Wednesday, February 09, 2005

Soul Retrieval

This Mark Hopkins bronze, Shaman's Vision, sits on our fireplace mantel. I've been studying it of late and ponder my wistfulness.

Shamanic medicine is a tradition dating back 25,000 years. A shaman is the ritual leader, herbalist, and mediator between the community and the spirit world, receiving power to heal the physical and reveal the spiritual for his people. Through the eyes of his soul appear visions of things to come. To the land of spirits he journeys and is given the knowledge that will guide his people.

One of the primary services performed by the shaman is soul retrieval, to recover and restore a person's vital essence that was stolen or lost by physical or emotional illness, as well as misfortune. Soul retrievals are intended to retrieve the soul parts that were lost, each piece having its own characteristic that, once reintegrated, enhances one's capacities in that area.

Back to collecting bones again! Yesterday I colored a Native American mandala with an accompanying quote from a female shaman. Hmmm....

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