Ligmincha Europe Magazine # 9 – Summer 2013

practices like Tsa Lung, Sang Chöd and Sür Chöd,
Dawa Gyaltsen, Phowa or other ones are coming
together like a big jigsaw puzzle. It has deepened
my understanding of Tantric and Dzogchen
practices I am practicing in daily life. It's like
understanding the floor that belongs to a room I
was sitting in to do my Tantric and Dzogchen
practices.
There are about thirty-six people coming from
places like America, Mexico, Chile, Australia and
only two people from Europe. One of the
Soul and Life-Force Retrieval
The Tibetan people traditionally view the five
elements of earth, water, fire, air and space as
pervading all of life and as the essential components
of our entire worldly existence. The soul
(la) is said to be composed of these elements at a
very subtle level — and it is believed that a traumatic
event or other shock can cause an individual
to lose connection with the elements and
become dispirited.
The ancient shamanic rites of soul retrieval (la
gu) and life-force retrieval (tse gu) from the
Mother Tantra of the Bon tradition are methods
of calling on the living essence of the elements —
the elemental spirits — to balance and heal the
individual.
Just attending the ritual in itself brings a healing
effect. Students receiving the teachings addition-
The sangha
European people comes from Sweden and there is
me. I heard rumors about this Soul Retrieval study
will be repeated someday.
When you want to talk with me about this ritual,
my experiences or if you have questions about it
you can contact me at:
bloembergcindy@gmail.com.
Text by Cindy Bloemberg
Photos by Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and
courtesy of Cindy Bloemberg
ally learn how to diagnose the need for soul
retrieval as well as how to perform it.
Through ritual and meditation practice, they
learn to overcome negative influences and bring
back the positive qualities that are missing or
reinforce the qualities that are weakened in
themselves or in others. Cultivating these personal
qualities, in turn, serves as a foundation for
spiritual awakening.
In-depth information about the natural elements
can be found in Tenzin Rinpoche's book Healing
With Form, Energy and Light: The Five Elements
in Tibetan Shamanism, Tantra and Dzogchen,
(Snow Lion, 2002).
Source: www.ligmincha.org
page
22