About a year after the death of my husband, I read Anatomy of the Spirit by Caroline Myss.

She tells the story of a man who equated his spirit to his personal power. She goes on to explain how personal power is a manifestation of life force and necessary for healing.

At a time in my life when I felt broken and empty, I was struck with by how sensible this was. It made sense to me that healing requires all of our internal resources, including our spirit, our ultimate internal resource.

I realized that it was possible, actually probable, that much of my spirit was not with me anymore. I could visualize all of the moments throughout my life where I had unconsciously misplaced pieces of myself, of my spirit. I felt compelled to act on this new understanding—but I knew that it meant I had to be ready to let go—to unhook from all the stories and the parts I played in them. 

This was a punctuating moment.  

I was empowering myself to heal and I wanted to do more than just think about it. I decided to symbolically search for and retrieve my entire spirit, and to honor the moment with a calling and a prayer.

I offer these words to anyone on their journey to heal who may be ready to own their authority. Sometimes something so simple can be so profound.

The Journey Forward

Today I send this prayer.

I call my spirit back to me,

All the pieces I have lost

Or have given away.

I call my spirit back

From the place where he left his body,

The moment his spirit took flight

And the part of mine that followed.

I call my spirit back,

From the moments in the past,

The ones I couldn’t get over

And the ones I didn’t let go.

I call my spirit back,

From the places I sent it in the future,

To warn me of what is to come,

And to keep me safe.

Today I send this prayer,

To call my entire spirit back,

To live in this body,

To be in this life.

~

Author:  Kirsten Freeland
Image: Anil Kumar/Flickr
Apprentice Editor: Kathy Washburn/ Editor: Lieselle Davidson
Copy Editor: Sara Kärpänen