Soul Talk

[warbler]

This thread is for talking about anything to do with the soul. Anything. I suppose we could even talk about ‘soul music’ but for now ... I hope someday xanthas will share more about soul retrieval. And if anyone else knows about soul clearings, that is of particular interest to me.

I’d like to hear how others view the soul, what you think it is, how you think it works, where it comes from, if you believe some people don’t have souls or some have more than one, if you believe your pets have souls ... just anything about the soul.

I’d even like to hear how people define the difference between soul and spirit. I’ve read that the soul activates the spirit and the spirit is the life-energy, the thing that lets us live in our bodies. Have read nearly the opposite too. 

 

[warbler]

To start us off – here is a curious soul story. There is a woman who leads women-only sweat lodge ceremonies that I attend. “Dana” has several daughters and I remember when I met “Libby” because I’d not been aware that Dana had a teenager. Libby was 16.

Although I attended sweats at Dana’s home at least once or twice a month, I didn’t see Libby again for six months. The next time I saw her, it seemed clear that she didn’t remember meeting me but it wasn’t clear why she acted so strangely when I greeted her. I chalked it up to ‘teenage ways’ but later saw Dana and daughter Libby having a very intense discussion. I knew Libby had some challenging health issues so when her mother and I were alone, I asked, “Is Libby okay?”

Dana said, “She will be. She just got freaked out when she saw you because she sees you out here all the time and she thought you were a ghost, didn’t realize you are someone who is alive right now.”

Okay, that is not something anyone has ever said to me before!

Dana explained that our souls are very big, that it’s actually difficult for our souls to stay cramped up in these tiny bodies so it’s very common for our souls to take trips, visit other places and people, and that sometimes when our souls do this, we (or our soul-bodies) are seen by others. Really?

I asked what time of day Libby saw me (my soul-body) because I wanted to know if it was a time when I was asleep or awake. According to Dana, your soul can be in more than one place at a time so it doesn’t matter if you are awake or asleep. I said, “So, you are saying that I could be at work and someone could see me walking around your yard even though as far as I know, I’m at work and only at work.” Dana said that is so.

Okay ... is [/i][/b]it so? It is for Dana and Libby. I don’t discount it, but at first it was freaky, and uncomfortable, to think parts of me were wandering around without my conscious knowledge.  On the other hand, I do believe that I 'travel' when I dream so why not 'travel' when I'm awake. 
 icon_angel

[artificialflavors]

all i know is that the only 'proof' we have are ghost sightings, all the ghost sightings over the millennia................some are fictional stories, but not all

[Jacaranda]

warbler, your story reminds me of an excellent book I read a few years ago, called "Et si c'était vrai?" by Marc Lévy. It is translated into English, called "If only it were true".

Its the story of a woman who is in a coma and her spirit is appearing in a living room of some guy. After the initial acquaintance they fall in love of each other. Though on the day she eventually wakes up, she has no recollection of who he is.

Also, there is an interesting researcher, called Michael Newton, who is researching the soul and what happens to the soul after death and in between lives, as well as prior to incarnation. There is also a Havard professor researching that, but I can't remember his name right now. I can also recommend Aristotle "De Anima".

Thanks for sharing your story!

[Jacaranda]

all i know is that the only 'proof' we have are ghost sightings, all the ghost sightings over the millennia................some are fictional stories, but not all

That is not entirely correct. Experiments using special cameras have shown and proven that it is possible to have out-of-body experiences and that "something" is leaving the body during REM sleep phases.

The experiment which proved the OBE filmed a man who sat in his chair, filmed him leaving the body (camera showed a plasma-type humanoid form leaving the man's body), and the out-of-body version waved his arms to show to the filming camera that he was indeed real and present. If memory serves me well, this experiment is outlined in D. Scott Rogo's book "Leaving the Body - A complete guide to astral projection".

[Free]

I think sometimes we complicate things and that every time we sleep we actually leave the body.

Everyone wonders about "death", when we "die" every day just going to sleep!
But then again, I have never been mainstream! icon_ohmcandle

[artificialflavors]

[user=1703]Jacaranda[/user] wrote:

all i know is that the only 'proof' we have are ghost sightings, all the ghost sightings over the millennia................some are fictional stories, but not all

That is not entirely correct. Experiments using special cameras have shown and proven that it is possible to have out-of-body experiences and that "something" is leaving the body during REM sleep phases.

The experiment which proved the OBE filmed a man who sat in his chair, filmed him leaving the body (camera showed a plasma-type humanoid form leaving the man's body), and the out-of-body version waved his arms to show to the filming camera that he was indeed real and present. If memory serves me well, this experiment is outlined in D. Scott Rogo's book "Leaving the Body - A complete guide to astral projection".

this also is included in what i meant..

like, ghosts throwing stuff, instruments detecting ghosts, abnormalities in photos, etc..

