What is a shaman?
In indigenous cultures, the Shamans are the Medicine individual, Man or Woman, the Healer, the Holder of the spiritual cord in the community, the leader of the ceremony, the invoker and communicator with nature beings and weather spirits, the Oracle, the Storyteller, the Storykeeper, the intermediary for the tribe and spiritual ancestors and guides. The Shaman is also the curse remover, priest and healer. It’s really an Archetypal heading.
On occasion, when working with a client, Jane sees the shaman archetype show up for a client. Though typically it shows up as an opportunity to step into the shamanic journey. Shaman, according to internationally renowned shamanic journey teacher and mentor, Sandra Ingerman, the shaman is a term awarded by the community. You would not take it on and call yourself a shaman. In today’s modern shamanism, individuals take on the devotion and reverence of shamanic practice, from whatever tradition they resonate with. As in Jane’s case, she resonates with the Celtic shamanism tradition.
“We are modern day shamanic practitioners of the tradition of shamanism.”
Jane’s experience of shamanism started as a personal practice for about 8 years until she took it up as her work. She was then inspired (or advise) to take it to the community and work with others.
She started taking shamanic journey training courses with the idea that it could become a life’s work.
She had experience with medical intuitive-ness, spiritual arts, healing art, past life regression, and psychic counseling.
She likes to say, “I was “in the church” not that pew…but in the ball park and it made sense to put myself out into the world again.”
At that time, Medicne for the Earth by Sandra Ingeraman came to her.
Then, an Omega Institute catalog with Way of the Shaman with Sandra ingerman came into her awareness. She immediately called them up, and there was 1 openeing left to Sandra’s class.
She signed up!
Jane studied Celtic Shamanism with Tom Cowan and Soul Retrieval with Sandra Ingerman.
As she was ponder ing when, where, and how to start, Sandra advised her “just start”.
Jane started as a shamanic practitioner, focused on soul retrieval. She practiced the art of soul retrieval clients for free for for 1 year.
So I asked, as I have always wanted to understand it, “What is soul retrieval?”
Jane explains we all have experiences in our lives that are frightening, traumatic, abusive, and accidental, the death of a loved one, the loss of something significant, giving who we are (as children) to earn love from others (our parents), giving up ourselves in order to receive acceptance from others. It’s a survival mechanism as a child.
These types of situations can lead to soul losses. Jane describes it as the soul going “off-line”.
Grief, depression, anxiety…soul retrieval and shamanic practitioners use the struggle as the portal to find the answer.
The practitioner then goes to find the soul part…to figure out what soul part is missing?
Examples of soul parts that may be missing during a soul retrieval include:
- sovereignty,
- will and determination,
- vision,
- voice,
- strength and courage, and
- creative expression are just a few examples of what can be retrieved during a soul retrieval.
It can be any and all of these as well. Jane says it makes sense to her, while going through the soul retrieval process, why a soul loss had occurred.
Once jane, or any soul retrieval practitioner finds out where the soul part is hanging out, she can work a way to retrieve it. Sometimes the soul part is distressed and needs healing. When a soul part is returned during a soul retrieval ceremony, it is brought back into the heart.
Soul loss often occurs with imaginative children who are judged or criticized for being lost in the clouds.
There are ways to reactivate that part of soul loss like creative expression.
In the psychotherapeutic world it’s known as disassociation.
Jane considers soul retrieval magnificent work!
A key point we brought up in this discussion, is that ancestral issues and patterns can impact soul loss. The influence of ancestral issues can really hold us back from moving forward in our own life.
One example of an ancestral pattern is the belief that women are seen but not heard. Suffering in silence is a family pattern that needs healing.
Extraction work is carrying energy that isn’t ours like, curses, and anger are examples of why extraction work needs to happen. You need to remove the energy that doesn’t belong to you 1st., before proceeding with a soul retrieval.
When Jane works with any client she asks the spirits for assistance, ones with greater awareness, and an eagle’s eye view of the situation from all angles, mental, emotional, physical and spiritual.
Here’s what she asks spirit during a session:
- What do you see?
- How do you see this client and their issue?
- Was does their soul want?
- What archetype is emerging here with this client?
Jane looks at all levels to help her clients.
Other questions that are addressed during this engaging and comprehensive interview about Celtic Shamanism, the Shamanic Journey and Celtic Shamanism Training include:
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Jane I have a question for you. I have had visions all of my life. I also can connect with animals. My father in law had a mustang no one could get close to her but me. I can also read people I had a person I was talking to the other day I knew she was lying to me because every time she looked at me I could tell. I can also fell spirits around me and I have seen spirits. My friend told me that I came to him when he was really sick and he said I told him he was going to be ok. I have been called a star child which I have no idea what that means. I also have been told I have the third eye and that person told me to train in abilities and I don't know how to begin to look how to do that or who could teach me.