(Quotes contained in this article are from the author’s book, Medicine Woman Awakening, A Story of Soul Retrieval)

"It began to dawn on me that there was perhaps some long-neglected, long-surrendered part of myself that needed to be remembered, discovered, attended to, retrieved. What part was that?"

I have found the answer to that question described as soul, or spirit essence, a kind of butterfly spirit inside of us that can fly away easily. In times of shock or trauma, big or small, this part of our self may separate and become lost. Of course, if we don’t know what we are missing, we won’t know that there is any reason to go find it.

"I knew very little about soul retrieval. I had heard of it, and had some hazy notion of what it might be…I never considered it anything I needed to be concerned with. I had a soul; I was just fine." For me, the awareness that I was in need of soul retrieval came via a series of emotionally powerful dreams, dreams of loss and sorrow from which I would awaken in real tears, until finally an inner voice actually spoke to me the words "You need to do a soul retrieval."

The ancient practices of shamanic soul retrieval come to us from indigenous cultures all around the world and have direct and relevant application for all of us today. My personal experience of soul retrieval work has resulted in an emerging recognition of who I was when I came into this world, who I am now, who I am meant to become, and what my life lived more fully in accord with its original beauty and intention is to look like. Needless to say, I highly recommend it!

I find a helpful if not perfect analogy to the restoration of wholeness that is brought about by soul retrieval when I think of a river and its tributaries. As more streams empty themselves into the current of the river, becoming a part of it, the river reaches the fullness of its potential, becoming deeper, stronger and more powerful. Likewise, a similar fullness of potential is experienced as more soul parts are returned and united with the soul. The analogy is in the mightiness of the cumulative effect.

Remembering who we are and why we are here, being re-membered, is a vital ingredient of our ability to live life fully and with meaning, in wholeness and harmony. A valuable endeavor for any of us who attend to our own personal growth.