Healing Soul Splits: Spiritual Medicine of Mother Earth

By Martín Armando

Puente Mágico Chamanismo is a spiritual initiative that aims to spread shamanism's ancestral knowledge so that its healing techniques can serve everyone in times of deep spiritual search. This initiative joins others that, for some time now, have been trying to rescue from oblivion the information and knowledge that shamans developed over thousands of years. The healing of soul splits is the part of the ancestral knowledge of shamanism this book focuses on. This third edition includes the remote healing technique, used for the first time during the Coronavirus pandemic; this technique has yielded promising results in healing people's souls.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Editorial Autores de Argentina
• Release date: Jul 5, 2022
• ISBN: 9789878729152

Book preview

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Martín Armando

Healing Soul Splits

Spiritual Medicine of Mother Earth

Martín Armando

Healing Soul Splits : Spiritual Medicine of Mother Earth / Martín Armando. - 1a ed. - Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires : Autores de Argentina, 2022.

Libro digital, EPUB

Archivo Digital: descarga y online

ISBN 978-987-87-2915-2

1. Autoayuda. I. Título.

CDD 158.1

EDITORIAL AUTORES DE ARGENTINA

www.autoresdeargentina.com

[e-mail]

Tabla de contenidos

Author’s NoteThe Coronavirus Pandemic

Special Thanks

About Shamanism and the Shaman

Chapter 1: Soul Splitting and its Healing

Depression and Soul Splitting

The Death of a Loved One

Machismo and Soul Splitting

Separations

Pain and Oblivion

The Feeling of Desolation

Chapter 2: Remote Healing

Covid-19 and its Energy

A New Era

Rosa’s Remote Healing

Jorge’s Remote Healing

Combining Remote and In-Person Healing

Chapter 3: Connected to the Energy of the Earth

Chapter 4: The Soul in the Cave of the Lost Children

Laura’s Sad Girl

The Angry Girl

Bullying and Aimé’s Soul

Chapter 5: Abuse and Soul Splitting

Mariela, an Abused Soul

Physical Abuse

Chapter 6: The Seed of a Whole Soul

Chapter 7: Soul Theft

I Steal from You to Take Care of You

Chapter 8: Surrendering a Part of the Soul

I Give You My Soul to Protect You

I Give You My Soul Because I Need You

Chapter 9: The Spirit of the Sea and its Help In Healing

Pilar’s Healing in Miami Beach

Chapter 10: Shamanic Instruments

The Shamanic Drum

The Rattle or Maraca

Chapter 11: Soul Integrity and the Spiritual Path

Pablo and His Spiritual Path

Chapter 12: The Soul in the Island of Solitude

The Feeling of Loneliness, an Existential Emptiness

Chapter 13: The Soul, Karma, and Soul Splitting

Chapter 14: Spiritual Wounds

Juana’s Wound

Mara’s Karma

Chapter 15: The Soul in the Land of the Dead of the Lower World

Julieta’s Loss

Chapter 16: The Soul in the Land of the Dead of the Upper World

Susana Wanted to Leave…

Chapter 17: The Power Animal and their Help in Healing

The Salmon as a Power Animal

Chapter 18: The Spirit of the Earth

Chapter 19: With the Whole Soul

Rafael’s Faith

The Joy of the Shaman with a Whole Soul

Shamanic Training

Bibliography

Author’s Note

The Coronavirus Pandemic

As we all remember, in early 2020 a pandemic broke out due to the massive spread of the Covid-19 virus. There is no need to describe here what we human beings have suffered during 2020 and 2021 due to lockdown, contagion, deaths, among other problems brought to our lives by this virus.

Contagion in Argentina began in early February with travelers that brought the virus with them from Europe and the United States by plane. A strict lockdown was enforced on March 20, and its lasting many months caused much suffering to Argentinians, but suffering was global.

The shamanic work that was ongoing in Argentina came to a complete halt because office visits to conduct sessions were banned. In-person courses and sessions in Spain and Uruguay were also canceled. Everything stopped in mid-air, as everybody was trapped by an invisible virus and a lockdown that, for the most part, didn’t make any sense.

Until that point, all instances of shamanism, be it sessions or training courses, took place face to face exclusively. I was very reluctant to offer remote sessions, save for exceptional cases and only after at least one session in person. Before the pandemic, nothing was farther from my mind than offering a remote course in shamanism.

