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Ravenari
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Post subject: Soul Retrieval 101  Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2007 4:24 pm |
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| Magicka Guardian, Life Member & Ezine |
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Joined: Sat Jan 06, 2007 1:11 am
Posts: 3125
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In many forms of shamanism, the soul is fragile, unstable and transient. We believe that one of the main reasons we get sick is because a part of our spirit escapes through our body and that the absence causes illness. It is not until we retrieve those fragments of our own spirit that we attain a sense of wholeness. It is not until we realise how we lost a part of ourselves that we realise it was missing in the first place.
In Vilturj, the path I practice, we call the spirit that fragments and experiences trauma the Urt.
We can lose parts of our Urt, or spirit, through just about anything, but the main causes are emotional and physical trauma, and surgery.
Often after surgery, people report the sense of something missing. People who have experienced rape or war feel like a part of themselves has gone away, or they go about life feeling like they have ‘broken’ apart, or that they have ‘lost’ pieces of their own life’s puzzle. Well in shamanism we believe that they have, and we believe that the shaman is one of the best equipped healers for finding the Urt, and bringing it back to the person.
Shamans now work with psychologists who find that there is unprecedented improvement in the clients who have had their Urt or spirit retrieved, when versus the ones who haven’t. An author who writes about this with some confidence and experience is Sandra Ingerman in her book; Soul Retrieval.
It is hard to find our own Urt, because in times past we have often been mean to our true and spirit selves in order to survive. Our Urt, in short, may not like or respond to our own damaged self-esteem or attitudes towards ourselves. It is like a very wise and frightened child that will not be yelled at for something it never did wrong in the first place. It will not be resented or hated. Should we hate ourselves too much, or fall too deep into depression, our Urt will also leave.
In group healings we often ask newcomers the question;
‘Have you ever felt, throughout your life, that you’ve lost your soul, or a part of your soul?’
Almost always they will raise their hands. If you ask them if they knew when their soul came back, some will, because some have healed, but some feel they never got that part of themselves back.
Often the leaving of our Urt / soul results in many other chronic health problems. Many of our health problems are connected to our emotions, and many of our emotions can be traced back to events where part of our Urt or souls have left us and have never come back. When a person has their Urt retrieved, or experiences soul retrieval, many small and chronic problems start to disappear.
The Shaman and Urt Retrieval
A shaman does not retrieve Urt / soul alone, he cannot, he needs his own soul, and his spirit helpers to help and guide him. Without his spirit helpers, he cannot heal. Without being able to heal or retrieve souls, he is not a shaman. This is a simple philosophy, but one we hold dear. I will say it's not universal however, there are many contemporary shamanists who have no idea what soul retrieval is, which is saddening, but also reflecting a trend where people are less focused on healing others.
The shaman must first attain a state of trance, and then ecstacy to enter the various levels of the spirit world. First he must listen to the spirits and the totem of the person he is healing. They will give him hints and signs to tell him where the piece of soul or soul fragment is. They cannot bring the shaman to the Urt, because the shaman must first prove his worthiness to the totem that he is able to listen hard enough and interact well enough with the spirits to find the Urt.
The Urt will often at first refuse to come home. It has been hurt, frightened and traumatised and experiences a safe haven in the spirit world. The shaman must, either in his first visit or subsequent visit, first convince the Urt that it shall be safe and whole with its body, and then safely bring it back.
The hardest parts of the shaman’s journey in soul retrieval is finding the Urt, and then convincing it to come back. Most Urts are lost, and want to come back, but some Urts or soul fragments are hurt, smart and do not want to leave.
For this reason the shaman is often called ‘psychopomp’, he literally shepherds the souls of others to their ‘homes.’
Almost ALL conditions benefit from soul retrieval. But it is not recommended that the inexperienced attempt it. Shamans are 'trained' in the same way a psychologist is often trained - it takes years, time and experience.
I have been doing soul retrievals myself for some time now, in accordance with my spirit helpers and gods. I was called to this path to serve and to heal, even as I undertake my own healing journey. I believe that those who practice dedicated shamanism have a duty to realise their obligation to others and their community; and the practice of soul retrieval is one way to perform this service.
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kirah
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Post subject: interesting Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2007 1:37 pm |
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| Water Dragon |
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Joined: Thu Jun 29, 2006 12:47 pm
Posts: 63
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Very interesting read, thank you for the information.
