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The Shaman's Path: Animal-Spirit Guide Retrieval

© Jodi Wetherup

Methods of Healing - Animal/Spirit Guide Retrieval

Please note that these are the common methods of healing, there are others personal to each shaman. While I may utilize many methods in my own healing practices, I am not an expert on all methods.

As I wrote in the first part of The Shaman's Path, there are three main methods used by modern shamans of many paths (Native American, Celtic, and other various Goddess and Earth centered spiritualities). These methods include Animal/Spirit Guide Retrieval, Soul Retrieval and Exraction. Oftentimes, through counselling or perhaps a person's own "soul-searching," people come to realize that they feel alone, not whole, as if part of their own being were missing. This often causes melancholy, listlessness, abnormal and occasional criminal behaviour. In rare, severe cases it may be a leading factor in suicide.

Although I had intended to wrap up The Shaman's Path in this installment, I have decided to bring precise information on the guides available, therefore in this article, I'll describe Animal/Spirit Guide Retrieval. This method is not only practiced by shamans, but also by others interested in the metaphysical/magickal realms. It is not always a simple, fast solution - but often has very high results.

Animal/Spirit Guides come into our lives for various reasons, and can leave us once they feel they have served their purpose. While occasionally this will happen and we won't notice - if the lessons taught by the guide have not "sunk" into our conscious mind and actions, our sub-conscious will attempt to facilitate learning by causing irregularities - manifesting as chronic depression, melancholy, irritability, anger, illness and personality changes. Although this does not always follow the loss of a guide, it can presage the need for one.

The shaman will begin by asking a few questions of the person requesting help. Through subtly placed inquiries, a shaman may gain some insight as to the person's personality, their likes/dislikes, and the nature of the problem resulting in the quest for guidance from the Other Realm. Thus completed, the shaman will go into trance, using one of the various methods such as dance, drumming, or chanting to achieve an ecstatic state. It is in this state that the shaman can commune easily with the inhabitants of the Other Realm, and thereby gaining access to the person's Animal or Spirit Guide. More often than not, this communication takes the form of symbolic imagery, rather than verbal communication.

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