Shamanic Power Retrieval Techniques

Power Retrieval is a traditional shamanic technique employed to call back lost energy (power) and energetic parts of ourselves.

Power loss happens to all of us at some point over the course of our lives and can be felt in our body, mind and spirit as fatigue, mild depression, burnout, feeling lost or stuck; mild illness and repeating patterns of thoughts or behaviours that we know aren’t truly aligned with our needs or serve our highest good. 

Power loss can especially be felt during the peri/post menopause journey, where we can experience a keen sense of groundlessness and feel lost and experience a sense of grief for the lost parts of ourselves.

Sometimes we can feel power loss happening in situations when we’ve lost self-confidence, feel anxious, unable to be our true selves in some way; felt silenced or felt unable to speak up.

Power loss can happen subconsciously in situations beyond our control, or when we’ve engaged in activities that have uneven energy exchanges or an unequal sense of authority/agency.

(Continue reading for a simple self-power retrieval ceremony.)

We can sometimes even feel our energy, our life-force draining from us as it’s happening. In these moments our body is giving us important messages and clues to our real needs and feelings about something.

Many of us know the feeling of being around ‘energy vampires’, people who actively or unwittingly drain us, or we can sometimes feel we gave our ‘power’, our energy, or agency, over to someone or a situation, or when we didn’t act in accordance with our own needs.

There are various techniques we can utilise for power retrieval whether we work with a shamanic practitioner or call back our power for ourselves. Power Retrieval can involve meditation, drumming, chanting, intention setting, affirmations, visualisation, working symbolically with ritual or power animals and always with self-compassion. 

It also involves continuing to ‘feed’ the returned energy afterwards and ‘acting in accord’ in ways that continue to support and protect it.

I learnt Power Retrieval practices as part of my Shamanic Reiki Drum master/teacher training and from additional shamanic drum workshops, and offer sessions of guided power retrieval, working together with the soothing beat of the drum and the energy work of Reiki, to call back lost energetic parts symbolised as power animals.

The following is a simple form of power retrieval that we can do for ourselves. It’s based on raising our vibration to call back and magnetise that power back to us, working with the universal law that ‘like attracts like’ and the modern shamanic technique of Transfiguration as taught by Sandra Ingerman.

Often after an experience of power loss we can feel fatigued and low in mood. That energy can attract more thoughts and feelings of that similar lower frequency. We can begin to blame or criticise ourselves, feel guilt or shame, have depressive thoughts that lower our mood further and before long it all spirals down and even more energy is lost as we often, without even realising, ‘feed’ that lower vibration with our energy.

As soon as we recognise that power loss and we are in a safe space, we can work with all of our senses to create new, uplifting and positive sensations and feelings in the body. The sooner we can do that the better!

Cleanse yourself with the element of water to begin with – wash your face and hands or even have a bath or shower as part of this ceremony. Honour the element of water.

Designate a simple sacred space and light a candle if possible, honouring my the fire element and its power to transmute, attract and illuminate. Call to all the sacred elements and any allies for protection and to help you in this work.

When you’re ready to begin take deep breaths and feel the new fresh air entering your lungs. Honour the air, the wind and new beginnings, invite new thoughts and feelings into your mind and body.

Cleanse yourself with natural herbal incense bundles, or light an oil burner and enjoy the smell your favourite essential oils.

Visualise your energetic roots travelling deep into the Earth and honour the Earth element as your body. Next send your energetic branches reaching up deep into the cosmos and meeting a brilliant star above you.

Remember you are more than your thoughts and earthly physical form, you are also space, infinity, source energy, starlight and mystery. Feel that starlight beaming its beautiful light above and thyme into your heart space and solar plexus area. Allow that light to meet the star within you and feel it growing bigger, brighter and stronger, until you can imagine yourself radiating this light in all directions, receiving and emanating pure light.

When you start to feel that shift into much more uplifting, expansive, positive feelings and sensations, call your lost power/energy back to yourself.

Open your arms and hands in a welcoming gesture and move your arms towards you, gathering your power back into your heart space.

The trick is to really feel that power/energy we wish to return. Remember your feelings, thoughts and mood, are the energetic vibration you wish to attract. It might take a while to feel the shift. Traditional indigenous shamans would drum and chant for days to enter the state of mind they need for their ceremonies, so it might take time and can be done incrementally.

Calling back your energy in stages at a time is better than not at all. It might be too much of a leap to go from feeling flat to feeling joyful in one go. So it’s okay to repeat the process over several days, perhaps just drumming, moving, chanting or listening to music a little each day, incrementally shifting your feelings, opening a little more, feeling a little more peace, a little more expansive, calling it back.

Ask yourself what would it feel like for that power to return, use your imagination, practice the sensations in your body. It might feel like lightness, openness, peaceful, contentment or joyful. Invite these feelings in as you invite that energy back, reminding if necessary it is safe to return.

Place your hands on your heart, breathing in the energy and feelings of expansion, openness, peace. You might sense that energy from other instances of power loss (even ones you has forgotten about,) return to you. 

You might get a sense of your power returning as an animal or symbol. If you do, honour that by drawing it afterwards, or representing it in some way on an altar or wearing as a talisman. 

You can add any other ritual element you wish, such as making up a chant to call back your power, writing an intention onto paper and safely burning it etc.

When you feel the session is complete, thank the elements and any helping guides. Thank the energetic parts of you that have returned. Forgive yourself if necessary, beam self-love and compassion at yourself for a little longer, and honour yourself for doing this work.

Commit to feeding this energy by repeating practices that uplift you, as well as acting in accordance to your needs in the future.

Ground yourself with a nourishing, flavourful snack or meal. And make time to journal any insights.

If you would like a guided power retrieval session with shamanic reiki drumming in person in Worcester or online, utilising the sound of the drum and guided meditation to call back your energy, do contact me for more information.

[Please note that power retrieval is not the same as Soul Retrieval which requires an authentic and apprenticed shamanic practitioner to journey for you.

Power Retrieval work is not intended for deep trauma work, or for those with PTSD, addiction and severe mental health challenges. Power retrieval is a complementary technique and not a substitute for professional support and guidance and/or medication.]