An article based on Soul Retrieval
By Aldo Jordan,
Shamanic practitioner & Teacher with the Irish school of Shamanic studies
If i asked everyone the honest question of how much of your genuine self have you lost through your timeline (lifetime) to this present day, what would you say? Or would you understand what the question is ?How much of your essential energy essence has left you?
I have written a number of articles with the same heading, but written in different ways with the same meaning.
As a Shamanic practitioner and teacher, it is an area that is most prominent when working with people. Have we become weakened by our traumas, negative experiences of the past and do we feel this loss in our every day lives?. Do we understand this loss and have we made any attempts to try and deal with our personal energetic loss?. In many cases we have not dealt with out past and one reason for this is that we may not understand the impact it has had on ourselves and continues to negatively impact us.
As one of the key areas in Shamanism is working with individuals that have suffered Soul loss in one form or other, In my own opinion none of us have dodged Soul loss. I feel we all have experienced this at some stage of our lives. Some people may be in a continuous cycle of Soul loss and some individuals have experienced it in a less damaging way. Certainly many people with little or no knowledge of Soul loss most probably will relate to this article when we shine a light on these issues. People that have suffered negative, traumatic experiences in the past can relate to a change in their life, a bend in the road, not feeling themselves and generally feeling weakened. Certainly we can look at trauma in peoples lives having a psychological impact, however it is all interconnected with an energetic trauma and disconnect. In physcology it is referred to disassociation (A disconnect) from ones self. This meaning that an individual is somewhat disconnected from themselves or refusing to come to terms with their traumatic experiences. We can relate this to a number of things. One being the terms we would commonly use like an outer body experience, frightened out of my wits, beside myself with fear. Or sometimes we would call an individual “A lost Soul” ultimately meaning that they have lost some of their Soul. A lost Soul would be referring to an individual that seems lost, directionless and just not connected to themselves and their surroundings. In deep Shamanic philosophy, anyone with psychological illnesses, have suffered large Soul loss. Anyone that suffers addiction, all have suffered large Soul loss and the self medicating through addiction is the void filler, filling the gaps that have formed through trauma and using a substance or behavour as a pain killer. All addiction begins with a trauma. In my own experience, I would say that a broken heart is the very same as a fragmented Soul. The heart is referred to as the seat of the Soul.
So what is Soul loss?
Soul loss, soul fragmentation, vital energy loss and life force energy loss are some descriptions and names used to explain this debilitating condition, but ultimately widely known as Soul loss. Soul loss is where as a result of a trauma, negative experience a piece or pieces of our Soul leaves our physical selves to a place of safety. We can refer to this as a vital part of our energy essence leaves us. Why? Because the general understanding is thst it leaves to save itself from being damaged, generally just before the impact hits (The psychic Soul)
We can never underestimate areas in our past where soul loss may have occured, even something as simple as a child falling of their bicycle, hurting themselves, calling for mum and dad and no one comes to help, this can result in a relatively small level of soul loss. We can start to then understand that huge negative events in our lives such as the death of a loved one, being a victim of sexual and physical abuse and violence, major bodily traumas etc..can explain how heavy soul loss can occur through these major events we have experienced. In other words, Soul loss can occur at different levels depending on our experiences and our natural energetic immune systems ability to protect us, different people have different energetic defence mechanisims, some are strong and some are weaker. That all depends on strengths and weaknesses. A simple fact to understand, is the more soul loss that occurs with an individual, the more likely that they will experience soul loss again and again simply because the natural energetic defence system (Soul / Auric field) is so weak that there is simply a very weak energetic defence in place. That is when we see a constant cycle of soul loss which is doing serious damage from a physical, soul level and psychological level…etc.
As a Shamanic practitioner and teacher with the Irish school of Shamanic studies, I always believe in keeping things simple and not complicating things. Its important to simplify the philosophy of Soul loss. Here are some simple explanations. Three key areas we look at when an individual comes to me for help. First of all I would diagnose Soul loss simply through dialogue. Information is presented in relation to the past, right up to the present, and in most cases we can discover Soul loss within only a few minutes of a consultation. In some circumastance though, we may have to journey/meditate to discover at what point in our lives the soul loss has occured and under what set of circumstances.