But the coronavirus had frozen everything, shamanic activities as well as my ability to think. I remember that, for three weeks, I felt as if I was in animated suspension, not quite certain about what to do. Those first days of April 2020 I wondered what would happen to the world, and to shamanism. I had no answer, but I was hopeful that everything would be all right again soon.

And then, something started brewing and it took me a few days to realize what was coming.

On April 10, 2020, a student from the Argentine Patagonia texted me to know why I wasn’t offering online activities. I didn’t think it necessary, I replied, the pandemic would end any minute, and we’d soon be back to our daily lives. That was my first mistake.

The next day I was on the phone with a friend, and when she heard I wasn’t doing anything but waiting for the pandemic to be over, she emphatically told me - to my surprise - that I had to offer remote counseling; I was not to waste any time waiting, doing nothing. I was very much taken aback by her words; she was not acquainted with shamanism but spoke as if she knew exactly what it was about. No way I’m offering remote counseling, I replied, I’d just wait for this thing to be over. Boy was I wrong again, as it turned out. It is sometimes difficult for me to listen to the Spirit when it manifests through other people.

However, on the night of April 14, 2020, I had a dream. I saw somebody standing on a beach, in Uruguay. That person was looking at me and speaking to me, but I couldn’t understand them. Later that morning the meaning of that dream became crystal clear to me. Every time I dream with Uruguay (located East of Argentina) the subject matter of the dream is related to Spain, also East of Argentina. Something similar had happened to me in the past. One hour after waking up, I got a text in my cell phone, from an unknown caller, country code from Spain, which read: Hi, this is Ruth, from Madrid, I would like a session with you. I was really shocked. I remember stepping out to the terrace, cell phone in my hand, sitting on a chair and staring to the sky. A few seconds in, I saw a flock of green parrots heading towards me, screaming at the top of their voices. Surprised again, I immediately realized that the birds came from the East. I felt in my heart that was a message. At that point I saw clearly that something had to be done about remote healing, there was an obvious need to set out on a new process. April 20, 2020 was a momentous day for me.

But I had to be sure before moving forward. That same morning I journeyed to the Upper World to see my Teacher and ask him if it was appropriate to offer remote sessions. My Teacher emphatically said it was. I was incredibly shocked by his answer. I was expecting another kind of information. At that point in the journey, while with my Teacher, it occurred to me to ask him how to return split-off soul parts remotely. Figuring that out was essential for shamanic healing. My Teacher, serene as usual, showed me the way with a single image and gave me something very specific to do it. Calmly, he also showed me part of the protocol to follow in these sessions. I was still in shock and even felt quite dumb for refusing for so long to do this. But I relaxed and tried to receive the information as best as I could. I didn’t want to miss a thing. When he gave me all the information concerning the remote healing technique, I thanked him and left the Upper World.

Upon returning to my shamanic blanket and when I opened my eyes, I acknowledged my sensations: my heart was beating fast, and I was somewhat sweaty. I had to sigh really hard to release some of the emotion I was feeling then. My rational mind had quite stopped. Yet, I could remain calm for a long while and thought dispassionately about the situation I found myself in. At that point, it became clear to me that, whatever my decision, it was going to have an impact on my shamanism students, who were all in the same situation as I was: held back by the pandemic.

I tried to focus on my deep feelings to know if this kind of healing were a path with a heart, if it were something that would cast some light on the horrendous darkness brought by the coronavirus. After a long while, I could feel it was actually a good thing. Besides, my Teacher had told me this had to be done, and the dream I had the previous night had shown me the way. I decided to move forward with this.

Cell phone in hand, I replied to the person in Madrid: yes, we would have a session, a remote one. And that is how it all started, in a new way, in a new time for all we belong to Puente Mágico Chamanismo and for the thousands who could have their soul healed by remote healing.

This third edition deals more in depth with the healing of the soul, including the remote healing mode that was created during the coronavirus pandemic.

I hope you all find it useful.

