Before my client, who we will call Jason, arrives, I create sacred space and clear the area as I normally do. I call the seven directions and ask my guides and allies to be with me as I work.
After we connect by talking for a short while, I ask Jason to lie on the healing table. Some practitioners use a mat on the floor where they lie right beside the client in connection during the process. For my body’s sake, it’s better for me to stand close to the table with my hip touching the side of my client’s arm so that we are physically connected.
My altar is set with, among other items, a lit candle, my rattle, a special cup with some fresh water in it and my “soul catcher” stone that I use as a waiting room, in case more than one soul part chooses to return during the same session. The polished heart-shaped stone was given to me by my dear friend, Susan, who died shortly thereafter. It was a while after I had chosen this particular stone that I realized just how significant it was to be using it for this work. As I looked closer at it, I discovered that it is actually two pieces of stone put together in a heart shape. Therefore, it fully represents the joining of separate parts into a whole!
I pick up the stone and tell Jason that it is important for him to stay as aware as possible during the process in case I need to talk with him about anything. He agrees.
Next, I call Crow in to work with me and to take me to a soul fragment of Jason’s that is ready and willing to come back to him at this time. From this point, I follow Crow and soon see a being standing in the shadows of a building. I recognize this being as a part of Jason because he is wearing the same ring that Jason is wearing. I acknowledge this soul part of Jason, explain why I am there and ask if there is a story he wishes to share with me. The soul part tells me the circumstances of why he chose to leave. We talk about the work Jason has been doing to become healthy and that it would benefit both of them to be reunited so that even more healing can occur. We talk until the soul fragment is fully ready to return.
At this point, I hold the heart-shaped stone into the air and invite the soul fragment to enter it when it is ready. I can see this happening in my mind’s eye and feel the rush of energy enter the stone. I then visualize the stone traveling from the energy of the non-ordinary world into the denser energy of the ordinary world, solidifying it here.
Following this, I ask Crow to take me to any other parts of Jason that may be ready and willing to return. The process is repeated until each soul fragment that will be returning is in the stone and solidified here in the ordinary world. Sometimes only one part will return and I have experienced up to three parts returning during one session.
Often, I am shown a power animal to bring as well. This power animal may choose to come in order to assist with reentry and integration of the soul part or parts that are returning. Or it may be a power animal that once worked with the client and is now choosing to return. If this is the case, I invite it to enter the stone along with the other soul fragments and bring it into this world.
Once all parts are in the stone and solidified in the ordinary world, I hold the stone over Jason’s heart chakra and blow the light or essence of the fragments into it. I envision that light or essence of the soul parts filling every cell in Jason’s body. Then I go to Jason’s crown chakra and blow the light or essence of the returning soul parts into it, again envisioning this light filling every cell.
Afterwards, I gently shake my rattle around Jason’s body four times to set the energy of the work that has been accomplished and then give him some time to just be with what has occurred. Sometimes I am led to play the Tibetan bowl while a client relaxes into the reunion.
When Jason is ready, I help him sit up on the side of the table. I look into his eyes and say, “Welcome home!” to acknowledge the sensation of wholeness that occurs once the retrieval has taken place. I enjoy seeing the expression on his face from hearing these words!
I then take the cup of water I have prepared and together we bless it with the work that has been done. I say that when he ingests the water, it is a symbol that he is taking on the responsibility of nurturing the parts that have returned to him; that it is important to maintain a healthy relationship with those soul parts and to care for them much as a parent takes care of a new born baby until full integration occurs. We then talk about our individual experiences of the soul retrieval and I share the healing story of the gifts that have been returned.
Performing a soul retrieval is not to be taken lightly! I fully acknowledge the responsibility of this beautiful rite and the trust that people have in me to do this most sacred work!
There are times when I see someone who I wish from the bottom of my heart I could help by offering a soul retrieval. Without permission, though, I don’t have the right to use what I know to help others. In order for me to help, I must be invited. It has to do with boundaries and ethics within the shamanic tradition.
Recently, while Emceeing a gathering at SITE NITE, an ongoing spiritual community I founded, a stranger wandered in off the street during a Dancing Mindfulness presentation facilitated by my friend Felicia Weinstein. From the looks of his dirty, shabby clothing, I automatically assumed that he was homeless.
As people in the group were dancing to a song, he headed directly for a piano that had been turned to face the wall and began to turn it around so he could play it. As his fingers touched the keys, I gently took his hands and asked him to come with me. At first, he resisted and then he softened and allowed me to lead him away. As we walked, hand in hand, I looked into his eyes and saw something that stopped me from leading him back out onto the street. We got to the other end of the room and, while the music for the dancers continued to play, I began to sway with him while still holding both of his hands in mine. We looked into each other’s eyes and for the rest of the song, neither of us looked away. The song, Hinei Mah Tov, sung by Holy Taya, was very moving as was the connection he and I made. I felt such compassion and love for this older gentleman who’s face was aged with hardship. He seemed to need this event as much, if not more, than the rest of us.
At the end of the song, I asked him if he was ok and he said, “I’m so very tired.” I asked him if he wanted to sit down and, answering yes, I got him a chair. Even though we were both now outside the circle of chairs that had been created at the beginning of the evening, I felt as if we were still part of it. The energy of the space included us.
I chose to stay with him so that he could continue to be with us. Now and then, he would begin to speak out loud and I told him that if he wanted to stay he would have to stay quiet. When he did speak, he would say things that surprised me. He quoted Louis Armstrong to me, he laughed and nodded his head knowingly when someone mentioned the Whirling Dervish and then he began to beautifully sing along to the last song, “El-Shaddai.” I got it! This man was a musician and music was his language! That’s why he had come inside. He heard songs and was quite naturally drawn in.