Bright Blessings,
Kirah
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Rising Dawn
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Post subject: Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 4:06 am |
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| Magicka Guardian |
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Joined: Wed Apr 11, 2007 12:55 am
Posts: 73
Location: OKLAHOMA
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Wow ravenri amazing i had chills i would love to hear more from you! Really loved reading whta you had to say contact me sometime so we can chat!
_________________ Blessed Be!
Dawn Marie
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Briganta
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Post subject: Soul Retrieval 101 Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 4:27 am |
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| Moderator and Magicka Life Member |
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Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2007 6:53 am
Posts: 4709
Location: Running with the wolves
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Wow, I loved your post, Ravenari, can't wait for #102. You sound like you are very secure in your path and very knowledgeable. If I needed a 'soul retrieval' I would like you to do it for me. I've read a little bit on Shamanism and I don't recall the missing part of the soul being referred to as the Urt. Is that because it is the type of Shamanism you follow. And does your path differ greatly from Celtic Shamanism?
Blessed be, Jean
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Ravenari
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Post subject: Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 5:35 am |
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| Magicka Guardian, Life Member & Ezine |
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Joined: Sat Jan 06, 2007 1:11 am
Posts: 3125
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I've read a little bit on Shamanism and I don't recall the missing part of the soul being referred to as the Urt. Is that because it is the type of Shamanism you follow.
Yes. Many forms of Siberian shamanism have different names for the soul-fragments. For me, and I think for a few others like the Saami (though I'm not entirely sure on this), the soul fragment is called the Urt.
And does your path differ greatly from Celtic Shamanism?
Very much so, in fact while I think Celtic practice has shamanistic elements, I don't really believe in 'Celtic shamanism,' as far as I'm aware there aren't many historical or archaeological documents which indicated that the Celts practiced 'soul retrieval,' or even specifically acted as psychopomp (shepherd of the dead) and these to me are both absolutely crucial aspects of what constitutes 'shamanism.' Without these, you have a practice which has shamanic elements, but is still a form of witchcraft / paganism.
Celtic shamanism includes a belief in the three worlds, animal totemism and shapeshifting, but this does not a shaman make. Anyone can believe in these things and simply be practicing techniques of shamanism regardless of what religion they follow. One crosses the line - I feel - into genuine shamanism when they undertake learning soul retrieval / psychopomping the dead on behalf of a community. Even if they choose not to use these skills later, they are a requirement.
As for me doing soul retrievals, I am focusing on my own healing (retrievals) currently and so my own practices are very limited (depending on what the Spirit counsels me to do). Thankfully there is a growing number of people qualified in soul retrieval as interest grows, it is very complementary to psychological therapy / psychotherapy and in the UK and America education is really starting to increase. 
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Briganta
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Post subject: Soul Retrieval 101 Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 5:03 pm |
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| Moderator and Magicka Life Member |
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Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2007 6:53 am
Posts: 4709
Location: Running with the wolves
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Thanks for the explanation re Celtic Shamanism, Ravenari, it actually answered a few questions for me.
I always enjoy your posts.
Blessed be, Jean
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Talizin Ap Lake
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Post subject: Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 5:41 pm |
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| Magicka Guardian |
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Joined: Sun Jul 30, 2006 2:27 pm
Posts: 555
Location: Buckinghamshire, UK
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wicked post ravenari
What happens if the shaman cannot persuade the urt to come back? or is it a case of simply keep trying until it does?
Is there a limit to how many times you can try to retrieve the urt?
_________________
"You have to take risks. We will only understand the miracle of life fully when we allow the unexpected to happen"
Paulo Coelho
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Ravenari
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Post subject: Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 11:15 pm |
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| Magicka Guardian, Life Member & Ezine |
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Joined: Sat Jan 06, 2007 1:11 am
Posts: 3125
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What happens if the shaman cannot persuade the urt to come back? or is it a case of simply keep trying until it does?
Actually this is quite common. Sometimes a person simply isn't ready to have a fragment come back and you can't 'make' someone ready to heal. In those circumstances, I create a link between the Urt and the body so that it knows how to come back on its own, and then give the person / client practical advice as to how to change their thinking patterns / look after themselves and nourish their spirits to make themselves more 'prepared.'
Urts very rarely come back to people who are still self-abusive and still filled with self-hatred. This is often one of the reasons why they left in the first place (abuse), and if the person is still continuing this pattern, they can be very resistant. Forcing a retrieval in this instance will re-traumatise the person and the Urt, and make a retrieval more difficult the next time.