Special Thanks

Nelly de Almenara was my Teacher for twenty years. She passed on July 2, 2021, at the age of 93. Nelly taught me the principles of shamanism I follow, but she also made me realize that healing is the most important thing a person can seek, if they really want to lead a spiritual life. At first, I didn’t get it, but as years went by and when I devoted all my time to healing, I really understood the meaning of her words. To lead a spiritual life, you must be healed.

No words will ever be enough to thank her for the actual opportunity she offered me to get acquainted with shamanism and healing. As Carlos Castaneda says in one of his books: ...human beings, sometimes, are presented by the Spirit with unique opportunities to break free from slavery and stupidity, and it usually happens that this opportunity appears as a Teacher who gives a chance to the individual to seek real freedom. I was lucky: that happened to me, with Nelly. Without her teachings and her loving touch today I’d be even sillier than what I am, and I couldn’t be able to grasp what healing is really about.

The day Nelly passed I was in Miami. The afternoon of July 2, 2021, I was with Santiago, a student of mine, in North Beach, seated facing the sea, and three signals occurred around me, one after the other. All the signals came from the south and they were white (a boat, a dog, and a dove). I didn’t get their meaning at the time, but I could tell something was going on. Santiago was also in the dark. A few hours later, news came of Nelly’s death. I then remembered the three white symbols, and I felt at peace. I could tell Nelly was in the white light, as she liked so much.

My Teacher Nelly taught me to make shamanic journeys and return split-off soul parts, among other things. This knowledge is priceless, from the spiritual healing standpoint, and it changed my perception of myself, of human beings and the world. Everything I learned after was rooted in what she had taught me. And for that I’ll be forever thankful. And so I have told her many times before she died.

Perhaps, in the future, in another life, I will be so lucky as to find her soul again and thank her once more.

Blessings Nelly!

About Shamanism and the Shaman

Before tackling the subject of healing soul splits, an overview is desirable about what shamanism is and who the shaman is, to understand the knowledge framework in which shamanic healing takes place.

Shamanism is a spiritual healing system developed by humanity about 10,000 years ago, in contact with the energy of Nature. Many cultures all over the world have developed shamanic practices, some more advanced than others. However, many peoples have explored the healing of body and soul by means of shamanic practices. Many anthropology textbooks describe shamanic practices.

The term shamanism is derived from shaman, a word which in turn comes from the Evenki language spoken by the Tungusic people, from Siberia. The word shaman became known in the Western world thanks to the Hungarian anthropologist Mircea Eliade, and his most famous book "Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy," published for the first time in 1951. However, each culture around the world named the shaman in their own particular way; the Mbya Guarani culture, in Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil, names the shaman karaí. The Mapuches from Chile and Argentina call them machi, and, the Wichis from the Pilcomayo river, in Argentina call them jayawú. Even though the term shaman is currently the most widely known globally, each culture has come up with its own name for that member of the community that comes in contact with spirits.

On the other hand, the concept of shaman does not refer to a given gender; the term shaman may seem to be related to a masculine energy, but there is no universal fixed gender attached to it. In some cultures, the shaman is a man, whereas in others is a woman; that depends on the beliefs and traditions of each people. Currently, Western culture has both male and female shamans.

Throughout his research, Mircea Eliade speaks about shamanism as the technique of ecstasy. He claims that the shaman masters altered states of consciousness. For instance, the Guaraní karaí sings to the spirits and smokes tobacco, entering into an altered state of consciousness in which he can channel the messages for their community. Other example are today’s urban shamans, who beat their drums, shake their rattles, sing their songs and dance before lying down on their blankets for their shamanic journey. The ways in which consciousness ecstasy manifests vary according to cultural characteristics, but the end goal is the same: to contact the spirit helpers and to receive the needed information or healing.

The shaman is one who sees in the dark, as defined by Sandra Ingerman in her book Soul Retrieval. Different dictionaries also define the shaman as a wise person or that who knows, but a more exact definition would be that who is acquainted with other realities. Personally, and very humbly if I may, I like to define the shaman as the individual - man or woman - that enters into an expanded state of consciousness and connects with spirits and souls beyond himself or herself. This definition is supported by the experience of current shamans.

The shaman, during their shamanic journey, leaves their body. Their journeying soul leaves the physical body to enter into other realities. This ability possessed by the shaman is called by some unfolding or out-of-body experience. While the shaman’s soul is journeying, their body remains relaxed.

