January 2012: This soul retrieval was for Tracy, a friend of Ze’s. In fact Ze came with her to my house to observe the retrieval. Before the retrieval I did a Chakra Tarot spread for Tracy and sent it to her. She responded with a long email explaining some issues that she was trying to resolve; especially issues regarding childhood and her teenage years. During meditation that week she had a message that it was important for her to get this healing soon. So Tracy came well prepared for the retrieval.
The ritual was conducted in my dining room. I began it about 7:00 PM. After the drumming I rattled and toned for a while.  I put on a CD and selected a track that had about fifteen minutes of rattling and other percussive sounds. Then I laid on the floor next to Tracy, our shoulders touching. I called upon my healing guide and we journeyed into the spirit world with the intention of seeking and returning soul parts belonging to Tracy.
First we found a part that represented Tracy in her teens; a defiant teenager who was willing to return. When asked, she said she was bringing a feeling of joy back with her. I asked the teen if she knew of any other soul parts that might want to return. She answered affirmatively and took us to a little girl, just a toddler. The toddler didn’t indicate why she left or what she was bringing back; she just wanted to return. The teenager then led us to another soul part, a young woman in her twenties. However the young woman was not ready to return yet. She said she would return at a later date. After conferring with my guide we let the young woman remain in the spirit world. Before returning, I checked to see if there were any power animals who would come along to support Tracy. Thee was; it was a turtle.
I asked the toddler and teenage soul parts to enter into my crystal and they did. I thanked my guide and moved back to ordinary reality. I kneeled over Tracy and ‘blew’ the soul parts into her chest area. Then I rattled and told Tracy the soul retrieval was finished; this was around 8:30 PM.
After Tracy had a chance to return to normal consciousness, I told her about my experience. Tracy said she had dreams earlier in the week; in the dreams someone was doing something with her chakras. She also had flashbacks during the soul retrieval that had to do with some negative family experiences. Neither of us understood the significance of the turtle. So I got out my copy of The Elemental Encyclopedia of Sacred Signs and Symbols. In the section on turtles or tortoises it indicated several connections to ancient symbology, especially relating to the idea of support. Turtles supported the Tree of Life and the mountain upon which the universe rests. During this discussion Tracy remembered how she and her husband had ‘saved’ several turtles over time while they were on camping trips. Tracy and Ze stayed and the three of us chatted until about 10:30 PM when they left.
As you can see, it is a good idea to have reference books regarding symbols and animals. I couldn’t possibly remember all the details of symbolism associated with the animal kingdom. And since I have started on the shamanic path I have found that I am paying more attention to animals I encounter while outside. For example I went for a two mile walk today (11/15/13) in my neighborhood and encountered two flocks of geese, two separate sightings of a Harrier Hawk, two woodpeckers (one downey and one red-bellied) and a tree full of starlings (no partridge in a pear tree). I will check out the symbology of these birds after finishing this blog. I’ll let you know if I find anything significant.
Nov 15, 2013 @ 16:08:15
Amazing. Are you still in touch with Tracy? I’m wondering what after effects she experienced.
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Nov 20, 2013 @ 12:54:49
Patti, I am still in touch with Tracy. She said she has had a couple of major breakthroughs. She plans on commenting on her experience in the near future. I’ll let you know when she does.
Dec 04, 2013 @ 15:27:17
My soul retrieval did bring about some major breakthroughs for me. I remember very little of my early childhood. Snippets here and there. My father left our household when I was five, my mother battled with cancer since I was born (she actually had it in her when I was in the womb) so most of what I remember from age 5 on comes through with very raw emotion. About a week afterwards, I sat in meditation and my little girl side came to me. I cradled her in my arms, rocked her, held her, kissed her, just showed her that I have healed and I assured her that I would make sure she was protected. Then she crawled into my heart chakra. My willingness to have “silly” time has increased and as a child I was always very ticklish and I am again now. My teenager side was different. When I meditated to her, we had a lot to discuss. My mother passed when I was nine and I went to live with my father, step-mother and two step brothers. It was very difficult to feel like I belonged there. Like any child would I tested boundaries, did things to get attention, and I wasn’t able to truly mourn the loss of my mother. It was a very rough 9 years in that house emotionally. I looked for acceptance and love in everything and everyone, but never truly felt it. My teenage years I pushed more boundaries, experimented with many a taboo, but again never got the guidance I needed. My teenager wanted to remind me of the freedom I felt when I wasn’t trapped at home. She was very concerned that I had lost that spontaneous nature. She was a rebel and as I grew up I lost that. It was time to follow all the rules, no exceptions. I was reminded that life isn’t all about wake up, do the job, get the paycheck, go home, clean house, fall asleep.. do it all over again the next day. The understanding of the turtle has been quite interesting. Through my meditations, I now understand why it came back. My family spent every summer at a campground from the time I was born, until my mom passed when I was 9. I would spend the entire time swimming, fishing, hiking, exploring… I was very free in what I did with my time. When I started exploring my spirituality in my early 20’s, I got into elemental magic. One symbol I had always been draw to was the turtle. It’s back was divided into four quadrants, each symbolizing the directions, colors, elements associated. It is the support for the world tree, reminding me I have a good base, to explore the world and all that is in it at my own pace. … even if it was at a turtle crawl. Which it just dawned on me that my Chinese horoscope symbol is the hare! I am a Gemini, twin souls, or maybe the tortoise and the hare. LOL And during our camping trips this year, we did run into more turtles. 🙂 Thank you so much Paul for this experience. This really has made me more secure to tackle many difficult situations in my past and I am finally able to really let go of a lot. Namaste my brother.
Dec 05, 2013 @ 09:51:04
Tracy, thank you for your wonderful, insightful comments. There is no need to thank me, however. I am just an enabler, a pipeline to the spirit world. You are the one who does all the work after the soul retrieval. Blessings to you and your family and friends. Have a happy holiday season!