Sometimes I will reschedule, but in many cases I will ask them to wait until they feel more prepared to accept the responsibility of caring for themselves fully.
Is there a limit to how many times you can try to retrieve the urt?
Not really, no, but generally speaking it doesn't tend to happen 'hundreds' of times or anything like that. There just simply aren't enough traumas out there to create so many shifts that a person needs a soul retrieval 'every day.' The other thing is, is that one successful soul retrieval creates a ripple effect that is usually very positive, and many Urts after this come back on their own provided they haven't actually been taken by someone else and are just hiding.
Once an Urt has been reunited, it creates a strong healing reaction, almost akin to a 'breakthrough' in psychology. It releases a dam of healing energy within the person and around the person, and as this occurs many Urt pieces come back on their own, and often a person starts to notice that their life continues to improve.
If a person is continually coming back because more and more fragments are going missing, then I would question what they're doing in their life. After all, not all events and traumas cause Urt to split off all the time, and repeated seekings of retrieval is usually a sign of someone who is completely unable to take responsibility for their own healing. Unfortunately in this case, my spirit helpers refuse to intervene. You simply cannot make someone be ready to heal, and you can not heal someone who will just hurt their soul again to get more attention.
My own Urt is quite heavily fragmented due to past trauma and illness, but I do not need to do 'frequent retrievals.' The ones I have conducted (two so far) have created strong ripple effects that alway boost me into a far better place.
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Talizin Ap Lake
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Post subject: Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2007 9:20 pm |
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| Magicka Guardian |
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Joined: Sun Jul 30, 2006 2:27 pm
Posts: 555
Location: Buckinghamshire, UK
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Thank ravenari, also, after reading your views on celtic shamanism I went back to a book I got recently, called 'The Celtic Shaman' by John Matthews. In the book is a small section he's written on soul retrival, and he also describes one such journey to bring back a fragmented part of someones soul, his experience sounded similar to what you have described.
Though, as you said there is no evidence of the celts doing this in the past, could this perhaps be a new step in establishing what you would call a true shamanic practise?
I've also read in a book on 'the lore of bard' how the bards would do something similar via their musical rituals... i'll have to try dig it out!
also this little tidbit interested me....
Ravenari wrote: [i]Is there a limit to how many times you can try to retrieve the urt?
Not really, no, but generally speaking it doesn't tend to happen 'hundreds' of times or anything like that. There just simply aren't enough traumas out there to create so many shifts that a person needs a soul retrieval 'every day.' The other thing is, is that one successful soul retrieval creates a ripple effect that is usually very positive, and many Urts after this come back on their own provided they haven't actually been taken by someone else and are just hiding.
Can the urt be taken? and whom by??
Sorry for all the questions lol, i find this fascinating!
_________________
"You have to take risks. We will only understand the miracle of life fully when we allow the unexpected to happen"
Paulo Coelho
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Ravenari
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Post subject: Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 12:39 am |
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| Magicka Guardian, Life Member & Ezine |
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Joined: Sat Jan 06, 2007 1:11 am
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In the book is a small section he's written on soul retrival...Though, as you said there is no evidence of the celts doing this in the past, could this perhaps be a new step in establishing what you would call a true shamanic practise?
It is a step towards it, certainly. I don't doubt that there are actual 'shamans' out there who practice within a Celtic groundwork, but 'Celtic shamanism' as a general practice is not really shamanism, but just techniques taken from shamanism. In that sense all pagan religions do this. Wicca could be called 'Wicca shamanism,' etc. But because Wicca doesn't work with Soul Retrieval either, it's not really, it's just techniques taken from an older series of paths, used to enhance a newer series.
Can the urt be taken? and whom by??
Certainly it can be taken. In the past, malicious people could actually work to sever part of the Urt, and also demons can quite commonly take a lost piece of Urt as well. They can't destroy it, but they can keep it away from the body which can create ill health (sort of similar in the way a 'curse' could work). These two reasons aren't as common today, but they are one of the reasons most shamans are trained to be able to negotiate and deal with underworld demons, and secondly trained to deal with not only how to travel in the otherworlds, but also how to travel in this world to etherically remove an Urt fragment that is in the possession of someone else.