That ability to leave the body relaxed is different to what is experienced when the shaman takes a psychotropic substance, and their whole body connects with the spirits; in that case the shaman can be seen moving, squirming on the floor, hopping, and screaming or simply talking. They are two different means used by shamans to make contact. Some cultures strongly favor the latter. Right now, urban shamanism leans towards the former.

In the past, the shaman has acted as a healer and clairvoyant, fulfilled priestly and teaching roles, and he has also been the guardian of a people’s world view.

Nowadays the shaman leans towards healing; this may be the role most needed by society. Yet a good present-day shaman can also tell the past and the future by using their techniques, they can perform rituals with Nature’s spirits to help a community, they can teach and guide people along their spiritual quest.

Another definition of shaman might read: that who walks between worlds. Shamanism states there are worlds, or realities, which coexist in the physical world, pervading it, but they are not detectable physically, with physical senses; this is so because they exist in other dimensions, at different levels and different wavelengths than the physical world.

Generally speaking, the shamanic world view defines three different worlds: the Lower World, the Middle World, and the Upper World. There are energies in each, as well as beings with different vibration and parts of the human soul. The shaman must travel those worlds to find what they are looking for. Each world is completely different, and there is no moral judgment to decide that the Upper World is better than the Lower. The religious distinction between heaven and hell does not fit into this perception of reality. The Upper World is not heaven, nor the Lower World is hell. That is totally unrelated. Shamans described the three worlds thousands of years before Catholicism would define heaven and hell.

The Lower World harbors the power animals, certain high-vibration beings that help in healing. There are also many places where parts can be found of people’s souls.

In the Middle World, which we humans share with other beings, we find spirits of Nature, beings from the lower planes of the astral world, parts of people’s souls, souls of deceased people, and thousands of other creatures.

The Upper World accommodates teachers, other beings of light and parts of many people’s souls.

Each world has its own vibration, its own reason to exist. These worlds were discovered by shamans from different cultures, who could visit these places and describe them in detail.

Even though each culture around the world has named each of these worlds differently, most shamans have seen and do see in them significant similarities in each.

When the shaman is in an expanded state of consciousness or journeying, they are always aware of their state; they always adopt an active attitude; they willingly enter into other realities, and they operate in them until they find what they are looking for. When the shaman journeys through the different worlds, they feel their whole body is involved, but they actually do so with their journeying soul. This ability possessed by the shaman differs from spiritism, where the medium or channeler has to surrender all or some of their faculties to get the information sought, thus adopting a passive attitude. Any interference by an energy external to the shaman is seen as a restraint to their freedom, and that is why shamans are not mediums.

The planet Earth and Her Spirit are a part of the worlds shamans contact and work with every time they perform a ceremony, whether for healing or inspiration. The shaman thinks everything is alive in the universe, from a drop of water to a dolphin, from a grain of sand on a vast beach to the farthest star from the Earth, from an atom to the wind; everything has life, everything has consciousness. And this is no poetry, but a truth declared by shamans for thousands of years.

Shamans have, for thousands of years, played the role of "psychopomps," that is, beings that guide souls from one world to the next, the souls of the deceased. Nowadays, in many parts of the world, shamans have adopted again their role as psychopomps, as this is sorely needed. You may reed about this in El Chamán Psicopompo, by this author.

The shaman is also a social servant to their community. Historically, they have been the healer that is acquainted with the tools needed to work with and heal the suffering of the soul. The shaman responds today to what people need today, to their daily issues, and the need for healing is increasingly evident.

On the other hand, shamans from all ages have argued that the human being is, essentially, free, constantly looking for their freedom and joy, but humans do suffer pain and spiritual diseases that prevent them from achieving that freedom, that full expansion they seek. Shamans see that disease as the soul losing parts. This situation prevents human beings from reaching that state of freedom so longed for. At the same time, soul splits are, for some shamans, part of the karma that human beings must resolve in order to evolve spiritually.

In recent decades, shamanism, as a form of healing and as spiritual path, has been reborn in many parts of the world. The books by Carlos Castaneda and Michael Harner, to name some, have allowed thousands of people to connect with the knowledge of shamanism, its techniques, and practices.

In Argentina, the research paper by Mario Califato and María Cristina Dasso in the beautiful book El chamán wichí of