Shamanic Healing by Sarah Seidelmann
On Shamanic Healing:
In 2010, I decided to make Shamanism a large part of my life: to be a healer and to share Shamanism with others. I’ve completed the Three Year Program in Advanced Initiations in Shamanism and Shamanic Healing from FSS. I’ve also completed several additional Shamanic trainings including: The Four Wind’s (Alberto Villoldo) Light Body school (South), The Foundation for Shamanic Studies’ (FSS) trainings including the Way of the Shaman, The Dream workshop , Death and Dying and The Two Week Intensive. Perhaps most importantly, I’ve been taught by my own loving and compassionate spirit helpers.Shamanic healing can be life changing. It changed mine.
If, after reading the information below, you are interested in a Shamanic healing and can visit me in person please contact me via email ([email protected]) or simply choose a time here.
From Michael Harner: “…in our culture many consider it avant-garde if a person talks about the mind-body connection, but the fact that the brain is connected to the rest of the body is not the most exciting news. It’s been known for hundreds and thousands of years. What’s really important about shamanism, in my opinion, is that the shaman knows that we are not alone. By that I mean, when one human being compassionately works to relieve the suffering of another, the helping spirits are interested and become involved.”
Shamanic healing cures the spiritual aspect of disease- whether it is a physical injury, psychological injury, neurological injury or emotional injury.
A shamanic practitioner is one who, among other things, works directly with helping spirits to ask for healing on another’s behalf. There are many different roles a shamanic practitioner can play but these are some of the important ones:
1. Core Beastie (Power Animal) Infusion: In the shamanic view- each person has a Core Beastie – or wild animal spirit that is in relationship with them at birth. This is a reciprocal relationship. If somehow, the connection is lost then, the person may feel dis-empowered, dispirited or may become sick or in someway ill. To have full vitality and health this relationship must be intact. A shamanic practitioner can retrieve a Core Beastie spirit and re-infuse it in a person to empower, support and protect them. Want to know more about Core Beasties? Check out my book What The Walrus Knows.
2. Soul Retrieval- In the shamanic world we are born whole with our soul intact . The soul represents our essence or our life force. As we live our lives- certain situations, traumas, encounters or experiences may cause a part of our soul to leave us. The soul flees to a safe and peaceful place to avoid the painful experience. But, without this part (or in some cases several parts) we are not operating with our full life force and therefore not fully ourselves…or full actualized. The shamanic practitioner knows how go on a journey , aided by helping spirits, to seek and retrieve those soul parts should they desire to return. According to some experts on Shamanism (Eliiade), soul loss is the most widespread cause of disease. When soul parts are returned to a person it is life force coming back. It’s empowering. It is important to integrate those parts and honor, welcome and integrate them in different ways.
3. Extraction- Sometimes we have “stuff that does not belong” in our own energetic field that interferes with our life force or soul. This is not something evil or terrible but, like ants on your kitchen countertop, something that does not belong. I like to think of these things like weeds in a garden…..they take up space and energy that could be used to purposefully grow beautiful plants and flowers that you desire. A healing of this kind requires the practitioner to become fully merged with a spirit helper and takes skill and practice. In the shamanic view, the best way to prevent things that “do not belong” from taking up residence in you (or your life force, as it were) is to be full of power and to do that one must have a relationship with a Core Beastie (power animal).
4. Psychopomp work- The Shaman is one who can travel to the destiny of human souls for various purposes. One very important one is to help the souls of the dead that are lingering in the “middle world” or this earth place that have not transcended and are suffering and wish to be guided. Another task a Shaman might undertake would be to free a soul part that a soul that has transcended possesses (out of love and admiration OR because it was given to them out of love) so that it might return to the living person who asks for its return. The soul parts contain power or life force and rightfully belong to the person who is living. A shaman may journey to a soul that has transcended to complete “unfinished business” on behalf of a living person- to say goodbye, to express anger or to say what needs to be said and bring back information to the living person so that they may live more fully. This kind of work brings healing for the living person who seeks it.
All shamanic work that I do is done with intention: To be respectful to the individual and to do work with permission. Without the permission of another, I can do no work. This means express, informed consent of the client who is alive and conscious. In the case of a comatose patient the permission can come from the family and then (and only then) the person’s soul may be contacted for their permission. When doing work for children under the age of 12 the permission of both parents is required.
Shamanic work is a mystery. It is beyond what our minds or words can express. The more I practice it, the more mystery I uncover. It is a great privilege to do it. The effects of Shamanic work can be subtle and take time. Shamanic work is often repetitive and cyclical. For example, a person may initially have an extraction and Core Beastie retrieval that brings them to a different place and then return (several weeks later) for a second healing to have a soul part retrieved. It is different for each an every person and it is for the spirits to decide.
The most important question to ask before asking for a healing from a shamanic practitioner is this : Do you want to be healed? When we are healed and full of power (in the Shamanic sense), a lot may be asked of us. It is good to know what we desire. Are you feeling ready now for a healing? Book an appointment here.
You may find these online articles of interest:“We are Not Alone by Michael Harner” and Ethical considerations in Shamanic Healing, Susan Mokelke, J.D.
Namaste,
Sarah
I love the website with the visuals and the info you have so graciously provided to us viewers, and to peak our interest further. For years I too have followed Ted Andrew’s Animal Totem book and have learned to live with animals and nature. I am so pleased and excited to see you taking this interest and going farther with providing more info.Thanks for your hard work and research. I recently have the ‘elephant’ as my temporary Beastie so it was such a treat and a gift of love that I was provided with reading your ‘elephant’ page! I joined your site, email listing and will try to purchase the book soon.
Roksanna- Thank you for your kind comment! How wonderful to have an elephant at your side:):):) I love the wrok of Ted Andrews and the first evening I began reading his book, I immediately searched for him online only to learn that he had died in the year previous- he was such a gift to so many people (me included!) with his prolific writings and his wonderful books. I hope that I can be os a similar kind of service to others:):):) Namaste, Sarah
is an exciting contribution to the integration of the ancient healing system of shamanism into modern Western society. Most of its authors are dually trained as both healthcare providers and shamanic practitioners, and collectively they offer a broad framework and powerful clinical examples of how to attend to the soul of those who fall ill.
Thank you so much @jackson for your comment:)
Went on a little journey last night to the neatest beach near some jungle-y place to meet my core beastie. A very composed, and confident tiger, so serene, so tranquil, and really magnificent! I didn’t have a clue what those big patient eyes were trying to tell me. Until I woke this morning and it was clear…I know I can’t do it all, and I ‘m needing to prioritize, organize, and only take on the most important tasks. I must conserve my energy for the long run.And enjoy the breeze on my whiskers when it is relaxation time, not stress over the coming kill. All came over me at once, although I am not too sure about my stone or plant…; ) Roar!!!!!!
Oh Lynda- that sounds just wonderful and perfect!! Patient eyes…..:):):) Roar indeed! Thank you so much for sharing this with me- it lit me up!:)