Commonly, I have seen people's Urt fragments in possession of other people without their knowledge. If someone has come out of a really really possessive, hurtful and/or abusive relationship, it's not uncommon for them to have left part of their spirit behind with that person. The person who has taken the spirit often finds that they feel like they can't be 'whole' without taking something from others, whether they're needy for attention, or attention seeking, or whether they feel like they can't love themselves unless they have - literally - the part of the spirit from someone else which is capable of love.
In this sense, soul retrieval has a ripple effect, people who most commonly take Urt fragments without knowing have usually themselves experienced deep soul loss. They attempt to fill the void inside themselves with the energy of others, and in the process never feel quite right, and hurt themselves and others. They continue the cycle of being hurt, and also hurting. If the client is connected to another person in this sense, I will usually end up conducting two or three soul retrievals (on two or three different people!)
People who live with very over-protective parents may also find that they have left small parts of their Urt fragments with them. The parents feel like they can't live without their children, so over time they assimilate a piece of the spirit that doesn't get given back when the child moves out to live their own lives. Unfortunately the side effect of this, is that the child often feels like they can never truly be separate from their parents, and sometimes that they can also never be whole in general.
This phenomenon of inter-personal relationships creating rifts and severings is explored quite well in Sandra Ingerman's book; Soul Retrieval.
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Asphodel
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Post subject: Posted: Wed May 09, 2007 2:16 pm |
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| Forum Admin, Mod, Life Member & Torey's Little Helper |
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Joined: Sat Dec 23, 2006 5:57 pm
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Location: In the Shadows
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Thank you Ravenari! This is very interesting, and enlightening, as your posts always are.
Sandra Ingerman's book sounds fascinating. I have added it to my wish list on Amazon for the next shopping 'spree'! Thank you for the book recommendation as well!
_________________
Moderator of: Herbs.
I'm happy to help with any questions!
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Khelone
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Post subject: Posted: Sat Aug 25, 2007 4:45 am |
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| Fire Dragon |
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Joined: Tue Aug 21, 2007 1:46 am
Posts: 34
Location: Northern Virginia, USA
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Fascinating...
I've performed a handful of guidings as a psychopomp - showing lost souls who did not realize they needed to move onwards the path to leave by. It's part of why I feel I was being more than a little clueless to not realize that I was of Hermes' claim. But the concept of psychopomp work being entwined with retrieval of living souls...I never quite thought of that. This is most definitely more food for thought now.
Do you plan on sharing more on soul retrieval?
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Ravenari
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Post subject: Posted: Sat Aug 25, 2007 4:55 am |
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| Magicka Guardian, Life Member & Ezine |
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Joined: Sat Jan 06, 2007 1:11 am
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Do you plan on sharing more on soul retrieval?
Yes, eventually.
Right now I'm more intensively following my calling as a spiritual artist and shamanist in that way. I'm also finding that as I live more closely to the gods and my spirit helpers (perevrnji), I am called less often to write articles, and more often to actually do the soul retrievals and shepherding for those who have passed over.
I wish I had more time!
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anann
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Post subject: Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2007 3:59 am |
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| Magicka Guardian and Princess |
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Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2007 8:26 am
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Location: the deeep south
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Quote: Commonly, I have seen people's Urt fragments in possession of other people without their knowledge. If someone has come out of a really really possessive, hurtful and/or abusive relationship, it's not uncommon for them to have left part of their spirit behind with that person. The person who has taken the spirit often finds that they feel like they can't be 'whole' without taking something from others, whether they're needy for attention, or attention seeking, or whether they feel like they can't love themselves unless they have - literally - the part of the spirit from someone else which is capable of love.
thank you Ravenari
you have slotted an important piece into a life puzzle i had .... making it easier for me to forgive _________________ “We are the music-makers
And we are the dreamers of dreams,
Wandering by lone sea-breakers,
And sitting by desolate streams;
World-losers and world-forsakers,
On whom the pale moon gleams:
Yet we are the movers and shakers
Of the world forever, it seems.”
Arthur O’Shaughnessy – Ode[/i]
problem? pm me - i'll do my best to help you 
are there are other Members living near you?
... visit the WitchFinder General Board and find out!
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Helela
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Post subject: Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2007 8:04 am |
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| Journeymaker |
Joined: Sun Jan 14, 2007 10:40 am
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What does that mean, if somebody hasn't taken it, meaning part of our soul. If an urt is out there, people can take it? Helela. And what does it mean, to be a part of Herme's clan? Helela
_________________
Helela
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