At one point, he opened his backpack and pulled out a bottle of mouthwash and took a couple of slugs. Afterwards, he said, “That’s better. That’s better.”
When it was time to end the evening’s event, I left him to close the circle while he sat still in the chair. He seemed calm and at ease. When I returned, he stood up and told me that he had really enjoyed being there. Then he said, “In case no one has told you this yet today, I love you!” At that moment, my heart opened and I saw all the goodness that he was in his sparkling eyes! I told him that I loved him as well and asked him his name. He said, “My name is Al.” When I told him that my name was Regina, he said with a twinkle in his eye, “That’s a very regal name!” He knew that Regina means queen.
As we were cleaning up the room, Al walked back over to the piano, sat down and began to play. He was indeed a musician and played beautifully! A friend told me later that he said he wanted to play a song especially for her and that it was exactly what she had needed to hear at that moment. She said that it was as if he somehow tuned into her and knew she needed some healing.
I don’t know what circumstances brought Al to become homeless. To me, he seems very intelligent, musically talented, good-hearted and apparently intuitive. Perhaps with the help of Shamanic Extraction and a Soul Retrieval, things would change for Al. Yet, it is not my place to mention this to him and without permission, I must hold back. I do send him prayers for his highest good to come to him…whatever that good may be. It is not mine to know.
Hiding the Soul
Wouldn’t it be helpful if, when going through a particularly challenging time, you could actually put a part of yourself to the side so you could move through that experience easier? For instance, if you’ve been called for jury duty for a particularly important trial and you’re feeling fear and anxiety of what you may be expected to do, wouldn’t it be much easier for you to do your duty if your fear and anxiety would simply vanish, at least for a while?
Believe it or not, the ancient shamans have your back! They created a remedy, called Hiding the Soul, for putting aside emotions for a designated time! And, it can also help to prevent Soul Loss due to its two-fold purpose. One, it protects the part of the soul that is being hidden and two, it serve to strengthen and heal the part that is being hidden during the time it is hidden.
While this process can be used to help let go of addictions, serve as protection if going into a dangerous situation like war or law-enforcement or to release phobias, depression or an abusive relationship, we can also use it for less devastating times. It can be used to curb anxiety when studying for an exam, or if we are going to be giving a speech or simply to get us through being in a crowd of people if we are introverts! We can use it anytime we are feeling vulnerable.
Are you hooked on the idea yet? Ok! To begin, go into nature and find a good-sized stone that calls to you. Then clear the stone by burning sage, Palo Santo, copal or some other known clearing agent around it while firmly and with conviction stating something like, “This stone is clear and clean of all energies that belong elsewhere. It is an empty vessel waiting for me to designate its purpose.”
Next, you will charge the stone with its purpose by stating something similar to, “This stone is charged with the purpose of soul hiding for only me. At my request, it takes on parts of my soul (emotions, traits, etc.) as specified for a designated period of time. At the end of the designated time, I will retrieve the part or parts that have been hidden and those parts rejoin me. I give full permission for those parts to be healed and made whole while they are hidden in this stone.”
Here’s how it works, keeping in mind that you can do this for more than one emotion or trait at the same time in the same stone.
- Choose what emotion: fear, anxiety, hatred, jealousy, confusion, etc., or trait: addicted, overwhelmed, persecuted, etc., you want to hide that corresponds with what’s going on in your life.
- Hold the charged stone in your hands, and state what you want to hide.
- Blow the emotion or trait into the stone envisioning it leaving you and moving thoroughly into the stone.
- Tell the stone the designated time you will come and reclaim what you blew into it.
- Take a little bit of spit on your finger, put it on the rock and watch it disappear. This will help you envision the magic of disappearance.
- Then physically put the stone in a safe place out of sight.
- Now, ask your Spirit Allies to take the stone and spiritually hide it where it will be safe. This hides that soul part twice for even safer keeping!
- Give permission for what you hid in it to be strengthened while it is in their care.
- Thank your Spirit Allies for their service to you!
- At the designated time, retrieve your stone and again thank your Spirit Allies for their service.
Just so you know, since our helping spirits work with us to hide these emotions, if for some reason you do forget to retrieve them, your hidden emotions or traits will eventually return on their own!
This stone becomes an important power object that is to be held in high esteem and regarded as sacred. Use it whenever you need to and keep it in a space that honors it for its service. If you have an altar, this may be a wonderful home for it.
So, we have gone through several very major shamanic modalities in this article! I hope you now have a good foundational understanding of the processes of Shamanic Extraction, Compassionate Depossession work, Soul Retrieval and Hiding the Soul.
It is important for me to add here that follow through and aftercare in the form of continued sessions are highly recommended in all the work I talk about in this article. The integration process may be even more important than the actual procedure. When we let go of something that for some period of time we believed was a part of ourselves or when fragmented parts return, our energy shifts greatly and it can be overwhelming. It can cause major changes in our lives that call for special understand and perhaps even bigger inner work. I want all those who work with me to receive the best possible care from me. It is part and parcel of the integrity of being a shamanic practitioner.
As always, what I share here is just the tip of the iceberg of these practices. Please continue the discussion by contacting me with any questions or comments you may have. And, take time to read more about it!
Aho!
Resources
For much more information about the soul retrieval process please read Sandra Ingerman’s book Soul Retrieval: Mending the Fragmented Self.
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