Lets see how you relate to this!
Symptoms of soul loss. Do you feel disconnected? Do you suffer memory loss relative to the past? Do you feel weak, lacking in motivation?Do you suffer from depression, anxiety or panic attacks? Do you feel that life is tough, a constant struggle? Do you heavily rely on material objects to bring short term comforts? Do you struggle to find yourself in the now, present time ? Do you rely on substances(Alcohol, drugs, prescribed medicines) to get through your day, your week ..etc..? Do you get sick frequently, flu, cold, etc….? Do you lack in confidence, self esteem, non-worthiness? Do you live in a state of fear and fearing putting yourself out there ? Do you feel lost and a feeling of not belonging ?
All the above are areas for us to seriously look in to. It may suggest that you are suffering from Soul loss. We certainly do not have to tick all the boxes, but if a number of the above resonates with how you feel, then Soul retrieval may be an area for you to explore. The key goal being to bring back parts of yourself that you have lost through your timeline and to ultimately make you whole again, a strong version of yourself that you fully deserve. Soul loss/retrieval is a Shamanic practice. I believe it as ancient as the practice of Shamanism which can be dated back to a possible 50,000 years. Remember, Shamanism was the first Spiritual practice of humans, and everything else Spiritually/Religiously came from Shamanic practices. Thanks to US based Shamanic practitioner and author Sandra Ingerman through Michael Harners American based foundation of Shamanic studies, this practice was rekindled and offered back to the public of the western world. Many of us have lost parts of ourselves in the past, essential pieces of ourselves that we are now lacking. If we lost soul pieces at the age of five, we are lacking the five year old that should be a part of us today. If we lost a part of ourselves at the age of sixteen, then there is a very important part of us missing from that part of our lives. As we have grown through the years from birth through to this present day, then every day of our lives from birth to today are very important to make us who we are right now. If key areas of ourselves in the past has left us, then, we are not the full version of ourselves. To allow us to be our true, wholesome, powerful selves, then bringing back those lost elements is paramount for us to be the strongest version of ourselves as we possibly can be. Thus far, we have connected with what soul loss, soul fragmentation is, what symptoms we may experience and how vital it is for us to bring back these lost elements of ourselves. Remember that soul retrieval is all about gaining back our true selves, our true strength, our true power. To break soul loss down simply, it is because of a deep fear that we have experienced through various acts that have came in to our lives. Fear is the underbody of all soul loss.
Bringing the information of this debilitating condition to the public domain I feel is very important. People can feel lost right through their lives but not understanding why. This article may give you a far better insight in to why you feel this way and my job is to point you in a direction that can vastly help, heal and allow you to be free and powerful again. This is a truly life changing experience. You now have choice to make steps to deal with your issues. Soul loss is no fault of your own, in the vast majority of cases it is the actions of others that is relative to what you have lost. Here are some key examples of how we can lose this vital energy. Trauma, emotional, sexual, physical..etc
Negative actions bestowed upon us. Frights, bullying, witnessing trauma, Soul pieces stoles from us from abusers, bad relationships, parents, Pre-birth trauma, birth trauma and trauma at the time of conception are all areas that I work with on a daily basis to bring back the lost elements.
That is to mention just a few examples. Remember, anything you have experienced of a negative nature in the past and has not been dealt with, can have a profound impact. Some we are very aware of, and some can be buried deep within the subconscious. We do have the ability to bury things so deep that we may eradicate them over time from our memories, however, the energy of this still remains and has a part to play in your every day lives of a negative nature. The two key areas are to release the stagnant deeply buried energies related to traumas through the Shamanic healing methods including the journey. Secondly to take back what belongs to you.
Bringing back what we have lost. So, we have talked about the Soul loss, lets take a look at what we do through our depth Shamanic practices to retrieve these lost pieces of ourselves and allow a powerful re-integration to take place. Soul retrieval for me is a phonomenal practice and is one of the most prominent parts of Shamanism i work with constantly. I would easily say that 70% of my healings with individuals would be relative to soul loss.