[William]

From what ive heard, when your soul leaves the body, even during dreams, your body is not all the way animated.

[xanthas]

warbler wrote:

Okay, xanthas, we’re waiting ... :)   icon_anmachen

Yes 'mam!:)

Here I am!

I took the liberty to insert your post here because it makes more sense to reply to your query in your own thread.;)

Book I read is Soul Retrieval, Mending the Fragmented Self by Sandra Ingerman. At the time I read it, the material was way “out there” for me, but the author’s message spoke anyway, I couldn’t put the book down, ending up loving it.

Yes, it's a very good book - and although it's been a while I remember the gist of it.

Basically, soul loss happens often during very traumatic experiences - i.e. a violent car accident, robbery, gang rape, torture, war traumas are but a few.

During extremely stressful times, the soul cuts off from the body in order for the body to allow to continue functioning and ensure its survival. The soul 'flees' the body because the demise is often near inevitable. When a person is murdered, the soul disconnects abruptly from the body and has no time too 'prepare' and often ends up as a 'wandering' soul - 'looking for its home' - which then ends up as what is referred to as 'ghosts' or spirits.

When the body 'survives' and keeps functioning, recovering and returning to its full extent of physical health, but the soul has gone 'off', the individual ends up either feeling an indescribable void, a hole that cannot be filled, but the person unable to put the finger on it, not knowing "what's wrong" or becoming completely and utterly disinterested in their life, in what they do or what happens around them or 'watching tv' but devoid of feeling anything, unable to 'sense' even themselves.

The stress experienced by the individual is too great for the soul to 'stay' attached to the body and so for its own safety, leaves but needs to be returned to its 'rightful' place in order for the individual to feel hole again - or in other words - complete.

The shamanic process allows the healer to call in the guidance, protection, spiritual and psychic help (with visualisations, incense, herbs, ointments, music and symbolically energetic empowered tools) to channel the energy and help retrieve the lost Soul from the Spirit world.

This doesn't happen just during one healing session. Sometimes it takes a week, often longer for the process to be completed safely and fully, sometimes over a few months, depending on how deep the trauma/s is/are . The individual has to be receptive, open and trusting that the shamanic process can help - yet, even if they do not 'believe' in the practice, the changes can be noticed in how a person relates to their inner sense - their feelings and, their environment as a result may at the beginning only change slightly but become 'rounder' and 'fuller' in their effects.

Often, for an individual to even realise that something serious is 'amiss', a crisis has to bring it up to the concerned person for them to want to seek this kind of help because in an automated, 'doctor/science' oriented, left-brained world model, 'shamanism' is next to "charlatanism ".

We wondered if the wounding that occurred had happened at such a deep level, that the psychologists and medical doctors we saw didn’t understand it, know about it, and hence could not treat it. Indeed, the diagnosis and treatments I received never felt ‘spot on.’

[size="2"]Most so-called clinically trained 'experts' ignore the soul which is why they [/size]tend to prescribe 'pills' rather than get to the bottom of the root cause. Instead of alleviating the 'malaise' they make it worse by dumping chemical cocktails onto your brain and physiology turning more than a few of those needing serious help into zombies at some stage.

That’s why I eventually went to the alternative medicine doctor who trained with shamans. Her diagnosis and ‘prescriptions’ have worked much better than what I got from traditional Western medicine, there is not even a comparison. However, that being said, I see no reason for people to abandon medications, treatments and prescriptions that work. The only reason I went the alternative medicine route is because none of the other routes were working for me.

Sometimes, it can work interdependently but it isn't a given - every 'body' is different and so is every person's path to finding what they need that suits them. Certainly, it seems to me that classical medicine has not been able to cure some of the most 'mysterious' malaises that cannot be "clinically" or "logically" 'explained' but that a very well trained and authentic (no SS style BSer! - thank you!) healer can help you with. Unfortunately, there are as many fake $ham-ans that offer 'placebo' cures with no lasting effect. Integrity and authenticity are absolutely crucial in selecting the right person - also how they work - as every shamanic tradition is different, and unique to their particular tribe.

When the soul is reconnected to the body, the person can begin the journey to heal wholesomly - become aware again of that which makes them want to get up in the morning and live - instead of just 'exist' and function. In other words, their life has a meaning once more, often deeper, more profound and meaningful than it might have been if they would have not had to ask for help to retrieve a lost part of themselves.

[xanthas]

I think sometimes we complicate things and that every time we sleep we actually leave the body.

I agree. I have been for as long as I remember.

Everyone wonders about "death", when we "die" every day just going to sleep!

So true... Maybe that's why I used to have problems 'falling' a-sleep.

But then again, I have never been mainstream! icon_ohmcandle

Ditto!icon_headstand