What is Shamanic Work?
The word shaman translates to 'one who sees in the dark,' and shamanism is considered to be earth-based spirituality. At one point shamanism was universal, woven through all ancient cultures and predating all religions. Now it is found primarily among indigenous peoples. To a shaman, everything on the planet has a spirit and everything is interconnected—nothing is separate.
Sacred ceremonies for healing, rites of passage, and empowerments are some examples of the types of rituals a shaman creates. By calling in the spirits and shifting states of consciousness, a shaman can affect change in the environment and in those gathered.
To accomplish healing, shamans shift their states of consciousness and access the realms of the spirit world. By doing so, they have direct access to the transpersonal in the form of spirit helpers such as animals, plants, stones, and deities. These compassionate spirits endeavor to help with guidance and healing abilities. Shamans use this information and these helpers to assist clients in their healing.
There are many healing modalities that transition the client from illness to health. The goal is to clear blockages or remove the pain or disease altogether. In shamanic healing, it is all about bringing the power back to clients so they can access their own self-healing abilities.
To the shaman, illness is a result of spiritual disharmony. Soul retrieval is a common and very effective means of shamanic healing. The soul represents our life force or essence. Traumas encountered throughout life result in a piece of the soul fleeing the body to survive the experience. The shaman understands that this soul piece retreats to a place in non-ordinary reality. It remains there until a healer shifts into an altered state, locates it, and brings it back to the client so they can be whole.
This is also true for the psyche when it disassociates from an experienced trauma such as abuse, accidents; deep hurts, crushing disappointments, etc. In this culture, there is no discussion about where this disassociated part of the mind goes.
Symptoms of soul loss are everywhere around us in the form of depression, addiction, illness, indifference, etc. A soul retrieval healing brings the client back to a feeling of connection to the world and a sense of wholeness. The missing parts have been returned and can now be integrated, which heal the emotions around the trauma. The client is now free to move forward in life without the anchor of unresolved issues.
We are all connected to the creative life force that flows through everything. We all have the ability to experience authentic, direct connection to the Divine. Shamanic practice opens the doors to the transpersonal with ease and grace.
