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Have there been events in your life, after which you have said, “I’ve just never been the same since that happened?” Have you experienced difficult times, or true traumas from which you have not been able to recover? Have you lost a loved one and felt that a piece of you went away with him or her? Have you had surgeries that have left you feeling less than whole? If you have answered yes to any of these questions, you have most likely experienced some level of soul loss. A key indicator of soul loss is feeling a lack of personal power, vitality, and joy in one’s life.
In indigenous cultures around the globe, shamans practiced soul retrieval techniques for those in their communities on a regular basis, whenever the need would arise. A person would go see the shamanic healer in their village as a matter of course when they became ill, experienced physical, emotional, or spiritual traumas, or if they had a string of bad luck such as accidents, loss of resources, reputation, or their personal power. It was considered normal in these shamanic cultures to seek healing from the spirit world as a remedy for any and all of life’s challenges.
People in these traditional cultures understood that the physical and spiritual realms are inextricably linked, and that when things go awry in the physical world, answers and healing may be found in the Spirit World by a shamanic healer who has developed solid relationships with their allies in the realms of spirit, and in so doing is able to bring forth the requested healing.
The care of the soul is central in shamanism practices. For this reason, soul retrieval may be the single most important element in contemporary shamanism. During the soul retrieval ceremony a shaman must go into the Spirit World by way of shamanic journeying and enlist their Spirit Allies to help find the missing soul pieces of the person being healed. There are many steps to this process – far too many to mention here. Upon finding the missing soul essences, the shamanic healer brings them back to the physical world and returns them to their rightful home within the heart of the individual who lost them. The return of soul essences and their associated qualities often bring with it a true sense of wholeness, vitality, and expansiveness that the individual never expected would return in their lifetime.
We are so fortunate that soul retrieval techniques at Lightsong have been carried forward through contemporary shamanism and are available to those who want to receive deep healing for the soul, as well as for those who wish to learn such skills for the healing and betterment of others. The LightSong School of Shamanic Studies and Energy Medicine trains those who desire to pursue shamanic study in a full range of shamanic healing techniques including advanced training in soul retrieval techniques.
The LightSong School was founded in 1994 by noted shamanic healer, teacher, and author, Jan Engels-Smith. The school represents the consummation of decades of commitment to teaching a full range of shamanism practices including: shamanic journeying, shamanic drumming, shamanic rituals, a full range of certificate courses and degree programs in shamanic healing techniques, energy medicine techniques, and specialties such as soul retrieval training, and compassionate spirit release. The trainings are available to those new to the concepts of shamanic study, as well as to those shamanic healers who would like to continue their learning and take their practices further.
