Soul Retrieval Primer

In many belief systems, the Soul is considered to be the immortal, timeless authentic energy of an individual human being.  This energy, your authentic self, is anchored in your body through a complex network of energetic connections to your physical body of which the "chakra systems" are a part.  While it is anchored to the physical body, the soul is free to  travel or journey throughout the energy worlds, dimensions and realities that exist within and around each and every one of us.  Many of us experience this through our sleep cycles and in the dream state.  However, that is not the only way to journey.

Shamans cultivate through their practice of healing and forgiveness and release of the past the ability to enter a higher state of consciousness with discernment and direct the journey through focused intention. This means they interact with the energetic surroundings they journey through... Truly this is conscious dreaming or participatory dreaming, whereby the Shaman journeys to places for the purposes of healing, knowledge and understanding or deep insights.  For the purpose of this article, we will focus solely on journeying for the healing purposes of soul retrieval.

While we are experiencing life in the human form, our thoughts, words and actions create energetic implications that can have long lasting effects.  When our actions are aligned with our higher purpose, with the natural loving nature of our authentic self, we experience the loving timeline... Absolute perfection, bliss... we are in alignment with Creation, or Source energy and we are furthering our Soul’s growth... But, if we are out of alignment, and we act (thoughts, words and actions) against our authentic nature of love and kindness, we create a fracture in our Soul. These experiences are generally considered to be traumatic in some way, as is the nature of going against one’s higher purpose. This fracture splits off a piece of the Soul and holds it in the same vibrational reality that the fracture occurred in. And here the piece remains until it is retrieved, healed and reintegrated into the energy body... These experiences have occurred over many lifetimes, including this one.

Symptoms of soul piece loss can be felt as depression, lethargy, suicidal thoughts, negative thought patterns or even physical illness. There is a cord that connects the piece to our energy centers, so in essence it is not gone, but rather you are connected to the piece in the dimensional reality where it is trapped. Whenever an experience triggers a similar trauma, all the energy and emotions of the original experience are felt, and one often has unpleasant sensations come into the mind and body. These are related to the old ways, as our natural state is one of Love and Kindness, Compassion and Joy. Recognizing this dynamic is important for a successful Soul Retrieval experience, as one needs to completely embrace their Authentic Self to access the will power to move past the discomfort, to sink into a peaceful place and allow the energy to move. The Shaman assisting the movement of energy is doing so with your Soul’s approval and this is expressed by your will(ingness) to forgive and release the past, thus allowing the Soul Piece to be freed, healed and returned to you. So,if you are feeling other than Love and Kindness now, it is very likely to be related to a soul piece being tortured by the original experience. Trust that when the piece is retrieved, healed and reunited, you will have greater access to your Authentic Self, will be free from the effects of the triggers and well on your way to experiencing the Loving Timeline.

A soul piece is held stuck in time because of an agreement, or contract that went against our highest and best good. This agreement is continually honored until it is cancelled. Additionally, soul energy can be lost as a result of a spell or curse that we may have placed upon our self, or that was cast by another. Again, just another form of agreement against our highest and best good that we need to break. By canceling contracts and breaking all spells and curses made against our highest and best good, we free up stuck energy and allow it to be returned from the dimension that it is being held.

As the soul pieces are retrieved and reunited with the Authentic Self, a release occurs. During the soul retrieval process, it is normal to experience a flood of sensations, emotions, feelings and memories related to the original infraction... It is imperative to focus on Love and Kindness, Forgiveness and Release, as well as follow the instructions of the shaman who is doing the work. Do not follow the stream of thoughts as the farthest they will take you is where you have already been, rather focus on a mantra of what you choose to create or affirm for yourself now. Let it go... This release process is very important, as it cleanses the body, mind and spirit from all the built up negative or dark energy that has collected in the physical and energy bodies. We must do this release with grace, as all the negative energy from the past will be moving out allowing for the returning authentic energy to reintegrate.

This is where forgiveness comes in. We must deeply, to the core deep, forgive ourselves and take total personal responsibility for all our thoughts, words and actions. By doing this very personal practice of forgiving and taking responsibility, we are allowing our soul to shed the burdens of past misguided actions and return to wholeness. By forgiving ourselves, others, situations, stories, experiences, etc we can come into wholeness and healing of the root experience that has caused suffering.

The release process lasts as long as it does... generally speaking it seems to take 12 - 24 hours to fully release all the old energies and experiences. During this time, it is important to nurture yourself as though a newborn. Allowing your new self to truly let go of the past and come into the present unfettered by those old energies. Good to stay away from negative or violent music, movies or people during this time. Alcohol and cursing have an especially detrimental effect to the process. Please refrain before, during and after Soul Retrieval.

Epsom salt baths, along with experiences of the natural and beautiful world around us are ways to facilitate the release. Take the bath, ask the saltwater to absorb negative energies from you and release them back to the earth for recycling. Take a walk in nature, experience the beauty of now in whatever way works for you. Whenever sensations, thoughts, or feelings come up that are aligned with the old energies, please don’t connect to them. Watch for attempts from the dark energies to work through your reality to renegotiate and renew the contract, agreement, spell or curse that has been cancelled or broken. Stay in your light. Take your forgiveness even deeper and really let go... You will know when it is complete because you will experience a lightness of being that is so profound as to bring an honest and genuine smile to your face that comes from the depths of your soul! This is you, your Authentic Self... welcome home!

in collaboration with
Deva Michele McCune www.heavenlyhygiene.com