4 Soul loss: we lose life and vitality, usually by trauma. 9 "For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" Jesus. 10 "We all spend a tremendous amount of psychic energy looking for lost parts of ourselves. We do this unconsciously, and we do this in many different ways - generating dreams and daydreams, experimenting with numerous spiritual paths, creating relationships that mirror back to us our missing parts."
11 Today, most don't feel whole, few live fully. In old days, soul loss from fright, straying, or being stolen. Today, trauma: incest, abuse, loss of loved one, surgery, accident, illness, miscarriage, abortion, combat stress, addiction. When trauma, a part of us ßees, to survive the pain, for later return. 12 If soul is gone, the shrinks have nothing to work with. 13 Symptoms: sickly as child, or serious or chronic illness. Gap in memory. 14 Chronic depression. To a degree, most of us experience soul loss.
16 Like Adam and Eve, we become separated from paradise. 17 When soul returned, wholeness, fullness of life and joy. In animist world, all things have spirit and must exist with other spirits in harmony. 18 Siberian word "shaman" means one who sees in the dark. Fright can cause a soul to stray, or it can be abducted by a spirit or ghost.
19 Extreme: "nobody is home." Few of us are fully home. 21 Lost soul may go to place of fear or pleasant place. 29 SE Asian shamans use quartz crystals (stones of light) to illuminate non-ordinary reality. 32 A person has one or more guardians or power animals or spirit helpers. This can be called on for help in tight spots. 33 Non-ordinary reality: plants talk, horses ßy, fairies abound. No time.
36 Traumatized people often traumatize their children, and the trauma passes from one generation to the next. 37 Ingerman asks if the soul wishes to return - in traditional methods, the soul is often tricked and captured.
52 Ellen has been in a series of painful unhealthy relationships with men, is often angry, and wants to feel happiness. The journey. 55 Parents split when she was five, and mother was an alcoholic. She lost the ability to trust at that age, and this has affected her ability to experience intimacy with anyone. After voyage, she trusts herself more.
73 Leslie lost soul parts on three occasions where she felt her freedom and independence being threatened. 85 In the old days of small communities, everyone was responsible for the health and healing of everyone else in the community. Everyone had support in the healing process.
With shift to towns, families replaced communities. Clans broke into nuclear families, and now these are disintegrating, too. Isolation is a major cause of soul loss. In the old days, the community would participate in the soul retrieval - it was important for the community to be waiting for the lost soul to be returned. They would weep and wail, sad that soul is missing.
87 Ingerman feels that do it yourself soul retrieval is inappropriate. But she has heard stories of great successes. To solve problems of the modern world, we need to move out of isolation, band together, and work communally.
88 Divorce can cause soul loss in kids. The soul loss that results from the child's feelings of abandonment can be quite dramatic. 89 Abandonment can affect the ability to remain in relationships, and create trust and intimacy issues. Being in community spreads the tasks of raising children, and of relationships - we put all of our needs on one partner.
Lack of rites of passage can cause soul loss. 90 Girls lose souls when menstruation begins without rites. 91 Boys lose soul in teen years - confused about boy/man self, and confused about how to interact with girls/women. Much social pressure to move from boy to social man. Not all are ready for fast change.
92 People go to church for a sense of community - once a week. Need to go further and create community that stresses the celebration and sacredness of life. "A celebration of life that comes from joining in partnership to share skills and knowledge, to truly create a way of living that honors life and nature, would help us move out of a world of disease and problems and achieve balance."
98 Soul thiefs: my father stole my soul. 99 The thief is also usually the victim of soul theft. Someone who feels powerless will perform power-over moves on his young - I am more powerful than you. People have no concept of personal power - women are especially liable to give their personal power away to another person. 100 Some parents steal their child's vitality, and the child becomes weak, and chronically ill.
103 Blocked feelings cut off the ßow of life force. When opened, life force raced through, and this was weird and uncomfortable. But this is good, being open, feeling life force. 104 To slow down too much energy, say "I ask to get in touch with my higher consciousness. I ask higher consciousness to let in only as much energy as my body can handle at this present time."
In divorce, a clinging partner can not let go, and take a part of the partner's soul - leaving the partner feeling drained, and limiting the creation of new relationships. A dead person can get lonely and take a soul - dead can't finish journey to light, so both souls remain in limbo. 108 Soul thieves often refuse to release stolen souls - so retrieve their missing soul, they'll feel whole, and release what they have stolen.
111 Codependency is when we give our soul away to another. 112 The result is paralyzed and unhappy people. 118 Theft, power-over, is out of harmony with the univserse. Must have power WITH the forces of nature, not power OVER them. "True power is transformative; it can transform any energy." 125 "All sickness is homesickness." - © Dianne Connelly.
162 Teens have lost their imagination, via TV and movies. They have lost their souls. Can't envision either a personal future, or a bright future for the planet. 163 To become an adult, and create our own reality, we need a willingness to be responsible and powerful. Power is a hot potato, and people like to pass it to others. "Who can I throw it to, so I don't have to hold onto it? Who can I give my power to? Who can I give responsibility for my life, my behavior, my problems? Every time we relinquish our power, we give away a piece of our soul."
164 Spiritual teacher: "Most people think we believe our experience. This is not true; we experience what we believe." If you believe that life is too hard, it will be too hard. 167 We keep anger alive by feeding it. 169 If someone is sucking the power out of you, call power, and create a boundary. Avoid giving power or energy away to others.
175 Chattering mind is sometimes truthful, sometimes bullshit. Listen and decide. 177 Simple rituals are best, and the most important thing is intention. 178 Ritual: break a stick to break a negative connection or hold or bond. 179 The true power of ritual is not what you do, but having your heart in it. 183 Message from dream: "The greatest gift one can give another person is that of free will and choice."
184 "When we are depressed and can't connect to our emotions, we are disconnected from ourselves and our life force, which knows only how to ßow. If we are disconnected from ourselves, we cannot be creative in our own lives. We try to keep ourselves numbed out, to find external things that give us a false sense of happiness and security instead of finding what our own inner being is really seeking."
186 Feelings always mask other feelings. Sometimes we are in light territories, and sometimes sadness, anger, pain. Don't get stuck. Stand up and walk. Keep moving. If you're willing to move, you can go from darkness to light. Listen inside, experience the feelings, learn, and when ready, move on. 188 Belief is powerful. If the voice is "I'm not good enough," then counter with "I can and will and this is important." Clear intention is powerful for enacting change. Your energy can work for you, or against you.
190 Give thanks every day for your life. If we ask for life, life comes. If you're not ready for change, don't move. 191 In shamanic world, everything is alive - return to nature. 193 When we are whole and in our power, we can do anything.
195 Mirroring: As above, so below - as within, so without. If you are angry, the world will be angry at you. Environmental problems mirror our soul loss. 197 "If we are going to live on this planet and truly celebrate life, then it is time to come home."