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Okay, so I've finished reading Soul Retrieval by Sandra Ingerman. I've been on the recieving end of a soul retrieval ritual which, along with reading the book, causes me to realize that I have experienced a far more powerful retrieval as part of a ritual for another purpose entirely. And I have designed and performed my first soul retrieval for another, which was the point of all this. I have a whole heck of a lot to say and haven't any idea where to begin on this topic, or even how much of it to flood this thread with right now.
So right now I'll focus on the issue Justrix raised elsethread: What does one do when they believe they are holding onto pieces of somebody else's self/soul?
Chapter 11 of Ingerman's book discusses this, and I have thoughts on the chapter, though no specific experience with the topic personally. She explains that Soul Stealing was a deliberate thing in tribal societies that retrieval comes from, but today it's usually unconcious and thus unintentional. She declares that one cannot get anything useful out of somebody else's soul parts. I have certain doubts about this that have a great deal to do with my understanding of the nature of Love, but it's a sidebar.
She suggests that anybody who is going to recieve retrieval, and especially anybody who is going to perform retrieval should first determine if they are holding somebody else's soul parts, and find a way to return them. To that end, she suggests journey to speak with allies, or meditating to get a deeper sense of whether or not you have somebody else's parts, and if so, whose.
"Often just acknowledging that you have someone else's soul is enough to release it and send it back. In my training workshops teaching soul retrieval, I ask people to journey and explore this issue. I suggest they ask a power animal for a simple ritual to give the soul back. I stress "simple" because some of the most pwerful rituals I have participated in were short and to the point. Remember, intention is the key to ritual. Feel free to do a longer, more complicated ritual; hower, a complex ritual is not required to "get the job done." Throughout this entire process, remember to remain in a state of compassion for yourself and all involved in this deed."
The specific examples she gives are:
* Find and break a stick. This reminds me of what little I know of making a palo for speaking with the dead. I know, that's really loose.
* Use a quartz crystal that is dear to you, or find one that is appropriate. Blow the soul into the crystal. Then either give it to them as a gift, sleep with it under your pillow for some nights, or instruct the soul to continue on it's own way from there. I also think perhaps placing it in running water to release the soul from that sort of cage might work.
* Give any objects of theirs that you own back to them. This strikes me as a great idea specifically if you also want to break off all other forms of contact. Careful how you return them, however, if you don't want them to know how to find you, as with a negative relationship.
* Burn one piece of sage over a fire for every piece of soul you are holding, saying "I release you. Return to the one you belong to." Put the fire out with water and scatter the ashes. Very Native American?
* Breath work: Inhale while thinking of the person who owns the soul piece. Exhale to breath the soul part back to them.
* Give the person a gift that contains the soul part, or represents the soul part to you. This strikes me as the easiest and best method - especially if it's a relationship you wish to actively maintain. The specific example used a stone egg. Eggs are the symbol I am working most with to represent the concept of Life Force/Soul as well, so that rings particularly true to me.
* Her favorite method: Call them up on the phone and blow their missing parts back into them during the conversation I imagine this can be done in person, and via physical contact easily enough.
I would add:
* Journey to them in Otherspace, and simply hand it over.
Thoughts? Alternatives? Actual experience?
--Ember-- |
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