First off it is Shamanic counselling through our initial dialogue. Talking alone is a powerful healing force. Honesty is they key with soul retrieval and likewise with all Shamanic practices, it’s honest, it’s deep and most of all transformational. Here is an example of a soul retrieval session. First off, I will always tell the individual that honesty and confidentiality are of utmost importance. Striking a bond and trust with each other is key to create that powerful platform for success. The individual will with total honesty talk about their past and areas in their lives that have been traumatic. This can sometimes be difficult to do, but is a key part of the overall healing process. This is the counselling side, dialogue is one of the key theraputic elements to this process. Again, honesty is key, if the individual is not transparent, then this starts things off on the wrong footing. We then work through the individuals timeline and begin to form a road map of the life events that may have had a profound negative impact. We will very quickly find key unresolved areas that have been damaging. We have now established an area or areas in which we need to focus on. In some cases people will explain that they feel they have the symptoms outlined earlier that resemble soul loss but hold no memory of anything profound that would have created soul fragmentation. We have Shamanic healing methods that will shine a light on what has taken place that is not held in the memory field of the healee. The process needs to be gentle and the individual needs to first of all really want change in their life, and secondly be comfortable with the process to allow the healing and retrieval to take place. Your Soul is yearning to be reunited with these pieces that have left, and likewise, the Soul pieces yearn to come home. It is this practice of Soul retrieval methods that will allow this to happen.
What next ?
We have looked at how the individual feels, connecting it to typical soul loss symptoms, we have connected with areas in the individuals life that more than likely have contributed to soul loss. Now it is time to look to retrieve these pieces and bring them back to the individual. This is where we connect with the Shamanic journey and the different Spiritual realms in which we connect to when it comes to Shamanic healing. In core Shamanic practices we work primarily with three worlds or three different realms, the upperworld, the lowerworld and the middleworld. The upperworld is a world we journey to. In this realm we connect with the higher spiritual wisdom, higher spiritual entities, the ascended master, the Angels, the arcAngels, the gods and goddesses and our Spirit guides. The lowerworld is a place where we journey to connect with our power animals, our Spirit guides, Spirit. A place where we receive healing and enlightenment, where we gain wisdom and insight, a place where we receive Spiritual gifts and build our Spirit team, our helpers our protectors. A place where we can find lost aspects of ourselves. The middleworld is a place where we journey to connect with the Spirits of the land, the earthbound Spirits, Spirits of place ..etc.. It is a place where we can travel to our past to heal from the past. A place where we can retrieve Soul pieces and heal from trauma. The Shamanic journey or trance is the visitation to otherworldly realms also known as the non-ordinary realities. These relams hold the ultimate wisdom in which we can connect with. These methods are always guided by the Shamanic practitioner and protected by the Shamans guiding Spirits. A safe method that needs to be performed with the highest of professionalism. Always go to a reputable Shamanic practitioner to carry out this work, in many cases if it is not done of the utmost of professionalism, then a soul retrieval that becomes botched is poor practice. On many occassions. I have had the task of undoing what others have attempted and this can be very difficult to do as soul pieces go even further in to hiding if they are not dealt with properly on the first attempt. The Shamanic journey is a meditation like process, but different at the same time. Describing it as a meditation is the easiest way to describe it to people who are novices. Very simply, the Shamanic practitioner develops a deep sense of calm and relaxation for the individual. An ambient surrounding is important with dimmed lights, incense burning, a peaceful atmosphere and putting the individual at ease.
