Soul loss, retrieval, and life beyond: A shamanic perspective - Jonathan Horwitz

This week’s show is with Jonathan Horwitz. Jonathan was born in the USA and has lived in Scandinavia for over half his life. He has been actively working with shamanism since 1972, was a teacher and field researcher at the Foundation for Shamanic Studies for 10 years and has a master’s degree in anthropology.

In 1986, Jonathan co-founded the Scandinavian Center for Shamanic Studies and has been teaching internationally ever since, in Russia, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Belgium, Sweden and the UK. He has been a frequent contributor to Sacred Hoop magazine and served for some years as European Editor for Journal of Shamanic Practice. He lives with his partner Zara in the woods of southern Sweden at Åsbacka, their home and retreat centre.

Jonathan is known for his grounded, present and warm teaching style. He sees shamanism as a spiritual path and his main focus is shamanic healing, spiritual ecology and shamanic community work. As a teacher, he feels his role is to help people find the road to the Spirit world, encourage them to accept the power offered, and learn how to bring power back to the physical world.Shamanism is about life. Life is change. Shamanism is change with power. 

In this show, Jonathan and Lian explore the intricate and soulful journey of soul loss, trauma, healing, and life afterwards, unpacking the profound and universal experience of soul loss, revealing how it arises as a survival response to trauma and the ways it shapes our behaviours, emotions, and sense of self.

They delve into the connection between addiction and soul disconnection, offering compassionate insights into recognising maladaptive patterns as signals of deeper wounds and opportunities for growth.

Together, Lian and Jonathan reflect on the transformative power of the dark night of the soul, the process of retrieval and integration, and the importance of self-compassion in reclaiming a wholeness that honours our truest essence.

We’d love to know what YOU think about this week’s show. Let’s carry on the conversation… please leave a comment wherever you are listening or in any of our other spaces to engage.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• Soul Loss as Survival: Soul loss often begins as a survival mechanism in response to trauma, creating a temporary sanctuary for the self. Recognising this mechanism offers a path to self-compassion and healing.

• Addiction and Disconnection: Many addictions stem from an underlying disconnection of the soul. By addressing the root cause, individuals can begin to reconnect with their lost parts and move towards lasting recovery.

• Integration and Transformation: The return of lost soul parts is only the beginning—true healing requires a nurturing environment and self-compassion to integrate the returned part, paving the way for profound personal growth.

Resources and stuff spoken about:

• Jonathan’s websites:

  https://www.asbacka.org

  www.shamanism.dk

• Join UNIO, the Academy of Sacred Union. This is for the old souls in this new world… Discover your kin & unite with your soul’s calling to truly live your myth.

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