is on the receiving end of this energy has to deal with this extra energy, in addition to his or her souls own karmic lesions and problems. The persons who have given a piece of their soul away have disempowered themselves. The giver's journey is made more difficult because they are not fully present to do the living of their life. It is a lose-lose situation because neither individual can come to a state of fulfillment.
Because we are not taught about soul loss we do this soul sharing unconsciously. As individuals become more conscious of this dynamic they can find more empowering ways of sharing love and affection in their close relationships. You can see the language of soul loss in everyday speaking, people referring to how they "lost a piece of themselves" when they parted with a lover, or people saying, "you stole my life from me."
Soul Theft
Another reason for soul loss is called soul theft, perhaps we should say borrowing. As we said before, the average person today is unconscious of the soul dynamic. So soul stealing can be innocent, you see someone with lots of energy and you want to borrow some of it. You are afraid of losing someone, so you take a piece of that person with you so that you will always have him or her close by. Soul stealing can also be a way to dominate another. For instance soul stealing may be seen where an abusive spouse has taken his or her partner's soul. When you take someone's soul you take some of that person's power. It is important to know that no one can take your soul without your consent. If someone has stolen your soul you have in some sense given it to them or allowed them to have it. If you feel for some reason that someone is tugging at your soul, make a firm decision within yourself that they cannot have it and they will not be able to take it from you.
The Soul Retrieval Process
It is not usually the case that an individual would do this for one's self. Essential to shamanic healing is the love that is felt when someone performs a healing for you. The act of receiving, a feeling that the universe wants the best for you. Also, it is not always easy for the person to perform the soul retrieval process on themselves.
Shamans are wounded healers- that is to say that before a shaman can be given the necessary tools and rites of passage to perform a soul-retrieval, they must first have had to go though their own healing under a qualified mentor, and have received necessary rites of passage and empowerments in order to be able to serve the client highest with love and integrity.
After talking with the client if the shaman suspects soul loss she or he would then:
Journey to look for the lost soul parts a process called “tracking.”
Take another journey to retrieve soul pieces that want to come back
The healer then blows each piece back into the body of the client, one at time, focusing so that the soul essence fills that person's body.
When performing soul retrieval the shamanic practitioner will create a sacred space for you, one where you are held in a container or love, and one that protects you from interferences of the outside world. If a client becomes vulnerable during the soul retrieval the shamanic practitioner protects that vulnerability so that you can relax and enjoy the receiving.
The Soul's Return….Celebrate the joyous return to yourself.
In cultures with active shamans, individuals would not be without their soul pieces for very long. The return would often be accompanied by celebration, or a joyous welcome from family members. In today's culture however, an entire lifetime can go by before certain pieces come home such that the soul retrieval is a bit like the return of the prodigal son. Whatever the case, its important to celebrate the return of your vital essence back to where it belongs - in the same way we would celebrate the return of a long lost loved one.
Expect the Unexpected After Your Soul Retrieval
People's reactions after their soul retrieval are very varied. Just as varied as the wide array of people there are in the world. You are unique and so is your returning soul. The return will mean different things to different people so its important not to have any preconceived notions about what you might feel. Some people feel great joy, some people sadness, some people feel fuller, some people feel lighter, some people feel nothing... The list is endless.
Some of the benefits that have been experienced by people who have received soul retrieval include:
More Energy
Joy and Happiness Feeling In the Flow of Things The lifting of depression or sadness Clarity and insight Ability to make important decisions in their life A sense of being more present in their life Moving pass an issue that previously could not Beginning of a new growth or healing process Ability to begin dealing with grief *Each person is unique and will experience different results from their soul retrieval. The practitioner cannot tell you in advance what will come from the soul retrieval. It is possible that the soul retrieval will complete a healing process, but it is also possible that it will begin the work of new healing and new growing.
Holding on to your new Soul Part
With the soul's return you must be open, not only so that you can fully receive what is being returned, but also so that you can notice any indications of new needs in your life. Perhaps you need to have more fun to meet the needs of the returned piece of your self, perhaps you need to go outside more, perhaps you need to give your self a period of introspection after the soul retrieval has occurred. Possibly, the soul's return will begin a new healing process. Perhaps the soul retrieval was just the last of a missing piece in your healing process. If the soul retrieval is to be effective you must listen to yourself. You must care for yourself as you would a newborn, and give your self whatever you find is needed now that the gift of you has been received.
Additionally it is possible for the following challenges to be brought up with soul retrieval:
- You may have feelings of sadness or depression because of the time that went by missing this part of you.
- Issues that you have previously been unwilling to deal with can come to the surface.
- You may find that you can no longer stay in a situation, which you have been living with - such that you find you must make changes in your life.
You may find feelings that you previously did not wish to deal with assert themselves, such as grief or anger. - You may begin a long healing process.
Finally, a benefit of soul retrieval or any shamanic healing is seeing that someone cares enough to help you. Most shamanic practitioners feel a strong desire to help make your road a little easier. Some people say that this is the most helpful part of the healing process for them.