The journey / meditation can be verbally guided by the practitioner. The Shamans drum is the key tool and sometimes the rattle is used depending on the practitioners preference. Where are we going to journey to? Where are these lost pieces to be found? In the majority of my Soul retrieval journeys they are what we call ” Middleworld” journeys. We have the ability in Shamanism to travel back through an individual’s timeline to a location or event that has taken place where soul loss was suffered. Why do we call them Middleworld journeys? because we do not travel to the Upperworld or Lowerworld realms in this incidence. We work from the realm we are in right now, the Middleworld, and travel back through the individual’s timeline/lifetime to a place that most likely a soul piece can be found. That soul piece has been stuck in that place since the incident occured. It has been in that location since the incident occured, and in many cases can be there for years and years. I sometimes give an example of the lost Soul piece being like a long lost friend that went missing without a trace. They are lonely and frightened. Let’s find and bring that long lost friend back home. This method yields high results and is double pronged. No 1. It is where the incident took place so ultimately the theraputic side is we are facing fears by going back to this location, a place we would most probably never dream of returning to. No 2. We find a part of ourselves at this location and bring it back in to our energy field. The reason this article is called “Finding yourself” is exactly what you are doing, you are finding yourself, parts of yourself. The individual is the person to experience this while the Shamanic practitioner creates the stage for this to play out fruitfully, holding space. You will find yourself and inter dialogue with yourself, you finding you. You can come to yourself as the exact individual of that particular time when the trauma / negative experience took place, even detailing the clothes that you wore and the hair style you had at that particular time. It can present huge details . But, Soul pieces can also come in the form of orbs, toys, Animals, energy balls etc… You will intuitively know it when you connect with it regardless of what form it comes. In my own practice i feel that it is vital for the individual to experience this journey, feel this, and work with strong intent to feel the accomplishment and powerful benefits. Some Shamanic practitioners will do the journey for the individual and the practitioner will re-integrate the piece for the person, in some cases I will do this but my own philosophy is that the individual really needs to be the journeyor to gain the deep theraputic side in this particular soul retrieval method. The deep therapy behind our methods is that when we travel through journey/meditation to areas where soul pieces are to be found, it is deeply theraputic work. Why? Because in many instances we can go to locations where negative things have happened, with protection from the guiding Shaman and Spirits you will face locations that have an energy of fear associated with them, when we face our fears with courage and conviction we take the power from these fears and they will diminish and in many cases dissappear. Not until the retrieval takes place will we have a true disconnection from these events and fearful association. While parts of ourselves remain in these locations the energetic thread connected to that soul piece, that location and that fear will be truly disconnected and healed. We do this from travelling in to the non-ordinary realities (other dimensions) On some occassions we can meet perpretators, abusers on our journey, speak to them, ask them questions and hand them back energy associated with their wrong doing, it can help to bring closure to events. This is not done through hate, but done through your healing path. Connecting with these individuals can be a powerful healing of internal pain associated with them. If the individulal is unable to visualise aspects of the journey or may be in a sense of fear, I would do this journey work, but in the vast majority of cases the individual will do the bulk of this work, at the same time I will be in journey state and give info to the person of what came to me, however the predominant journeyor will be the client. These Middleworld soul retrieval journeys are very directed, very specific to certain areas in our past,. They are very theraputic and yield high results. Lowerworld journeys can be powerful also, sometimes this method is used when we do not have a specific event to journey to, meaning that there may be nothing to connect to within the memory field of the individual but things will become prominent within the lowerworld cave that is relative to soul loss. Sometimes individuals that have an association to your soul loss can be presented. Lowerworld journeys may be done when the individual can not visualise within the middleworld realm and the Shamanic practitioner will solely do this journey of discovery and retrieval to the lowerworld. The Shamanic practioner will retrieve and bring the soul pieces back in to the room after this exercise and blow them in to the heart and crown chakras of the individual to allow the re-integration of these Soul pieces to take place. The whole practice of soul retrieval is powerful, life changing, enlightening and transformational. You do not need to have experience in Shamanic practices to avail of this. You just need to want change and to want to step in to your full power as a human.
Soul retrieval is a broad subject, this is part one of a two part article. Keep an eye ot for the second one due to be released in May 2020.
As a Shamanic practitioner and Shamanic teacher with the Irish school of Shamanic studies based @ The Atlantis holistic store and therapy centre, LinenhallstreetCastlebar. I offer Shamanic healings including Soul retrieval. I deal with many Soul loss issues, including addictions. To avail of this please call or text 086 3750 250 or email: theirishshamanschool@gmail.com. If you are interested in our Shamanic practitioner certified twelve month training program or workshops please call the above number. Also online healings and online workshops available. www.irishshamanschool.ie
Copyright: Irish school of Shamanic studies 2021.