The Fragmented Soul - Soul Retrieval

    Everyone practicing shamanism or magic knows of the fact of soul loss. Shamanism and magic simply asumes the existence of something called the soul. Most of the times the will or the soul of the victim or client is being mentioned. This assumption of a soul is the best way of explaining most phenomens encountered in shamanism and magic. There are many different descriptions of the anatomy of the soul in various cultures. One thing they have usually in common is the fact, that the human soul has more than one part (see Freud, Kabbala, Egypt, China, India and other cultures). How many parts the soul is consisting of is a point of difference in the various models. Two things can be stated without problem: That you possess a soul, and that most of it is inside your immediate sphere of influence (that means your energybody). Now, this is describing the usual, common case.

    There are plenty of situations, which endangers your well-being. Accidents, operations, shocking situations, evil witchmasters, vulnerations, rapes, psychic pressure or stress are some of the more popular known ones. During these situation the soul decides to safe the part, which is exposed to the threat, by splitting it and hiding away somewhere in the spirit world. I also have to mention the loss of so-called organ-souls that occur most of the time during difficult operations. Imagine the organ-soul as the poweranimal of the organ itself. It is limited to the particular organ it belongs to.

    Most of the time the part of the soul returns after a time, but sometimes the hiding part don't return. then a soul loss occurs. Symptoms like faintness, sleeplessness, emptiness (resulting in addictions, bulimia, drinking or whatever), emotional emptiness, depressions, even autism, cataleptic or comatous states. Once recognized as soul loss the shamanic practitioner can ask his poweranimal or other spirits to guide him to the lost parts of the clients soul. Then the shaman persuades the soul parts (if necessary) to return to the client, brings them back and blowing them in at the hara and the crown chakra, which are both points where the soul can enter or leave the energy body.

    As mentioned before, you are blowing the soul back in the clients soul. Your spirits may give you other locations, where to blow in lost soul parts. Consider the two mentioned points as a hint. It is absolutely necessary to seal the openings after you have blown in the soul parts. The client must welcome his once lost soul parts back in his soul. Give the client a feeling of safety for some moments after the shamanic part.

    Most of the time a soul-part appears in the twilight just as the client looked like at the time when the soul-loss took place in his life. It can also look like an animal or an item that symbolizes the soul-part. Occasionally you find the lost part of the soul in just the surroundings where the soul-loss happened to take place. Sometimes the retrieval can be very difficult, depending on the location, where the lost part stays or is being held by another spirit. Often deceased family members are sticking on them and won't let them go, until they themself get a shamanic healing. If you have found one lost part, other lost soul parts can appear, too.

    The client must reintegrate the regained part of his soul afterwards, otherwise the soul can easily depart again. The client should not be alone, and have someone, who could bring him back home after the soul-healing. Soul Retrieval can be very heart-stirring and the client needs emotional warmness. Usually it is a good idea for the client to be part of an active drumming circle with experienced shamans or shamanists who can keep an eye on the clients progress in healing after the soul-retrieval. The client should have a close look on himself: what things are changing in his life, which topics gain more weight and importance. The retrieved soul need to be taken care of. The client should slowly show and explain the current life-situation he is situated in. Usually the retrieved soul was being lost sometime back in the life and does not know what happened in the meantime when it was absent.

    After some days the client - if he is versed in shamanic journeying - should establish conscious contact with the retrieved soul within a shamanic journey. A meeting at his power-place or any other location in the twilight of all his poweranimals and allies, as well as the retrieved soul is a good idea to start with. At this meeting the soul is again welcomed back and carefully asked about what happened to it during its absence and what it wants to tell the client. That can be vital informations regarding the actual cause of soul-loss or some informations on how the client should change his attitude or life-style in order to prevent a loss of the very same soul-part.

    After that the client should be coached by the spirits in how to finally integrate the retrieved soul by ritual. This ritual can be one that is totally conducted in the twilight, it can also be one that also has to be performed in the material reality, also. During the time of reintegration and contact the client or the shaman that is working with him should also make a journey to the question of whether any foreign soul-part sticks on the client that must be retrieved - in this case extracted from the client. During this journey it should be checked on how many of them are there and which of them should be brought back.

    If you want to provoke a soul-loss you have to do the inverse process. Sympathetic magic or a symbol-logical baning of the soul in an item, a sigill or an animal. Do you remember the soul-bottles utilized in the darker aspects of the voodoo-religion? You can utilize this technique in your shamanic practice in an unexpected way. You can bind a part of your own soul in a talisman or small item that you give a trustworthy friend that (for example) can attend a certain meeting or ritual which you cannot visit. This talisman is your representative at the ritual, it hosts a part of your soul. Photographic images are no soul-part at all, but you can work with them as a replacement of a client that cannot attend the session.

    You should learn the technique of shamanic soul-retrieval at a shaman that actually is quite versed in it. Without clear and solid instructions and teachings you never should try to retrieve souls. The efficiency of a soul-retrieval can be compared with an amputation healed. During a shamanic session in which a soul-retrieval is part of it, the client can experience stronger physical and psychical reactions that sometimes require good reactions and a feeling for the situation that only can be achieved by long practice.

    You can train to locate lost soul-parts in the twilight. You need yourself and a partner that also is versed in shamanic techniques. Your partner gets some minutes to hide himself in the twilight. Your job is to locate him in there. If your partner is actually trying not to be found this exercise can be quite difficult. A variant I utilize in some workshops where the partner actually wants to be found by you. This ecercise however has a slightly different aim: To demonstrate the reality of the twilight. This works quite well.